US President Joe Biden will visit Israel on Wednesday, the 12th day of his war against Hamas, to show his support for his Israeli ally. The visit was made official early Tuesday morning by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who got Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to let humanitarian aid reach besieged Gazans.
In the early hours of the morning, dozens of trucks waiting in Egypt's Sinai were ordered to take the road towards the Rafah border crossing, the only access point to the enclave outside Israeli control. A witness told Reuters that some 160 trucks had left the Egyptian town of Al-Arish, where they had been piling up for several days.
At almost the same time, U.S. Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, who oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, arrived in Israel for a visit that had been kept secret until now. "I'm here to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself, especially to prevent other parties from expanding the conflict," he said. In particular, he is scheduled to meet with IDF General Staff Maj. Gen. Hertzi Halevi.
With no doubt colossal security apparatus, Joe Biden will be welcomed in Tel Aviv by Netanyahu and his new national emergency government. "The President will reaffirm U.S. solidarity with Israel and our unwavering commitment to its security. He will hear from Israel what he needs to defend his people as we continue to work with Congress to address those needs," Blinken said. Biden will also "hear from Israel how it will conduct its operations in a way that minimizes civilian casualties and allows humanitarian aid to flow to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not benefit Hamas."
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The Israel Defense Forces continued to strike Gaza territory, concentrating on southern cities on Monday night. An estimated 100,000 people remain in Gaza City, the major city in the northern Strip, which Israel has asked the population to evacuate in order to launch its major ground offensive and free the hostages.
Announced several days ago, this offensive is not, officially, delayed because of Joe Biden's visit, an IDF spokesman, Jonathan Conricus told CNN. "There is no ceasefire. We continue to prepare for the next stages of the war," Brigadier General Daniel Hagari said. Nevertheless, it seems unthinkable that Israel would launch its major offensive in the middle of an American visit.
After his visit to Israel, Biden will travel to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, US national security spokesman John Kirby said.