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Israel-Hamas war: Biden backs Israel account on Gaza blast
Published 9 hours agoPublished 9 hours agolast updated 1 hour agolast updated 1 hour ago
US President Joe Biden has arrived in Israel for a complex diplomatic mission, coming as tensions run higher after hundreds were killed in a hospital blast in Gaza. DW has the latest.
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Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu on stage
Biden and Netanyahu are holding talks at a heavily guarded Tel Aviv hotelImage: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS
Skip next section What you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
US President Joe Biden has arrived in Israel where he was greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
The visit follows a deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza that was reported to have killed at least 500 people
Biden told Netanyahu it appeared the blast was ’caused by the other team, not you’
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for a probe into the blast
Skip next section Arab neighbors blame Israel for hospital blast
1 hour ago1 hour ago
Arab neighbors blame Israel for hospital blast
Arab nations that have sought to normalize relations with Israel have blamed the country for a blast that killed an estimated 500 people at a Gaza hospital compound.
The Israeli military has denied responsibility, saying the explosion was caused by a misfired rocket from Islamist militants.
An Israeli Defense Force (IDF) military spokesperson claimed images showed there had been no structural damage to buildings around the Al-Ahli hospital and that there was no sign of craters consistent with an air strike.
People carry belongings near a burned out parking lotPeople carry belongings near a burned out parking lot
Palestinians carry belongings as they leave al-Ahli hospital, which they were using as a shelterImage: Abed Khaled/AP Photo/picture alliance
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which both established ties with Israel in the Abraham Accords of 2020, blamed Israel.
“The United Arab Emirates strongly condemns the Israeli attack… resulting in the death and injury of hundreds of people,” the UAE’s official news agency WAM said.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry “expressed the Kingdom of Bahrain’s condemnation and strong denunciation of the Israeli bombing.”
Another country that recognized Israel in 2020, Morocco, also blamed Israel for the strike, as did Egypt, which was the first Arab country to normalize relations in 1979.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi condemned in the strongest terms what he called “the Israeli bombing” of the Al-Ahli hospital, which led to “the deaths of hundreds of innocent victims” among the Palestinian citizens in Gaza.
He called the “deliberate bombing” a “clear violation of international law.”
The blast came during a wave of deadly Israeli air strikes on Gaza after terror attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel earlier this month killed 1,400 people.
Saudi Arabia, which has suspended talks on building ties with Israel since the conflict flared, called the blast a “heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces.”
Jordan said Israel “bears responsibility for this grave incident.”
Qatar, which has close ties to Hamas, slammed the blast as a “brutal massacre.”
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Skip next section EU officials condemn hospital destruction
2 hours ago2 hours ago
EU officials condemn hospital destruction
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also called for a comprehensive investigation.
“There is no excuse for hitting a hospital full of medical staff and civilians,” she posted.
“All the facts have to be established and those responsible must be held accountable.”
Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, says more than 500 people were killed at the Al Ahli hospital on Tuesday evening and blames Israel for the attack. Israel says a misfired rocket from the “Islamic Jihad” militant group caused the explosion.
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said that, even in a conflict, there were rules that should be followed.
“This bomb explosion in the hospital, which we don’t yet know to whom it should be attributed, is another terrible manifestation of what goes on,” said EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell.
“War has to be carried out in line with international rules,” he warned. “Wars also have rules.”
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola echoed those sentiments.
“The devastation of a hospital is horrific and unjustifiable, and we must ensure we continue to shed light on what happened,” Metsola said.
Wreckage seen through a window in GazaWreckage seen through a window in Gaza
The area around the destroyed Al-Ahli hospital seen Wednesday morningImage: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu/picture alliance
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Skip next section Germany says several of its citizens killed in Hamas attacks
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Germany says several of its citizens killed in Hamas attacks
A foreign ministry spokesperson in Berlin said that “according to our knowledge, we unfortunately have to assume that there is a single-digit number of German citizens who have fallen victim to Hamas terror.”
He stressed that individual deaths would only be confirmed once victims’ relatives had been notified.
When it came to the fate of Germans abducted by Hamas to the Gaza Strip, the spokesperson said the German government was “of course in close contact with the Israeli authorities.”
“We are, of course, now using all communication channels … to influence actors in the region and ultimately, indirectly, Hamas,” he said.
Israel believes the radical Islamic group Hamas kidnapped almost 200 people, including numerous foreigners, during its devastating terror attack on Israel on October 7.
The German Foreign Office said it knew of eight cases that involved Germans, although cases can include several family members. Those affected usually have dual citizenship.
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Skip next section Israel’s Netanyahu thanks Biden, updates death toll
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Israel’s Netanyahu thanks Biden, updates death toll
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has thanked visiting US President Joe Biden for his “unequivocal support” in the war against Hamas.
Netanyahu also gave an updated death toll from the Hamas cross-border terror attack that triggered the latest conflict.
“On October 7, Hamas murdered 1,400 Israelis, maybe more,” Netanyahu told Biden in televised remarks. He urged countries to support Israel in what he described as a war “between the forces of civilization and the forces of barbarism.”
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Skip next section Biden ‘deeply saddened’ by Gaza hospital explosion
4 hours ago4 hours ago
Biden ‘deeply saddened’ by Gaza hospital explosion
US President Joe Biden has been speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a televised conversation after his arrival in Tel Aviv.
Biden said questions needed to be answered about the explosion at a hospital in Gaza. He indicated that Washington was leaning toward the theory offered by Israel that it had been caused by a misfired rocket from the militant group Islamic Jihad.
“I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion in Gaza yesterday. “Based on what I’ve seen, it appears that it was done by the other team, not you.”
However, Biden said there were “a lot of people out there” who were unsure about the cause of the blast.
Biden also paid tribute to the people of Israel.
“Their courage their commitment their bravery is stunning, I am proud to be here,” he said.
Israel, Palestinians trade blame for Gaza hospital strike
02:18
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Skip next section US President Joe Biden arrives in Israel
5 hours ago5 hours ago
US President Joe Biden arrives in Israel
Netanyahu and Biden embraceNetanyahu and Biden embrace
Biden was greeted on arrival by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuImage: Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS
The US president’s plane, Air Force One, touched down just before 11 a.m. (0800 UTC) at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport.
Descending from the plane amid a large security contingent, Biden embraced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. Under unusually tight security even for the US president, they spoke for a short time before departing in a convoy.
“Welcome, Mr. President. God bless you for protecting the nation of Israel,” Herzog’s office quoted him as telling Biden.
Hundreds of armed police and troops have been stationed around the seafront Tel Aviv hotel where Netanyahu and Biden are holding talks.
Tel Aviv is only 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, from which the devastating October 7 attack was launched.
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Skip next section Israeli military says no evidence of air strike
5 hours ago5 hours ago
Israeli military says no evidence of air strike
The Israeli military says it has seen no evidence of a direct hit on a hospital in the Gaza Strip, where officials say hundreds have been killed in an explosion.
An Israeli Defense Force (IDF) military spokesperson said images showed there had been no structural damage to buildings around the Al-Ahli hospital and that there was no sign of craters consistent with an air strike.
The IDF released a video showing the hospital and a car park in Gaza City, comparing aerial shots apparently taken before and after the deadly incident.
The spokesperson also accused Hamas of inflating the number of casualties from the explosion.
The IDF said the militant organization, which rules the Gaza Strip, could not have possibly ascertained what caused the blast as quickly as it claimed to have done.
Hamas has accused Israel of targeting the hospital, but Israel earlier had accused another Palestinian militant organization, Islamic Jihad, of hitting the hospital in a misfired rocket strike.
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Skip next section Germany’s Scholz urges full probe of hospital blast
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Germany’s Scholz urges full probe of hospital blast
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for a thorough investigation of a strike on a Gaza hospital compound that health officials in Gaza say killed at least 500 people.
“I am horrified by the images of the explosion in a hospital in Gaza. Innocent civilians were injured and killed,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “A thorough investigation of the incident is imperative.”
Scholz visited Israel on Tuesday and was visiting Egypt for talks on Wednesday.
Hamas has accused Israel of targeting the hospital, but Israel earlier had accused another Palestinian militant organization, Islamic Jihad, of hitting the hospital in a misfired rocket strike.
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Skip next section WHO chief warns conflict spiraling beyond control
5 hours ago5 hours ago
WHO chief warns conflict spiraling beyond control
The situation in the Gaza Strip is escalating beyond control, the head of the UN health agency warned after the hospital blast believed to have killed hundreds.
“The situation in #Gaza is spiraling out of control,” World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “We need violence on all sides to stop.”
“Every second we wait to get medical aid in, we lose lives,” he added. “We need immediate access to start delivering life-saving supplies.”
The WHO chief on Sunday urged Hamas to release all civilian hostages and said he was gravely concerned by Israeli attacks harming Palestinian civilians.
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Skip next section UN chief calls for ‘immediate humanitarian cease-fire’
7 hours ago7 hours ago
UN chief calls for ‘immediate humanitarian cease-fire’
A woman cries in front of a hospital in Gaza (not Al Ahli)A woman cries in front of a hospital in Gaza (not Al Ahli)
Families of victims cry after learning of the death of a relative following the blast at the Al Ahli hospital in GazaImage: Abed Khaled/AP/picture alliance
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said attacks by the militant group Hamas on Israel do not justify the “collective punishment” of Palestinians and urged an immediate cease-fire.
Guterres, speaking at an economic forum in China, condemned the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that killed more than 1,400 people as unjustified “acts of terror.”
“But those attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” Guterres said.
The UN chief appealed for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire,” reiterating what he called “two urgent humanitarian appeals.”
Guterres called on Hamas for the “immediate and unconditional release of hostages,” referring to at least 199 people kidnapped by Hamas.
He also called on Israel to “immediately allow unrestricted access of humanitarian aid to respond to the most basic needs of the people of Gaza, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children.”
The UN chief earlier said he was “horrified” by the deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza late Tuesday that killed hundreds of people.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on October 13 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on October 13
The UN has repeatedly called for a humanitarian cease-fire to allow aid into GazaImage: Craig Ruttle/AP/picture alliance
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Skip next section US President Biden heads to Israel following hospital blast
8 hours ago8 hours ago
US President Biden heads to Israel following hospital blast
US President Joe Biden is on his way to Tel Aviv to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a show of support for Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas terror attacks on October 7.
Biden’s short visit was also supposed to include a summit with Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II in Amman, Jordan, but this was canceled after a hospital blast in Gaza enflamed tensions even further.
Tuesday’s blast at the hospital killed more than 500 people and sparked outrage with the Hamas-led Health Ministry in the enclave pointing the finger at Israel.
The Israeli military said it had no involvement and pinned the blame on a misfired Palestinian rocket.
Biden will meet with Netanyahu and the Israeli war cabinet and seek a sense of Israel’s plans in the days and weeks ahead, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Air Force One during the flight to Tel Aviv.
“He’ll be asking some tough questions, he’ll be asking them as a friend, as a true friend of Israel, but he’ll be asking some questions of them,” Kirby said.
Biden’s trip to Israel follows German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s visit to Israel on Tuesday. Scholz stressed the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip during his visit. This was before the hospital attack in Gaza.
“In contrast to Hamas, who use the citizens of Gaza as human shields, we are concerned about them. We want to protect civilians and avoid civilian victims,” he told Netanyahu on Tuesday.
Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union, United States, Israel, Germany and others.
