As famine looms in Gaza, the US scrambles for solutions
investing.comBy Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk and Jonathan Landay
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — From air drops of humanitarian aid to supply ships from Cyprus, the United States is urgently seeking ways to feed the people of Gaza as Israel resists Washington's push for more aid access and U.S. efforts to broker a truce in the war test global patience.
With more than half a million people in the besieged enclave facing a looming famine amid Israel's military offensive, residents are desperate and aid deliveries have become chaotic and deadly.
On Thursday, over 100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for an aid delivery, Palestinian health officials said. Israel denied it was to blame, saying many victims were run over by aid trucks.
Under pressure at home and from allies abroad to act, the Biden administration is considering expensive proposals more often associated with natural disasters and the Cold War era.
The White House on Friday announced plans for military airdrops of food and supplies into Gaza in the coming days. France has already made several such deliveries to Gaza with Jordan and others in the region.
Another possible option is shipping aid by sea from Cyprus, some 210 nautical miles off Gaza's Mediterranean coast, said a U.S. official. U.S. officials visited Cyprus this week to examine a possible maritime aid operation, the official said.
White House spokesperson John Kirby (NYSE:KEX) said on Friday the United States would redouble efforts to open up a maritime corridor to Gaza to bring «hopefully large amounts» of aid by sea.
The details of such an operation, including where in Gaza supplies could be unloaded, were not clear. The U.S. official said the administration is considering using military or
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