Biden forces the opening of a humanitarian corridor in Egypt and blames the Palestinian Islamic Jihad for the hospital massacre
Joe Biden's visit to Israel has occurred at the worst moment of the war between Israel and Hamas. The Gaza hospital massacre, the exchange of accusations about who was responsible for this massacre and the wave of protests in Arab countries have increased tension in the area.. The American president knew that the first question they would ask him upon landing in Tel Aviv would go in that direction and during his meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu he clarified all doubts: “It seems that it was the other party.”. Biden thus acknowledged that US intelligence supported the Israeli version that the explosion that, according to Hamas, left more than 470 dead, was caused by a failed Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket.
The American president met this Wednesday with Israel's war cabinet in search of a coup d'état that would conclude his visit with progress in the conflict.. After several hours of contacts, the Biden Administration confirmed the sending of 100 million dollars to Gaza and the West Bank and announced that Israel accepted the entry of humanitarian aid to the Strip, something that until now the Jewish State had opposed.
Hundreds of trucks with humanitarian aid have been waiting for days in Egypt in front of the Rafah crossing – the only point that Israel does not control – for Netanyahu's government to give its approval.. “We are working in close cooperation with the Government of Egypt, the United Nations and its agencies, such as the World Food Program, and other partners in the region to get the trucks across the border as soon as possible,” Biden said.
During his speech, the president asked Israel not to respond with “anger”, in reference to the requests for “revenge” from several Israeli politicians.. “I ask that while you feel that anger, do not let yourself be consumed by it.”. After September 11, in the United States we felt anger. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes,” he said.
After the American announcement, the Israeli Prime Minister's office clarified that “it will not prevent humanitarian assistance from Egypt, as long as it is only food, water and medicine for the civilian population located in the south of the Gaza Strip.”. “They will be prevented from reaching Hamas,” the statement said, adding that the unblocking was due to “broad and vital American support for the war effort” and “the request of the president.”
The Israeli war cabinet wanted to emphasize that “it will not allow any humanitarian assistance from its territory to the Gaza Strip as long as the hostages are not returned.”. Tel Aviv demands “Red Cross visits” to the captives and claims to be “working to mobilize broad international support for this demand.”
Nearly 200 Israeli citizens were kidnapped on October 7 during Hamas attacks on Israeli territory, which also killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.. In response, Israel began the bombing campaign in the Strip, which has left 12,000 injured and more than 3,400 dead, including hundreds this Tuesday in the hospital in northern Gaza.
The United States supports the Israeli version
As Israel did this Tuesday, United States intelligence on Wednesday attributed the attack on the hospital to the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad. US officials said that based on evidence such as satellite images and videos, they have reached a preliminary conclusion that the explosion was caused by a failed rocket from the jihadist group.
For her part, the spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, stressed that the information shows that Israel “is not responsible” for the explosion. “While we continue to gather information, our current assessment, based on analysis of aerial imagery, electronic surveillance and open information sources, is that Israel is not responsible for the explosion at the Gaza hospital,” Watson said.
Israel has published this Wednesday several images where supposedly a rocket launched from Gaza itself would have exploded and fallen on the hospital. In addition, they have also shared as evidence an alleged telephone conversation where two Hamas militants would acknowledge that the explosion was the fault of Islamic Jihad.. At the moment none of the evidence is yet conclusive.
The impossibility of an independent investigation being able to enter the area to analyze what happened continues to fuel all kinds of theories.. For their part, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and a good part of the governments of Arab countries continue to attribute the explosion to Israel and allege that creating this dilemma is a way of covering up what happened.
The massive marches on Tuesday night have been extended this Wednesday. Citizens of Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria, among others, have taken to the streets to protest against Israel. Most of them took place without serious incidents, and hardly any incidents were reported in Lebanon when a march tried to break security, without success, around the United States embassy on the outskirts of Beirut.. Where an incident did occur was in Turkey, where one person died and more than 60 were injured during protests in front of the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul.