Israel-Hamas war: Biden heads to Israel following Gaza blast
US President Joe Biden is on his way to Tel Aviv to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a show of support for Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on October 7.
Biden’s short visit was also supposed to include a summit with Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman, Jordan, but this was cancelled after a hospital blast in Gaza enflamed tensions even further.
Tuesday’s blast at the hospital killed more than 500 people and sparked outrage with the Hamas-led Health Ministry in the enclave pointing the finger at Israel.
The Israeli military said it had no involvement and pinned the blame on a misfired Palestinian rocket.
Biden will meet with Netanyahu and the Israeli war cabinet and seek a sense of Israel’s plans in the days and weeks ahead, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Air Force One during the flight to Tel Aviv.
“He’ll be asking some tough questions, he’ll be asking them as a friend, as a true friend of Israel, but he’ll be asking some questions of them,” Kirby said.
Biden’s trip to Israel follows German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Israel on Tuesday. Scholz stressed the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip during his visit. This was before the hospital attack in Gaza.
“In contrast to Hamas, who use the citizens of Gaza as human shields, we are concerned about them. We want to protect civilians and avoid civilian victims,” he told Netanyahu on Tuesday.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said attacks by Hamas on Israel do not justify the “collective punishment” of Palestinians and urged an immediate ceasefire.
Guterres, speaking at an economic forum in China, condemned the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people as unjustified “acts of terror.”
“But those attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” Guterres said.
The UN chief appealed for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” reiterating what he called “two urgent humanitarian appeals.”
Guterres called on Hamas for the “immediate and unconditional release of hostages,” referring to at least 199 people kidnapped by Hamas.