The American president Joe Biden he said yesterday, Wednesday, that he made it clear to the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the two-state solution is the only answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that occupying the Gaza Strip would be a “big mistake.”

Biden emphasized to reporters that he is doing everything he can to free the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, but clarified that this does not mean that he will send the US military.

The American president had told reporters this week that his message to the hostages is “hold on we’re coming” raising questions about what he means.

When asked to clarify that comment, Biden replied: “What I meant is I’m doing everything I can to get you. We come to help you, to get you out of there. I did not mean that I am sending the army there (…) I was not talking about the army”.

The American president pointed out that he is constantly working on the issue, and that he will not stop until the hostages, including a three-year-old child with American citizenship, are released.

Qatar is leading the negotiations between Hamas and Israeli officials for the release of the approximately 240 hostages. They were captured during the Palestinian movement’s attack on Israel on October 7, in which Hamas killed more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
Israel in retaliation launched a relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip and in late October launched ground operations in the enclave, killing more than 11,000 people, 40% of whom were children.

Biden said Hamas is committing war crimes by having military infrastructure under a hospital, echoing statements made by a White House spokesman on Tuesday, and added that he was confident of US intelligence evidence supporting that “fact.”
He also pointed out that Israel entered al-Shifa hospital, the largest in Gaza, with a limited number of armed soldiers, and does not indiscriminately bombard the site.

“We told them (…) we discussed that they need to be extremely careful”Biden said, adding that Israel has a responsibility to be as careful as possible when striking targets.

However, the American president estimated that it is “not realistic” for Israel to suspend its military actions given the threats of senior Hamas officials, that they intend to attack Israel again, and their previous “horrific” actions.

“Hamas has already publicly stated that they intend to attack Israel again, as they have done in the past when they decapitated babies,” he said, repeating statements he made last month when he said he saw images of decapitated babies.

The White House last month clarified that US officials have not seen evidence of this and pointed out that Biden was referring to media reports of these actions.

At the same time, Biden said yesterday that Israel is bringing incubators and other equipment to Gaza to help civilians and that its soldiers are providing doctors, nurses and the rest of the staff the opportunity to “get out of harm’s way”.

Israel announced yesterday that its forces found Hamas weapons and military equipment at al-Shifa Hospital during their search there. The Palestinian movement rejected the announcement, calling it “lies”.

The American president noted that he told Netanyahu that he does not believe the war will end unless the two-state solution is implemented. “I made it clear to Israel that I think it is a big mistake for them to occupy Gaza,” he said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog however stated that Israel “can’t leave a gap in Gaza” and will need to maintain a strong presence there for the foreseeable future to prevent the re-emergence of Hamas in the Palestinian enclave, the Financial Times reports today.