Biden: US Take Advantage Of Pauses To Increase Assistance To Gaza

US President Joe Biden/PHOTO via Instagram @potus

JAKARTA - United States President Joe Biden said that the humanitarian pause in Gaza opened the way for shipping large amounts of additional humanitarian assistance to civilians who suffered in the densely populated pockets.

"We fully use this pause in an effort to increase the amount of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza and we will continue efforts to build a peaceful and dignified future for the Palestinian people," Biden said as quoted by the White House page, Tuesday, November 28.

Biden claimed to be "fully involved" in the extension of humanitarian pause to stop Israeli bombardment into the Gaza Strip in return for the liberation of dozens of hostages.

He thanked the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "for their commitment to this process and in reaching an agreement for the extension for the next 48 hours."

"We will not stop until all the prisoners held by Hamas terrorists are released," he said.

More than 50 out of 240 hostages held by Hamas have been released during the lag - which was originally agreed upon for four days, but was extended in two days. This additional pause will last at least until Wednesday.

Instead, Israel released 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.

Israel said that the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continued to free hostages at least 10 people per day.

Palestinian sources to Reuters revealed that a maximum of 100 hostages could be released.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the National Security Council John Kirby said Washington hoped that the humanitarian pause in Gaza would be extended again until all hostages were released.