Biden arrives in Israel as tensions remain high following Hamas attack

President Joe Biden landed in Israel Wednesday morning as he demonstrated the United States’ commitment to the Middle Eastern country devastated by the Hamas terrorist attack that claimed over 1,400 Israeli lives.

Biden previously said his trip was “to stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack and to consult on next steps.”

The 80-year-old’s trip comes 11 days after Hamas launched a surprise attack on the Israeli neighborhoods near the Gaza Strip border, killing over 1,400 people, including 30 Americans.

After landing at Ben Gurion Airport, Biden will travel to meet with top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the trip on Monday, saying “The president will reaffirm the United States’ solidarity with Israel and our ironclad commitment to its security,”

“President Biden will again make clear … that Israel has the right, and indeed the duty, to defend its people from Hamas and other terrorists and to prevent future attacks,” Blinken added.

Biden has denounced the attack, calling it “an act of sheer evil.”

During the trip Biden was originally scheduled to travel to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II, Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

The meeting in Amman was canceled after a rocket struck a Gaza hospital killing and injuring hundreds on Tuesday.

Both sides have blamed the other for the attack, with Israeli Defense Forces sharing video allegedly showing a rocket aimed at Israel misfiring while the hospital was struck.

Biden’s trip also comes as tensions in the US have increased, as groups supporting either side have protested the war in several US cities.

On Tuesday, Manhattan’s Washington Square Park saw 250 to 400 pro-Palestinian protestors clashed with the smaller pro-Israel group.