By Massimiliano D'Elia
Benjamin Netanyahu does not loosen its grip on Gaza and continues to call for total victory. Regardless of the pressure from the United States and China but also from all the other Western countries, Tel Aviv continues with its military campaign with the destruction of Hamas on the horizon, even if to the detriment of the civilian population, now exhausted: if it does not die for via delle bombe dies of hunger. Health and hygiene conditions in the Rafah area are at their limit while humanitarian aid is unable to enter. And Netanyahu thunders precisely about Rafah, reiterating that external pressure will not stop him: "Rafah is the last stronghold of Hamas, those who tell us not to extend operations in those areas are asking us to lose the conflict. Not gonna happen".
Faced with the intransigence of "Bibi", as Biden calls Netanyahu, the White House could decide to block military supplies to Israel if the military attack on the Rafah crossing were to be launched. An area where around 2,5 million Palestinians are crowded together and where Tel Aviv believes the last pockets of Hamas resistance are hidden. The Americans have been clear: they demand a plan for the evacuation of civilians before approving the Israeli military incursion.
Meanwhile, Biden is ready to announce in his State of the Union speech the decision to set up a temporary port along the coast of Gaza to allow the arrival of medicines and food. Israel's decisions on aid will not be awaited, a Biden administration official told WP. In addition to the mobile port, a crossing should also be opened north of Palestinian territory: “The president will announce that he is directing the United States military to lead an emergency mission to establish a Mediterranean port on the coast of Gaza that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelter”
On the meetings to promote the truce, on the occasion of Ramadan, there is a cooling of the negotiations: the delegation led by the leaders of Hamas has left Cairo. However, we are working in great secrecy to start a two-week truce starting from March 15th.
The mobile port facing the coast of Gaza
U.S. officials have not provided many details about the maritime effort, such as who will inspect the aid and how it will be delivered once it arrives in Gaza. There are no US troops expected to be on the ground in the besieged enclave. A second official said the port will include a temporary pier capable of handling hundreds of trucks a day.
The United States will provide the shipments through Cyprus, in coordination with other partners and allies, the official said. Many details still need to be worked out and the port's construction will take several weeks to plan and execute. “We look forward to working with our close partners and allies in Europe, the Middle East and beyond to build a coalition of countries that will contribute capacity and funding for this initiative“, added the official.
The European Commission, which is the largest aid provider to the Palestinian territories, said it would ensure that "all necessary aid" can pass through the sea corridor. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission, will fly to Cyprus today. Nikos Christodoulides, president of Cyprus, said his government had “worked tirelessly” to plan a humanitarian maritime corridor to “deliver a high volume of aid to the people of Gaza”.
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