The US and Israel will work together on a plan to allow international humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced today.

“At our request, the US and Israel (…) will draw up a plan to allow humanitarian aid from donor countries and multilateral organizations to reach civilians in (the) Gaza Strip,” Mr Blinken said after marathons – almost nine hours – talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the fifth day of non-stop diplomatic contacts in the region.

According to Mr. Blinken, he said that the US and Israeli governments share the concern that Hamas will proceed to seize or destroy aid that enters the enclave or prevent its distribution to those who need it.

“If Hamas prevents humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in any way, including confiscating it, we will be the first to condemn it” and “work to prevent it from happening again,” Mr. Blinken said. .

Washington has deployed an aircraft carrier with its strike force in the eastern Mediterranean and is sending another one. The head of American diplomacy emphasized that the purpose of the deployment of American forces is to have a deterrent role, not to be a challenge.

According to a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, another US ship, the USS Bataan, is heading to Israel carrying a unit of Marines and a total of 2,000 US military personnel. He was not assigned a specific mission, but may play a role if an evacuation is decided. In addition, the U.S. put about 2,000 more troops on standby so they could be ready to deploy within 24 hours – instead of the usual 96 – to the region in the event of an emergency.