ATLANTA, USA (CNN) – US President Joe Biden has warned Israel against occupying Gaza as Israelis respond to attacks by Hamas this month.
In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes, Biden called Israel’s occupation of Gaza a “terrible mistake.”
The US president’s statements come as Israel sends signals that it is preparing for a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, despite the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Biden called for citizen safety, and America worked to alleviate food, water and gas shortages.
The US president told broadcaster Scott Pelley: “What happened in Gaza, in my view, is that Hamas and the extremist elements of Hamas do not represent all the Palestinian people.”
Biden indicated that he believed that Hamas should be completely destroyed and stressed the need for “the existence of the Palestinian Authority and a path to the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
The comments are seen as one of the few times the US president has called on Israel to exercise restraint in response to Hamas attacks that have killed 1,400 Israelis. In response, Israel launched a massive bombing campaign against the northern Gaza Strip, where Hamas had launched its offensive.
Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, told CNN host Jake Tapper on Sunday that Israel does not intend to occupy Gaza after the conflict ends.
Herzog said: “We have no interest in occupying or reoccupying Gaza. We have no interest in ruling the lives of more than 2 million Palestinians.”
On 60 Minutes, Biden didn’t say the time had truly come for a cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians.
The US president said: “Look, there is a fundamental difference. Israel is pursuing a group of people who engaged in a barbaric act whose consequences resemble the Holocaust.”
Biden added, “So I think Israel needs to respond. They need to go after Hamas. Hamas is a coward. They hide behind civilians. The Israelis will do anything they can to avoid killing innocent civilians.”
