US President Joe Biden’s arrival in Israel marked the beginning of a crucial visit, intended to display unwavering solidarity and engage in discussions about the intensifying conflict in Gaza. Amidst high security, he descended from Air Force One and warmly embraced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog on the airport tarmac.
During the visit, Biden affirmed his support for Israel in its battle against Hamas and backed Israel’s claim that a devastating explosion at a Gaza hospital resulted from actions by Hamas. This incident, characterized by a massive fireball, produced distressing imagery during an already twelve-day-long war. It disrupted White House plans for an emergency diplomatic mission to the Middle East, as Arab leaders canceled their scheduled summit with the US president.
Palestinian authorities attributed the explosion to an Israeli airstrike, with claims of significant casualties, possibly up to 500 people. Israel, however, contended that it was due to a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied responsibility.
Standing alongside Prime Minister Netanyahu, Biden expressed his deep sorrow and outrage about the hospital explosion, leaning towards attributing it to the other side, though acknowledging the uncertainty of the situation. He emphasized that the world was closely observing, underlining the shared values of democracies like Israel and the United States.
Biden’s Middle East trip initially aimed to bring stability to the region while demonstrating strong US support for Israel, which has vowed to counter the Hamas movement responsible for the October 7th killing of 1,400 Israelis. However, the hospital blast led to the cancellation of the latter part of his itinerary, which included a summit with leaders from Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority in Amman.
In the midst of widespread devastation and loss of life during the past twelve days, the hospital incident stands out as particularly gruesome. It displayed a level of destruction that was deeply unsettling, depicting the relentless conflict with images of Israelis killed in their homes and Palestinian families trapped under the rubble of Israeli retaliatory strikes.
Rescue teams worked tirelessly amidst the blood-stained debris, and the death toll varied, with estimates reaching as high as 500, though figures were disputed by Israel. Palestinian authorities insisted that the explosion was an Israeli attack, and the hospital was being used as a shelter by many Gazans displaced by Israeli bombings.
The hospital’s head of the Orthopedic Surgery Department, Dr. Fadel Naim, described a chaotic scene where the hospital was filled with the dead and wounded, with medical teams overwhelmed by the scale of the tragedy. He recounted how they witnessed people still alive but were unable to save them.
Israel, on the other hand, released drone footage and audio recordings indicating that it was not responsible for the hospital explosion. The Israeli military claimed there was no impact crater from any missile or bomb. Palestinian reports contradicted this, emphasizing the absence of any warning to civilians in a hospital serving as a shelter.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Naqa, another physician at the hospital, highlighted its role as a safe haven for women and children fleeing Israeli airstrikes. He noted the devastating impact of the explosion, particularly on children. The situation remains marked by conflicting narratives, underscoring the complexity of the ongoing conflict.
