
Tel Aviv, Israel • October 18, 2023
US President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday that he wants Israel to postpone its invasion of Gaza to allow more time for hostages to be released. The White House immediately backtracked and insisted that Biden has no input into Israel's plans.
As he boarded Air Force One on Friday night en route to his Delaware beach house, Biden was asked whether he was urging Israel to delay sending troops into Gaza. "Yes," the president replied, as he climbed the stairs of the airplane.
Less than an hour later, White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt told reporters that Biden had misinterpreted the question, and was not attempting to sway Israel's decision-making.
According to a pool report, LaBold said:
"The president was far away. He didn't hear the full question. The question sounded like 'Would you like to see more hostages released?' He wasn't commenting on anything else."The exchange came hours after Hamas militants released two American hostages in what they called a "humanitarian" gesture. The two women, a mother and daughter from Chicago, were freed with the aid of Qatari mediators, who say they're still liaising between Hamas and Israel in an effort to free more captives.












Comment: Concern has risen over a two-front war that could trigger Iran.