US President Joe Biden must implement a “concrete plan” to prevent Israel's vowed invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a doctor who sat down with him this week for a closed-door discussion at the White House told Anadolu.
“The language is still somewhat loose. There's not any concrete plan in place to say that if there was an invasion of Rafah, this is what would happen. This is how the US policy would change,” said Nahreen Ahmed, a critical care physician, as she prepares to return to Gaza for a third time.
“That, to me, is disturbing,” she added.
The public appeal comes after Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a Thursday telephone call that future US support for Israel's war on Gaza depends on Tel Aviv's implementation of major reforms following the "unacceptable" killing of seven humanitarian aid workers Monday in Gaza and the “unacceptable” humanitarian conditions in the coastal enclave.
The White House said Biden “made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers.”
"He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps,” it said.
But Ahmed pointed to an arms package for Israel, which included more than 1,000 small diameter bombs, over 1,000 MK-82 500-pound bombs, as well as additional bomb fuses, that was finalized on the same day as Israel's repeated airstrikes on the World Central Kitchen aid workers. She questioned why the Biden administration did not immediately pump the brakes in the aftermath of the news.
“I would ask the question, why not halt sending those arms and ammunitions to Israel in the context of what's happening? I think that's the kind of concrete thing we want to see the US government talk about, in how to prevent, you know, ongoing suffering, death and the catastrophic situation in Gaza,” said Ahmed, who is the medical director for MedGlobal, a non-profit that provides medical services in war zones.
Following the call on Thursday, Israel agreed to increase routes for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, including by agreeing to open the Erez crossing along the northern Gaza border, according to the White House. But it is unclear if that will translate into increased aid flows, a question alluded to by Secretary of State Antony Blinken who said Friday that "the real test is results."
He pointed in particular to the number of trucks allowed to enter Gaza in the coming weeks "on a sustained basis" as a key indicator.
Israel began its military offensive across Gaza in retaliation for Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which less than 1,200 people were killed, and 250 others were taken back to Gaza as hostages. About 130 remain in captivity.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's highest court, which last week asked Israel to “take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay” the unhindered provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance as famine sets in across the enclave.
Ahmed previously worked in eastern Ukraine, Syria, Yemen, as well as intensive-care units in the US. All pale in comparison to Gaza's spiraling humanitarian catastrophe.
“This is incomparable, what we're seeing,” she noted. “The patient volume is so high. And the reason for that is that hospitals are systematically shut down after they're under siege. And when that happens nearby hospitals are then overwhelmed, they're already overwhelmed to start, and then that worsens when hospitals start to shut down.”
“What I saw was a lack of a number of beds, really overwhelmed healthcare workers, the lack of supplies that are highly needed, and so the healthcare workers are unable to do their jobs; we could not treat infections that are treatable, because we didn't have the right antibiotics. And that's all because of the delays in getting aid in, which has been really frustrating. And time and time again, we hear from our colleagues in Palestine that they're not receiving the types of supplies that they really, really need,” she said.
The shortage of medical necessities has not only led to the dire reality of performing major surgeries, including amputations, without drugs to dull the pain, but has also directly contributed to a wave of preventable deaths caused by pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes and chronic respiratory illnesses, as well as deaths from acute diarrhea caused by people drinking dirty water out of desperation, and now, acute malnutrition.
“These were all preventable, treatable, and it's absolutely horrific to see this death count rising from secondary causes,” said Ahmed.
Biden told the Israeli premier this week that an immediate cease-fire in Gaza is essential to protect civilians and aid workers, and asked Netanyahu “to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay” after six months of war.
Biden's words appear to fly in the face of Netanyahu's vowed ground invasion of Rafah where 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge after being displaced elsewhere in the besieged territory.
An Israeli delegation is slated to fly to Washington next week to discuss US proposals for alternative approaches in Rafah, but it is unclear if Biden's direct urging for an “immediate” halt to the hostilities will affect Netanyahu's calculus.
Ahmed was confident that the US president has the power to prevent Israel from taking its offensive to Rafah, as well as to get it to increase aid deliveries, but was unsure if he would exercise the needed pressure.
“I hope that the Biden administration has the resolve to actually do that. Based on what I've seen, I've seen the narrative changing, but it needs to change faster,” she said.
“I have been frustrated with how the administration has handled things so far, but I really, really want to believe that things can change. What I do know is that they do have the power to do so. And they need to use that,” added Ahmed.
