Joe Biden backs Israel's account of hospital blast, announces $100m in aid for Gaza | ABC News
US President Joe Biden has met with leaders in Israel and publicly backed Israel’s account that a misfired rocket in Gaza was to blame for a blast at a hospital that’s believed to have killed hundreds of Palestinians. Tensions are continuing to rise in the Middle East with protests erupting across the region as Hamas officials in Gaza continue to blame the hospital blast on an Israeli airstrike. President Biden spent about eight hours on the ground speaking to officials including Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as families caught up in the escalating crisis. He announced $100m in new funding for humanitarian aid for Gaza and the occupied West Bank, with Israel saying it will not block supplies entering Gaza from Egypt. The hospital blast in Gaza has unleashed new fury on streets across the Middle East, even as Mr Biden was desperately trying to calm emotions and prevent the conflict from sweeping across borders. Palestinian security forces fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse anti-government protesters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, seat of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, one of the Arab leaders who cancelled his meeting with Mr Biden. Protests also erupted at Israel's embassies in Türkiye and Jordan and near the US embassy in Lebanon, where security forces fired tear gas toward demonstrators. In a Beirut suburb near the US embassy, hundreds of protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces during demonstrations in support of Gaza's civilian residents and the militant group Hamas. Meanwhile, the US has rejected a UN resolution to condemn violence against civilians in the Israel-Gaza war. ABC correspondents Nick Dole (in Israel) and Carrington Clarke (in Washington) spoke to News Breakfast. Subscribe: http://ab.co/1svxLVE Read more here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-1... ABC News provides around the clock coverage of news events as they break in Australia and abroad, including the latest coronavirus pandemic updates. It's news when you want it, from Australia's most trusted news organisation. For more from ABC News, click here: https://ab.co/2kxYCZY Watch more ABC News content ad-free on ABC iview: https://ab.co/2OB7Mk1 Go deeper on our ABC News In-depth channel: https://ab.co/2lNeBn2 Like ABC News on Facebook: / abcnews.au Follow ABC News on Instagram: / abcnews_au Follow ABC News on Twitter: / abcnews Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated. #ABCNews #ABCNewsAustralia
