Following $26.4 bln US military aid package, Gallant thanks Biden

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Apr 2024 11:42

Israeli Minister of Security, Yoav Gallant, thanks the US President for standing by "Israel," while facing a seven-front war, including Iran, and touches on the US Congress' approval of military aid.

An Israeli and US flag are reflected on a conference table as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin meets with Israeli security Minister Yoav Gallant, on March 26, 2024, in Washington, US. (AP)

Israeli Channel 12 reported that the Minister of Security in the occupation government, Yoav Gallant, thanked US President Joe Biden for the approval of aid for "Israel" in the US House of Representatives.

Gallant said, according to the Israeli channel, "As Israel faces threats from seven fronts, including Iran, the United States stands by Israel. Thank you President Biden for your unwavering support."

This comes hours after the head of Hamas' Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said that the Palestinians "did not fall into the trap of distributing roles between the Americans and the Israelis," against the backdrop of Washington's "deceptive position regarding the Rafah invasion."

In an exclusive interview for Anadolu, Haniyeh said, "The US position is deceptive, even though it says it does not want civilians to be harmed, this is an attempt at manipulation. All the civilians killed in Gaza, thousands, tens of thousands of martyrs, were killed with US weapons, with US rockets, under US political protection. What does the US veto of the cease-fire resolution at the UNSC mean? It means that the US is giving full protection and umbrella to the continuation of the massacres and murders against Gaza."

It is evident that the US has embraced the Israeli position and stood against the rights of the Palestinian people by vetoing Palestine's full UN membership, Haniyeh added.

Palestinian Resistance continues to engage Israeli occupation forces

The Palestinian Resistance, represented by its diverse military factions, continues to engage in confrontations with Israeli occupation forces within the Gaza Strip, while also targeting settlements in the surrounding areas with retaliatory strikes responding to Israeli massacres.

Palestinian media reported ongoing confrontations between the Resistance and the occupation forces in al-Mughraqa and al-Zahraa, north of the Central Governorate in the Gaza Strip.

Sirens sounded in the "Kissufim" settlement bloc in the Gaza envelope, according to what Israeli media reported.

The al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, declared responsibility for launching a barrage of heavy-caliber mortar shells at a gathering of occupation soldiers and vehicles in the "Netzarim" axis, situated south of Gaza City.

The military media of the al-Quds Brigades released footage showcasing the preparation and launch of a missile salvo aimed at Israeli settlements and military gatherings, highlighting their actions against the Israeli occupation.

In turn, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades targeted gatherings of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles with mortar shells, striking southeast of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, in the southeastern part of Gaza City.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades also bombed the “Sderot” settlement, north of the Gaza Strip, with a missile barrage, in response to the crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people.

Meanwhile, the military media of the Martyr Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, released footage documenting their targeting of an Israeli D9 military bulldozer with an al-Yassin 105 RPG. The operation occurred east of Deir al-Balah, in the central part of the Gaza Strip.