Israel has announced the approval for the reopening of the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and the temporary utilization of Ashdod port in southern Israel, in response to U.S. pressure to bolster humanitarian aid supplies into Gaza.
Following a call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday evening, Biden demanded “specific, concrete” measures to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, suggesting that conditions could be attached to U.S. aid if Israel did not act.
The call for action intensified after the killing of seven aid workers in an Israeli strike on Monday, sparking global outrage over the ongoing crisis concerning aid deliveries into the besieged enclave.
In a late-night meeting of the security cabinet on Thursday, immediate steps to augment humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip were approved. Alongside reopening the Erez crossing, which has been closed since its destruction during the October 7 attack on Israel, the security cabinet also sanctioned an increase in Jordanian aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
This development ensued after President Biden effectively issued an ultimatum to Prime Minister Netanyahu, urging him to safeguard Palestinian civilians and foreign aid workers in Gaza or face potential repercussions in U.S. support for Israel’s actions against Hamas militants.
While the White House did not specify the exact actions it expected from Netanyahu, analysts interpreted the implicit threat as potentially slowing down U.S. arms transfers to Israel or tempering U.S. support at the United Nations.
Israel has acknowledged the strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers as a mistake, but the White House has not outlined specific consequences if Netanyahu fails to meet the demanded actions.
