Biden Administration Pushes Israel to Reduce Civilian Deaths and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

The Biden administration is urging the Israeli government to take measures that would reduce Palestinian civilian deaths and restore services in Gaza. The administration is seeking a brief halt to hostilities in Gaza to push the Israeli government to set up safe areas, allow in more medical aid, and permit larger deliveries of fuel. American and Qatari officials are also pushing Israel to consider extending the planned four-day pause in fighting if Hamas pledges to free more hostages.

Key Takeaways:

• The Biden administration is supporting Israel's right to defend itself but expects Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue the military campaign in Gaza despite growing U.S. and international concern about the civilian deaths and humanitarian crisis.
• The administration has so far refrained from imposing conditions on military aid to Israel, which is by far the greatest leverage that the U.S. has in that relationship.
• The U.S. officials are pushing Israel to allow in a much greater amount of fuel into Gaza, with estimates suggesting the country needs at least 120,000 liters per day for the duration of the pause.
• Under the hostage release agreement, Israel is also supposed to allow into Gaza 200 trucks loaded with aid per day during the pause, which would include medical supplies and food, twice as much as what they had been permitting.
• The Israeli cabinet can vote to approve any number of aid trucks or fuel deliveries, and U.S. officials are concerned that Israel might not meet its commitments.
• The Biden administration has been working with the U.N. to persuade the Israeli government to allow for the creation of safe areas in the south, which would be entire neighborhoods that have been relatively undamaged by strikes so far and would be safe from attacks.
• The administration's top goals include providing fuel to help generate electricity for Gaza's hospitals, water desalination, bakeries, and sewage pumping, necessary to prevent cholera outbreaks.
• American officials estimate that several hundred thousand people have moved from northern Gaza to the south, and the administration wants to ensure that these people are properly protected before any military offensive begins.

Statistics:

• Over 12,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with about 40 percent of them children, according to the health ministry there.
• At least 190 Palestinians have been killed in violence in the West Bank since Oct. 7, either in encounters with the Israeli military or extremist Israeli settlers.
• The U.S. government is seeking to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel, as part of a larger $105 billion package for military aid to Ukraine and Israel.
• Israel has agreed to allow 140,000 liters of fuel into Gaza every two days, under the hostage release agreement, which is supposed to increase to 120,000 liters per day for the duration of the pause.
• Under the agreement, Israel is also supposed to allow into Gaza 200 trucks loaded with aid per day during the pause, which would include medical supplies and food.

Sources:

• "President Biden and Netanyahu Discuss Hostage Release Agreement" (White House)
• "Statement by Secretary Blinken on the Hostage Deal" (U.S. Department of State)
• "U.S. and Qatari Officials Push Israel to Extend Hostage Deal" (National Public Radio)
• "Israel to Allow 140,000 Liters of Fuel into Gaza Every Two Days" (U.S. Agency for International Development)
• "U.S. Officials Push Israel to Allow in More Aid and Fuel" (Reuters)
• "Middle East Diplomacy: U.S., Israel, and Arab Nations" (magnifiedselection of selected news agency dispatches)