Crickets....

White House officials silent after hospital blast in Gaza

MJ Lee and Kayla Tausche

White House officials were silent in the immediate aftermath of a hospital bombing in Gaza that killed hundreds, unresponsive to numerous questions about what impact the deadly blast might have on President Joe Biden’s highly anticipated trip to the region. 

Hours before Biden was expected to fly to Israel for an extraordinary visit to the war-torn region, a massive blast hit a hospital in Gaza, killing hundreds of people.  

There was immediate consequence for the president’s upcoming trip, even before Biden had left the White House: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas pulled out of his meeting with Biden, which had been set to take place in Jordan along with other regional leaders.  

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied culpability, saying that it was the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group that launched a barrage of rockets from Gaza toward Israel, and that a “failed rocket launch” hit the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. 

Palestinian officials have said the hospital was hit in an Israeli strike.

The moment vividly captured precisely how much is at stake for Biden as he heads to the Middle East.

US officials had said they had made painstaking efforts to ensure Biden’s security before greenlighting the trip. Biden was also set to emphasize to his Israeli counterpart and others the importance of minimizing civilian casualties in the conflict.