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President Joe Biden<\/strong> wrapped his visit to Israel on Wednesday with a show of support for the United States ally\u2014along with a measured warning for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/strong> to de-escalate as his government forces lay siege to Gaza. \u201cJustice must be done,\u201d the president said<\/a>, calling the October 7 Hamas sneak attack \u201cIsrael\u2019s 9\/11.\u201d \u201cBut I caution this: While you feel that rage, don\u2019t be consumed by it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are a Jewish state, but you\u2019re also a democracy,\u201d Biden added. \u201cAnd like the United States, you don\u2019t live by the rules of terrorists. You live by the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n The remarks came as Israeli forces bombard Gaza ahead of a possible ground invasion\u2014and a day after a deadly blast at a Gaza hospital that has been point of dispute. Israel has denied responsibility, and Biden, during his visit, said that \u201cit appears the result of an errant rocket fired by a terrorist group in Gaza.\u201d Hamas officials, for their part, have insisted that the Israeli military was responsible for the attack.<\/p>\n The president has tried to walk a fine line between his steadfast support for Israel in the wake of tragedy and concerns about Netanyahu\u2019s military response, which has now resulted in 3,500 deaths in Gaza<\/a>, according to Palestinian health officials. \u201cI think it\u2019d be a big mistake\u201d for Israeli forces to occupy Gaza, Biden said<\/a> on 60 Minutes<\/em> Sunday, as his administration pressed Netanyahu to allow aid into the embattled strip. His remarks in solidarity with Palestinian civilians Wednesday went a touch further\u2014and came with a promise of $100 million in American aid to Gaza. \u201cHamas does not represent the Palestinian people,\u201d he said Wednesday.<\/p>\n But while the president explicitly warned Israel against repeating the US \u201cmistakes\u201d after 9\/11, his tempered remarks didn\u2019t go far enough: Not only did he decline to call for a ceasefire, as a growing number in his party are demanding; the US also rejected<\/a> a United Nations Security Council resolution seeking a \u201chumanitarian pause\u201d in Gaza. Biden came to Israel with \u201ctough questions\u201d for his counterparts, the National Security Council\u2019s John Kirby<\/strong> told reporters<\/a> on Air Force One Wednesday. But this crisis, which the World Health Organization said<\/a> Wednesday is \u201cspiraling out of control\u201d in Gaza, calls for a lot less contemplation and a lot more action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n