The administration of US President Joe Biden on Sunday appointed former US Ambassador David Satterfield to Lebanon as a special envoy for humanitarian issues in the Middle East. Satterfield will lead US diplomacy to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including working to facilitate the provision of life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people and enhance safety. Civilians, in coordination with the United Nations and US partners, according to a statement from the US State Department.

According to the statement, “Satterfield will lead a whole-of-government campaign to mitigate the humanitarian consequences of Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel, and support the critical efforts of the United States Agency for International Development and the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. His role depends on the United States’ long-term commitment to supporting peace and stability in the region.” .

“Satterfield has many decades of diplomatic experience and working amid some of the world’s most challenging conflicts will be instrumental in our ongoing efforts to meet urgent humanitarian needs. His regional experience spans forty years including assignments in Syria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and two tours in Lebanon,” the statement said.

Satterfield served as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Director for Arab and Arab-Israeli Affairs at the State Department, and Director for Near Eastern Affairs on the National Security Council staff from 1993 to 1996, where he worked primarily on the Arab-Israeli peace process.

US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, confirmed on Sunday that he was confident that humanitarian aid would cross from Egypt to Gaza, according to what American media reported.

Blinken told reporters during his visit to Cairo that the “Rafah crossing will open,” noting that the United States is developing a mechanism with the United Nations, Egypt, and Israel to deliver aid to those who need it.

The Rafah crossing is the only passage not controlled by Israel between the Gaza Strip and the outside world, and it was bombed on the Palestinian side of it, which hindered the arrival of aid and the exit of the stranded.

In turn, the Egyptian presidency said on Sunday that Egypt is intensifying its diplomatic efforts to deliver aid to Gaza and stop the fighting.

These statements came during Blinken's visit to Cairo as part of a regional tour.