Joe Biden, briefly interrupted during a speech by demonstrators calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, said Monday that he was “working discreetly” so that Israel “significantly reduces” its presence in the Palestinian territory.
“I understand the ardor,” assured the American president from a church in Charleston (south), while the demonstrators were escorted outside, while the rest of the audience intoned “Four more years! Four more years!” in support of the 81-year-old Democrat, candidate for a second term.
Joe Biden was speaking at Mother Emanuel Church, where nine people, a pastor and eight black parishioners, were killed in 2015 by a white supremacist, in one of the worst recent racist killings in the United States.
“If you really care about the lives lost here, then you should… call for a ceasefire in Palestine,” one protester shouted.
The American president, a firm supporter of Israel, has so far refused to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, judging that this would mainly benefit Hamas.
The American government is, however, trying to achieve a de-escalation in Gaza and prevent the conflict from spreading to Lebanon.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, a movement classified as terrorist by the United States and the European Union, after its unprecedented attack on its territory on October 7, which killed around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to a count of AFP based on the Israeli assessment.
Around 250 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza, including around 100 released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a truce in late November. In total, 132 are still held hostage by different Palestinian armed groups.
Israeli strikes left 23,084 dead in Gaza, mostly women and minors, according to a latest report from Hamas on Monday.
