Biden tells Netanyahu: Gaza hospital explosion likely done by 'other team', not Israel
Tel Aviv, (PTI): US President Joe Biden Wednesday said that based on what he saw, it appears that the deadly explosion at the Gaza hospital was done by "the other team" and not the Israeli military, accepting the Israeli version that a "misfired" rocket by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad was responsible for the tragedy.
Biden said that he asked "tough questions" during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also said that he supports a two-state solution so that Israel and the Palestinian people can both live safely and securely in peace and announced USD 100 million for humanitarian aid in the war-torn Gaza and the West Bank.
"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," he told Netanyahu, publicly endorsing Israeli contention.
He added 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.
Later in a post on X, Biden, who is here on a solidarity visit to express support for Israel amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas-led Palestinian factions, said he was "proud to be in Israel to honour the courage, commitment, and bravery of the Israeli people. Americans are grieving with you following last week's terror attacks."
Biden said he spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the situation on the ground, security assistance and humanitarian needs, and information on unaccounted Americans. "I asked tough questions as a friend of Israel. We will continue to deter any actor wanting to widen this conflict," he said in another post.
The Palestinian Health Ministry has said that 471 people were killed and 314 others injured in the hospital blast for which Hamas and Israel traded charges holding each other responsible for the incident. Israel has blamed a misfired rocket from the Islamic Jihad, a claim rejected by the militant group.
When asked what made him confident Israelis weren't behind the hospital blast in Gaza City, Biden said he cited "the data I was shown by my defense department," CNN reported.
Meanwhile, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that a current intelligence assessment, based on analysis of "overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information", shows Israel was "not responsible" for the hospital blast.
Biden earlier said that he had directed his national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened at the hospital.
The hospital explosion derailed the diplomatic efforts as a summit between President Biden and Arab leaders in Jordan's Amman was cancelled.
During the meeting, Biden told Netanyahu that he is "here for a simple reason I want the people of Israel and the people of the world to know where the US stands".
Biden stressed 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".
Extending unflinching support for Israel, the American leader said that Washington will make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself.
"The world is looking," he said, asserting that "Israel has a value set like the US does and other democracies, and they're looking to see what we're going to do".
He also lauded the courage and commitment of the Israelis calling it "stunning."
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. The death toll in the brutal attack could be above 1400, the premier said.
Netanyahu 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.
They also discussed the hostage situation as the US continues to work to get these hostages out, the White House said, adding that President Biden's top priority is the safe return of American hostages.
The Israeli leader 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.
After meeting with President Biden, Netanyahu agreed to allow the shipment of humanitarian assistance from Egypt to Gaza.
Biden also met with first responders and the families of victims of Hamas' attack on Israel before leaving the country in the evening.
Since the start of hostilities on October 7, as many as 3,478 Palestinians have been killed and 12,065 others injured, according to a spokesman of the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
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TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
