Following a devastating explosion at a Gaza hospital that sparked conflicting charges of guilt and demonstrations throughout the area, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday amid heightened tensions.
While Biden was scheduled to meet with Israeli officials to express solidarity for the longtime ally of the United States, the bombing forced the cancellation of a crucial meeting with Arab leaders in Jordan.
The explosion at the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City was attributed by Hamas militants to Israel, who they described as committing “a crime of genocide that once again reveals the ugly face of this criminal enemy and its fascist and terrorist government.”
There were “hundreds of casualties, the majority of them displaced families, patients, children, and women,” according to a statement. According to Palestinian sources, 500 people were killed.
The paramilitary Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to the Israel Defence Forces, accidentally fired a rocket that struck the hospital. The violent group disclaimed ownership.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the IDF, told reporters on Wednesday that neither a crater nor structural damage to structures were consistent with an Israeli airstrike. Additionally, he charged Hamas with exaggerating the death toll.
Asserting that “based on what I’ve seen, it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he was “deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital.”
The American president promised to make sure Israel has the means to defend itself.
Following Tel Aviv, Biden was supposed to travel on to Amman, Jordan, but the trip was postponed following the Gaza hospital attack because the leaders of Israel’s neighbours, King Abdullah of Jordan and President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt, decided against hosting the summit with Biden and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
According to Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, “our Jordanian brothers say we cannot have a meeting with these conditions. If he [Biden] declared a cease-fire and announced, “I’m coming to force implementation of it,’ just [one] thing would make sense.
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Approximately at the same moment as Biden left, the White House issued a statement.
President Biden will postpone his trip to Jordan and the scheduled meeting with these two leaders as well as President Sisi of Egypt, according to a statement. “After consulting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, President Biden will postpone his travel to Jordan and the planned meeting with these two leaders and President Sisi of Egypt,” the statement read.
According to Charles Michel, president of the European Council, what Israel has done in restricting access to necessities like water, food, and electricity “is not in line with the international law.”
After the hospital attack, thousands of Palestinians demonstrated in Ramallah, where Abbas later went back. Tuesday saw protests start up in cities throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Iran, and Lebanon.
In order for Israel to permit unlimited humanitarian aid to reach Gaza and for Hamas to release the prisoners it is holding, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanded an urgent humanitarian cease-fire.
October 7 attack
The terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 that left 1,400 people dead was carried out by Hamas, which has long refused to acknowledge the Jewish state. After Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, Israel established an embargo on the flow of goods and people into and out of the region.
Israel has completely surrounded and bombarded Gaza in retaliation for the incident on October 7th. It has sworn to destroy Hamas. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 12,500 Palestinians have been injured, and about 3,000 have died.
The UN Security Council is anticipated to vote on a Brazilian-drafted resolution on Wednesday, which requests humanitarian pauses in the hostilities between Israel and Hamas to permit aid access to the Gaza Strip.
According to diplomats, the council is also anticipated to tackle the Gaza hospital explosion at the request of the United Arab Emirates and Russia.
Israel recently gave the order for Palestinian citizens residing in Gaza’s northern half to move to the Mediterranean Sea’s southernmost reaches. About 600,000 people have complied with the Israeli request whether driving or walking.
However, Israeli forces have persisted in carrying out airstrikes against Hamas positions in the north and south of Gaza, including on Tuesday morning.
In Gaza, the humanitarian crisis has gotten much worse. Israel has prevented the territory from receiving needs. Hospitals claim they are struggling to treat the injured, and there is a shortage of food and water and little energy.
This item was contributed to by Margaret Besheer at the United Nations. The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters all contributed some information.
VOA
