President Joe Biden made an awkward joke Wednesday about intelligence assessments that a Palestinian rocket misfired and hit a hospital in Gaza, saying terrorists “need to learn to shoot straight.”
Israel immediately asserted that it was not behind the explosion at al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, and U.S. analysts have come to the same conclusion. Hamas insists that the Israelis are responsible for the attack on the hospital, but the US and Israel believe it was caused by a rocket fired at Israel by Islamic Jihad that failed.
Biden, who spent seven and a half hours in Israel on Wednesday, called Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi from Air Force One on the way home from Israel to discuss efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.
He also took the unusual step of coming to the back of his plane to discuss the situation with reporters.
Asked about skepticism over Israel’s claim that Palestinians were behind the hospital attack, Biden replied: “I can understand that.” You’ll notice that I don’t say things like that unless I trust the source I have.’
President Joe Biden said the rocket that apparently exploded in a Gaza hospital had a “different footprint” than a projectile that may have come from Israel. He cited his belief in the Pentagon’s intelligence analysis
“Our Defense Department says it is highly unlikely” that it came from Israel.
He said it had a “different footprint,” he said, before offering no further details.
“You notice I didn’t say it at first,” he said, citing his hours-long delay before commenting. “I wanted to make sure I knew.”
“I’m not saying Hamas did it intentionally either.” “It’s the whole thing – I learned how to shoot directly,” he said, after Israel identified another Palestinian faction, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as responsible had.
“It’s not the first time that Hamas has launched something that didn’t work,” he said.
While returning from Israel, Biden came behind Air Force One to speak to reporters. To his left is security spokesman John Kirby
Biden took long pauses and occasionally interrupted his own train of thought during his comments.
People inspect the area of Al-Ahli Hospital, where hundreds of Palestinians were killed in an explosion for which Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed each other
Biden said he believes a faulty rocket from Gaza could be responsible
The destruction caused excitement on the Arab street. Biden said he could “understand” the outrage but said Wednesday he believed the “other team” was responsible
But after accepting Israel’s version of events, Biden dodged a question when asked directly whether Israel was following the rules of war. Biden said immediately after the brutal Hamas attack in Israel in October that he spoke with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu about ensuring that democracies like the United States and Israel follow the rules of war and not target civilians.
“Good to talk to you,” Biden said, turning and walking away after a reporter asked the question.
The government has faced questions over Israel’s decision to cut off water and energy supplies from Gaza as it prepares for a possible ground invasion of Gaza.
The Biden administration is expected to ask Congress for billions of dollars in additional aid for Israel within days. The military has deployed two aircraft carrier groups, deployed an additional 2,000 military personnel to the region and deployed an air fleet. Biden has warned other actors against taking action to expand the conflict.
Biden declined questions from some reporters, took long pauses during some of his answers and abruptly stopped himself during some of his own answers.
‘What do you think?’ He asked a reporter whether he thought it was necessary to come to Israel for personal diplomacy.
“He hurts me,” he said when asked about Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) failed effort to be elected speaker.
He began by talking about his personal visit, on a trip in which he had to cancel a trip to Jordan after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas pulled out following the hospital explosion.
“People are just looking for something to grab, something to give them a little bit of hope,” Biden said.
Biden also spoke about his phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who was scheduled to join him in Amman, Jordan, before the Gaza explosion.
He said Sisi had agreed to open Rafah to allow 20 truckloads of humanitarian aid into Gaza and he deserved “a lot of credit” for that action.
“If Hamas seizes them or doesn’t let them through… then it will end,” Biden promised.
“He was completely cooperative,” Biden said, adding that he “took the initiative, just like Bibi.”
“Israel has been heavily victimized, but the truth is they have the opportunity to ease the suffering of people who have nowhere to go… that’s what they should do,” Biden said.
His government has been grappling for days with the question of how to provide humanitarian corridors for Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip to escape despite an Israeli evacuation order.
“We will get the people out,” he said after discussing the issue with Netanyahu on his trip and seeking humanitarian aid. “I have been very clear about the need to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.”