The brutal Israeli onslaught that began on October 7, has so far killed over 28,576 Palestinians , 70% of whom are women and children.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed an order to protect approximately 6,000 Palestinians from deportation for 18 months in response to the severe deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, the White House reported on Wednesday.

The order grants “deferred enforced departure” to these Palestinians, a provision under U.S. law that allows immigrants to stay in the U.S. if their home countries are in crisis.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan stated that the move aims to provide a “temporary safe haven” for the estimated 6,000 Palestinians currently in the U.S. He added that these protections are not permanent, and anyone voluntarily returning to the Palestinian territories would forfeit their safeguarded status.

Biden, under mounting pressure after over four months of the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza, is facing calls to intensify efforts to protect Palestinians in Gaza and facilitate aid into the Strip. Arab-American and Muslim leaders have voiced their criticism and urged the President to advocate for a permanent ceasefire.

Executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Abed Ayoub, expressed the urgent need for measures safeguarding Palestinians in the U.S.

“We see the situation in Gaza and Palestine is not getting better, and this is something that is welcome, and we are glad to see it implemented.”

The brutal Israeli onslaught that began on October 7, has so far killed over 28,576 Palestinians , 70% of whom are women and children.