President Biden released a statement on Sunday marking 100 days since the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel and the launching of Israel’s brutal campaign in Gaza that made no mention of the nearly 24,000 Palestinians that have been killed.
The statement instead focused on the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. “Today, we mark a devastating and tragic milestone—100 days of captivity for the more than 100 innocent people, including as many as 6 Americans, who are still held being hostage by Hamas in Gaza,” Biden said.
Biden said he has been working “non-stop” to secure the freedom of the Israeli hostages. His support for Israel’s campaign has involved political support and unconditional military aid, including shipments of bombs, artillery shells, and tank ammunition.
The statement concluded: “No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through, much less 100. On this terrible day, I again reaffirm my pledge to all the hostages and their families—we are with you. We will never stop working to bring Americans home.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a similar statement that also did not mention the slaughtered Palestinians. Both Biden and Blinken came under sharp criticism for ignoring the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza.
“100 days and not a single mention of the nearly 24,000 killed – 1/2 of which are children. Shame on those who remain complicit and not call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,” the Palestinian Mission to the UN wrote on X.
Biden is also facing more internal dissent over the statement. Akbar Shahid Ahmed, a reporter for HuffPost, said a State Department official told him: “It’s harder day by day to justify working for this cruel and almost bloodthirsty administration.”
According to Al Jazeera, the latest numbers from Palestinian authorities puts the number of dead Palestinians at 24,100, including over 9,600 children. President Biden previously cast doubt on the numbers coming from Gaza’s Health Ministry, but his State Department later acknowledged that the true death toll is likely higher than the figures they’re releasing.