Joe Biden Claim Militants to be Responsible for Hospital Blast
Date : 18th October
THE SOIL – Arriving in Israel on Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed support for Israel’s fight against Hamas and confirmed its claim that militants were responsible for the Hospital Blast that claimed a large number of Palestinian lives at a hospital in Gaza.
In addition to destroying White House preparations for Biden’s emergency diplomatic mission to the Middle East, the firestorm that destroyed the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital produced some of the most horrific images yet from the 12-day battle. Arab leaders also cancelled their scheduled summit with the U.S. president.
Palestinian officials said that up to 500 people had died in the explosion, which they attributed to an Israeli airstrike. Israel said the terrorist organisation Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched a failed rocket at the scene, while the group denied any involvement.
“I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion of the hospital in Gaza yesterday,” said US President Joe Biden, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you.”
Palestinian Families Buried Beneath Wreckage as a Result of Israel's Retaliatory Strikes
Biden’s Middle East trip was meant to ease tensions while demonstrating US support for Israel, an ally that has vowed to crush the Hamas movement, whose terrorists murdered 1,400 Israelis in a raid on October 7.
But following the hospital explosion, Jordan cancelled the second half of Biden’s schedule, which included a summit with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority.
The scenes of devastation from the hospital were horrific, even by the standards of the prior twelve days, when the world watched endless footage of Israelis being slain in their homes and Palestinian families being buried beneath wreckage as a result of Israel’s retaliatory strikes.
Gaza Civil Defence Reports 300 Deaths
Searchers looked for survivors among the horrific ruins. A Gaza civil defence head reported 300 deaths, while sources from the health ministry estimated 500 dead, although Israel denied these figures. According to Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesman for the Palestinian ministry, rescuers were still discovering victims.
Later, Israel made public drone footage of the hospital explosion, claiming it demonstrated its lack of responsibility due to the absence of an impact crater left by a missile or bomb.
An audio tape of “communication between terrorists talking about rockets misfiring” was released by the Israeli military.
Because no notice had been given to the public to evacuate a hospital that hundreds of Gazans had previously been forced to vacate due to Israeli bombardment, Palestinians assumed that the explosion was an Israeli attack.
Explosion Created Anger on Middle Eastern Streets
Last night, too many jumped to conclusions around the tragic loss of life at Al Ahli hospital,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly tweeted on X. “Mistakes here would put even more lives at jeopardy. Await the facts, then report them accurately and concisely. Cool heads must prevail.”
The explosion created new anger on Middle Eastern streets while Biden worked to ease tensions and prevent the fighting from spreading to neighbouring nations.
Palestinian Security Personnel Employed Tear Gas and Stun Grenades
Ramallah, in the West Bank, was the scene of anti-government rallies led by Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority and one of the Arab leaders who postponed his meeting with Biden. To keep the crowd separate, Palestinian security personnel employed tear gas and stun grenades.
The U.S. State Department has issued a fresh warning to Americans not to travel to Lebanon because the border clashes between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement are the worst since the previous full-scale war in 2006.