Israel agrees to open aid routes in Gaza after Biden meets with Netanyahu

April 4 (UPI) -- Israel on Thursday said it will open new routes to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza following a tense conversation between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to the prime minister's office, Israel will temporarily open Ashdod Port for humanitarian deliveries and will allow aid to pass through Erez Crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Israeli government also said it will increase the amount of aid coming through the Kerem Shalom crossing from Jordan.

"The increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis," Netanyahu's office said. "And is critical for ensuring the continuation of the fighting and achieving the war aims."

U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement Thursday that U.S. policy on Gaza will be determined by Israel's commitment to ensure aid reaches Gaza and that civilians and aid workers are protected.

"We are prepared to work in full coordination with the government of Israel, the governments of Jordan and Egypt, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations, to ensure that these important steps are implemented and result in a significant increase in humanitarian assistance reaching civilians in dire need throughout Gaza over the coming days and weeks," the statement read.

The move to open the flow of aid comes as Israel faces significant pressure from the United States and other countries.

For months, officials with humanitarian organizations and the United Nations have been warning of famine striking the aid-dependent Gaza amid Israel's war against Iran-backed Hamas.

Prior to war, some 500 trucks of humanitarian aid would enter the Palestinian enclave. So far this month, there has been an average of 169 trucks, according to a Thursday update from the United Nations' relief agency for Palestinian refugees.

"This remains well below the operational capacity of both border crossings and the target of 500 trucks per day," it said.

The Britain-based Oxfam confederation of independent non-governmental organizations earlier this week said some 300,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza have been surviving on an average of 245 calories a day, less than 12% of the recommended daily calorie intake of 2,100.

The organization's executive director, Amitabh Behar, accused Israel in a statement of "making deliberate choices to starve civilians."

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke against Netanyahu's decision to increase the flow of aid, saying the government did not vote on the matter.

Ben-Gvir has argued against sending more aid into Gaza on the grounds that the equipment could land in the hands of Hamas.

Biden said in his Thursday meeting with Netanyahu that the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza was "unacceptable" and that Israel must implement "specific, concrete, and measurable" steps to ensure the safety of civilians and aid workers.

The announcement also comes after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday pressed his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, on rapidly increasing aid entering Gaza through all ports in the coming days.

The discussions come after the Israel Defense Forces killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including one American, in Gaza.

Biden said he was outraged by the attack and that it "simply should not happen."

Austin expressed his "outrage at the Israeli strike" to Gallant, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Thursday in a press conference.

Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat had said Israel was "very sorry" for the deaths but denied that the attack was intentional.