President Joe Biden is on his way to Israel for one of the most complicated diplomatic trips of his presidency, an extraordinary high-stakes trip to a region gripped by violence in the aftermath of Hamas’ attacks and Israel’s subsequent response.
Biden’s arrival in wartime Tel Aviv Wednesday will mark his most forceful public show of support for Israel since the October 7 attacks by Hamas that left 1,400 of Israelis – and dozens Americans – dead. Other Americans, along with many Israelis, are also being held hostage by Hamas. And at least 3,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the fighting began, the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said Tuesday.
Biden’s arrival in Tel Aviv will come hours after a horrifying blast on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday. Palestinian officials have said hundreds are dead following the explosion at the center of the city and blamed Israel. The Israelis denied responsibility and pinned blame on a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The hospital explosion caused a scramble of Biden’s plans for the trip as the president walked onto Air Force One. The president was expected to meet King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss a humanitarian response during the Jordan leg of the visit, but the summit – and the Jordan leg of the trip – was scrapped. The White House cited a period of mourning announced by Abbas as the reason for the postponement.
Israel has provided the US with intelligence it has gathered related to the deadly explosion, according to an Israeli official and another source familiar with the matter. The US is analyzing it and administration officials have communicated that message to at least some congressional lawmakers, the source familiar said. The explosion led to a last-minute…
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