Israel - Hamas war on February 29, 2024: US demands Israel comply with international law in Gaza Strip

The US has asked Israel and its military to comply with international law in the Gaza Strip in March 2024, Axios reported.

“The assurances are now a requirement in a memorandum issued by US President Joe Biden (...) earlier this month (...). If the assurances are not provided within the specified timeframe, US arms deliveries to Israel will be suspended,” Axios quoted Washington's announcement as saying.

In addition, President Biden's decision was due to the dissatisfaction of some Democratic Senators with Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. Israel is not directly mentioned in the document, since we are talking about all countries to which the US supplies weapons. For countries involved in armed conflicts, Washington stipulates a 45-day deadline for signing guarantees.

Chiến sự Israel - Hamas ngày 29/2/2024: Mỹ yêu cầu Israel tuân thủ luật pháp quốc tế tại Dải Gaza

The US and Israel are at odds over many issues surrounding the conflict in the Gaza Strip. Photo: Getty.

The earlier vote in the Michigan primary was a warning to President Joe Biden. The Arab community in the US is against Washington's policy towards Israel in the conflict.

Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas are skeptical about the possibility of a ceasefire before Ramadan, pouring cold water on President Joe Biden's hopes of ending the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Basem Naim, the leader of Hamas' political wing in the Gaza Strip, said the force had not received any official proposal for a ceasefire after a meeting in Paris of representatives of several parties last weekend. After the meeting, US President Joe Biden hoped that the parties would reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip from March 4.

Mr Naim said the hope was "premature and unrealistic". Ahmad Abdel-Hadi, Hamas' representative in Lebanon, also told local media that the sides had not made any progress in seeking a ceasefire.

Responding to Reuters, an unnamed Israeli official was also surprised by Joe Biden's comments and said that the US President made the statement without consulting Tel Aviv. In an interview with NBC, President Joe Biden said that Israel had agreed to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which runs from March 10 to April 8.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that over the past two days, it has used transport aircraft to drop about 160 aid packages including food and medicine to 17 locations along the coast in the southern Gaza Strip.

The aid airdrop operation into the Gaza Strip was supported by aircraft from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Egypt, France and the United States. The planes also dropped supplies on a field hospital set up by Jordan in the city of Khan Younis.

Video footage showed thousands of Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip gathering on the beach to pick up packages that had fallen into the sea or onto residential areas.

The IDF said the operation also complements the daily humanitarian truck trips through the border crossing into the Gaza Strip.

US officials said President Joe Biden's administration is also considering dropping aid from US military aircraft into Gaza as ground aid operations become increasingly difficult.

Israel shows no signs of withdrawing troops from the Gaza Strip anytime soon. Photo: AP

The Gaza Strip is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with aid deliveries hampered by the conflict between Hamas and Israel. According to UN data, the total volume of humanitarian aid entering Gaza in February fell by 50% compared to January. At least 576,000 people in the Gaza Strip - equivalent to 25% of the population - are on the brink of starvation.

In another development related to the Hamas-Israel conflict, the US State Department on February 28 called on Israel to allow Muslims to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan. Speaking to reporters, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Israel needs to facilitate Muslims' access to Al-Aqsa Mosque because this is an important issue for Israel's security. The official also warned that creating tension in the West Bank and other areas is not beneficial to Israel's national security.

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