Achi news desk-
Jerusalem: Israel said it approved the reopening of the Erez crossing to northern Gaza and the temporary use of the Ashdod port in southern Israel, following US demands to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
During a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night, US President Joe Biden demanded “specific and concrete” steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying conditions could be placed on US aid if Israel does not respond.
The mounting pressure on Israel came after seven aid workers were killed in an Israeli strike on Monday night, sparking global outrage over the ongoing crisis over aid shipments to the besieged enclave.
The Defense Cabinet meeting at the end of Thursday approved immediate steps to increase humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, the statement said.
In addition to reopening the Erez crossing, which had been closed since it was destroyed during the October 7 attack on Israel, the Defense Cabinet also approved an increase in Jordanian aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing, the statement said.
The development comes after US President Joe Biden effectively gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an ultimatum on Thursday: protecting Palestinian civilians and foreign aid workers in Gaza or Washington could curb support for Israel in its war against Hamas militants.
The message, after months of US calls for Israel to change its military tactics that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, following an Israeli attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers and sparked global outrage.
Israel admits that the strike was a mistake.
The White House has not said exactly what steps it wants Netanyahu to take, nor what he will do if he doesn’t take them. But analysts said the implied threat was to slow US arms transfers to Israel or moderate US support for the UN
