Biden pledges solidarity with Israelis and suggests ‘other team’ to blame for Gaza hospital blast

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The White House mentioned Wednesday {that a} present intelligence evaluation exhibits Israel was “not responsible” for the explosion at a Gaza hospital, however that info was nonetheless being collected.

The evaluation is “based on analysis of overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson mentioned Wednesday in a social media publish, following President Joe Biden’s remark to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you.”

There have been conflicting claims of who was accountable for the hospital blast. Officials in Gaza shortly blamed an Israeli airstrike. Israel denied it was concerned and launched a flurry of video, audio and different info that it mentioned confirmed the blast was as a substitute due to a missile misfire by Islamic Jihad, one other militant group working in Gaza. The Islamic Jihad dismissed that declare.

The Associated Press has not independently verified any of the claims or proof launched by the events.

Biden mentioned there have been “a lot of people out there” who weren’t certain what brought about the blast, which sparked protests all through the Middle East. He later mentioned he made the assertion based mostly off “data from my Defense Department.”

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows under.

TEL AVIV, Israel to (AP) — President Joe Biden mentioned Wednesday that Israel had agreed to enable humanitarian help to start flowing into Gaza from Egypt, with the understanding it could be topic to inspections and that it ought to go to civilians and not Hamas militants.

In remarks from Tel Aviv the place the president had gone to present assist for Israel following a brutal and lethal Oct. 7 assault that killed roughly 1,400 individuals, Biden cautioned the nation in opposition to all-consuming rage.

“I understand. Many Americans understand,” Biden mentioned, likening the assault to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist assaults within the U.S. that killed practically 3,000 individuals. “You can’t look at what has happened here … and not scream out for justice. While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it.”

Israel had reduce off the circulation of meals, gas and water to the Gaza Strip after the assault. Mediators have been struggling to break a impasse over offering provides to determined civilians, help teams and hospitals. An explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital compounded the struggling.

Shortly after Biden’s remarks, Israel confirmed meals, water and drugs would start to circulation, although the timing wasn’t instantly clear.

There have been conflicting claims of who was accountable for the hospital blast. Officials in Gaza shortly blamed an Israeli airstrike. Israel denied it was concerned and launched a flurry of video, audio and different info that it mentioned confirmed the blast was as a substitute due to a missile misfire by Islamic Jihad, one other militant group working in Gaza. The Islamic Jihad dismissed that declare. The Associated Press has not independently verified any of the claims or proof launched by the events.

Biden on Wednesday mentioned information from his Defense Department confirmed it was unlikely a strike by the Israeli army.

“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden advised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu throughout a gathering. But he mentioned there have been “a lot of people out there” who weren’t certain what brought about the blast, which sparked protests all through the Middle East.

Biden mentioned he had spoken with the Israeli cupboard “to agree to the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance of civilians in Gaza.”

“Let me be clear,” Biden mentioned. If Hamas diverts or steals the help, they’ll have demonstrated as soon as once more that they haven’t any concern for the welfare of the Palestinian individuals.”

Biden additionally mentioned a further $100 million in humanitarian help for Gaza and the West Bank.

Biden had additionally been scheduled to go to Jordan to meet with Arab leaders Wednesday, however the summit was referred to as off after the hospital explosion. His remarks in Tel Aviv spoke each to the horrors that the Israelis had endured, but additionally the rising humanitarian disaster for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

He advised Netanyahu he was “deeply saddened and outraged” by the hospital explosion. But he additionally harassed that “Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people, and it has brought them only suffering.” And he spoke of the necessity to discover methods of “encouraging life-saving capacity to help the Palestinians who are innocent, caught in the middle of this.”

Biden reiterated the U.S. was firmly behind Israel.

“I want you to know you’re not alone. We will continue to have Israel’s back as you work to defend your people,” Biden mentioned. “We’ll continue to work with you and partners across the region to prevent more tragedy to innocent civilians.”

Netanyahu referred to as the president’s go to “deeply, deeply moving,” including, “I know I speak for all the people of Israel when I say thank you Mr. President, thank you for standing with Israel today, tomorrow and always.”

Netanyahu mentioned Biden had rightly drawn a transparent line between the “forces of civilization and the forces of barbarism,” saying Israel was united in its resolve to defeat Hamas.

“The civilized world must unite to defeat Hamas,” he mentioned. U.S. officers on Wednesday additionally introduced sanctions in opposition to a gaggle of 10 Hamas members and the Palestinian militant group’s monetary community throughout Gaza, Sudan, Turkey, Algeria and Qatar.

Biden additionally met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in addition to with Israeli first responders and the households of victims and these being held hostage by Hamas. He held their fingers, embraced them and listened quietly as their voices cracked as they spoke of the horrors they’d seen.

Eli Beer, the founding father of a volunteer emergency medical service, advised Biden that by way of his go to “you uplifted the whole spirit in this country, and all the Jewish people in the world.”

The grim tone of Wednesday’s conferences between Biden and Netanyahu stood in stark distinction to their optimistic assembly only a month in the past on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, the place Netanyahu marveled {that a} “historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia” appeared inside attain.

The chance of improved relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors has dimmed significantly with the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas battle. Israel has been making ready for a possible floor invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas’ assaults.

Roughly 2,800 Palestinians have been reported killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza. Another 1,200 persons are believed to be buried underneath the rubble, alive or lifeless, well being authorities mentioned. Those numbers predate the explosion at the Al-Ahli hospital on Tuesday.

Protests swept by way of the area after the blast on the hospital, which had been treating wounded Palestinians and sheltering many extra who have been in search of a refuge from the preventing.

Hundreds of Palestinians flooded the streets of main West Bank cities together with Ramallah. More individuals joined protests that erupted in Beirut, Lebanon and Amman, Jordan, the place an offended crowd gathered outdoors the Israeli Embassy.

Outrage scuttled Biden’s plans to go to Jordan, the place King Abdullah II was to host conferences with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. But Abbas withdrew in protest, and the summit was subsequently canceled outright.

Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s overseas minister, advised a state-run tv community that the battle is “pushing the region to the brink.”

Jordan declared three days of mourning after the hospital explosion and Safadi mentioned the summit was canceled after talking with all leaders. He mentioned that they had wished the assembly to produce an finish to the battle, which appears unlikely now, and to give Palestinians the respect they deserve.

Kirby mentioned Biden understood the transfer was a part of a “mutual” choice to name off the Jordan portion of his journey. He mentioned Biden would communicate to Abbas and el-Sissi by telephone Wednesday as he returned to Washington.

There are additionally fears {that a} new entrance may erupt alongside Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, the place Hezbollah operates. The Iran-backed group has been skirmishing with Israeli forces.

Always a believer within the energy of private diplomacy, Biden’s journey is testing the boundaries of U.S. affect within the Middle East at a risky time. It’s his second journey to a battle zone this yr, after visiting Ukraine in February to present solidarity with the nation because it battles a Russian invasion.

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Long reported from Washington. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Tel Aviv, Israel, Associated Press writers Omar Akour in Amman, Jordan, Samuel McNeil in Jerusalem; Chris Megerian, Will Weissert and Darlene Superville in Washington; and Edith M. Lederer in New York contributed to this report.