US President Joe Biden on Friday (local time) said that his administration's priority is to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and slammed the Palestine-based militant group Hamas, calling it 'worse than al-Qaeda', the terrorist group behind the 9/11 attacks.
This comes as 27 Americans have been killed in the unprecedented onslaught by Hamas on Israel last week, among more than 1,300 killed in the Jewish. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in retaliation launched multiple attacks targeting Hamas' key infrastructure.
"The more we learn about the attack, the more horrifying it becomes. More than 1,000 innocent lives lost, including at least 27 Americans. These guys make -- they make al-Qaeda look pure. They're pure evil... The United States stands with Israel," Biden said.
The US President further said that his teams are working in the conflict-torn region, including communicating directly with the governments of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and other Arab nations, and the United Nations to surge support and humanitarian consequences for Hamas attacks to help Israel.
He further asserted that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that every missing American returns home safely. "We're not going to stop till we bring them home," Biden asserted.
Meanwhile, White House Principal Deputy Secretary Olivia Dalton said the US continues its significant engagement as it stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel and would make sure that they have every level of support in the days and weeks ahead.
"Hamas continues to engage in tactics like using tunnels under residential buildings to conduct their operations, holing up in hospitals and mosques and schools. This is a terrorist organisation with no regard for human life, with no regard for civilians. It is barbaric and brutal, and we've got to continue to call it out," said Dalton
US engagement with Israel
On Friday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin landed in Tel Aviv and met his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where he assured full US support to the Jewish state in this moment of unprecedented crisis.
"We will continue to coordinate closely with Israel to help secure the release of innocent men, women and children in the clutches of Hamas, including American citizens," the US Defence Secretary said during a press conference with the Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Friday.
In response, Gallant said, "When you (Austin) said that you stand with Israel, you showed up. You stand here with us. You have shown us what it means to be an ally, to be a friend, to be a brother...I briefed the secretary on strategic developments in our region and the chief of staff together with the IDF leadership, shared our foreign power operations."
According to a statement from the US Department of Defence, Austin's visit to Israel underscores the United States' unwavering commitment to support Israel following the recent deadly attacks by Hamas terrorists.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu asserted that Israel will never "forget and forgive" the deadly attacks by Hamas on the country and that his administration is pounding its enemies with "unprecedented force".
"We are pounding our enemies with unprecedented force, and I stress, this is only the beginning. Our enemies have only just begun to pay the price. I will not detail our plans, but I tell you, this is only the beginning. In my phone calls with President Biden and other world leaders, and through many other efforts, we are securing vast international support for Israel," he said.
What is happening in Israel and Gaza?
Meanwhile, Palestinians have started fleeing from northern Gaza in a massive exodus after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the population of 1.1 million people, amid ground raids in the territory to root out Hamas which can possibly lead to more deaths.
Israeli tanks and artillery have already approached the Gaza border in anticipation of a possible ground offensive. IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said that they are "getting ready for the next stage of operations."
According to Hamas officials, around 70 people, mostly women and children, were killed during Israeli airstrikes as they were trying to rush out of the war-torn Gaza city. Hamas' media office says the cars were struck in three places as they headed south from Gaza City. It was not immediately clear who the target of the airstrikes was, or whether militants were among the passengers.
Meanwhile, the UN and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have called for the "immediate reversal" of the Israeli evacuation order. "“Moving more than one million people across a densely populated warzone to a place with no food, water, or accommodation, when the entire territory is under siege, is extremely dangerous – and in some cases, simply not possible,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The week-long war has already claimed over 3,200 lives on both sides and sent tensions soaring across the region. The death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza rose to more than 1,900, more than half under the age of 18, the ministry said. On the other hand, over 1,300 people have died in Israel from the Hamas attack since last week.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said it was impossible to safely transport the many wounded from hospitals, which are already struggling with high numbers of dead and injured. “We cannot evacuate hospitals and leave the wounded and sick to die,” spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said. Already, at least 423,000 people — nearly 1 in 5 Gazans — have been forced from their homes by Israeli airstrikes, the UN said earlier.
(with AP inputs)
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