United States President, Joe Biden has tendered an apology over his reported comment on Gaza deaths, vowing to “do better.”
Biden apologised to some prominent Muslim-American leaders over his public questioning of the Palestinian death number reported by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health.
Biden, according to the New York Post, made the apology at a meeting with the five Muslim American leaders, the day after his October 25 comments on
Biden told the group, “I’m sorry. I’m disappointed in myself,” when he heard the leaders describe individuals they knew who were personally affected by the conflict.
Before the press conference, Biden had openly questioned the accuracy of the casualty figures from Gaza, given Hamas’ terror track record.
The President was smeared with criticism at home, as he made great efforts to pressure Israel to minimise civilian casualties.
“I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging war,” he added.
According to data from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, more than 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including many women and children, have been killed in the conflict.
Meanwhile, Israel has suffered more than 1,200 fatalities — mostly civilians, who were killed when the terror group launched a massive attack on Israel in October.
The Muslim-American leaders who met with Biden pleaded with him to show more empathy for the Palestinians.