Biden backs Israel's account of Gaza hospital blast

He will ask 'tough questions' to better understand Jerusalem's war aims

FE Team | Published: October 18, 2023 23:11:28

JERUSALEM, Oct 18 (BBC/AFP): US President Joe Biden has said a deadly blast at a Gaza hospital appears to have been caused by Palestinian militants, backing Israel's account of the incident as he visits the country.
Mr Biden, who landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, said he was "deeply saddened and outraged" by the explosion. Israel's military said it was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket. But Palestinian officials said an Israeli air strike hit the hospital.
Mr Biden's high-stakes visit has been overshadowed by the blast at Gaza's Al-Ahli Arab Hospital on Tuesday evening, which further inflamed tensions and sparked protests across the region.
He landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday where he was greeted warmly by Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, before the pair hosted a joint news conference.
"I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday," Mr Biden said.
"Based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you," he told Mr Netanyahu. "But there's a lot of people out there not sure so we have to overcome a lot of things."
The US president reiterated his support for Israel and condemned the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which launched an unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza on 7 October that left 1,300 people dead. At least 3,000 people have been killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes on Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials.
Jordan announces cancellation
of summit with Biden
Jordan on Tuesday announced the cancellation of a summit involving US President Joe Biden that it was hoped would breathe new life into the Middle East peace process following major fighting between Israel and Hamas.
The summit will be held "when the decision to stop the war and put an end to these massacres has been taken", said Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.
Gaza's doctors perform
surgery sans anesthesia
Doctors in Gaza City faced with dwindling medical supplies performed surgery on hospital floors, often without anesthesia, in a desperate bid to save badly wounded victims of a massive blast that killed civilians sheltering in a nearby hospital amid Israeli bombings and a blockade of the territory.
The Hamas militant group blamed the blast on an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military blamed a rocket misfired by other Palestinian militants. At least 500 people were killed, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said.