'Dehumanising': Biden's dismissal of Palestinian death toll sparks outrage

US Muslim groups have expressed outrage over President Joe Biden's dismissal of the Palestinian death toll in Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza.

“To hear the president, with all the proof that exists, deny solid numbers of the death toll is dehumanising to us as Palestinian Americans,” said Ayah Ziyadeh, advocacy director at American Muslims for Palestine (AMP).

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said over 9,000 Palestinians, including over 6,000 women and children, have been killed by Israeli attacks in the besieged enclave. Over 32,000 others have been injured, while an estimated 1.4 million more have been displaced.

"I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war," Biden said on October 25.

"(But) I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using."

Ziyadeh said that for Biden to deny the death toll provided by the Palestinian Health Ministry is "disturbing," especially since the UN verified the casualties.

"It makes me feel absolutely disturbed and disgusted, especially for a president who says he stands up for human rights," said Ziyadeh. "It’s like getting stabbed in the back."

'No grey area'

With the Israeli military conducting thousands of airstrikes on Gaza, in addition to ground incursions, the AMP said it is unreasonable to deny the fact that thousands of innocent Palestinians are being killed.

"There is no grey area. It’s black and white. You’re either on the side of the oppressor or on the side of the oppressed," Ziyadeh said.

"Israel is committing war crimes and violating international law. They’re engaging in genocide, ethnic cleansing, mass murder and collective punishment. It’s gut-wrenching."

Ziyadeh said 2.2 million Palestinians are already "under siege" and require 440 humanitarian trucks on a daily basis to provide them with much-needed aid.

However, these trucks cannot even make it to their destinations because the pathways to get them there have been bombed and shut down, she said.

The AMP is outraged that the US is standing by Israel despite its atrocities against innocent Palestinians.

"Israel receives $3.8 billion of military aid annually from the US, unconditionally," said Ziyadeh.

"We have always known they have funded war crimes, trying to blame Hamas for what Israel is actually doing, which is committing genocide. And the US continues to stand by Israel even though the facts are clear."

'Moral bankruptcy of the president'

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the US’ largest Muslim civil rights advocacy group, also denounced Biden’s "shocking and dehumanising" remarks, urging him to both apologise and condemn Israel’s ongoing siege targeting and killing innocent Palestinians.

"It’s mind-boggling, the moral bankruptcy of the president," said Hussam Ayloush, chief executive officer of CAIR’s California chapter. "Biden can’t claim ignorance, even if he assumes the numbers are exaggerated."

"Is 2,000 children being killed okay versus 3,000, or is the president saying that it’s okay if it’s not above 5,000? Are there a certain number of deaths that are enough? ... What is a number that will awaken his conscience?"

Ayloush said Biden’s current stance on the Israel's war on Gaza conflict is a reflection of his administration’s policies that have continually dehumanised the Palestinian people.

"The president has made it loud and clear where he stands on genocide," said Ayloush. "He is not a spectator. He is not an accomplice. He’s a partner."