WATCH: US President Joe Biden arrives in Tel Aviv in aftermath of Gaza hospital attack

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday arrived in Tel Aviv on a solidarity visit to prevent the war with Hamas from spiraling into an even larger conflict, a challenge that became more difficult as outrage swept through the Middle East over an explosion that killed hundreds in a Gaza Strip hospital.

#WATCH | US President Joe Biden arrives in Tel Aviv, Israel amid Israel-Hamas conflict. Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog receive him at Ben Gurion Airport.

(Video Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/KD7qsp6VGw

— ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2023

Air Force One touched down just before 11 am (0800 GMT) at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport where Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog received the US president.

In a video posted by ANI news agency, Biden is seen hugging and interacting with PM Netanyahu and President Herzog.

He is also seen interacting with other dignitaries before he speeds away for hours of meetings, where the US president is expected to push for allowing critical humanitarian aid to be delivered to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Biden was originally scheduled to visit Jordan as well, but his meetings with Arab leaders were called off as he was leaving Washington, costing him an opportunity for the face-to-face conversations that he views as crucial for navigating this fraught moment.

Israel has been preparing for a potential ground invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas’ attacks on 7 October, which killed 1,400 Israelis.

John Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, told reporters aboard Air Force One that Biden “wants to get a sense from the Israelis on the situation on the ground” and will “ask some tough questions.”

“He’ll be asking them as a friend,” Kirby added.

The president also planned to meet Israeli first responders and the families of victims killed and hostages taken when Hamas made its incursion into Israel.

Roughly 2,800 Palestinians have been reported killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza. Another 1,200 people are believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead, health authorities said.

Those numbers predate the explosion at the Al-Ahli hospital on Tuesday. No clear cause has been established for the blast.

With inputs from agencies