US President Joe Biden interrupted his speech on Monday to apologize and say that he needs to go to the White House situation room. The 80-year-old was talking about the situation in Israel, asking Hamas to release the hostages it has taken captive since the October 7 attack.
Biden shut down calls for a cease fire in Gaza. He said ‘we’ll talk’ after hostages are released. The President was talking hours after Hamas said that it released two Israeli hostages. An American mother-daughter duo was freed earlier this week.
“We should have those hostages released, then we’ll talk,” Biden said. However, minutes into his speech, the Democrat said that he needs to head to the situation room, sparking concerns.
The situation room is an intelligence center on the ground floor of the White House. Top officials meet there to discuss about latest information about something serious and possibly make decisions.
Biden was expected to speak on his ‘Bidenomics’ agenda too. “I apologize, I have to go to the Situation Room for another issue I have to deal with,” he said.
Meanwhile, national security advisor, whole talking about a call from UN agencies for a cease fire, said: “What we want right now is make sure Israel has the tools it needs to defend itself and to go after Hamas. And that humanitarian assistance keeps flowing. Now it’s started and it’s a good thing. We want to keep it going and keep it sustainable. That’s what we’re focused on.”
Biden was also asked about his conversation with Pope Francis on Sunday. “The pope and I are on the same page,” he said, adding that the Vatican chief was ‘very interested’ in the crises we are facing, including in Israel.
“The pope was across the board supportive,” Biden added.
