Palestinian President Abbas cancels planned Biden meeting after alleged Israeli strike on hospital

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will not attend a planned Wednesday meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and other middle eastern heads of state, according to a senior Palestinian official.

Abbas reportedly made the decision to back out of the summit with Jordanian King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to protest the destruction of a Gaza hospital that authorities have blamed on an Israel airstrike, according to the Associated Press. The Palestinian National Authority does not exercise practical control over the Gaza Strip, which is under the rule of the Hamas terrorist group.

The Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City exploded on Tuesday, killing at least 500 people, according to the Gazan Health Ministry. Gazan authorities have blamed an Israeli airstrike. The Israel Defense Forces denied involvement in the strike, pointing to a litany of failed Palestinian rocket launches as the culprit.

Cross-border strikes between Israel and Gaza have been ongoing for more than a week in the aftermath of a major Hamas raid that saw terrorists storm Israeli border towns, take 199 hostages, and inflict considerable civilian casualties. The IDF quickly launched counterstrikes on the Gaza Strip in preparation for a possible ground invasion.

The conflict threatens to spill into neighboring countries and has already witnessed cross-border strikes between Israel and its neighboring Lebanon and Syria. The U.S. has further selected 2,000 troops to provide support to a possible Israel ground offensive.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.