Amid the attacks, Biden visits Israel today

2023-10-18 08:38:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Amid the attacks, Biden visits Israel today

Illustrative photo

US President Joe Biden visits Israel on Wednesday in a diplomatic effort to keep the war with Hamas from escalating into a wider conflict, a challenge made more difficult as anger grew across the Middle East over an explosion that killed hundreds of people in a hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Initially, Biden was scheduled to visit Jordan as well, but his meetings with Arab leaders were canceled as he left Washington. Now Biden will stay alone in Israel, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel is preparing for a possible ground invasion of Gaza in response to attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas that have left 1,400 Israelis dead.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters traveling with Biden's team to Israel that the US president "wants to get the Israeli position on the situation on the ground" and "will be asking some pointed questions."

"He will ask them as a friend," added Kirby.

The American president is also scheduled to meet with emergency teams and with the families of victims and hostages taken by Hamas during the militant attacks in Israel.

Almost 2,800 Palestinians are reported to have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Another 1,200 people are believed to have been trapped under the rubble, dead or alive, health authorities said.

These figures do not include the victims of Tuesday's explosion at Al-Ahli Hospital. The cause of the explosion has not yet been determined.

The Health Ministry in Gaza, a territory controlled by Hamas, said an Israeli airstrike hit the hospital. The Israeli military denied involvement and said a failed rocket attack by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad was responsible for the attack. However, this group has denied responsibility.

Biden said in a statement that he was "outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza and the horrific loss of life as a result of the explosion." He also said that "I have instructed my national security team to continue gathering information regarding what exactly happened."

Protests gripped the region after deaths were reported at the Gaza hospital, which was treating wounded Palestinians and housing other civilians fleeing the fighting.

Hundreds of Palestinians protested in major cities in the West Bank, including Ramallah. Protests were also held in Beirut and Amman, where angry crowds gathered in front of Israeli embassy buildings. Outrage over the hospital blast prompted Biden to hint at a visit to Jordan, where King Abdullah II had planned to host a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. But Abbas withdrew from the meeting in protest and the summit was subsequently cancelled.

Kirby said it was a "joint" decision by Jordan and the US to cancel President Biden's meetings in this country. He said the American leader will have the opportunity to talk with Arab leaders by phone when he returns to Washington.

The American leader's visit to Israel also coincides with the increase in humanitarian concerns in Gaza, a territory where Israel has blocked deliveries of food, fuel and water. Mediators are trying to lift the blockade and help reach civilians and hospitals./ Rel