President Biden arrived in Tel Aviv on Wednesday as protests continued across the Arab world over the bombing of a Gaza hospital the previous day, an attack for which the Israeli Defense Force has denied responsibility.
At the same time, Israel continues to bury the dead and grieve over the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas militants who crossed into southern Israel from Gaza, slaughtering entire families while kidnapping children and the elderly.
Biden’s surprise visit was intended to shore up support of Israel’s expected ground offensive into Gaza, intended to root out Hamas once and for all. At the same time, the president cautioned Israel’s foes in the region from expanding the conflict.
Below are three notable statements from Biden’s speech.
“Rape, beheadings, bodies burned alive. Hamas committed atrocities that recall the worst ravages of ISIS, unleashing pure, unadulterated evil upon the world. There’s no rationalizing it, no excusing it. Period.”
“Israel must once again be a safe place for the Jewish people. And I promise, we’ll do everything in our power to make sure it will be.”
"Based on the information we have seen today, it appears it was a result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group in Gaza."