WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden spoke on Thursday on his determination to broker an end to Israel’s ongoing war on the besieged Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the deaths of over 38,000 Palestinians to date, Anadolu Agency reported.
Addressing reporters at the conclusion of Nato’s three-day leader-level summit, Biden mentioned that both Israel and Hamas had agreed to a “framework” deal, with negotiators currently working to finalise the details.
“These are difficult, complex issues. There are still gaps to close. We’re making progress. The trend is positive. I’m determined to get this deal done and bring an end to this war, which should end now,” he said at the Walter E. Washington Convention Centre, where he held a nearly hour-long press conference.
Regarding the US attempt to solve the aid delivery problem by constructing a temporary pier on the Gaza coast, Biden expressed his disappointment over its failure, saying he was “hopeful that it would be more successful.”
The temporary pier was completed on May 17, but National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced on Thursday that all operations would cease and the pier would be dismantled following a series of mishaps and an ongoing inability to deliver aid to the starving Palestinians in dire need.
“I do anticipate that in relatively short order, we will wind down pier operations. The real issue right now is not about getting aid into Gaza. It’s about getting aid around Gaza effectively,” Sullivan told reporters at the Nato summit.
The World Food Programme, the principal US partner facilitating deliveries from the site, paused its operations after a deadly Israeli hostage rescue operation in June, during which two of the organisation’s warehouses were struck by rockets.
Since the pier became operational on May 17, over 8,100 tonnes of humanitarian aid has been delivered from the facility to a marshalling area, where it was intended to be collected by humanitarian organisations for onward delivery and distribution, according to the Pentagon.
Much of that aid is now likely to be rounded up and taken away due to failures in distribution.
Biden said there were “a lot of things” he wished he “had been able to convince the Israelis to do” but highlighted the vital opportunity to “end this war,” alluding to the ceasefire negotiations. – July 12, 2024
