Ignoring global call for ceasefire, Biden backs Israeli atrocities in Gaza

Washington: Despite mounting calls for a ceasefire in Gaza on humanitarian grounds amid reports of Israeli forces' raids at the only hospital in Gaza, US President Joe Biden is found to have completely conceded to Israel by supporting ground operations and refusing a ceasefire.

Biden again echoed the Israeli government’s assertions that they are targeting Hamas, not civilians, while Israeli forces' indiscriminate bombardment and firing have raised the civilian death toll to 12,000 in Gaza.

The US president cited Israel’s argument of Hamas’ declared intentions to attack Israel again to justify the Israeli unparalleled aggression in Gaza. He acknowledged the shift from indiscriminate aerial bombardment to more targeted ground operations, emphasizing that Israeli forces were making efforts to minimize civilian casualties.

Biden's defence of the Israeli military diverged from recent remarks by senior U.S. officials, indicating a potentially more pro-Israel stance than others in his administration. The President's comments came in the midst of escalating tensions, with over 11,000 reported Gazan casualties.

On the international front, the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for urgent humanitarian pauses in the conflict. The resolution, the first in the Israel-Palestine conflict since 2016, urged the release of hostages held by Hamas and the establishment of humanitarian corridors across Gaza.

However, both the U.S. and the UK abstained from full support, citing the absence of explicit criticism of Hamas.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, dismissed the resolution as detached from the reality on the ground and announced Israel's unwillingness to abide by it. Erdan emphasized Israel's commitment to international law but criticized the resolution for not condemning Hamas's alleged October 7 massacre.

In response to Israel's troop deployment into al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, the World Health Organization (WHO) condemned the move, stating, "Hospitals are not battlegrounds." Concerns were raised about the safety of health personnel and patients in the hospital.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) released a video claiming to show recovered materials, including weapons and ammunition, from an undisclosed building within the hospital complex. Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesperson, asserted that such weapons had no place in a hospital. Hamas denied the claims, dismissing them as lies and propaganda.

The UN resolution, though theoretically legally binding, faces scepticism regarding its impact, given the history of such resolutions being widely ignored. However, its political significance lies in the U.S. backing of a humanitarian ceasefire call.