Jerusalem – Diplomatic efforts led by the United States, aimed at garnering support for “Israel’s right to defend itself,” have been significantly affected by a massive explosion at a Gaza hospital. This incident led to the cancellation of a scheduled summit meeting between American President Joe Biden and other leaders in Amman, Jordan.
The explosion at the Gaza hospital resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives. Both Hamas and Israel have exchanged accusations, holding each other responsible for the tragic incident.
Joe Biden is slated to arrive in Israel to express solidarity and support for the nation.
However, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi announced the cancellation of Biden’s scheduled summit in Amman, which was to include discussions with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The United States had been supporting Israel’s calls for the elimination of Hamas, particularly following the attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the loss of more than 1,300 lives and the reported taking of Israelis as hostages.
Hamas swiftly attributed the hospital explosion to an Israeli airstrike, but Israel vehemently denied these allegations, instead insisting that a misfired rocket by Hamas caused the explosion.
In an unexpected move, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh pointed fingers at the United States, holding Washington accountable for the attack, claiming that the U.S. provided Israel with the “cover for its aggression.”
“The hospital massacre confirms the enemy’s brutality and the extent of his feeling of defeat,” Haniyeh stated in a televised address.
He called upon the Palestinian people to resist the occupation and the settlers and urged Arabs and Muslims to protest against Israel.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey also accused Israel of bombing the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu squarely placed the blame on “barbaric terrorists in Gaza” for the tragic incident.
“So the whole world knows: The barbaric terrorists in Gaza are the ones who attacked the Gaza hospital, not the IDF (Israel Defense Forces),” Netanyahu emphasized in a statement.
“Those who cruelly murdered our children, murder their children as well,” he stressed.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the allegations by Hamas as a “blood libel.”
An Islamic Jihad missile has killed many Palestinians at a Gazan hospital — a place where lives should be saved,” Herzog said in a tweet.
Islamic Jihad has denied the allegations.
An emergency UN Security Council meeting has been called for by the UAE and Russia to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following the hospital blast.
