On a solidarity visit to Israel on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden backed Israel’s claim that Palestinian terrorists were responsible for a devastating hospital strike in Gaza, saying Hamas had brought “only suffering.”
“I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. And based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden said as he opened a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv.
“But there’s a lot of people out there not sure so we have to overcome a lot of things,” Biden said.
According to health officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza, the explosion killed between 200 and 300 individuals and was caused by the most recent wave of Israeli air strikes.
The Israeli military blamed Palestinian terrorists, claiming that an incoming Islamic Jihad rocket misfired and that evidence will be provided.
“We have to bear in mind that Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people and has brought them only suffering,” Biden said.
He urged Netanyahu to provide “life-saving capacity to help Palestinians who are innocent and caught in the middle of this.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Biden’s arrival by saying that Israel had agreed to engage with the US on a plan to get aid into Gaza, which has been besieged and bombarded for 12 days and has been under an Israeli blockade for 16 years.
Following the horrific October 7 attack by Hamas militants, Israel has threatened a ground invasion.
Biden said he was “proud” to visit Israel.
“I want to say to the people of Israel — their courage, their commitment and their bravery is stunning,” Biden said.
Netanyahu, who has faced domestic backlash following the bloodiest assault in Israeli history, had excitedly invited Biden, who had openly criticized several decisions by Israel’s hard-right government until recently.
Netanyahu praised Biden, who has been accused by the Republican Party of being insufficiently pro-Israel, for making “the first visit of an American president to Israel in a time of war.”
“There’s only one thing better than having a true friend like you standing with Israel and that is having you standing in Israel,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu, opening the talks with Biden, called for global unity against Hamas.
“Just as the civilised world united to defeat the Nazis and united to defeat ISIS, the civilised world must unite and defeat Hamas,” Netanyahu said.
“I can assure you, Mr. President, Israel is united to defeat Hamas and we will defeat Hamas and remove this terrible threat.”