President Biden said on Tuesday that he was “outraged and deeply saddened” by the deadly bombing of a hospital in Gaza, but he refused to blame Islamic Jihad, a smaller, more radical Palestinian terrorist group that often works with Hamas.
Israel claimed that an errant missile fired by Islamic Jihad out of Gaza, aimed at the Jewish state, was the cause of an explosion at Al Ahli Arab hospital on Tuesday, which Gaza’s Health Ministry said killed at least 500 Palestinians.
Biden, 80, did not accept Israel’s assessment of the bombing despite speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the incident.
“I am very angry and very saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza and the heavy loss of life,” the president said in a statement.
“Immediately after hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and have instructed my national security forces to continue to gather information about what really happened,” Biden added.
“The United States is unwavering in protecting civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical personnel and other innocent people who have been killed or injured in this tragedy.”
President Biden said Tuesday that he was “angry and deeply saddened” by the deadly bombing of a hospital in Gaza, but he refused to blame Islamic Jihad. Ting Shen/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Israel claimed that a stray missile launched by Islamic Jihad out of Gaza, aimed at the Jewish state, was the cause of the explosion at Al Ahli Arab hospital on Tuesday.Telegram
Netanyahu, 73, insisted that “barbaric terrorists in Gaza” were responsible for the tragedy and not the Israeli army.
“The whole world should know: It was the barbaric terrorists in Gaza who attacked the hospitals in Gaza, and not the IDF,” Netanyahu tweeted. “Those who brutally killed our children also killed their own children.”
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“From the analysis of the IDF’s operational system, an enemy rocket attack was conducted towards Israel, which passed around the hospital when it was hit,” an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said Tuesday.
“According to intelligence information, from several sources we have, the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is responsible for the failure of the shooting that hit the hospital.”
Biden did not accept Israel’s assessment of the bombing despite speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the incident. REUTERS Horrific images from the hospital show the building engulfed in flames and many women and children injured.AP
The attack on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital marked the deadliest single incident since war broke out between Hamas and Israel following the October 7 terrorist attack on Israeli soil by the Gaza-based jihadist group.
Horrifying images from the hospital showed the building on fire and many women and children injured.
The blast came just hours before Biden was expected to visit Israel in a show of support.
Hamas called the bombing a “horrible massacre,” claiming it was the result of an Israeli attack.
Russia and the United Arab Emirates called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council after the explosion, which sparked protests in the West Bank, Egypt and Turkey.
Biden had been scheduled to meet with Jordanian King Abdullah II, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi during his trip to the Middle East, but will not do so again.
The White House issued a statement Tuesday saying that the meeting would be postponed after Abbas announced a day of mourning and would be rescheduled.
“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 trip to Jordan and his planned meeting with these two leaders and President Sisi of Egypt.
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“The President expressed his deepest condolences for the innocent lives lost in the hospital explosion in Gaza, and wished the injured a speedy recovery. He hopes to consult personally with these leaders soon, and has agreed to remain on a regular basis and engage directly with each of them in the coming days,” the White House said.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Air Force One Tuesday that Biden would “ask some tough questions” when he meets with Netanyahu in Israel, but did not say whether any questions would be related to the hospital bombing.
“He will ask them as friends, as true friends of Israel,” Kirby said.
“By difficult questions I do not mean to threaten or in any way oppose. Only hard questions will be asked by Israel’s good friends about where they think they are going, what their plans are going forward,” he added.
Regarding Israel’s claim that Tuesday’s explosion was not caused by an IDF missile, Krby said, “We certainly realize that they feel very strongly that this was not caused by them,” but he declined to say whether so far in the conflict Israel has been operating under the rules of war. .
“It would be inappropriate for us to respond, again, to the initial reports, one way or the other,” Kirby said, stressing that Biden would continue to press Israel on “the absolute need to protect innocent civilian life and abide by the law.” the law of war.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
