President Joe Biden has said that it appears that the explosion at a Gaza hospital that left hundreds of civilians dead was done “by the other team” and not by Israel – as both sides dispute responsibility for the attack.
The president touched down in Tel Aviv at around 11am local time Wednesday morning for a high-stakes wartime visit amid the country’s escalating war with Hamas.
Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, he said that he was “deeply outraged and saddened” by the hospital attack.
“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 have to overcome a lot of things,” he said.
Israel has blamed the Palestinian Islamic Jihad for the hospital attack. Meanwhile, the PIJ has denied involvement and Hamas has blamed Israel.
Following the explosion, Mr Biden’s Middle East summit in Amman, Jordan, was cancelled with both King Abdullah and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority pulling out.
In the visit, Mr Biden hold meetings with Mr Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and meet families of some of the hostages.