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Joe Biden pledges aid for Israel, help to Gaza after Netanyahu meet
Israel-Hamas War: "The United States provides humanitarian assistance through trusted partners including UN agencies and NGOs,” the White House said.
US president Joe Biden said that he will ask Congress this week for “unprecedented support” for Israel as it prepares to crush Hamas. The US leader also announced $100 million in US humanitarian aid for residents of Gaza and the West Bank.
“This funding will help support over a million displaced and conflict-affected people with clean water, food, hygiene support, medical care, and other essential needs. The United States provides humanitarian assistance through trusted partners including UN agencies and international NGOs,” the White House said.
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“Civilians are not to blame and should not suffer for Hamas’s horrific terrorism. 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 upholding 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,” it added.
Earlier, Joe Biden said that he’d been shown evidence by the Pentagon suggesting that Israel wasn’t responsible for the deadly blast at a Gaza City hospital that killed hundreds.
"Based on the information we've seen to date, it appears the result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group from Gaza," Joe Biden said, adding, "The United States unequivocally stands for the protection of civilian life during conflict and I grieve ... for the families who were killed or wounded by this tragedy."
He also warned Israel to not give into their "rage" after the attack and follow the law of war.
"You are a Jewish state, but you're also a democracy," he said, continuing, "Like the United States, you don't live by the rules of terrorists. You live by the rule of law... You can't give up what makes you who you are."
Joe Biden stressed that the vast majority of Palestinians were not affiliated with Hamas.
"Palestinian people are suffering greatly as well," he said.
