US President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday (October 18) to show his personal support for Israel.
Upon stepping out of Air Force One, he was greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an embrace.
It was previously reported that the two have a very long history of personal friendship when Biden was a young senator and Netanyahu was a junior diplomat in the Israeli embassy in Washington.
Americans are 'Grieving,' 'Worried,' Biden Says
In the aftermath of the sabbath massacre on October 7th, Biden said Hamas "slaughtered" around 1,400 Israelis on that day, describing at length the horror of the killing of innocent Israeli men, women, children, and elderly.
"Americans are grieving, they really are," he told the Israeli prime minister. "Americans are worried."
He also told Israeli officials that the US would "continue to have Israel's back" in defending itself and its people.
"We'll continue to work with you and partners across the region to prevent more tragedy to innocent civilians," Biden added.
Netanyahu responded with gratitude, telling Biden that his visit was "deeply, deeply moving," and his remarks drew a clear line between the "forces of civilization and the forces of barbarism."
"I know I speak for all the people of Israel when I say thank you, Mr. President, thank you for standing with Israel today, tomorrow, and always," he said.
Biden also met with the Israeli first responders and families of the victims of the Hamas raid.
Biden: Hospital Blast Done by 'Other Team'
Soon after arriving, Biden met with Netanyahu's war cabinet, saying that the explosion that was reported at the Al-Ahli al-Arabi Baptist Hospital in Gaza was not the doing of Israel, saying that he was "deeply saddened and outraged" by it.
"Based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you," he told Netanyahu. However, he added that there were "a lot of people out there" who were not sure what caused the blast that sparked protests throughout the Middle East and across the Muslim world.
Biden did not offer details on why he believed the Israelis were not responsible for the blast, and that the White House did not immediately explain his assessment, as per the Associated Press.
In response, Netanyahu said that the world "was rightfully outraged [by the hospital blast] but this outrage should be directed not at Israel but at the terrorists."
Biden was supposed to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and Jordanian King Abdullah II for a summit in Jordan, but was canceled due to the hospital explosion and the subsequent protests and riots.
Nevertheless, Biden would still talk to Abbas and Sisi on the phone before returning to Washington.
In the aftermath of the hospital blast in Gaza, countless protests have been organized throughout the Middle East and the Muslim world. In particular, protests have been violent in Ramallah, Amman, Beirut, and Cairo.
