2023-10-21 16:39:25
Efforts continue to ensure the departure of between 500 and 600 Palestinian Americans from Gaza
MADRID, 21 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, applauded this Saturday the brief reopening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip to allow the entry of a small shipment of humanitarian aid but has demanded that Hamas as the authority of the enclave not interfere in the distribution of both this shipment and possible new shipments.
“With this convoy,” Blinken said, “the international community is beginning to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has left Gaza residents without access to sufficient food, water, medical care and safe shelter.”
The cargo, distributed in about twenty trucks, includes medicines, medical instruments, canned food and bottles of water. Israel has warned that it will not allow this aid to travel beyond southern Gaza because the north of the territory is under a military evacuation ultimatum, and has prohibited trucks from entering with fuel for security reasons.
Hamas has protested this decision, understanding that fuel is necessary for the operation of hospitals and generally considering the aid received as clearly insufficient given the critical humanitarian situation that two million Palestinians are going through.
The opening of this supply route, Blinken points out, has been the result of days of exhaustive diplomatic engagement by the United States in the region and an understanding reached by the American president, Joe Biden, with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Egyptian president, Abdel Fattá al Sisi, during his recent and 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,” adds the Secretary of State.
Blinken wanted to urge all parties to keep the crossing open but has specified by name that Hamas “must not interfere in the provision of this vital assistance” because “Palestinian civilians are not responsible for Hamas’ horrendous terrorism and are not responsible.” “must make them suffer for their depraved acts.”
“As President Biden stated, if Hamas steals or diverts this aid, it will have demonstrated once again that it has no regard for the well-being of the Palestinian people and will, in practice, prevent the international community from providing this aid,” Blinken warned.
Finally, the Secretary of State has assured that his country “continues to work urgently in partnership with Egypt and Israel to facilitate the ability of American citizens and their immediate family members to leave Gaza safely and travel through Egypt to their final destinations,” he said of the 500 to 600 Palestinian Americans waiting on the Gaza side of the border.
“There is no higher priority than the safety of American citizens abroad, and teams at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo are prepared to assist these American citizens. We are working tirelessly, including with partner and allied countries that have citizens in Gaza, to ensure their ability to safely exit the conflict zone,” he concluded.
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