US President Joe Biden said in an interview made public on Sunday that any attempt by Israel to retake the Gaza Strip would be a “big mistake,” as Israeli troops prepared for a ground invasion.
In retaliation for a Hamas strike on October 7, Israel has declared war on the militant organization, begun a continuous bombing campaign, and issued warnings to over a million civilians in northern Gaza to leave before the operation.
Asked by CBS news program 60 Minutes if he would support any occupation of Gaza by the American ally, Biden replied: “I think it’d be a big mistake.”
Hamas “don’t represent all the Palestinian people,” he continued.
But invading and “taking out the extremists” is a “necessary requirement,” he added.
Over 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attack by gunfire, stabbings, and fire, the majority of whom were civilians. At least 2,670 people in Gaza have died as a result of Israel’s retaliatory attacks in the days following, the bulk of them regular Palestinians.
Israel has received dire warnings about the consequences of sending troops into Gaza, with relief organizations warning of a humanitarian catastrophe, worries that the fighting will worsen, and difficulties in differentiating militants from civilians in the poor, densely populated country.
Israel first occupied Gaza during the 1967 Six-Day War, and it was only fully returned to Palestinians in 2005.
Israel established a land, air, and sea embargo on the 140 square mile (362 square kilometer) region of land a year later. Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea also border this area.
After Hamas overthrew Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas’ secular Fatah organization in Gaza in 2007, Israel intensified the siege.
When asked if Hamas whom Biden described as “a bunch of cowards” must be eliminated entirely, he replied: “Yes I do.”
“But there needs to be a Palestinian authority. There needs to be a path to a Palestinian state,” he continued, reiterating the long-standing US call for a two-state solution.
60 Minutes journalist Scott Pelley also asked Biden if he could foresee US troops joining the war.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Biden, who pulled US troops out of Afghanistan and has insisted that none will be sent to aid Ukraine as it holds off a Russian invasion, replied.
“Israel has one of the finest fighting forces in the country. I guarantee we’re gonna provide them everything they need,” he said.
The United States has already deployed two aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean in a powerful show of support for Israel.
