Biden warns Israel not to use Gaza as a 'bargaining chip' as he vows to release the Hamas hostages and urges Netanyahu's government to send in more humanitarian aid

Joe Biden has warned Israel not to use humanitarian aid going into Gaza as a 'bargaining chip' in the conflict with Hamas.

'To the leadership of Israel I say this - humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,' said Biden, whose country provides billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. 

Biden made the calls in his State of the Union address yesterday.

It comes as US plans gathered pace on Friday to get aid by sea into Gaza, where the UN has repeatedly warned of famine and Israel has been accused of limiting aid as it battles Hamas militants.

In his annual State of the Union address to Congress, President Joe Biden said the US military would 'lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water medicine and temporary shelters.'

Senior administration officials said this effort builds on an initiative proposed by Cyprus for a maritime aid corridor. In the Cypriot port of Larnaca on Friday, European Union chief Ursula Von der Leyen expressed hope the corridor could open this Sunday.

The United States and other countries have already been parachuting food and other assistance into Gaza but air or sea delivery is not the best way, said Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations aid coordinator for the Palestinian territory.

Biden has warned Israel not to use humanitarian aid going into Gaza as a 'bargaining chip' in the conflict with Hamas in his State of the Union address yesterday

Intentional starvation is a war crime and Biden said Israel needs to send in aid no matter what

Many aid trucks delivering food have been destroyed by Israel throughout the conflict

Biden said: 'To the leadership of Israel, I say this: humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.'

'The diversification of the supply routes via land' remains the optimal solution, Kaag said.

Biden, whose administration has been increasingly vocal about the war's consequences for civilians, delivered some of his strongest comments yet, as hopes dimmed for a new truce before Ramadan, the Muslim holy month which could begin Sunday depending on the lunar calendar.

'To the leadership of Israel I say this - humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip,' said Biden, whose country provides billions of dollars in military aid to Israel.

He stressed that Israel also has 'a fundamental responsibility' to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.

He said: 'Israel must also do its part. Israel must allow more aid into Gaza.

'Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority.'

Biden also spoke about how Hamas needs to do its bit to end the conflict.

He said that the terrorist group could stop the war immediately if they were just to lay down their weapons and give up those responsible for the October 7 attack.

He also called on Hamas to accept a deal for hostages it's holding that would lead to a six-week ceasefire.

Family members of hostages were in the audience at Biden's address and to them, he said: 'I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring their loved ones home.

'We've been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for at least six weeks. It would get the hostages home, ease the intolerable humanitarian crisis and build toward something more enduring.

Israel's government must take the humanitarian crisis in Gaza seriously, Biden said in address

Intentional starvation, along with chemical and biological warfare are not allowed by law

The UN said Israel is intentionally starving Palestinians and should be held accountable

Hunger and severe malnutrition are widespread in the Gaza Strip, where about 2.2 million Palestinians are facing severe shortages

He has said that Netanyahu must send in aid - and more of it, regardless of everything else

Hunger and severe malnutrition are widespread in the Gaza Strip, where about 2.2 million Palestinians are facing severe shortages resulting from food supplies being destroyed, predominantly by Israel.

Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, told the Guardian: 'There is no reason to intentionally block the passage of humanitarian aid or intentionally obliterate small-scale fishing vessels, greenhouses and orchards in Gaza – other than to deny people access to food.'