Biden uses Hamas casualty figures, shifts approach and puts pressure on Israel

Biden cited the 30,000 Palestinian casualty number which was provided by the Hamas Health Ministry with no independent verification or distinction made between civilians and terrorist deaths. 

By Jack Elbaum, The Algemeiner

US President Joe Biden used the Hamas terror group’s casualty figures for the war in Gaza and called for a six-week ceasefire during his State of the Union address on Thursday, reflecting an apparent shift in his approach to the conflict.

Biden spoke about the Israel-Hamas war briefly during his speech, which lasted just over an hour.

“I know the last five months have been gut-wrenching for so many people, for the Israeli people, for the Palestinian people and so many here in America,” Biden said, adding that the “crisis” was precipitated by Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel and that he pledged to bring home every one of the Americans still held hostage in Gaza.

Biden then shifted gears, explaining that “Israel also has a fundamental responsibility, though, to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.”

“This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of whom are not Hamas,” Biden said, echoing the statistics coming from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

In October, Biden expressed doubt about the accuracy of Hamas’ casualty statistics, which do not distinguish between terrorist combatants and civilians.

Some NGOs say Hamas’ numbers have historically been relatively accurate. However, a recent report from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy found that Hamas’ statistics are “inconsistent, imprecise, and systematically manipulated to downplay the number of men and militants killed.”

Additionally, a professor of statistics and data science at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania found a significant number of anomalies and almost impossible trends within the data released by the terror group, further throwing its credibility into question.

“Thousands and thousands of innocents, women, and children. Girls and boys also orphaned,” Biden said on Thursday.

“Nearly two million more Palestinians under bombardment or displacement. Homes destroyed, neighborhoods in rubble, cities in ruin. Families without food, water, medicine. It’s heartbreaking,” he added.

Biden also discussed his efforts to achieve a ceasefire.

“I’ve been working nonstop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for six weeks to get all the prisoners released — all the hostages released,” he said. “It would get the hostages home, and ease the intolerable humanitarian crisis, and build toward an enduring, something more enduring.”

This statement seemed to suggest a six-week ceasefire should be a jumping-off point for a permanent peace deal. The Biden administration has previously rejected multiple ceasefire proposals at the United Nations.

Israel has been opposed to a ceasefire deal that does not include the release of all remaining hostages kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, arguing such a truce would help the Palestinian terror group by allowing it to regroup and strengthen its position in Gaza.

During his speech to the US Congress, Biden did not mention the massive spike in antisemitism that took place since the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7, since which antisemitic incidents have reached record levels across the US.

Biden also did not say whether he believes Israel should remove Hamas as the governing authority in Gaza — which is one of the Jewish state’s war goals.

These omissions came amid growing pressure from Democratic allies to be tougher on Israel and even possibly cut off military aid to it.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said the US should cut aid to Israel if it invades the city of Rafah, and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said Israel “needs to understand that the casualties they’ve inflicted on the people of Gaza — the devastation they have caused — cannot continue.”

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