Washington, DC ,US, October 21: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasised on Friday that facilitating the movement of aid into Gaza was among his top priorities over the past week. He noted that they worked diligently with the governments of Israel and Egypt.
Regarding the Rafah crossing, Blinken said, “When some of us were travelling together in the region over the past week, getting assistance moving was among my top priorities, and we worked very hard with the governments of Israel and Egypt to do just that.”
US State Secretary Blinken addressed a press briefing on Friday, stating that the US now has the understanding to develop a plan for the movement of assistance to Gaza.
“We secured an understanding that we would develop a plan to move assistance. That understanding was cemented by President Biden when he was in Israel and also speaking to President Al Sisi of Egypt,” he said.
Moreover, Blinken said that the US has been working relentlessly with the Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues, Ambassador David Satterfield, along with the United Nations, Egypt and Israel.
“In the time since, we’ve been working relentlessly with Ambassador David Satterfield on the ground, working with the United Nations, Egypt and Israel, to put that into motion and my expectation is that you’ll see that moving soon,” he added.
President Biden on Wednesday announced humanitarian assistance for both Gaza and the West Bank worth USD 100 million following the deadly airstrike in Gaza, Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.
He further said that the aid will further help over one million affected Palestinians.
On Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with Gaza in northern Sinai in Egypt, CNN reported.
This came as the UN focused on efforts to push humanitarian aid across the Egyptian border into Gaza.
Meanwhile, several trucks from the Egyptian Red Crescent and the World Food Programme (WFP) arrived at Rafah crossing on Friday morning, CNN reported.
The repair work is ongoing at the Rafah crossing to pave the way for humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
“For nearly two weeks, Gaza has gone without any shipments of fuel, food, water and medicine. The UN is focusing all its efforts for a sustained operation to deliver critical humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” the UN spokesperson said in a post on social media.
“We absolutely need to have these trucks moving as quickly as possible and as many as necessary but for that there must be a sustained effort,” the UN chief said.
He added, “There needed to be trucks entering every day to provide enough support for the Gaza people”.
Before landing in Egypt, Guterres had called for humanitarian support to civilians in Gaza including core services and supplies.
The Israel Defence Ministry said that around 1,000 tons of armaments have arrived in Israel, which are “designed to bolster the IDF’s offensive plans.”
Moreover, Blinken during the briefing also spoke on the American duo who were released by the Hamas terror group on Friday.
He said, “About an hour ago, two American citizens held by Hamas since October 7 were released. These two Americans are now safely in the hands of Israeli authorities in Israel…We welcome their release…”
He further noted that there are still over 200 hostages held in Gaza.
“But there are still ten additional Americans who remain unaccounted for, in this conflict. We know that some of them are being held hostage by Hamas, along with an estimated 200 other hostages held in Gaza,” he added.
