The US Senate discusses aid to Israel
The United States government said on Thursday (2) that it is studying the possibility of calling for a series of pauses in the conflict between Israel and Hamas to help people leave Gaza safely and allow humanitarian aid into the country. The Americans are against a total ceasefire.
National security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that these pauses were temporary and localized, stressing that they would not prevent Israel from defending itself.
“We’re trying to explore the idea of taking as many breaks as necessary to continue receiving assistance and continuing to work to get people out safely, including the hostages,” he said.
US President Joe Biden spoke on Wednesday about the need for a pause to allow time for the release of hostages held by Hamas, but ruled out the possibility of a full ceasefire.
His Democratic colleague, Sen. Dick Durbin, told CNN on Thursday it was time for a ceasefire, while Sen. Patty Murray, the Democrat and chair of the Senate Budget Committee, called for a humanitarian pause to allow vital aid to reach civilians.
United Nations experts are also calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, saying time is running out for the Palestinian people, who are in “significant risk of genocide.”
Nearly four weeks of Israeli bombing raids on the Gaza Strip killed at least 9,061 people in the Hamasruled enclave, most of them women and children, according to health authorities.
Kirby told reporters that 55 more aid trucks were expected to arrive in Gaza on Thursday, bringing the total to more than 220, but said increasing aid remained one of Biden’s top priorities.
He said the United States talks to Israel daily and urges it to avoid civilian casualties. He noted that U.S. military officials traveled to Israel to share experiences from previous urban conflicts but have since returned home and Washington has not helped Israel achieve its goals.
“There are things you can do from the ground that you can’t do from the air, especially if you have good intelligence,” he said, without elaborating.
“We are doing everything we can to work with our Israeli counterparts to minimize the risk of civilian deaths and collateral damage,” Kirby said. “We give them the tools, including perspective and advice, but also weapons, so that they can carry out these operations as efficiently as possible and in a way that minimizes harm to civilians.”
Kirby said the scale of Israeli operations shows that “they are doing everything they can to try to minimize civilian casualties,” adding that it was clear there were still some casualties.
Asked whether the U.S. would be responsible for civilian deaths if it supplied such weapons, Kirby insisted that the country “does not make targeted decisions.”