The killing of seven aid workers from the nonprofit World Central Kitchen in an Israeli strike in Gaza has sparked a firestorm of anger and fury inside the White House. In a rare public statement, President Joe Biden used the word “outraged,” which he has seldom used throughout the tragic conflict:
An official in Biden’s administration told AWN that the murders of the workers, including one dual US-Canadian citizen, who were trying to provide food to the besieged enclave’s starving population has intensified their outrage.
Some of President Biden’s most passionate and direct remarks since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October were contained in Tuesday evening’s address in which he lamented the loss of seven workers. He stated unequivocally that “Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen” and held Israel directly responsible for the safety of humanitarian workers and civilians.
At a time when tensions between the US and Israel are already running high, the official added that the strike by workers at World Central Kitchen was a “standout incident” in the eyes of the Biden White House. A US official has confirmed that Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to meet on Thursday for a joint statement.
On the other hand, the administration warned that Israel is not doing enough to safeguard civilians in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza while reiterating its support for the Israeli battle against Hamas.
Obviously, we would prefer it if they changed their ways so that fewer innocent people were killed. In a word, yes. An official from the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, stated that this has been a continuing discussion with them for a number of months. When it comes to being more careful, specific, and exacting,
This is what he had to say: “We have and will continue to talk to them about how to do things differently, how to do things more efficiently, how to do things more safely, and certainly how to do things in a way that minimises damage to civilian infrastructure and of course, civilian lives.”
At a Tuesday meeting with a select group of Muslim community leaders at the White House, the president reportedly addressed the workers’ deaths, according to an observer. Medical professionals who have visited Gaza and witnessed the suffering of the local population were among those who took part. As reported by AWN, one of them demonstrated their disapproval by abruptly leaving the meeting.
The president has acknowledged the gravity of the situation and has stated his desire to see the battle brought to a conclusion, according to Salima Suswell, founder of the Black Muslim Leadership Council. “There were parts of the conversation that were challenging.”
Asked about Biden blaming Israel for failing to protect civilians and aid workers in his statement, a senior adviser to the president told AWN: “It’s what he wanted to say.”
Israel has said it will investigate why the aid workers’ vehicles were hit by Israeli airstrikes, and Biden called on the probe to be “swift” and “bring accountability.”
When pressed by AWN on whether the White House still supports how Israel is prosecuting the war, given the deaths of the aid workers and Biden’s outrage, Kirby said the administration has been clear and public about their objections but would not go so far as to withdraw its support.
I want it to be known that we have concerns about certain parts of the activities, including publicly stating that we do not support a ground operation in Rafah, among other things. We also continue to believe and continue to act on the belief that Israel has a right to defend itself against the still-viable threat by Hamas,” Kirby said.
