Status: 18.10.2023, 10:15 a.m.
By: Christoph Gschoßmann
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US President Joe Biden is changing his travel plans at short notice. He doesn't fly to Jordan. The reason is the explosion in the hospital in Gaza.
Amman – Solidarity visits to Israel: Many high-ranking politicians are currently traveling there to express their support after the Hamas attacks on October 7. From German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen - to US President Joe Biden. His trip and meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday (18 October) is in place, but another part of his itinerary has been cancelled. Biden will not travel to Jordan this week after an explosion at a hospital in Gaza City killed hundreds of people. This was announced by the White House on Tuesday evening.
Because of hospital explosion: Biden and Jordanian king cancel meeting
"After consultation with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President [Mahmoud] Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, President Biden will postpone his trip to Jordan and the planned meeting with these two leaders and the President of Egypt," the statement said. However, Biden's meeting with Netanyahu is to take place.
U.S. President Joe Biden shortly before boarding Air Force One to travel to Israel. © Brendan Smialowski / AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had announced Biden's visit to Jordan just a day earlier at a press conference in Jerusalem. It is still unclear how the explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital occurred. Both sides blame each other. According to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the Israeli military launched an airstrike against the hospital. The Israeli army, on the other hand, claimed that rockets fired by Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian militant group operating in Gaza, were responsible for the attack.
Biden condemns attack on Al Ahli hospital
The 80-year-old Biden condemned the attack in a statement on Tuesday night, saying he was "outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at Gaza's Al Ahli hospital and the resulting horrific loss of life." "The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during a conflict, and we mourn the patients, medical personnel and other innocents killed or injured in this tragedy," Biden said.
The explosion is the latest escalation in the war. Hamas launched a major attack on Israel on October 7, killing more than 1400,199 people and abducting at least 3000 hostages to the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli sources. About <>,<> people have been killed in the Israeli counterattacks on the Gaza Strip, according to the authorities there. The U.S. has publicly pledged its support to Israel in its attempt to militarily defeat Hamas and end its control over the Gaza Strip. (cgsc)