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The United States has begun dropping food into Gaza, a day after Joe Biden rebuked Israel, saying it has “no excuse” for not allowing more aid into the besieged enclave.
The US military said on Saturday it had dropped “over 38,000 meals along the Gaza coast”.
In a statement posted on the social media site It is planning additional aid missions, he said.
Biden’s statements and remarks come amid an acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza after months of Israeli attacks and highlight the US president’s growing frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We must do more and the United States will do more,” Biden said.
He added that the United States is also exploring the possibility of opening “a marine corridor that would provide large amounts of humanitarian assistance.”
The US decision to begin airdrops was announced a day after more than 100 Palestinians were killed during a chaotic attempt to deliver aid to civilians in northern Gaza. Palestinian authorities said Israeli troops opened fire on the crowd as it headed for food. Israel said some people were killed as they ran towards rescue trucks.
“We will push for Israel to facilitate more trucks and more routes to get more people the help they need,” Biden said. “There are no excuses, because the truth is that the aid coming to Gaza is nowhere near enough now.”
Netanyahu has resisted US calls to rein in the Israeli army and do more to help civilians in Gaza. On Friday, Biden said Washington was still pushing for a six-week ceasefire deal that includes the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons and more humanitarian assistance.
“Hopefully we’ll know soon,” Biden said.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the airdrops were “part of a broader and more sustained effort to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance. . . a supplement, not a substitute, for moving things by land.”
Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt also sent air aid to Gaza.
The UN has warned that a quarter of Gaza’s population of more than 2 million is on the brink of famine. Aid deliveries to Gaza, especially in the north, have slowed to a trickle and descended into chaos amid lawlessness and looting.
Trucks loaded with aid enter the Gaza Strip through Egypt and through an Israeli border crossing, but the Israeli army has opened fire on some humanitarian convoys as Palestinian police refuse to guard deliveries after an airstrike on an expedition.
According to Palestinian health authorities, the Israeli military offensive has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians and created almost impossible conditions for the delivery of aid.
Biden said: “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 Israeli assault was triggered by a Hamas attack on October 7 that claimed the lives of 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials.
Efforts to stop the war in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas have yet to produce results, despite pressure from the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
Biden is also under domestic political pressure over his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas and to do more to push Israel to end it.
In Michigan, a crucial state that helped Biden win the 2020 election, more than 100,000 people cast non-binding votes this week in the Democratic primary, in a sign of anger over the White House’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza.