Biden announces US aid air drops in Gaza

President Joe Biden announced on Friday that the United States will initiate aerial deliveries of relief supplies to Gaza following the tragedy that claimed over a hundred Palestinian lives at an aid convoy.

‘We have to step up our efforts, and the United States is committed to doing exactly that,’ Biden stated to journalists at the White House while commencing a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

‘Over the next few days, we’ll collaborate with our allies in Jordan and elsewhere to deliver additional food and necessities by air drops,’ the 81-year-old president declared in the Oval Office.

This declaration comes amidst ongoing negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, against the background of a dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, which has been under siege since the attacks by Hamas on October 7.

Even as Biden has been advocating for Israel to minimize civilian losses and facilitate the entry of aid, he has concurrently ensured the continuation of military support for this crucial US ally.

Biden later expressed his hope for an agreement on a six-week ceasefire to coincide with Ramadan, which is scheduled to begin on either March 10th or 11th, subject to the lunar calendar.

‘We’re working towards it, but we haven’t achieved it yet—we might not even succeed,’ Biden remarked, providing no further details, as he made his way to his helicopter for a weekend at the presidential retreat of Camp David.

The ceasefire negotiations have become more difficult following the occurrence last Thursday, when a multitude of desperate Palestinians who were in pursuit of an aid shipment in northern Gaza were killed. The United Nations has already alerted us to a possible famine in the area.

An individual from Israel admitted that their forces fired upon the group, believing they posed a danger.

‘Innocent individuals were trapped in a dreadful conflict, struggling to feed their kin. When they attempted to obtain aid, you witnessed their reaction,’ declared Biden while making public the plans for air drops.

The American president further remarked that he would push for Israel to allow a greater number of aid trucks, and they are considering a ‘marine corridor’ to facilitate substantial amounts of aid into Gaza.

Biden had been contemplating air drops for a while, but the event on Thursday ‘definitely made it clear to the president’ the urgency to discover alternative methods of delivering aid, as per John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.

According to Kirby, the United States is set to perform several air drops that will continue for weeks, implying it will not be just a ‘one and done’ operation.