By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden extended deportation protections Wednesday to "most" Palestinians already in the US due to the humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged Gaza Strip.
"Following the horrific October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel and Israel’s ensuing military response, humanitarian conditions in Gaza have significantly deteriorated," Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security advisor, said in a statement.
In light of the situation, Biden signed an executive order "directing the deferral of removal of certain Palestinians who are present in the United States, giving them a temporary safe haven," Sullivan said.
The protections will remain in place for 18 months. Individuals who have been convicted of felonies "or who are otherwise deemed to pose a public safety threat are not eligible for deferred enforced departure," Sullivan said. Any individual who returns to Palestine will similarly lose the protections.
Since a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing an estimated 1,200 people, the Israeli offensive on Gaza has killed more than 28,000 people and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
But the provision of international aid has continued to be stymied, with the levels of assistance failing to come anywhere near those seen prior to the start of hostilities when needs were far less dire.