WASHINGTON: While Israel’s unrelenting airstrikes on the Gaza Strip continued for the 11th day that left at least 2800 innocent Palestinian civilians martyred, United States President Joe Biden has confirmed his solidarity visit to Israel.
The President’s travel plans extend beyond Israel, as he intends to continue to Jordan to address pressing humanitarian issues and engage in discussions with regional leaders. The US President Confirmed his visit in a statement issued on social media platform X, formally known as Twitter.
On Wednesday, I'll travel to Israel to stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas's brutal terrorist attack.
I'll then travel to Jordan to address dire humanitarian needs, meet with leaders, and make clear that Hamas does not stand for Palestinians' right to self-determination.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 17, 2023
Earlier today, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had announced that President Joe Biden will visit Israel to show support for the nation. This announcement followed the revelation that Tel Aviv had agreed to formulate a humanitarian aid plan for Gaza’s civilian population.
US President Aid Plan Initiative
During his visit, the top US diplomat mentioned that President Biden would discuss strategies to minimize civilian casualties during times of conflict, especially in light of the growing humanitarian crisis amid Israel’s continued airstrikes on Gaza Strip.
Blinken’s decision to create an aid plan came after 9 hours of negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
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Blinken, who had been engaged in round-the-clock diplomacy for five days in the region, returned to Israel after visiting six Arab countries in four days to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. The Israeli airstrikes had resulted in the martyrdom of over 2,800 innocent Palestinian civilians and the displacement of hundreds of thousands from their homes.
“In response to our request, Israel has agreed to develop a plan that will facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to the civilians in Gaza,” Blinken informed the press.
Today, at our request, the United States and Israel have agreed to develop a plan that will enable humanitarian aid from donor nations and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in Gaza, including the possibility of creating areas to help keep civilians out of harm’s way.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 17, 2023
Blinken emphasized that the US shares Israel’s “concern” that Hamas might interfere with or obstruct the distribution of aid entering Gaza, or divert it from those in need. He stated, “If Hamas in any way obstructs humanitarian assistance from reaching civilians, including seizing the aid itself, we will be the first to condemn it and will work to prevent such incidents from recurring.”
