No ‘wiggle room’ in Biden’s statement on Israel: Correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington, DC, has said there was “no wiggle” room in Biden’s statement, which showed unequivocal support for Israel.
Jordan said that comes despite Biden not having the warmest relations with Netanyahu: “If anything, the narrative in the foreign policy sphere was that their relationship was frosty at best”.
She also noted that Biden walked away “ignoring questions about whether there was an intelligence failure”.
“While you may see in regional newspapers the questions surrounding Israel’s intelligence, there is also now starting to be a question raised about whether the US, which shares intelligence with Israel, perhaps missed the signs of this attack by Hamas as well,” she said.
Israel-Palestine Conflict News Live Updates (October 7): The ruling Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land and sea, catching the country off-guard on a major holiday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country was at war and that the “enemy will pay an unprecedented price”.
What’s the death toll at? The early morning attack, which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described as “massive”, has left at least 100 people dead and over 740 injured, news agency Reuters reported. Meanwhile, Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 198 killed, 1,610 wounded in Gaza in Israeli retaliation after Hamas attack, reported the AP.
"We Weren't Prepared": Israel Diplomat On Hamas Terror Attack
Hamas launched a massive surprise attack against Israel on Saturday, firing thousands of rockets from Gaza and sending fighters to kill or kidnap people, leaving at least 70 dead.
Israel's ambassador to France admitted on Saturday that his country was not "sufficiently prepared" for the attack launched by Hamas, pointing to a failure of the intelligence services.
Palestinian terror group Hamas launched a massive surprise attack against Israel on Saturday, firing thousands of rockets from Gaza and sending fighters to kill or kidnap people, leaving at least 70 people dead.
"Following this surprise, we were not sufficiently prepared for it, we could even say barely prepared," Ambassador Raphael Morav said in an interview with France's Europe 1 radio.
Asked about a possible failure of the Israeli intelligence services, the Israeli diplomat replied, "Certainly, certainly, yes... because normally we should have been prepared".
"Lessons will have to be learned," he added.
The early-morning Hamas offensive from the Gaza Strip -- by air, land, and sea -- was met by Israeli air strikes on the blockaded coastal enclave, in the bloodiest escalation with the Palestinians since May 2021.
Gaza authorities released a death count of 198 in the conflict's bloodiest escalation in years which also left hundreds more wounded on both sides.
ctHamas took control of Gaza in 2007, leading to Israel's crippli blockade of the impoverished enclave of 2.3 million people.
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