Gaza annexation would be Israel's 'great blunder': Biden
US President Joe Biden said Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip would be a "great blunder". However, he thinks that the operation against the armed group Hamas is right.
Biden said this in an interview with CBS News on Sunday (October 15) local time. Turkey's state news agency Anadolu reported this information. Biden made the comments as the Israeli military prepares to launch a ground offensive in Gaza to eliminate Hamas.
In response to a reporter's question, the US president said, "What happened in Gaza, in my view, is an Israeli campaign against Hamas." And Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people. But I think it would be a big mistake for Israel to take over Gaza.
"I believe Israel will abide by the rules of war in Gaza," Biden said. And the supply of food, water and medicine to the people of Gaza will be fine.
He said Hamas must be completely eliminated. But there needs to be a path to a Palestinian state. The path is a two-state solution. That has been US policy for decades.
The Palestinian independent armed group Hamas surprised the world by entering Israel on October 7. After this, the Israeli military carried out indiscriminate airstrikes on Gaza, killing Hamas.
Hamas said it carried out the surprise attack on Israel in retaliation for the attack on the al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
Over the past week, the Israeli military has launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Water and electricity supplies have been cut off in Gaza, which has been devastated by the attack. There is an extreme humanitarian crisis.
Hundreds of Israeli tanks are ready to surround the Gaza border of Palestine. Heavy military equipment has been deployed. Through this, the Israeli army is preparing for a full-scale ground attack. Preparations for a sea attack are also underway. Meanwhile, aerial bombardment continues. Israeli surveillance drones are entering the blood-ravaged small valley one by one.
According to the Ministry of Health of Gaza, 2670 Palestinians have been killed and 9600 wounded since the start of the war which is more than the 2014 Gaza war.
More than 1,400 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attack on October 7. Most of them are civilians. Israel claims that at least 155 people, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken to Gaza. This is the highest death toll for Israel since the 1973 conflict with Egypt and Syria.