US Defence Secretary, Israeli Defence Minister discuss need to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza

Washington, DC [US], October 26 (ANI): Amidst reports of an imminent ground invasion of Gaza by Israel, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and discussed the need to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza and to ensure the protection of civilians.

“Today I spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Gallant. We discussed the need to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza and to ensure the protection of civilians. I expressed the US commitment to deterring escalation, and our hope for the release of the remaining hostages,” the US Defence Secretary wrote on ‘X’ on Thursday.

A readout by the US Department of Defense stated: “Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant today to receive updates on Israel’s operations to restore security following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.”

The department said Austin reiterated his appreciation for Israel’s role in facilitating humanitarian aid convoys into Gaza and repeated his calls for Israel to ensure the protection of civilians.

The two leaders acknowledged the release of two hostages on October 23 and called for the release of the remaining hostages, the statement read.

According to a report in the New York Times, which cited senior administration officials, the Biden administration is concerned that Israel lacks achievable military objectives in Gaza, and that the Israel Defence Forces are not yet ready to launch a ground invasion with a plan that can work.

Biden administration officials insisted that the United States had not told Israel what to do and still supported the ground invasion. But the Pentagon has sent a three-star Marine, Lt. Gen. James Glynn, along with other officers to help the Israelis with the challenges of fighting an urban war, the US daily reported.

Earlier at a joint press briefing with visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday, Biden said, “We will ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself against these terrorists…We also have to remember that Hamas does not represent the vast majority of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip or anywhere else. Hamas is hiding behind Palestinian civilians and is despicable and, not surprisingly, cowardly as well.”

US president said that Israel has a “responsibility” to hit back at Hamas even as he slammed violence by “extremist settlers”.

“There’s no going back to the status quo as it stood on October 6,” Biden said at a joint press conference with Albanese.

The US President said that Israel cannot return to the pre-war status quo after fighting against Hamas and should work toward a two-state solution with the Palestinians when it ends.

“That means ensuring that Hamas can no longer terrorise Israel and use Palestinians civilians as human shields. It also means that when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next, and in our view it has to be a two-state solution,” he said.

Since the October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists, in which over 1,400 people were killed and over 220 taken as hostages into Gaza, Israel has been warning of a ground offensive and has been aerial bombarding targeting Hamas-run infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Russia and China on Wednesday vetoed a US-authored draft resolution on the Middle East at the UN Security Council. The United Arab Emirates also voted against the US resolution along with Russia and China.

The draft resolution condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel and called for the release of hostages and compliance with international humanitarian law. The resolution did not call for a ceasefire and recognised the rights of both countries to defend themselves. A total of 10 nations voted in favour of the resolution while Mozambique and Brazil abstained.

The UNSC also did not pass the Russia-initiated draft resolution on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 25. The document was supported by four out of the 15 Security Council members. The United States and the United Kingdom voted against while the remaining abstained.

After the UN Security Council failed to adopt either Russia-or Brazil-drafted resolution on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Moscow offered another document, Russian news agency TASS reported.

The 15-provision draft incorporated some elements from both Brazilian and US drafts, including Russian amendments to the Brazilian version. In particular, it condemns the radical Palestinian movement Hamas’ attacks on Israel, and calls for an immediate ceasefire, the establishment of humanitarian corridors and the release of all hostages. It also contains a proposal to cancel Israel’s order on the evacuation of Gaza Strip residents to the south of the enclave, according to TASS.