U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday pledging solidarity in its war against Hamas and backing its account that a blast that killed huge numbers of Palestinians at a Gaza hospital had been caused by militants.

The fireball that engulfed the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital delivered some of the most harrowing images yet from a 12-day war, and wrecked White House plans for Biden’s emergency diplomatic mission to the Middle East, with Arab leaders calling off their planned summit with the U.S. president.

Palestinian officials blamed an Israeli air strike for the blast, which it said had killed as many as 500 people. Israel said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied blame.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden said: “I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion of the hospital in Gaza yesterday, and based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you.”

  • SilentStorms@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 year ago

    It most certainly does matter. We’re aiding and supporting one side. They should not be using that aid to continue to murder civilians.

    • octoperson
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      1 year ago

      The two sides are murderers, and civilians. If you’re divvying them up by what flag they’re waving then you’ve chosen the side of the murderers.

      • SilentStorms@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        My personal opinion has no impact. My government has chose a side, and you’re correct, they’ve chosen the side of murderers. That’s a problem.

        • octoperson
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          1 year ago

          Mine too 🙁. And I think your opinion does have an impact, if only on yourself. I read about this shit, and some part of me really wants to rage and justify one horror over another. And I hate that.

      • Fades@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Calling the other side of this conflict simply civvies is reductive as fuck. Fuck Israel and the IDF but Hamas are not simply citizens taking abuse from their occupiers. That ended when their targets ceased to be solely military, even now many Hamas supporters are calling for the extermination of all Israelis.

        Free Palestine, but the situation is absolutely not murderers vs civilians, shame on you for trying to muddy the waters by saying such a thing.

        • octoperson
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          1 year ago

          Israel and the IDF

          Murderers.

          Hamas

          Murderers.

          Hamas supporters are calling for the extermination of all Israelis

          Murderers.
          Please pay attention