US President, Joe Biden on Wednesday, during his solidarity visit to Israel, backed the ally’s account that Palestinian militants caused a devastating hospital strike in Gaza, adding that Hamas had brought “only suffering.”
Recall that the health authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza said the explosion killed between 200 and 300 people and was caused by the latest in a wave of Israeli air strikes.
The Israeli military, however, blamed Palestinian militants, saying an outgoing Islamic Jihad rocket misfired and that it would provide evidence.
Speaking during his meeting with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, Biden said: “I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza on Tuesday. And based on what I have seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team and not you. But there’s a lot of people out there not sure so we have to overcome a lot of things.”
“We have to bear in mind that Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people and has brought them only suffering,” Biden said.
He said he was encouraging Netanyahu to ensure “life-saving capacity to help the Palestinians who are innocent and caught in the middle of this.
“I want to say to the people of Israel that their courage, their commitment and their bravery is stunning,” Biden said.
In announcing Biden’s visit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Israel had agreed to work with the United States on a plan to let aid into Gaza, which has been besieged and bombarded for 12 days and under an Israeli blockade for 16 years, AFP reports.
Netanyahu, who has faced domestic criticism after the deadliest attack in Israel’s history, had eagerly invited Biden, who until recently had openly criticised some moves by Israel’s hard-right government.
