The US government’s top humanitarian aid official will travel to Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan this week in an effort to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that is veering into catastrophe.
US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power will meet with Israeli, Palestinian Authority and Jordanian government officials, as well as international humanitarian aid organizations, “to discuss the urgent need for expanded access to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian and commercial supplies to civilians in Gaza,” according to a USAID spokesperson.
Power will “underscore the importance of protecting civilians and aid workers in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the spokesperson said.
Power is the latest Biden administration to travel to the region to emphasize the US’ strong concerns over the deepening humanitarian crisis in the war-torn strip. The trip – her second since the October 7 Hamas attacks – also comes amid concerns about an Israeli military campaign in Rafah, which international aid organizations warn could “deal a death blow to a humanitarian response that is already on its knees.”
US officials, including President Joe Biden, have consistently called on the Israeli government to reduce the number of civilian casualties and increase the amount of aid entering Gaza. US officials have also warned against an offensive in Rafah, where more than a million displaced people have fled, without a plan to protect civilians.
Although the Biden administration has become increasingly critical of the toll of the Israeli offensive, it remains at odds with the international humanitarian community and nations like Jordan by vetoing calls for an immediate ceasefire. Instead, US officials say any temporary ceasefire must be coupled with the…
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