Biden rips Netanyahu 'mistake' in Gaza as Israel-Iran rhetoric heats up

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the Gaza war is a “mistake” and Israel should declare a cease-fire to allow more desperately needed humanitarian aid into the embattled enclave, President Joe Biden said in a newly released interview.

Biden, in a Univision interview conducted last week, said Israel should allow “total access” to all food and medicine flowing into Gaza for six to eight weeks. The White House later clarified that the pause in fighting should be part of a hostage deal.

“I’ve spoken with everyone from the Saudis to the Jordanians to the Egyptians,” Biden said. “They’re prepared to move this food in. And I think there’s no excuse to not provide for the medical and the food needs of those people. It should be done now.”

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Biden also lashed out at what he called the “outrageous” April 1 attack on the World Central Kitchen food convoy that killed seven aid workers. The trucks were clearly marked and the Israeli military had been provided details on the trip. The Israel military said days later that a series of mistakes led to the accidental attack. Two officers were removed from command positions days after the drone strikes.

A boy distributes sweets to displaced Palestinians as they attend a special morning prayer to start the Eid al-Fitr festival, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, at a school-turned-shelter in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on April 10, 2024.

‘The ball is in Hamas’ court’: US urges militants to accept latest cease-fire plan

Developments:

∎ French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said his nation has no immediate plan to impose sanctions on Israel to force it to allow more humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. France has been among the most vocal critics of Israel’s war in Gaza.

∎ The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s navy warned that Tehran could close the Strait of Hormuz if “the enemy comes to disrupt us.” About a fifth of the volume of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the strait.

∎ The highest number of trucks − 468 −carrying aid entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday since the start of the war in October, the Israeli military said.

Aid delivery to Gaza by sea to resume

Aid deliveries to Gaza from ships in Cyprus will resume soon, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said Wednesday. The program has been on hold since the Israeli strike on a truck convoy April 1 that killed seven aid workers. Cyprus has about 1,000 tons of aid destined for Gaza.

Sea deliveries had been challenging because of the lack of a sufficient dock, and shipments were delivered on a temporary jetty made of rubble. The U.S. is building a dock on Gaza’s Mediterranean coast that will allow more streamlined delivery of aid that will be pre-screened in Cyprus with Israeli oversight. The dock is scheduled for completion by May 1 at a cost of $180 million to over $200 million, ABC News reported.

Sons of Hamas leader killed in Israeli airstrike

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said Wednesday that three of his sons and other family members were among those killed in an Israeli air raid on a refugee camp near Gaza City. Haniyeh said family members had been gathering for Eid at the Shati Camp when they were targeted. Haniyeh lives in exile in Qatar, but he said his family has remained in Gaza.

“I thank God for this honor,” he said in a statement.”With this pain and blood, we make hopes, future and freedom for our people, our cause and our nation.”

Al Jazeera reported that a car the three sons − Hazem, Amir and Mohammad − were in was hit by a drone-fired missile. Haniyeh, speaking to Al Jazeera, said he has lost about 60 family members since the war began with a Hamas-led attack on Israeli border communities Oct. 1. Israel falsely believes it can break the resolve of the Palestinian people by targeting the families of its leaders, Haniyeh said.

“Anyone who believes that targeting my sons will push Hamas to change its position is delusional,” he said.

Iran’s Khamenei says Israel’s ‘evil regime made a mistake’

Israel “must be punished and it shall be” for the April 1 attack on the Iranian consulate compound in Syria, Iran’s supreme leader said Wednesday.

“When they attack the consulate, it is as if they have attacked our soil,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday in a speech marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. “The evil regime made a mistake and must be punished and it shall be.”

Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack. But suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital on April 1 in a strike that Iran said killed seven military advisers.

“If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack in Iran,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote in a social media post.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden rips Netanyahu ‘mistake’ in Gaza as Israel-Iran rhetoric heats up