Joe Biden rebukes Israel over Gaza aid and says US will begin airdrops

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Joe Biden rebuked Israel on Friday, saying it had “no excuses” for not letting more aid into Gaza as he announced the US will soon begin airdropping food into the enclave.

Biden’s announcement and criticism come amid an increasingly acute humanitarian crisis on the ground after months of Israeli attacks in the enclave and is another sign of the US president’s deepening frustration with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We need to do more and the United States will do more and in the coming days, we are going to join with our friends from Jordan and others to provide airdrops of supplies,” Biden said, adding that the US was also exploring the possibility of opening “a marine corridor delivering large amounts of humanitarian assistance”.

The move reflects increasing concerns in the Biden administration over the civilian cost of Israel’s war in Gaza and the threat to lives amid disruption to aid shipments to the besieged enclave, with assistance failing to reach people most in need.

The US decision to begin airdrops also comes a day after more than 100 Palestinians were killed during a chaotic attempt to supply aid to civilians in northern Gaza. Palestinian authorities said Israeli troops opened fire on the people as they rushed towards the food. Israel said some people were killed in a rush to the aid trucks.

“We’re going to insist that Israel facilitate more trucks and more routes to get more and more people the help they need,” Biden said. “No excuses, because the truth is aid flowing to Gaza is nowhere nearly enough now.”

Biden has grown increasingly frustrated with Netanyahu, who has resisted US calls to rein its military in and do more to help civilians in Gaza. The president on Friday said Washington was continuing to press for a six-week ceasefire deal that include the release of hostages in exchange…