Biden apologizes to Muslim Americans for questioning Hamas casualty figures

President Biden walks back ‘slip’ in which he questioned Hamas-run Gaza ministry’s claims that 14,000 have died in current war.

By Susan Tawil, World Israel News

President Joe Biden recently apologized to a group of American Muslim leaders for his “slip” at a press conference on October 25th in which he questioned Gaza’s casualty count, The Washington Post reported Monday.

In the course of his remarks, he had questioned the veracity of the reported casualty count of Palestinians resulting from Israel’s retaliatory attack on Gaza’s terrorist infrastructure.

“I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed,” Biden had said.

A day later, on October 26th, Biden offered an apology during an hour-long meeting with leaders of American-Muslim organizations.

“I’m sorry,” Biden told the small group of Muslim American leaders with whom he met at the White House.

“I’m disappointed in myself.” Although he promised to “do better.”

The 14,000 dead, as reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health,  has never been independently verified.

According to a report by the AP: “The ministry never distinguishes between civilians and combatants…The Health Ministry doesn’t report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or other means, like errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression.”

Yet Israel goes to extraordinary lengths to avoid civilian casualties in its military strikes.

It has repeatedly warned the civilian population in advance of bombings with everything from phone calls to dropping informational flyers into towns.

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