![]() ![]() It's a tried and true tactic, sadly, tragically. forces faced, not the same situation, but analogous circumstances, in fighting terrorist groups in Iraq and Afghanistan. How do you work around a terrorist network like Hamas?ĪDMINISTRATOR POWER: Well, there's no simple answer to that. NBC reported today that Hamas is hoarding the fuel that is available and some that has come in. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made that point in the region and other places. WALLACE: You mentioned that Hamas sets up shop in civilian hubs. And so these, these pauses are incredibly urgent, incredibly important for civilians caught up in harm's way. We need to find a way to ensure that if that ground combat is now coming to their neighborhood, that if they are civilians, that they have the ability to get out and to get to southern Gaza for example, which is safer. But also I think to the point that was made, again in the previous segment, you know, there are civilians now who are in Gaza City who for whatever reason, because they were elderly, they were infirm, because they were scared that their house would – they'd never get to go back to their house, that they'd be permanently displaced – that stayed in Gaza City. And so these are the kinds of tactical issues that President Biden has been working every day.Īnd as you say, Secretary Blinken now just dispatched back to the region in order to engage on the question of humanitarian pauses, localized pauses, multiple pauses so that, again, food can get in, hostages and those in need of medical evacuation can get out. That means desalination equipment can't work to turn contaminated water into drinkable water. But we see on the ground with our humanitarian partners that when you run out of fuel, that means hospitals can't run on generators anymore. And it requires high-level political guidance from Prime Minister Netanyahu and from President Sisi.įor trucks to move, for water to get turned back on, for fuel to be allowed in, given that the government of Israel's position had been that fuel was dual use. But it is because the political decisions need to be made on the part of Israel, but also Egypt, to be allowing, for example, Palestinian – Palestinians who have medical issues and need to be medically evacuated, you know, that's for entry into Egypt. Secretary of State Antony Blinken since his first trip to the region, I remember that first weekend I was anchoring on a Sunday and he was trying to get the water turned back on, can you just talk about how involved the United States government is? Your staff, the White House, the State Department, and in this piece that you're talking about, aiding the civilians?ĪDMINISTRATOR POWER: Yeah, it is a level of granularity on specific supplies and that is very unusual for me to have seen in my eight years in the Obama administration and my several years here in the Biden administration. WALLACE: This term ‘humanitarian desk officer’, it creates an image but it's also sort of a term of art. ![]() government, is mitigating humanitarian suffering and right now that is Palestinian civilians who are facing really difficult circumstances in Gaza. So it’s a really, really difficult circumstance. ![]() I think we've already seen more aid workers killed in this conflict in such a short period of time than anywhere else in the duration of conflict over the course of the last year. So, this is an excruciating, devastating civilian conflict. We see President Biden, who's becoming almost a humanitarian desk officer in pushing for trucks, and water, and fuel, and respect for international humanitarian law, and distinguishing between Hamas and civilians – as hard as that is when Hamas is willing to cause its own civilians to pay the price and willing to set up shop in places where civilians are gathered, including refugee camps and so forth. And we've seen a response in which Israel is exercising its legitimate right to self defense but civilians are caught up in that in which, you had just heard, is a very densely populated area.Īnd now we see mothers digging their kids out of rubble, and a desperate need for food and water that we, at USAID, are trying to meet with our partners on the ground. And I want to ask you – I want to peel the layer of your expertise in atrocities – and I want to just ask you to step back and tell us what you have seen since October 7.ĪDMINISTRATOR SAMANTHA POWER: Well, I've seen what humanity has seen, which is monstrous, intentional, long-planned attacks on people dancing in the desert, families sheltering and huddled in basements being incinerated, beheadings in front of children. NICOLLE WALLACE: Joining our coverage is Samantha Power, the Administrator for USAID, someone who has worked on these issues for longer than just about anyone we could get to talk to. ![]()
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