'These guys make al-Qaeda look pure': US President Joe Biden hits out at Hamas

The President of the United States, Joe Biden on Friday said Palestinian militant group Hamas, which launched a surprise attack on Israel killing over 1,000 people, is worse than al-Qaeda. al-Qaeda is the terrorist group behind the 9/11 attacks.

He also reaffirmed that the US stands with the Jewish state. Biden also said that Hamas terrorists make Al-Qaeda "look pure".

"The more we learn about the attack, the more horrifying it becomes. More than 1,000 innocent lives lost, including at least 27 Americans. These guys make, they make al-Qaeda look pure. They're pure evil. As I said from the beginning, the United States stands with Israel," Biden said.

He also said it is his priority to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“It's also a priority for me to urgently address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. You know, we have to, we can't lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas and Hamas's appalling attacks, and they're suffering as a result, as well,” the US President said.

Biden said in Philadelphia that at his direction, his teams are working in the Middle East region, including communicating directly with the governments of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and other Arab nations, and the United Nations to surge support and humanitarian consequences for Hamas attacks to help Israel.

He added the US was committed to returning the Americans who had been taken hostage in the attacks on Israel by Hamas.

"We're working round the clock to secure the release of Americans held by Hamas, in close cooperation with Israel and our partners around the region, and we're not going to stop till we bring them home," Biden said.

At least 27 American citizens have died and 14 remain unaccounted for as a result of unfolding violence in Israel triggered after Hamas carried out surprise attacks in Southern Israel last Saturday (October 7).

In response to Hamas' attacks, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched multiple attacks targeting their key infrastructure. So far, over 2,000 people have been killed in Israel and the Gaza Strip in the biggest escalation in decades between the two sides.

Meanwhile, US officials said that in the weeks leading up to the massive attack by Hamas terrorists, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)'s classified reports warned of a likely escalation in violence.

The US intelligence agency had prepared two reports days ahead of the Hamas offensive over the weekend.

The first, dated September 28, warned that Hamas would likely launch rockets towards Israel. The second, dated October 5, was an extension of the first report and also had a general warning of potential violence by Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group.

According to CNN, just a day before 5,000 rockets were launched towards Israel, US officials circulated reports stating "unusual" activity by Hamas men near the Israeli border.

The second classified report was included in a daily CIA intelligence report, which was distributed to policymakers and lawmakers in the US, the New York Times reported.

(With agency inputs)

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