What is reported is U.S. President Joe Biden’s claim that, yesterday, he got Israel to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza from Egypt. The Israeli government confirmed shortly afterwards that “Israel will not thwart humanitarian supplies from Egypt as long as it is only food, water and medicine for the civilian population” that had complied with its Oct. 13 evacuation order (to leave Gaza City and the north, and head southward, away from Hamas’ central control). Both Biden and the Israeli government said that aid convoys would be inspected, and that the flow of assistance would be cut off if any supplies reach Hamas militants.
However, as EIR reported, Israel’s National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi had already announced that policy on Oct. 17: Some food and water will be made available, but it “needs to be directed only to those who flee rather than to Hamas.” Translation: Gaza City in the north will be starved out; if Gaza residents want food, they must obey the evacuation plan, and relocate to an area that will make the Gaza City refugee camp look civilized; and the promised humanitarian aid will be at the mercy of Israel’s military, to be taken away on any charge of Hamas involvement in the distribution. Note that Hamas has been the governing authority in the area since 2006.
What is new is that Biden said a first tranche of 20 truckloads of aid would come from Egypt through the Rafah border crossing into Gaza starting on Oct. 20. Those trucks have been parked at the entrance for days, awaiting Israel to cease bombing the crossing. Biden suggested there could be a “second tranche” of aid, but said he would “see how it goes.” But, according to the head of the Egyptian Red Crescent branch for North Sinai Khalid Zayed, there are 200 truckloads of aid, each carrying about 15 tons; so that first tranche is 10% of what is available—a rather nasty tease, considering it has been 13 days with Gaza having been cut off from food or drinking water.
