Barbaric Israeli airstrike on Gaza hospital raises stakes for Biden visit

Palestinian death toll crosses 3,300, Biden blames Palestinian fighters for hospital attack

GAZA:

A barbaric Israeli airstrike on a Gaza hospital killed hundreds of Palestinians, deepening tensions in the Middle East and raising the stakes for US President Joe Biden as he arrived in Israel on Wednesday to signal support for its war against Hamas.

Health authorities in Gaza said at least 3,300 people have now died in Israel's brutal bombardment.

US President Joe Biden pledged solidarity with Tel Aviv in its war against Hamas and backed its account that a blast that killed huge numbers of Palestinians at a Gaza hospital had been caused by Palestinian fighters.

The Israeli attack sparked global condemnation and angry protests around the Muslim world. 

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden said: "I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion of the hospital in Gaza yesterday, and based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you."

"But there's a lot of people out there not sure, so we’ve got a lot, we’ve got to overcome a lot of things," Biden added.

"The world is looking. Israel has a value set like the United States does, and other democracies, and they are looking to see what we are going to do."

Palestinian officials said an Israeli air strike hit the hospital, with the Palestinian Authority's health minister accusing Israel of causing a "massacre".

Mourners walk near to the bodies of Palestinians who were killed in Israeli strikes. PHOTO: Reuters

The catastrophe has inflamed the region. Palestinian ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra said rescuers were still pulling bodies from the rubble.

Al Jazeera carried footage showing a frantic scene as rescue workers scoured blood-stained debris for survivors. Rescuers and civilians were shown carrying away multiple victims in body bags. A Gaza civil defence chief gave a death toll of 300, while health ministry sources put it at 500.

Biden's complex diplomatic mission to the Middle East was supposed to calm the region and shore up humanitarian efforts for Gaza, but after the strike, Jordan cancelled a planned summit with the US president, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Abbas also cancelled plans to meet Biden, as Palestinian security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse anti-government protesters in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah as popular anger boiled.

Protests also took place at Israel's embassies in Turkey and Jordan and near the US embassy in Lebanon, where security forces fired tear gas toward demonstrators.

A view of damaged houses as Palestinians gather near it, at a site of Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. PHOTO: Reuters

Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that a strike on a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians was a shocking crime, adding that Israel should provide satellite images to prove that it was
not involved in the attack.

Humanitarian aid

The Israeli military urged Gaza City residents to relocate southward on Wednesday, saying there was a "humanitarian zone" with aid available in Al-Mawasi, 28 km (17 miles) down the coast of the Palestinian enclave.

"The IDF calls on #GazaCity residents to evacuate south for their protection," said a social-media post by the military.

Speaking to reporters as Biden flew to Tel Aviv, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said Biden would put "tough questions" to Israeli leaders but did not give details.

Biden will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli war cabinet seeking to get a sense of Israel's plans and aims, Kirby said. He also aims to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, where millions of Palestinians are surviving with scant food, fuel and water due to Israel's siege.

"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.

It was unclear what Biden could accomplish during his visit. Kirby said the US president planned to speak with Abbas and Sisi on his way back to Washington.

"This sort of murky but horrific event makes diplomacy harder and increases escalation risks," said Richard Gowan, UN director at International Crisis Group.

An Israeli Merkava battle tank moves along the border with the Gaza Strip by Israel's southern city of Sderot. PHOTO: Reuters

Biden has previously said the United States does not want the conflict to flare up into a wider war.

Iran has warned Israel of escalation if it failed to end aggressions against Palestinians.

The US State Department told Americans not to travel to Lebanon after exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon's south.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "horrified" by hundreds of people killed in Tuesday's strike on the hospital.

Guterres appealed to Hamas for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages, and to Israel to allow immediate unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for Gaza.