Biden-Harris Administration Trumpet Support For Food, Medical Care, Safe Shelter, And Water.

Fuel Deliveries Not A Priority.

If Food Needs To Be Refrigerated Or Frozen, If Medicines Need To Be Refrigerated, If Water Desalinization And Sewage Treatment Facilities Need Electricity, Why Not Prioritize It?  Why Avoid Discussing It?  Why Not Demand The State Of Israel Provide It?

Not A Faustian Bargain- The Immediate Needs Of 2.3 Million Civilians Are Paramount To Everything Else.

The Following Is A Three-Day Timeline…

The White House
Washington DC
21 October 2023

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to discuss developments in Gaza and in the surrounding region.  The President welcomed the first two convoys of humanitarian assistance since Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack, which crossed the border into Gaza and is being distributed to Palestinians in need.  The leaders affirmed that there will now be continued flow of this critical assistance into Gaza.  The President expressed appreciation for Israel’s support in helping to accommodate the release of two American hostages.  The leaders discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of all the remaining hostages taken by Hamas – including U.S. citizens –and to provide for safe passage for U.S. citizens and other civilians in Gaza who wish to depart.  The President and the Prime Minister agreed to stay in close touch.

The White House
Washington DC
21 October 2023

Statement from President Joe Biden on the Delivery of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

Today, the first convoy of humanitarian assistance since Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel crossed the border into Gaza and reached Palestinians in need.  The opening of this essential supply route was the result of days of diplomatic engagement at the highest levels. I made it clear from the outset of this crisis--in both my public statements and private conversations--that humanitarian assistance was a critical and urgent need that had to get moving, and I express my deep personal appreciation for the leadership of President Al-Sisi of Egypt, Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, and the United Nations to allow the resumption of this assistance.  The United States remains committed to ensuring that civilians in Gaza will continue to have access to food, water, medical care, and other assistance, without diversion by Hamas. We will continue to work with all parties to keep the Rafah crossing in operation to enable the continued movement of aid that is imperative to the welfare of the people of Gaza, and to continue working to protect civilians, consistent with obligations under international humanitarian law.  We also continue to work around the clock, in partnership with Egypt and Israel, to facilitate the ability of U.S. citizens and their immediate family members to exit Gaza safely and travel via Egypt to their final destinations.

United States Department of State
Washington DC
21 October 2023

Humanitarian Assistance for Gaza- The Secretary of State

The United States welcomes the delivery of a 20-truck convoy carrying much needed humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza, the first since Hamas’s horrific October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. We thank our partners in Egypt and Israel, and the United Nations, for facilitating the safe passage of these shipments through the Rafah border crossing. With this convoy, the international community is beginning to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has left residents of Gaza without access to sufficient food, water, medical care, and safe shelter. The opening of this essential supply route was the result of days of exhaustive U.S. diplomatic engagement in the region and an understanding President Biden reached with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during his recent historic visit to Israel. Since that visit, Special Envoy David Satterfield has worked with the governments of Israel and Egypt, as well as the United Nations, to oversee its implementation.  We urge all parties to keep the Rafah crossing open to enable the continued movement of aid that is imperative to the welfare of the people of Gaza. We have been clear: Hamas must not interfere with the provision of this life-saving assistance. Palestinian civilians are not responsible for Hamas’s horrific terrorism, and they should not be made to suffer for its depraved acts. As President Biden stated, if Hamas steals or diverts this assistance it will have demonstrated once again that it has no regard for the welfare of the Palestinian people and as a practical matter it will hinder the international community from being able to provide this aid. Civilian lives must be protected, and assistance must urgently reach those in need. We will continue to work closely with partners in the region to stress the importance of adhering to the law of war, supporting those who are trying to get to safety or provide assistance, and facilitating access to food, water, medical care, and shelter for citizens wherever they are located in Gaza.  We continue to work urgently in partnership with Egypt and Israel to facilitate the ability of U.S. citizens and their immediate family members to exit Gaza safely and travel via Egypt to their final destinations. There is no higher priority than the safety of U.S. citizens abroad, and U.S. Embassy Cairo teams are poised to assist these U.S. citizens. We are working tirelessly, including with partner and allied nations with citizens in Gaza, to secure their ability to safely depart the conflict area.

United States Department of State
Washington DC
22 October 2023

QUESTION:  I want to try to get some clarity from you about the water situation in Gaza.  As you know, Israel decided to cut off water to Gaza, along with the fuel, electricity that powers the water and sewage plants in the territory.  That has exposed residents to all sorts of potential contaminated water and sickness as well.  What was the strategy behind that, and can you clarify?  Has any of the water been restored, Mr. Secretary?

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  So this is something that we’ve also been working on from – virtually from the beginning.  When I was in Israel and throughout the region, as you mentioned a little while ago, one of the things that I was very focused on was making sure that people in Gaza, innocent people who are caught in this through no fault of their own, in this crossfire of Hamas’s making, get the assistance they need – whether it’s food, whether it’s medicine, whether it’s water.  And so we were able to —

QUESTION:  Has any of it been restored, Mr. Secretary, just to be clear?

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  So in short, yes.

QUESTION:  Okay.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  In short, yes.  Two things.  First, there are multiple pipelines.  Israel turned back on one of the pipelines about six or seven days ago, so that was an important step.  There are a couple of other pipelines that we’d like to see restored.  In addition, water is coming in.  We – as you mentioned, we had the first 20 trucks of assistance come in.  That includes water.  We’re getting more that we hope will be moving as early as today.  In fact, we were just told that some of the convoys have started to move again and are moving as we speak.  At the same time, there are other things that need to happen.  There are desalination plants that need to be powered in order to make sure that the water people are drinking is clean.  We do have concerns about the spread of disease as a result of people drinking dirty water.  All of these things are very much part of what we’re doing, again, every day to try to make sure that Palestinians have the assistance they need.  We appointed a very senior diplomat, David Satterfield, to be on the ground every day working to make sure that the humanitarian aid that people need is getting there.  And this is a work in progress.  It’s something we’re at all the time.

The White House
Washington DC
22 October 2023

Readout of President Biden’s Call with His Holiness Pope Francis

Today, President Joseph R. Biden spoke with His Holiness Pope Francis to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza.  The President condemned the barbarous attack by Hamas against Israeli civilians and affirmed the need to protect civilians in Gaza. He discussed his recent visit to Israel and his efforts to ensure delivery of food, medicine, and other humanitarian assistance to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They also discussed the need to prevent escalation in the region and to work toward a durable peace in the Middle East.

The White House
Washington DC
22 October 2023

Joint Statement on Israel

Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Prime Minister Trudeau of Canada, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the United Kingdom spoke regarding the ongoing conflict between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas. The leaders reiterated their support for Israel and its right to defend itself against terrorism and called for adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians. They welcomed the release of two hostages and called for the immediate release of all remaining hostages. They committed to close coordination to support their nationals in the region, in particular those wishing to leave Gaza. 

The leaders welcomed the announcement of the first humanitarian convoys to reach Palestinians in need in Gaza and committed to continue coordinating with partners in the region to ensure sustained and safe access to food, water, medical care, and other assistance required to meet humanitarian needs. The leaders committed to continue close diplomatic coordination, including with key partners in the region, to prevent the conflict from spreading, preserve stability in the Middle East, and work toward a political solution  and durable peace. 

United States Department of State
Washington DC
22 October 2023

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  First, Margaret, when I hear the stories, when I see the pictures of young children who have lost their lives in this conflict of Hamas’s making – whoever they are, wherever they are, whether they’re Palestinians, whether they’re Israelis, whether they’re Jews or Muslims – it hits me and I know it hits virtually everyone right in the heart.  And that’s why it’s so important to do everything possible to protect them, and why it’s so important to do everything possible to get assistance to those who need it – food, medicine, water.  We’ve —

United States Department of State
Washington DC
23 October 2023

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met today with Jewish community leaders and, separately, with representatives of the Arab- and Palestinian-American communities. In both discussions, the Secretary condemned Hamas’ horrific terrorist attacks against Israel, reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, outlined his recent engagements and travel to the Middle East, and described the United States’ efforts to see to it that all civilians are protected and to prevent the widening of the conflict. He stressed that no civilian life is worth more than another — whether Christian, Jewish, or Muslim – and emphasized ongoing U.S. efforts to facilitate a steady flow of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, as we work with partners across the region to secure the release of additional hostages. He made clear that the United States continues to support the Palestinian people and a two-state solution and reiterated that Hamas does not represent Palestinians. He strongly condemned racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic, and anti-Palestinian incidents, including appalling violence in this country and around the world, and underscored that hate has no place in America or anywhere else. The Secretary invited participants to share their perspectives, listened to the ideas put forward, and pledged that the Department would remain in close contact with their organizations and broader communities.

United States Department of State
Washington DC
23 October 2023

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares to discuss Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel.  The Secretary called for the release of all hostages.  The Secretary reiterated U.S. support for Israel’s right to defend itself and continued engagement with regional partners to prevent the spread of conflict.  The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed ongoing humanitarian assistance efforts and affirmed continued coordination to enable Palestinians in need to have sustained and safe access to aid.  He welcomed continued Spanish engagement together with other European allies, particularly as Spain holds the Council of the EU presidency, toward our shared goal of ending Hamas’ violence and protecting civilians.

The White House
Washington DC
23 October 2023

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke this afternoon with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. The President welcomed the release of two additional hostages from Gaza earlier today, and reaffirmed his commitment to ongoing efforts to secure the release of all the remaining hostages taken by Hamas – including Americans – and to provide for safe passage for U.S. citizens and other civilians in Gaza.  The President also underscored the need to sustain a continuous flow of urgently needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza.  The President updated the Prime Minister on U.S. support for Israel and ongoing efforts at regional deterrence, to include new U.S. military deployments.  They agreed to speak again in the coming days.

The White House
Washington DC
23 October 2023

PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESS SECRETARY KARINE JEAN-PIERRE AND NSC COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS JOHN KIRBY

MR. KIRBY:  Let's just talk about humanitarian assistance writ large.  And you heard Karine: We are getting food, water, medicine into Gaza.  Not enough.  I mean, there's been, I think -- what? -- three convoys to Gaza.  Not enough… I mean, there's been, I think -- what? -- three convoys, some -- a little less than 60 trucks.  That's a good start, but it is just a start, and we want to see it keep going.  And I think, over the coming days, you're going to continue to see convoys of trucks getting in…  But it's also, you know -- fuel was also an issue.  We know that you need fuel to run the power generators in hospitals.  You need fuel to run the pumps in -- in the desalination facility so that people can drink fresh, healthy water.  So, fuel is another thing that we're -- that we're working on.

MR. KIRBY:  We certainly share concerns about any diversion of humanitarian assistance for Hamas purposes.  I mean, for instance, fuel is a good example.  You know, that the -- we know that they need fuel to be able to electrify and to power up their tunnels, for instance, you know, keep the lights on.  So, we -- we understand that. 

The White House
Washington DC
23 October 2023

QUESTION: — is reporting that Hamas wants to see fuel deliveries coming in. You have hospitals inside Gaza saying that they need fuel specifically to keep the hospitals operating. Israel, understandably, does not want fuel going in because of the high risk of diversion. What can be done to ameliorate the suffering of people inside Gaza if the Israelis have a legitimate view that the fuel could be used to launch further attacks against them?

MR MILLER: That is an issue that we are discussing now with Israeli authorities. The humanitarian organizations that are operating inside Gaza to distribute the humanitarian assistance that we have flowing in from Rafah need to have the ability to do so; they need fuel to be able to do so. Fuel is important for the desalination of water; it’s important to the provision of medical care. As you said, the Israelis do have legitimate concerns about the diversion of any fuel to Hamas. You can understand why they would be concerned about that, and so that’s one of the issues that Ambassador Satterfield is working through.

QUESTION: Okay. And then, given the Israeli concerns about the fuel being repurposed for military activities, have you seen any evidence of Hamas diverting the initial aid deliveries?

MR MILLER: So we have been in conversation with the United Nations about this. United Nations agencies are the ones who are delivering the humanitarian assistance once it gets into Gaza, and to this date they have not reported to us any signs of diversion.

Government of the State of Israel
Jerusalem, Israel
23 October 2023

(From CNN): Israel would not allow fuel into Gaza even if all hostages are released, Mark Regev, senior advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told CNN on Monday.  “At the moment we have no interest in more fuel going to the Hamas military machine and we have not authorized fuel, we have authorized medicine, we have authorized water. We've authorized foodstuffs, we've not authorized anything else,” Regev said.  Asked if Israel would allow fuel to enter Gaza if all hostages were released, Regev maintained that they would not waver.  “The government decision is that fuel doesn't go in because it will be stolen by Hamas and it'll be used by them to power rockets that are fired into Israel to kill our people,” Regev said.  Regev said some fuel was allowed to enter through Rafah crossing but claimed a “large proportion” was stolen at gunpoint.  “We presume it was diverted to their military mission,” Regev said.

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