US president Joe Biden highlighted the distinction between Palestinian citizens and Hamas leaders saying that most Palestinians had "nothing to do" with the October 7 attack on Israel.
"We must not lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas’s appalling attacks, and are suffering as a result of them," he wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
The statement comes as Israel is planning a ground invasion of Northern Gaza. The US has supported Israel but no American troops will participate in the operation.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken will return to Israel on Monday, just days after leaving the country last week where he will meet with Israeli officials to coordinate US support for the country as it carries out its invasion of Northern Gaza, news agency Reuters reported.
As tensions grow in the region, the US has deployed two air craft carrier strike groups to the Eastern Mediterranean, warning Iran and other regional powers not to get involved in the conflict.
{{/usCountry}}As tensions grow in the region, the US has deployed two air craft carrier strike groups to the Eastern Mediterranean, warning Iran and other regional powers not to get involved in the conflict.
{{/usCountry}}In the eight days since Hamas killed more than 1,300 Israelis in their surprise onslaught, Israel has responded with a bombing campaign that has claimed over 2,300 lives in Gaza. The UN estimated that one million have been displaced in the war's first week from the Gaza Strip.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited front line troops in the south near Gaza, wearing a flak jacket. "Are you ready for what is coming?" he said, adding, “More is coming.”