Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza will reopen to humanitarian aid for Palestinians currently under siege by Israeli forces.
Palestinians continue to flee from northern Gaza ahead of an expected Israeli strike against Hamas targets in the area, one week after Hamas launched a multi-pronged attack inside Israel, killing more than 1,300 people.
“Rafah will be open,” Blinken told reporters during a stop in Egypt on Sunday.
“We’re putting in place — with the United Nations, with Egypt, with Israel, with others — the mechanism by which to get the assistance in and to get it to the people who need it.”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
JERUSALEM — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza will reopen to humanitarian aid for Palestinians currently under siege by Israeli forces.
In a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday, Blinken highlighted the Biden administration’s focus on stopping Hamas attacks against Israel and also on preventing the hostilities from spreading throughout the region.
“The Secretary and President Sisi agreed on the importance of addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza to ensure assistance can reach people who need it and help keep civilians out of harms way,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller added.
The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday it was “in formation” to strike Gaza City, as troops massed on the border ready for an apparent ground invasion.
President Biden named veteran diplomat David Satterfield as the special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues and tasked him with responding to the ongoing turmoil in Gaza.
“Special Envoy Satterfield will lead U.S. diplomacy to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including work to facilitate the provision of life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people and promote the safety of civilians, in coordination with the United Nations and U.S. partners,” Blinken said in a statement.
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