Biden says Gaza occupation will be ‘big mistake’, may visit Israel as war rages

As Israeli forces gear up for a ground offensive against Gaza, US President Joe Biden issued a stern warning to Israel against reoccupying.

The Hamas-ruled territory, marking his first significant public effort to restrain the nation following the deadly Hamas assault that claimed over 1,400 lives, including at least 30 Americans.

The attack, which took place on October 7, 2023, has been met with unwavering support from Biden for Israel’s right to defend itself. Despite refusing to criticize Israel’s retaliatory actions in Gaza, which have sparked concerns of a humanitarian crisis among UN officials, Biden cautioned against a full-scale occupation of the region.

The Israel-Hamas war has seen a significant rise in casualties, with the death toll breaching 4,000 on Monday. Authorities in Israel stated that more than 1,400 people were killed in Hamas attacks, while the Gaza Health Ministry said that 2,670 Palestinians have been killed, and 9,600 wounded in Israeli missile fire and shelling.

In an interview with CBS News, US President Biden cautioned Israel against a full-scale occupation of the Gaza Strip.

“I think it’d be a big mistake,” said Biden. “Look, what happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. And I think that it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again.”

However, he also emphasised the necessity of “taking out the extremists” in the area. “I’m confident that Israel is going to act under the rules of war,” Biden added.

A senior official in the Biden administration told the Associated Press that the US President is considering a trip to Israel in the coming days. While the travel plans have not yet been finalized, the official said discussions are underway after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited Biden on a “solidarity visit”.

Israel is carrying out the most intense bombardment Gaza has ever seen and preparing a ground invasion. There has been an intense Israeli military build-up Israel, including the deployment of tanks and weapons, on the border fence with Gaza ahead of an expected “coordinated attack from the air, sea and land” on the Hamas-controlled region. The Times of Israel reported that the Israeli Air Force has been taking top ground forces commanders for sorties over the Gaza Strip in recent days in order to familiarize them with the territory.

Israel has urged Gazans, reeling under relentless bombardment, to evacuate south, which hundreds of thousands have already done in the besieged enclave that is home to more than 2 million people. Hamas has told Gaza residents to ignore Israel’s message.

According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Hamas has set up roadblocks to prevent Palestinians from evacuating. It released photos it said showed a Hamas roadblock preventing traffic from moving south.

The war has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Hospitals are packed with the wounded and running dangerously low on fuel and basic supplies. The situation is further exacerbated by a growing water crisis after Israel stopped the flow of resources to the Gaza Strip.

In the wake of the Hamas assault, Israel announced a “siege” of Gaza, cutting off supplies of electricity, fuel, food, goods, and water. The siege will not end until Israeli hostages are released, according to Israeli authorities.

Egypt has stepped up diplomatic efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing is expected to reopen to get aid into Gaza. Hundreds of metric tons of aid from several countries have been held up in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula for days pending a deal for its safe delivery to the Hamas-run strip.

“Rafah will be reopened. We’re putting in place with the United Nations, with Egypt, with Israel, with others, a mechanism by which to get the assistance in and to get it to people who need it,” Antony Blinken said after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday.

The IDF said on Monday that the attack on a convoy of Gazans heading to the southern part of the Strip last Friday might have been a “false flag operation” orchestrated by Hamas. At least 70 people, mostly children, lost their lives in the strike, which occurred on an evacuation route designated by Israel. An additional 200 people were injured. An IDF spokesperson expressed concerns that Hamas might even target Palestinian civilians to gain international support or blame Israel, describing the members of the terror outfit “subhumans.”

Meanwhile, fighting along Israel’s border with Lebanon, which has flared since the start of the latest Gaza war, intensified on Sunday with Hezbollah militants firing rockets and an anti-tank missile, and Israel responding with airstrikes and shelling. The Israeli military also reported shooting at one of its border posts. The fighting killed at least one person on the Israeli side and wounded several on both sides of the border.

An Israeli drone fired two missiles late Sunday at a hill west of the town of Kfar Kila in south Lebanon. No casualties were reported in the strike.