“He’ll be asking some tough questions”: Top White House official on President Biden’s meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu

Tel Aviv [Israel]: US National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby, said on Wednesday that President Joe Biden, on his visit to Israel, will call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure there is no further escalation in the ongoing war with terror group Hamas.

“When he talks to PM Netanyahu, he’ll be asking some tough questions, as a true friend of Israel. He’s also going to make it clear that we continue to want to see this conflict not expand, not deepen…He will address the humanitarian situation in Gaza, making it clear, that we want to see humanitarian assistance flow in,” Kirby said.

Sharing further details of the President’s visit to Israel, he said that Biden and PM Netanyahu will have a “very small, restricted,” bilateral meeting, adding that the former will also engage with some families that lost their loved ones in the Hamas terror attacks.

“Tomorrow, President Biden’s trip will be confined to Tel Aviv. The first thing he’ll do is meet with Israeli PM Netanyahu in a very small, restricted, bilateral meeting. After that, he will have a chance to meet with some of the Israeli first responders and some of the families who have lost their loved ones. He also will have a chance to have a chance to speak directly with President Herzog, too,” Kirby added.

Kirby, who was on board Air Force One en route to Israel, also brought the air strike at a hospital in Gaza, allegedly claiming the lives of hundreds of people saying that its Middle East ally has already denied any involvement in the attack.

However, he said that President Biden has ordered the National Security team to investigate the attack and find out who was responsible.

“They (Israel) have categorically denied that they were involved in that, so I’ll let them speak to their statement on that. I wouldn’t characterize this as an investigation. He (President Biden) has directed the National Security team to gather as much information and context as possible. We all want to know how this could have happened,” Kirby added.

After an explosion that struck Gaza hospital on Tuesday, killing hundreds, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the operational systems of the Israel Defense Forces indicate that the rockets were fired by terrorists in Gaza.

US President Biden on Wednesday (local time) departed for Israel from the Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Reuters reported.

Biden posted from his official handle on X on Tuesday, “I’m travelling to Israel tomorrow to stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack and to consult on the next steps. I’ll then travel to Jordan to meet with leaders and address dire humanitarian needs–and make clear that Hamas does not stand for Palestinians’ right to self-determination.”