President Joe Biden has had his meeting in Jordan cancelled as warfare intensifies between Israel and Hamas.
The visit was to be the centrepiece of his visit to the Middle East on Wednesday but the day before it was cancelled after an airstrike hit the Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, killing at least 500 people, according to reports.
Here is what we know:
Why has Jordan cancelled Biden visit?
The White House said that due to the conflict and rising tensions Wednesday’s visit was cancelled.
The explosion at the hospital in Gaza City was the deciding factor but it is expected that President Biden will meet the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, this week.
The White House said: “After consulting with King Abdullah II of Jordan and in light of the days of mourning announced by President [Mahmoud] Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, President Biden will postpone his travel to Jordan and the planned meeting with these two leaders and the President of Egypt.”
Who is to blame for the hospital bombing?
It is not yet known what weapon struck the hospital and both sides have blamed each other for the atrocity, in which reportedly hundreds of civilians were killed.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which governs Gaza, said the Israeli military launched an airstrike against the hospital but the Israel Defense Forces have denied responsibility, and asserted that rockets fired toward the Israeli city of Haifa by Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian militant group operating in the Gaza Strip, were responsible for the attack.
Biden strongly criticised the attack, saying: “I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted.”
“The United States stands unequivocally for the protection of civilian life during conflict and we mourn the patients, medical staff and other innocents killed or wounded in this tragedy.”
Why was Biden visiting Jordan?
President Biden has so far taken a pro-Israel stance after the Hamas attacks, calling it the “most deadly attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust”.
The White House said President Biden wants to “learn more about the objectives and plans for coming days and weeks” from Israel’s point of view but is also advocating more humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza.
When is Biden meeting Benjamin Nethenyahu?
President Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday October 18 to meet Mr Netanyahu.
Descending from the plane surrounded by a large security team, Biden embraced Mr Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog on the tarmac.
President Herzog is retorted as saying: “Welcome, Mr President. God bless you for protecting the nation of Israel.”
