Joe Biden said Wednesday that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, with whom he had just spoken, had “agreed” to “let up to 20 trucks cross the border” to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
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“If Hamas (takes them) or doesn’t let them pass (..), then it’s over,” the American president warned during an interview with journalists on board his plane during a stopover in Germany, judging that his Egyptian counterpart was “completely cooperative” and that he “deserved great recognition” for his actions.
However, Joe Biden made it clear that this aid was unlikely to arrive before Friday due to pending work on the road.
“They have to fill the potholes to get these trucks through,” he said, adding that it should take “about eight hours” on Thursday.
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The American president also noted that this convoy may be just the beginning.
“We want to get as many trucks through as possible. I think there are about 150,” he said.
However, he pointed out that the entry of a second convoy also depends on “how the distribution of the first goes.”
The 80-year-old Democrat said he spoke with the Egyptian president for about half an hour.
Washington also wants Cairo to agree to open its border in the other direction to let out Palestinian civilians, particularly those with American passports.
“We’re going to get people out,” Joe Biden said without further details.
Abdel Fattah al-Sissi was originally scheduled to meet in person in Jordan with King Abdullah II and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, but that meeting was canceled after the deadly attack on a hospital in Gaza, for which Israel and Palestinians blame each other .
Joe Biden, who traveled to Israel just Wednesday to reiterate his support for the country, promised to call Egyptian and Palestinian leaders on the return plane.
During his stop in Germany, the American president said he had been “very open with the Israelis” about the need to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
“If you have the opportunity to alleviate suffering, you should do it. Point. And if you don’t, you will lose credibility around the world,” he said.