President Biden on Friday said he was working on a deal between Israel and Hamas for what he described as an “immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks.”
The United States has recently been more vocal about a ceasefire as the death toll in Gaza from the Israel-Hamas war has passed 30,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and as advocates lash out at the White House for what they view as insufficient help for Palestinians.
During a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Biden also said he was trying to work out a deal to “allow the surge of aid through the entire Gaza Strip, not just the south,” and upped his criticism of Israel — a rare move for him — insisting that Israel “facilitate” more aid for civilians in Gaza.
“No excuses, because the truth is, aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough now,” Biden said. “Innocent lives are on the line and children's lives are on the line.”Biden said “hundreds” of trucks with aid should be going into Gaza, “not just several.”
“I won't stand by, we won't let up, and we're going to pull out every stop we can to get more assistance in.”
