Biden says Israeli occupation of Gaza would be 'a big mistake'

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden said Sunday that Israel's occupation of Gaza would be "a big mistake" but appeared okay for an inside operation against the Palestinian group Hamas.

"I think it’d be a big mistake," Biden said in an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes program.

"What happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don't represent all the Palestinian people. And I think that it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again, but going in and taking out the extremists -- the Hezbollah is up north but Hamas down south -- is a necessary requirement," he added.

Stating that he believes that Israel will comply with the rules of war in Gaza, Biden said the people of Gaza will have access to food, water and medicine.

He said Hamas must be eliminated entirely but there needs to be a Palestinian authority, adding "there needs to be a path to a Palestinian state."

Noting the path, "the two-state solution," which he said has been US policy for decades, Biden added: "It would create an independent nation next to Israel for 5 million Palestinians."

Biden's remarks came amid reports that the Israeli military is preparing to launch "significant ground operations."

Last weekend, Israeli forces launched a sustained military push against the Gaza Strip in response to a military offensive by Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel – a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea and air.

Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.

Israel's response has extended to cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering more than 1 million Gazans in the northern Strip to evacuate to its southern portion.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has risen to 2,670, the local Health Ministry said Sunday.

In a statement, the ministry said that 750 children were among the dead. The number of wounded has risen to 9,600, it said.

Meanwhile, Israel’s general death toll so far stands at 1,300, while the number of confirmed injured Israelis exceeds 3,400.