US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan invited several leaders of Arab American and Muslim American groups to the White House on Friday to discuss the latest developments in the Israel-Gaza war, a source told The National.
Mr Sullivan and members of his team discussed the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip and helping civilians, including Palestinian Americans, to leave.
Mr Sullivan “basically said they're pushing for humanitarian aid”, a source told The National.
“He said they pushed back against Israelis for giving the Palestinians only 24 hours to move from the north to the centre [of Gaza].”
During the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, Arab American figures also raised concerns about a rise in Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment in the US, the source said.
The meeting comes amid mounting concerns in Washington and around the world about the looming deadline that Israel gave more than one million Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip to flee.
The UN and other organisations warned of a humanitarian crisis that could impact the 2.3 million residents of the Strip after the Israeli government cut off water, electricity, food and medicine supplies to the Palestinian enclave.
They called on the siege to be lifted to allow in aid.
Israel has been bombarding entire neighbourhoods in Gaza since Saturday, after Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on parts of Israel's south, killing about 1,300 people and taking scores of hostages.
President Joe Biden on Friday said it was a priority “to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” and that US teams were working with the governments of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and other Arab nations as well as the UN.
“We can't lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians have nothing to do with Hamas, and Hamas' appalling attacks,” he said during a visit to Philadelphia, “and they're suffering as a result as well.”
Israel-Gaza war latest – in pictures
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At UN headquarters in New York City, Rachel Zeitchik, right, and Jay Zeitchik attend an event for families of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas. AFP -
Palestinians flee from northern Gaza towards the south after the Israeli army demanded the population of more than a million people leave before a ground invasion. AP -
Demonstrators at a rally in support of Palestine face a counter-demonstration in support of Israel near Times Square in New York. EPA -
Palestinians flee from northern Gaza to the south after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning. AP -
An injured man is rescued from the rubble of a building following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip. AP -
Mourners take cover as sirens sound during the funeral of Tom Godo, killed during the attack by Hamas militants on the Kibbutz Kisuffim last week, in Kibbutz Naan near Tel Aviv. AFP -
A Palestinian man flashes the victory sign as he and others leave northern Gaza before an expected Israeli ground offensive. AFP -
Palestinians head south with their belongings after being ordered by Israel to leave northern Gaza on Friday. AFP -
Israel ordered more than a million Palestinians to head south within 24 hours. Reuters -
The UN criticised the directive, saying forcing such a large number of people to flee en masse would be catastrophic. Reuters -
Gazans have to travel about 15km if they live in the northernmost part of the strip to reach the area south of the Wadi Gaza. Reuters -
The UN said that more than 423,000 people have already fled their homes in the territory, with a sizeable number making the more than 10km journey on foot. Reuters -
Palestinians with their belongings flee to safer areas in Gaza City. AFP -
An Armoured Personnel Carrier drives near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip. Reuters -
Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather for mass Friday prayer during a protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters -
A Palestinian woman waits to cross into Jerusalem's Old City through Damascus Gate next to Israeli soldiers. AFP -
Israeli army infantry fighting vehicles deploy along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel. AFP -
Israeli soldiers detain a man while on patrol near Kibbutz Beeri, near the Gaza Strip. AFP -
Students hold in a rally in support of Palestine at Columbia University in New York. Getty Images -
Family and friends mourn Valentin Ghnassia, 23, who was killed in a battle with Palestinian militants at Kibbutz Beeri near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip. Getty Images -
A ball of fire erupts in Gaza city after an Israeli air strike. AFP -
Palestinians inspect the rubble of buildings hit by an Israeli air strike at Al Shati refugee camp. AP -
A fireball erupts from an Israeli air strike in Gaza city. AFP -
People waiting for news of victims outside the morgue at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. AFP -
A girl mourns the death of members of the Samour family, who were killed in Israeli strikes on their house in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters -
Israelis arrive to sign up at a weapons distribution point for people allowed to carry arms, at the Ayyelet HaShahar Kibbutz in northern Israel, near the Lebanese border. AFP -
Mourners outside the morgue at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City as battles between Israel and the Hamas movement continue for a sixth consecutive day. AFP -
Men dig graves to bury members of the Samour family, who were killed in Israeli strikes on their house in Khan Younis. Reuters -
Palestinian children who fled their homes during Israeli strikes, play at a United Nations-run school in Gaza City. Reuters -
Israeli soldiers near a self-propelled howitzer near the border with Gaza in southern Israel. AFP -
Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, left, welcomes US Secretary of State Antony Blinken upon arrival at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. AFP -
Palestinian children in a makeshift shelter at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Reuters -
Boxes of humanitarian aid and supplies from Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation destined for Gaza, in Amman, Jordan. Reuters -
Palestinians outside Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on the sixth day of fighting between Israel and Hamas. AFP -
A pro-Israel vigil in Montevideo, Uruguay. EPA
