U.S. President Joe Biden promised to replenish Israel's supply of Iron Dome interceptors and to help rebuild the Gaza Strip in a brief address he delivered at the White House shortly after the announcement that a truce had been reached to end 11 days of IDF-Hamas conflict on Thursday evening.
"The U.S. is committed to working with the UN... and other international stakeholders to provide rapid humanitarian assistance and to marshal international support for the people of Gaza and the Gaza reconstruction efforts," he said.
"We will do this in full partnership with the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, the PA, in a manner that does not permit Hamas to restock its military arsenal," Biden said.
"Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely. My administration will continue our quiet relentless diplomacy toward that end. We have a genuine opportunity to make progress," Biden said.
The president explained that over the last two weeks, he had held six conversations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including on Thursday.
The two men had spoken of the Iron Dome system, which had saved the lives of countless Israelis, both Arabs and Jews, Biden explained. Israel has said that the system had a 90% success rate.
"I assured him of my full support to replenish Israel's Iron Dome system to ensure its defenses and security in the future," The Jerusalem Times cited Biden as saying.
