Joe Biden steers a risky course after a Gaza hospital blast
crisis in the Middle East has been blown up by an explosion at a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians. Amid mutual recriminations over who was responsible, Jordan denounced the “heinous war crime" and cancelled a summit it was due to host in Amman with Mr Biden as well as Palestinian and Egyptian leaders. The president pressed on with the trip nevertheless, visiting Israel only.
But the worsening plight of Palestinians in Gaza, and the danger of growing escalation, grimly illustrate the difficulty of the path he is trying to steer: show his love for Israel while protecting civilians in the Gaza Strip; support Israel’s retribution while restraining its excesses; ostracise Hamas while pointing to an alternative path to Palestinian statehood; deter Iran and its proxies while coaxing Arab allies to help. The blast at the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, some time after 7pm on October 17th, was a shock but not a surprise. Thousands of civilians were sheltering in its grounds, alongside the sick, in the hope that the institution would afford them some protection.
Israel has bombarded Gaza with unprecedented ferocity ever since Hamas, the Islamist group that runs the territory, slaughtered Israeli communities around Gaza on October 7th, killing more than 1,400 people and kidnapping about 200. More than 3,000 Palestinians have died so far. About 600,000 Gazans have fled their homes, partly in response to Israel’s call for Palestinians to leave the northern half of the territory including the main urban centre, Gaza City.
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