WASHINGTON, United States: US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that deaths at food aid center in the Gaza Strip were complicating ceasefire talks, but also stressed the urgent need for a deal between Israel and Hamas.
Biden said a ceasefire was unlikely to happen by Monday as he previously believed, but stressed he was still hopeful for a deal that would provide a six-week pause in fighting in exchange for the release of hostages held by the Palestinian militant group.
“Hope springs eternal,” Biden told reporters at the White House when asked about the ceasefire timing. “I was on the telephone with people in the region… Probably not by Monday, but I’m hopeful.”
Biden was also asked about the incident in Gaza. In the incident, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians who were trying to receive food aid during the chaos, and the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled area said more than 100 people were killed.
“We’re checking that right now. There are two conflicting versions of what happened, I don’t have an answer yet,” Biden said as he headed to his helicopter.
“I know it will,” Biden said when asked if he was worried that would complicate the delicate ceasefire negotiations.
The White House later said it had asked Israel, a close US ally, to investigate the “deeply disturbing” deaths.
“We believe this incident should be fully investigated,” deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters as she flew with Biden on Air Force One to Texas.
“We’ve been in touch with the government of Israel this morning to gather information and to request that they investigate.”
The US State Department called the situation in Gaza “desperate.”
“We will be monitoring that investigation closely and pressing for answers,” Matthew Miller told media about the aid trucks incident.
Biden spoke separately on Thursday with two key players in the region, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, about the ceasefire efforts.
The White House said in a statement that the two leaders discussed the “tragic and troubling” aid incident in Gaza and stressed the urgency to end the talks as soon as possible.
Biden and the two Arab leaders also offered new details on what the ceasefire agreement would look like.
“The leaders underscored that the release of hostages would result in an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza over a period of at least six weeks,” the White House said.
“They exchanged views on how such a prolonged period of calm could then be built into something more enduring” and agreed to stay in touch over the coming days.
The Israeli military said thousands of Gazans surrounded a convoy of 38 aid trucks, causing a “crowd” that left dozens dead and injured, including one who was hit by the trucks.
Israeli officials acknowledged that the army opened fire on the crowd because they believed it was “a threat.”
The Gaza Ministry of Health condemned the so-called “genocide” in Gaza City, which left 112 dead and more than 750 injured.
The ministry announced earlier Thursday that the incident brings the number of Palestinians killed in the war to more than 30,000.
