LIVE
CONFLICTSISRAEL
Israel-Hamas war: Biden in Israel for talks on Gaza war
Published 4 hours agoPublished 4 hours agolast updated 9 minutes agolast updated 9 minutes 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.
https://p.dw.com/p/4XfCC
US President Joe Biden at a military base close to Washington, just before he boards Air Force One
US President Joe Biden has maintained ironclad support for Israel, while also underlining the need for aid for civilians in GazaImage: 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 expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
The visit follows a deadly strike on a hospital in Gaza that killed at least 500 people
Skip next section UN chief calls for ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire’
2 hours ago2 hours ago
UN chief calls for ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire’
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 ceasefire.
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 ceasefire,” 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
https://p.dw.com/p/4XfJy
Copy link
Skip next section US President Biden heads to Israel following hospital blast
4 hours ago4 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.
