Somali Magazine – US President Joe Biden said Monday that “too many” Palestinians killed in Gaza were innocent civilians, heightening concerns about Israel’s decision to launch a military operation in Rafah after air strikes.
“Too many of the over 27,000 Palestinians killed in this conflict have been innocent civilians, including thousands of children,” Biden stated at a joint press conference with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House.
Biden also stated that hundreds of thousands of people do not have access to food, water, or other essential necessities, and that many families have lost multiple family.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he explained.
“Each innocent life lost in Gaza is tragic. Every innocent life lost in Israel is tragic.
“We pray for those lives taken, both Israeli and Palestinian, and for the grieving families left behind,” he went on to say.
Biden also stated that the US is negotiating a hostage arrangement between Israel and the Palestinian party Hamas that would “bring an immediate and sustained period of common good to Gaza for at least six weeks, after which we could then take the time to build something more enduring.”
A large military operation in Rafah should not begin “without a credible plan for ensuring the safety and support of more than one million people sheltering there,” he stated, repeating past US calls.
Biden noted that many people in Rafah had been displaced as a result of the violence and stated, “They need to be protected.”
“We have also been transparent from the beginning. “We oppose any forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza,” he stated.
Jordan’s King begs for a cease-fire.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II also expressed alarm about Israel’s plans to strike Rafah, stating that “it is certain to produce another humanitarian catastrophe.”
“The situation is already unbearable for over a million people who have been pushed into Rafah since the war started,” he added, adding that they cannot stand by and watch this happen.
“We need a long-term cease-fire right now. “This war must end,” he emphasised.
“We must urgently and immediately work to ensure the sustainable delivery of sufficient aid to Gaza through all possible entry points and mechanisms,” he went on to say.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the army to devise a dual plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah, which is home to more than 1.4 million people seeking safety from the battle, as well as to crush the remaining Hamas “battalions.”
Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah as Israel has bombarded the rest of the enclave since October 7, following a cross-border invasion by Hamas.
The ensuing Israeli bombardment killed at least 28,340 individuals and resulted in widespread destruction and shortages of commodities.
According to the UN, Israel’s war on Gaza has internally displaced 85% of the territory’s population, resulting in acute food, clean water, and medication shortages, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
In an interim verdict issued in January, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel’s government to stop genocidal activities and to take steps to ensure that civilians in Gaza receive humanitarian assistance.