President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it appears “the other team” is responsible for the brutal bombing of a Gaza hospital.
Hundreds of people were reportedly killed Tuesday after an explosion at the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, though the perpetrator of the attack has not been confirmed amid several conflicting reporters on whether it was an Israeli or Hamas strike, according to The Jerusalem Post. Biden, who traveled to Israel Tuesday evening, told Netanyahu that from what he has seen, it appears the attack was not carried out by Israeli forces. (RELATED: Biden Says It Would Be ‘Big Mistake’ For Israel To Occupy Gaza, Hamas Doesn’t Represent Palestinians)
“The point is, is that I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion of 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, but there’s a lot of people out there not sure, so we’ve got a lot—we’ve got to overcome a lot of things,” Biden said.
Officials in Gaza are claiming that the rocket was fired by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), The Jerusalem Post reported. The IDF, however, is claiming that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched the missile at the rocket.
Biden told Netanyahu Tuesday he “wanted to personally come” to Israel to stress his support, adding that Americans are grieving with the country.
“[Hamas has] — committed evils that — and atrocities that make ISIS look somewhat more rational,” Biden told Netanyahu.
“We’ve got to overcome a lot of things.”
Pres. Biden tells Israeli leaders it appears Gaza hospital explosion was “done by the other team, not you.” https://t.co/z9eNH1M7PG pic.twitter.com/xye9YzQoJK
— ABC News (@ABC) October 18, 2023
After Biden’s trip to Israel, he was set to travel to Jordan to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Majesty King Abdullah II, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to discuss the “humanitarian needs of civilians in Gaza.” The trip, however, was canceled after the hospital bombing.
“Immediately upon hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and have directed my national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened,” Biden said in a statement. “The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy.”