US President Biden Blames ‘Other Team’ For Gaza Hospital Blast

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday put his weight behind Israel over the Gaza hospital attack that killed hundreds of civilians. He accepted the Israeli military's version of the story, blaming the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad for the blast.

During a solidarity visit to express support for Israel amidst the ongoing conflict with Hamas-led Palestinian factions, Biden made these comments in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after landing in Tel Aviv.

"I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. Based on what I've seen, it appears it was done by the other team, and not you," PTI quoted him as telling Netanyahu, publicly endorsing Israeli contention.

He claimed that there were "a lot of people out there" who weren't sure what caused the explosion at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the centre of Gaza.

In the hospital blast, hundreds of individuals lost their lives. Both Hamas and Israel exchanged accusations, each holding the other accountable for the incident. Israel attributed the blast to a misfired rocket from the Islamic Jihad, a claim that the militant group has denied.

This attack has derailed the diplomatic efforts led by the US to mobilise support for "Israel's right to defend itself" with a summit between President Biden and Arab leaders in Jordan's Amman being called off.

President Biden told the Israel President that he is "here for a simple reason - I want the people of Israel and the people of the world to know where the United States stands".

He stated that Hamas "slaughtered" its victims, including 33 Americans. "They have committed evils and atrocities that make ISIS look somewhat more rational," he said, adding that "Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people and has brought them only suffering".

Offering unwavering backing to Israel, the American leader emphasized that Washington will ensure Israel possesses the necessary resources to protect itself. "The world is looking," he said, asserting that "Israel has a values set like the US does and other democracies, and they're looking to see what we're going to do".

Biden hailed the courage and commitment of the Israelis calling it "stunning."

On his turn, Netanyahu thanked Biden for coming to Israel and for his unequivocal support, a "support that reflects the overwhelming will of the American people." He said that Hamas' crimes included rape, burning, kidnapping, and targeting small children.

"Hamas murdered children in front of their parents, and parents in front of their children. They burned people alive. They raped and murdered women. They beheaded soldiers. They searched for the secret hiding places where parents hid their children. And just imagine, Mr. President, the fear and panic of those little children as the monsters discovered, found out, their hiding places," Netanyahu told Biden.

He said Hamas kidnapped women and children, elderly, Holocaust survivors. "I know you share our outrage on this. And I know you share our determination to bring these people back....On October 7, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis, maybe more", the premier said.

"This is in a country of fewer than 10 million people. This would be equivalent to over 50,000 Americans murdered in a single day. That's 20 times 9/11s. That is why October 7 is another day that will live in infamy," Netanyahu emphasised.

"Just as the civilized world united to defeat the Nazis, and united to defeat ISIS, the civilized world must unite to defeat Hamas," Netanyahu pleaded, stressing that Israel is united and Israel will defeat Hamas.

"The forces of civilisation will prevail - for our sake, for your sake, for peace and security in our region and in the world," he asserted. The Israeli leader also expressed appreciation for America's commitment to Israel's security which he said was "truly unprecedented".

Pointing to the fact that Biden is the first ever US president to visit Israel in a time of war, Netanyahu called it "deeply, deeply moving."

"It speaks to the depth of your personal commitment to Israel. It speaks to the depth of your personal commitment to the future of the Jewish people and the one and only Jewish state," he noted.

Since the beginning of the conflict on October 7, as many as 2,778 Palestinians have been killed. The figure excludes the casualties in the hospital blast which has claimed at least 500 lives.