Biden says the US will start sending aid to UKRAINE instead of Gaza before correcting himself when he meets with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (after introducing her to a Ray Charles song).

President Joe Biden said the United States will begin sending humanitarian aid by air to Ukraine before correcting himself and saying it would go to the Gaza Strip.

The announcement comes a day after Israeli forces killed hundreds of Palestinians in their rush to get food from an aid convoy.

At least 576,000 people in the Gaza Strip – a quarter of its population – are one step away from famine, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Biden, meeting in the Oval Office with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said food deliveries would arrive in the coming days. He noted that he performed Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind” when the Italian prime minister entered the Oval Office.

“We are going to discuss the Middle East and the tragic and alarming event yesterday in northern Gaza, trying to get humanitarian aid there,” he said.

‘The loss of life is heartbreaking. People are so desperate that innocent people were trapped in a terrible war without being able to feed their families and the response was seen when they tried to get help.’

“We need to do more and the United States will do more.”

Then he began to talk about Ukraine: “In the coming days, we will join our friends in Jordan and others to provide airdrops of additional food and supplies to Ukraine and will try to continue opening other avenues into Ukraine, including the possibility of a maritime corridor to deliver large amounts of humanitarian assistance.’

Then Biden recovered and said that it was about aid to Gaza: “In addition to expanding ground deliveries, as I said, we are going to insist that Israel provide more trucks and more routes so that more and more people receive the help they need.” . There are no excuses, because the truth is that the aid flowing to Gaza is not enough now, not even close to it. Innocent lives and children’s lives are at stake.’

He also said they hope to know “shortly” whether a ceasefire can be achieved between Israel and Hamas.

‘We are trying to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas: the return of the hostages and the immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks, and allowing increased aid to the entire Gaza Strip, not just to the south. ‘ said the president.

The aid announcement comes as the administration faces growing internal and external pressure to do more to rein in Israel and help the suffering Palestinian population.

In Gaza, more than 100 people were killed Thursday after Israeli forces fired on a massacre headed toward a food convoy.

This brings the death toll to more than 30,000 since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, after Hamas forces attacked Israel.

Arab countries were quick to condemn Thursday’s violence. Biden said it could make negotiating a ceasefire more difficult. Israel said its forces fired after the crowd approached the food convoy in a threatening manner.

Aid groups say it has become nearly impossible to deliver supplies in most of Gaza due to the difficulty of coordinating with the Israeli military.

People are reportedly eating animal feed and even cacti, and doctors say children are dying in hospitals from malnutrition and dehydration.

Meanwhile, Jordan has already begun sending air aid to the war-torn region, in collaboration with Egypt, Qatar, France and the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. officials warn that airdrops of aid will have limited impact, as a U.S. military plane could only drop the equivalent of the amount of aid that one or two aid trucks can carry.

Up to 250 aid trucks can enter the region per day if circumstances allow.

Biden had previously expressed hope that a deal would be reached on Monday. He said Thursday that seemed unlikely.

“Hope springs eternal,” he said. “I’ve been talking on the phone to people in the region. Probably not for Monday, but I’m hopeful.