Pause will serve to, among other things, increase the inflow of humanitarian aid; US says it plans more air shipments of food
A delegation led by the deputy head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Khalil Al-Hayya, arrived in Cairo (Egypt) this Sunday (March 3, 2024) for ceasefire negotiations with Israel, according to Reuters.
Egyptian security officials told the agency that the attack by the Israel Defense Forces on a group of Palestinians who were waiting for the arrival of humanitarian aid trucks on Thursday (Feb 29) made negotiators want to speed up the process for the truce. The attack left 112 dead and 750 injured. An Israeli delegation is expected to arrive in Cairo this Sunday (3 March).
The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 30,000. Another 417 died in the West Bank. The data was released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas. There is no way to independently verify the information. On the Israeli side, the government accounts for 1,139 deaths, 242 of which are military personnel.
On Saturday (2 March), the United States carried out the first air shipment of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. On the same day as the attack that left more than 100 dead in Gaza, US President Joe Biden declared that “people are so desperate innocent people were caught up in a terrible war unable to feed their families and you saw the response when they tried to get help”.
The intention to send aid to the Palestinians was discussed during a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, on Friday (1st March).
The packages sent on Saturday (2 March) contained more than 38,000 meals. The US plans new aid deliveries by air. Centcom (acronym for United States Central Command) said it was “planning possible subsequent aerial aid delivery missions”.
North American authorities, according to the newspaper The Washington Postwould be exploring new ways to deliver assistance to the Palestinian enclave, including by sea.
The proposed ceasefire would also serve to increase the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The pause would be for 6 weeks, during which time sick, injured hostages, women and elderly people still within the enclave would be released.
Watch the humanitarian aid airdrop carried out on March 1st (37s):
Source: https://www.poder360.com.br/internacional/delegacao-do-hamas-chega-ao-egito-para-discutir-cessar-fogo/
