Palestine President Abbas cancels meeting with Biden after Gaza hospital strike
Reuters reported. In an official statement, the White House earlier said, “President Biden will then travel to Amman, Jordan, where he will meet with his Majesty King Abdullah, Egyptian President Sisi, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas." "He will reiterate that Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination and discuss the humanitarian needs of civilians in Gaza," the statement said. Israel had declared war on Hamas earlier this month after a surprise attack killed more than 1400 people and took around 200 hostages.
The retaliatory air strikes have since killed more than 2,700 people in Palestine. Israel has also imposed a crippling siege on Gaza and deployed tens of thousands of troops to the border in preparation for a ground offensive. There is growing concern that the escalating war in Gaza could spill over into a wider Middle East conflict.
The US military ordered 2,000 personnel to prepare for deployment to the Middle East as a show of force on Tuesday. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby however told CNN that the country presently had no plans to actually 'put US boots on the ground in combat in Israel'. Biden is set to visit Israel amid an ongoing war with Hamas fighters.
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