Biden administration names Lise Grande as new envoy on Gaza aid

April 25 (UPI) -- The Biden administration replaced the coordinator for humanitarian aid to Gaza on Thursday, naming Lise Grande to take over for former ambassador David Satterfield.

Grande had been serving as the CEO and president of the U.S. Institute of Peace and a longtime United Nations diplomat. She will hold the position of special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues. The White House created the post shortly after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, leading to the current war.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said humanitarian assistance into Gaza "needs to be increased and sustained." He said Grande's experience overseeing similar operations in "complex and dangerous" situations will allow her to make a difference.

Satterfield, who has extensive Middle East diplomatic experience, had initially worked in the position of trying to minimize human suffering in Gaza while the war raged on.

"The provision of life-saving humanitarian assistance into Gaza needs to be increased and sustained," Blinken said in a statement. "Lise's unique experience overseeing similar endeavors in complex and dangerous circumstances will allow her to continue this round the clock.

"The United States will continue to pursue all possible avenues to ensure aid gets the most vulnerable populations that need it, and that humanitarian workers operating in the region are protected."

Getting humanitarian aid into Gaza has long been an issue since the start of the war in October. Israel early resisted calls for a cease-fire while aid and other supplies piled up at the border.