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 strike Tuesday on the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza City killed 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.