Biden: Israel's occupation of Gaza would be a big mistake

United States (US) President Joe Biden warned that any Israeli action to reoccupy the Gaza Strip would be a "big mistake".

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Biden made this statement in an interview released on Sunday (15/10/2023), when Israeli troops were preparing to carry out a land invasion. Israel, which sought to avenge the Hamas attack on October 7, has declared war on the group.

The Zionist regime launched a relentless bombing campaign and warned more than a million people in northern Gaza to move south ahead of the brutal operation.

When asked by the CBS news program 60 Minutes whether he would support any occupation of Gaza by America's ally, Biden responded, "I think it would be a big mistake." “Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people,” Biden said.

"But attacking and eliminating extremists is a necessary requirement," he explained. Hamas attacks left more than 1,400 people dead.

Israeli counterattacks in the following days leveled buildings and killed 2,670 people in Gaza, most of them Palestinian civilians.

Israel faces major warnings regarding the impact of deploying troops in Gaza. Aid groups warn of a humanitarian catastrophe if an Israeli invasion is carried out.

They also worry about escalating conflict, and the challenge of separating fighters from civilians in poor and densely populated areas. Meanwhile, the Israeli military on Monday raised the number to 199 people confirmed to have been kidnapped by Hamas and taken to the Gaza Strip in a cross-border attack that sparked the latest war.

“We have updated the families of 199 hostages,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a news conference, revising the previous figure of 155 hostages.

Israeli citizens and foreigners were among those kidnapped in the Hamas attack on October 7. "Efforts against the hostages are a top national priority," said Hagari. “The army and Israel are working around the clock to bring them back.”

Israel first occupied Gaza during the Six Day War in 1967, and the territory was only fully returned to Palestinian control in 2005. A year later, Israel imposed an air, land and sea blockade on the 140 square mile (362 square kilometer) area, which also borders Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

In 2007 Israel tightened the blockade after Hamas took over Gaza from the Fatah movement led by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.

When asked whether Hamas, which Biden described as “a bunch of cowards,” should be eliminated completely, he answered, “Yes, I do.” “But there needs to be a Palestinian authority. "There needs to be a path to a Palestinian state," he said, repeating the long-standing US call for a two-state solution.

60 Minutes journalist Scott Pelley also asked Biden whether he could expect US troops to join the war. “I don't think that's necessary,” responded Biden, who pulled US troops out of Afghanistan and insisted none would be sent to help Ukraine as it fends off a Russian invasion.

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“Israel has one of the best fighting forces in the country. "I guarantee we will provide everything they need," said Biden. The United States has deployed two aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean to show its strong support for Israel.