Joe Biden warns Hamas allies to keep out of conflict as tensions mount over Gaza
America 's military might was last night readied for a wider escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict as Joe Biden warned Hamas 's allies thinking of becoming involved: "Don't. Don't. Don't."
In a desperate diplomatic mission to prevent further bloodshed from spiralling into a broader regional war, the US president also told Tel Aviv's leaders not to commit the same mistakes Washington made post 9/11. Following the deadly Gaza hospital blast which killed 471 people on Tuesday night, Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday as the Middle East became a powder keg ready to erupt.
He landed as western embassies in the region, including Britain's, feared becoming targets of pro- Palestine supporters. Crucially he left Israel after a whistle-stop visit managing to broker a deal for much-needed humanitarian aid for people in Gaza. Biden's presence in the country came as the full horror of the al-Ahli Hospital explosion emerged.
As harrowing images emerged showing maimed and bloody children, the Pentagon provided intelligence to Biden that the rocket that destroyed the infirmary was fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The assessment was slammed by Hamas, which said it was "outrageous lies" after Israel's Defence Forces first published evidence they claimed proved the blast was not carried out by them.
Pro-Palestine protesters outside a French embassy in Tunisia (AFP via Getty Images)In response, the IDF released an audio recording of what it claimed were two Islamic Jihad terrorists admitting responsibility for the hospital bombing. Later, an Israeli TV station released footage which appeared to show a rocket fired from Gaza malfunctioning mid-air moments before the explosion.
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A US National Security Council spokesperson later posted on social media that an analysis of "overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information" showed that Israel was not behind the attack. "Based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you," Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But he said "a lot of people out there" weren't sure what caused the blast, which sparked protests throughout the Middle East. While in Israel, the US leader stressed how he was unafraid to involve his military, telling how two US strike forces led by the aircraft carriers, the USS Gerald R Ford and USS Dwight D Eisenhower, had been deployed.
He then warned: "My message to any state or hostile actor thinking about attacking Israel remains the same as it was a week ago. Don't. Don't. Don't." The president likened the Hamas attack on October 7 to America's 9/11 but said it would be more like "fifteen 9/11s" given the size of the country.
And while he said he understood the "all-consuming rage" that Americans felt after the 2001 Twin Towers attack, he warned against Israel making the same mistakes that States did by letting it drive bad decisions. While he was not specific, he was almost certainly referring to the invasion of Iraq, which he voted for and later came to regret.
Paramedic carries an injured child in Khan Yunis (AFP via Getty Images)Israel has amassed hundreds of thousands of its ground troops on the borders of Palestine territories for a planned invasion but has so far held off. "You can't look at what has happened here to your mothers, your fathers, your grandparents, sons, daughters, children, even babies and not scream out for justice," Biden said.
"Justice must be done. But I caution this. While you feel that rage, don't be consumed by it. After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. While we saw justice and got justice, we also made mistakes." In a poignant address, the president invoked both scripture and faith to emphasise the value of human life in both Israel and Palestine.
"When we are faced with tragedy and loss, we must go back to the beginning and remember who we are," he said. "We're all human beings, created an image of God with dignity, humanity and purpose." He said the idea is what terrorists seek to destroy. Biden, who was in Tel Aviv for several hours before flying back to Washington, walked a diplomatic tightrope while issuing warnings and support to both sides.
While he said America emphatically stood with Israel, he convinced Netanyahu to allow aid to be transported into Gaza from Egypt. Biden said he would ask the US Congress for $100 million (£82.3 million) in new funding for humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
"The vast majority of Palestinians are not Hamas," he said. "Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people." Biden added: "The people of Gaza need food, water, medicine, shelter. I asked the Israeli Cabinet, who I met with for some time, to agree to the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, based on the understanding that there will be inspections and that the aid should go to civilians, not to Hamas."
Graphics the IDF say proves Hamas was behind hospital strike (IDF)Israel had cut off the flow of food, fuel and water to the Gaza Strip after the attack by Hamas. Mediators had been struggling to break a deadlock over providing supplies to desperate civilians, aid groups and hospitals. On the deal, Israel said it would not permit the transfer of any humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip from its own territory.
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Netanyahu added, however, that Israel "will not thwart humanitarian supplies arriving from Egypt as long as it is only food, water and medicine for the civilian population located in the southern Gaza Strip or those moving there, and as long as these supplies do not reach Hamas."
Despite his appeals, words and warnings, Biden's support for Israel was feared last night to be drawing other adversaries into the conflict. Signs that those concerns were being realised emerged across the Middle East as Western embassies were targeted. In Jordan's capital, Amman, protesters attempted to storm the Israeli embassy.
In Tehran, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the British and French embassies chanting "Death to France and England." Riot police sprayed protesters with water cannon during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people, near the US embassy in Aukar, a northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, a Berlin synagogue was attacked with Molotov cocktails amid an increase in antisemitic incidents in the German capital. French media also reported bomb threats have prompted the evacuation of airports in Toulouse, Lille, Nice, and Lyon, France.
Distressed children receive treatment at a hospital in Khan Yunis (AFP via Getty Images)More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed by Hamas since the war began, with over 4,000 injured. Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said the number killed in Gaza since Israel began its airstrikes has risen to 3,300.
Among those dead are at least seven British nationals, while nine are missing in Gaza, the Prime Minister's spokesperson said. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said Mr Sunak did not think it was the right time for a ceasefire, as Israel is working to "recover hostages who have been seized by a terrorist organisation".
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the UK must do everything to prevent a "humanitarian catastrophe" by pressing for medicines, food, fuel and water to get into Gaza immediately. "International law must always be followed, Hamas are not the Palestinian people and the Palestinian people are not Hamas," he said after some in Labour raised concerns that his support for Israel's response had been too absolute.
Downing Street's latest figure came as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, condemned the "atrocious" attack on the Anglican-run Al-Ahli Hospital. Despite Biden being clear who he believed was responsible, the Archbishop urged restraint on apportioning blame until the facts are clear.
He said the attack "violates the sanctity and dignity of human life". The Archbishop added: "It is unconscionable that aid is being prevented from reaching children and adults who are not combatants in this war. It is indefensible that hospitals, schools and refugee camps are being struck. It is an outrage that hostages are being held by Hamas.
"The bloodshed, slaughter and suffering of innocent people on all sides must stop. What we know for certain is that this violence will not secure for the people of the Holy Land the future they deserve." The clergyman spoke as images of children injured in the Al-Ahli Hospital showed young children covered in blood and debris.
The infirmary was being used as a shelter for hundreds believing it would not be bombed. Biden boarded Air Force One for Washington at 6pm local time. He was originally supposed to fly to Jordan and meet with Arab leaders, but that leg of the trip was cancelled after the Al-Ahli Hospital blast.
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