The White House echoed calls for humanitarian assistance and a corridor out of Gaza as Israel intensifies its military response to a stunning weekend attack by Palestinian militants, with the top U.S. diplomat landing in the region Thursday for a lightning round of shuttle diplomacy.
Aid officials say the humanitarian needs are overwhelming, and analysts say there is no easy solution to the mounting concerns.
“We are having conversations with Israeli officials about the continued need for humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people, who are victims here as well,” said John Kirby, director of strategic communications for the National Security Council.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Kirby said, in response to VOA’s question about the White House’s thoughts on the creation of a humanitarian corridor.
White House officials have said this week that they are speaking to Egypt about a possible humanitarian corridor. There are only two official exit points from the Gaza Strip. An Israeli bombardment hit the main one, which goes into Egypt, on Tuesday. The other leads to Israel.
Humanitarian groups and the United Nations have warned of a looming crisis as the Israeli military advances on the Gaza Strip, which is about double the size of Washington, D.C., and home to about 2 million people, according to CIA World Fact Book estimates.
“There is not one immune centimeter in Gaza,” said Hamada El Bayeri of the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. “So far there are no safe passages or corridors for the civilian population to use or for the humanitarian community also to use.”
Analysts point to Egypt.
“As a beneficiary of extensive U.S. support and as a security partner of Israel, Egypt must step up in the crisis,” said Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“Helping bring in aid is a good start,” he said. “But a humanitarian corridor, if established, should also enable the departure of Palestinian civilians — including, temporarily, into Egyptian territory — so as to spare lives and give Israel the chance to eradicate Hamas. At the same time, Israel should condition the provision of aid on Hamas’ release of hostages.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel from Israel to Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — all in the space of four days — in an echo of his predecessor Henry Kissinger’s sprint through the region to manage the fallout of Israel’s 1973 war.
The U.S. State Department said Blinken aims to “engage regional partners on efforts to help prevent the conflict from spreading, secure the immediate and safe release of hostages and identify mechanisms for the protection of civilians.”
Mirette Mabrouk, who leads the Egypt program at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, told VOA that the idea of a Gaza-to-Egypt corridor is fraught.
“It sounds like the kind of thing that no one would object to,” she said, speaking to VOA on Zoom. “I mean, it sounds wonderful. The problem is, what that means is, the Israelis would like the Gazans to exit Gaza and move into Egypt. And if that were to happen, history tells us that they will never ever be allowed back in.”
And, she said: “I’ve been speaking to Egyptian diplomats over the last two days, and security people. My understanding is, this just isn’t going to happen.”
Mabrouk recommended another course.
“If we can be persuaded for a cease-fire,” she said, “then at the very, very least, we can see where we go from here. Because otherwise, it’s honestly a zero sum. It’s a zero-sum game.”
U.S. President Joe Biden has not spoken publicly of a cease-fire since the crisis began Saturday.
Jorge Agobian contributed to this report.
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