US President Joe Biden expresses his outrage over the deadly strike of a Gaza hospital earlier this evening but avoids assigning blame to any party.
“I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted,” he says in a statement.
He says he spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the blast and directed his national security team to continue gathering information.
“The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy,” he adds.
Israel said it did not strike the hospital and that the blast was caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket misfire that landed in Gaza. Hamas and much of the Arab world has blamed Israel for the hospital explosion.
Jordan canceled Biden’s meetings with Abdullah, Egypt’s Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas set for Wednesday.
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
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