Washington [US], October 21: U.S. President Joe Biden asked Americans to spend billions more dollars to help Israel fight Hamas while Israel's defence chief told his troops to be ready to go into the Gaza Strip to destroy the Palestinian militant group.
In a televised White House speech late on Thursday that also addressed Ukraine's effort to repel Russia's invasion, Biden said Hamas sought to "annihilate" Israel's democracy.
The president also stressed the urgency of getting relief to Palestinian civilians in Gaza who lack food, water and medicine.
Israel appeared to be getting closer to a full-scale invasion of Gaza, a densely populated enclave ruled by Hamas. The Israeli military has massed troops and equipment near the Gaza border.
Biden said he would ask Congress on Friday to approve extra funding for "critical partner" Israel. A person familiar with the matter earlier said that would total $14 billion.
Israel has pounded Gaza with air strikes after Hamas gunmen rampaged through Israeli towns and kibbutzes on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 Israelis and taking scores of hostages.
and put the enclave's 2.3 million people under siege.
Some 3,500 people in Gaza have been killed and more than a million have been made homeless, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has also imposed a siege on Gaza, and civilians say their situation is desperate as they run short of food, water, fuel and medical supplies.
During an eight-hour visit to Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Biden sought to broker a deal to get aid into Gaza but had only limited success.
He said Israel and Egypt agreed that 20 trucks with relief supplies could cross into the enclave. Two Egyptian security sources said equipment was sent on Thursday through its border crossing to repair roads on the Gaza side. More than 100 trucks were waiting in Egypt.
The crossing has been out of operation amid Israeli bombardments on the Palestinian side of the border.
While some officials previously expected aid to enter Gaza on Friday, the chances appeared to dwindle. The newly appointed U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues David Satterfield was still negotiating the "exact mo
There have been repeated delays and obstacles, and Israel has demanded assurances that relief supplies could not be commandeered by Hamas militants.
The United Nations has called for aid to return to pre-conflict levels of 100 trucks a day. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres planned to visit the Rafah border crossing from Egypt to Gaza on Friday.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation
