Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday told US President Joe Biden that Israel will do everything possible to keep Gazans out of harm’s way as they stand ready launch a full-scale war against Hamas.
In his televised remarks, Netanyahu said, “This will be a different kind of war because Hamas is a different kind of enemy.
“As we proceed in this war, Israel will do everything it can to keep civilians out of harm’s way,” he added.
Israel is facing intense pressure over civilian casualties in their war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. While several countries, including the US, have supported Israel’s war against Hamas, they have equally condemned civilian causalities.
Biden, who arrived in Tel Aviv earlier today, has also backed Netanyahu and blamed “the other party” for the hospital attack.
דבריי בפתח פגישתי עם נשיא ארה״ב ג׳ו ביידן >> /tjd9wJJkDm”>pic.twitter.com/tjd9wJJkDm
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 18, 2023
Netanyahu’s remark on safety of civilians comes a day after the Al Ahli Arab Hospital bombing in which hundreds are feared dead. Hamas and Palestinian authorities have accused Israeli military, IDF has claimed the bombing was the result of a PIJ rocket misfiring.
The PIJ – an acronym to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad – is another militant group in the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli army, PIJ was launching missiles on Israel from a cemetery located behind the Hospital.
The rockets, the IDF claimed, misfired and landed in the hospital premise, leaving hundreds dead.
Meanwhile, Israel has reiterated its evacuation order and asked Gazans to flee north ahead of their ground assault. Earlier last week, Israel asked nearly 1.1 million Gazans to leave their homes and move to safer areas south of the Gaza city.
The order was criticized by the UN and WHO. The UN warned that mass evacuation will have “devastating humanitarian consequences”. Both the agencies have urged Israel to withdraw the order.