US (Washington Insider Magazine) —The United States government celebrated this Friday the release of the first group of Hamas hostages and the pause in the armed conflict with Israel, for which it requested that lasting mechanisms be established “urgently and imperatively” to accelerate the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza strip.
“The United States welcomes the pause in hostilities in Gaza as an opportunity to step up the safe delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians who urgently need it,” said Samantha Power, administrator of the U.S. Agency for Humanitarian Affairs. International Development.
She also stated that she will facilitate the release of the hostages captured by Hamas after 48 “distressing days” of captivity.
The statement was made by the official hours after the first truce between Israel and Hamas began, which contemplates the release of 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners, in a period of four days.
This could be extended up to 10 days if the terrorists hand over more kidnapped people and will serve for the entry of humanitarian aid to the strip, Efe noted.
Samantha Power described as “staggering” the magnitude of humanitarian needs in Gaza, where around 1.7 million people have been internally displaced and 2.2 million civilians require humanitarian assistance.
As of November 22, USAID had airlifted 197 metric tons of domestic food aid, plus other humanitarian assistance, to give thousands of people in Gaz access to food, water, medicines and medical supplies, hygiene kits and support. psychosocial, as reported by the organization itself through the X platform.
“Result of American diplomacy”
The Joe Biden administration official noted that the pause in the conflict is the direct result of US diplomacy and stated that it will allow humanitarian organizations to deliver food, medicine, water and other aid.
She added that the agreement will facilitate the evacuation of the sick, injured and others facing extreme conditions. “We will continue to emphasize to the parties the critical importance of protecting civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law,” said the official, quoted by the Efe news agency.
“The United States continues to coordinate with the governments of Israel and Egypt, the UN and other international actors to move humanitarian assistance and personnel to Gaza. As the largest donor to the UN humanitarian efforts in Gaza, we urge the international community to step up its efforts and deliver on the commitments of the UN lightning humanitarian appeal,” she added.
The USAID administrator assured that the country will continue “doing everything possible” to alleviate the suffering of civilians and deliver vital aid to those in need. She also pledged that she will continue to emphasize to the parties the critical importance of protecting civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law.
This article is originally published on eldiariony.com