Biden calls for temporary pauses in strikes on Gaza in call with Netanyahu

White House official says US President called on Israel to protect Palestinian civilians 'to the maximum extent possible'

People search amid the rubble for survivors following an Israeli strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

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US President Joe Biden held a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, during which they discussed “temporary and localised pauses” in strikes on the Gaza Strip, the White House said.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Mr Biden wants to see more aid enter Gaza and more Americans leave the besieged enclave.

“We're going to continue to advocate for temporary and localised pauses in the fighting,” Mr Kirby told reporters on a call.

“And we consider ourselves at the beginning of this conversation, not at the end of it.

He added that Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu had agreed to talk again in the coming days.

The call came as more Americans left the Gaza Strip on Monday, as fewer than 30 aid lorries entered the besieged enclave in the past 24 hours.

“So aid is getting in – not enough, [and] people are coming out – not enough,” Mr Kirby said.

The Biden administration has said that it does not back a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying it would only benefit Hamas.

Mr Kirby said that during the call, the President emphasised the need to protect Palestinian civilians and reduce civilian harm “to the maximum extent possible”.

Israel began the aerial bombardment of Gaza and, more recently, launched a ground invasion after Hamas gunmen attacked Israel, killing 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostage.

More than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, including about 4,100 children, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The high death toll is increasing pressure on the Biden administration to find a solution to the conflict.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, and warned that Gaza was becoming a “graveyard for children”.

More than 300 Americans have left the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing to Egypt since Wednesday, Mr Kirby said, and more are expected to evacuate in the coming days.

During the call, Mr Biden and Mr Netanyahu also discussed the occupied West Bank, where more than 140 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military.

Mr Biden is concerned about the rise in settler violence against Palestinians, Mr Kirby said, and called for the perpetrators to be held accountable.

The latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures

Palestinians cry as they walk away after an area hit by Israeli missiles in Rafah, the Gaza Strip. AP

Palestinians with foreign passports wait for permission to leave Gaza at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Reuters

A Palestinian boy pushes a man on a wheelchair past debris in Rafah. AFP

A paramedic holds an injured bird as he searches through buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Getty Images

Israeli soldiers take part in ground operations at a location given as Gaza. Reuters

A man listens for any potential sounds of life following an Israeli air strike on the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza. AFP

People flee after Israeli air strikes on the Maghazi refugee camp. AFP

An Israeli soldier arranges artillery shells near the border with the Gaza Strip. AFP

Relatives and friends of those kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack hold photos of their loved ones during a protest calling for their return outside Israel's parliament. AP

Israeli flares illuminate the sky over west Gaza in the northern Gaza Strip. EPA

Smoke rises from northern Gaza after Israeli pounded the besieged enclave. AFP

Ambulances queue at the Rafah border as they wait to cross into Gaza to transport the injured back to Egypt for treatment. Getty Images

Women cry as one of them holds an injured toddler outside Shuhada Al Aqsa hospital after an Israeli bombardment of Deir Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. AFP

Displaced Palestinian children sit in a makeshift shelter at Al Shifa hospital, amid the Israel-Gaza war. Reuters

Israeli soldiers patrol outside a house destroyed during fighting with Hamas militants, in the kibbutz of Kfar Aza. Bloomberg

Palestinians from Bureij refugee camp use Salah Al Din street as they flee the southern Gaza Strip. AP

Palestinian children clean up outside their home after Israel struck Maghazi refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. AP

Khan Younis residents search through buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids. Getty Images

People take part in a candlelight vigil in Dizengoff Square, in Tel Aviv. Getty Images

Demonstrators rally in support of Palestinians in Denver, Colorado. AFP

Galya David, the mother of hostage Evyatar David, takes part in the 'Bring them home' event organised by the Greek Israeli Community in Athens. EPA

Lebanese parademics show the blood-stained high-vis jackets of four of their colleagues wounded after their ambulances were hit in a strike on the Lebanese town of Tayr Harfa. AFP

Flares are dropped by Israeli forces above Gaza, as seen from Sderot, near the border with the Palestinian enclave. AFP

Israeli forces at a position along the the border with Gaza. AFP

Palestinians search for bodies and survivors at Magazi refugee camp in Gaza after an Israeli air strike. Reuters

Leaflets are dropped by the Israeli army over Gaza city asking people to evacuate towards the south of the Palestinian enclave. AFP

An injured toddler awaits treatment at the emergency ward of Al-Shifa Hospital following an Israeli strike, in Gaza city. AFP

A Palestinian man wails amid a search for casualties after an Israeli strike on houses, at Magazi refugee camp, Gaza. Reuters

Anadolu news agency cameraman Mohammed El Aloul pictured after several of his children and siblings were killed in Israeli strikes. Reuters

Israeli soldiers walk past debris and damaged buildings at a location given as Gaza by Israel's military. Reuters

Protesters rally outside the White House in support of Palestinians in Gaza, Washington. Reuters

A man mourns after losing relatives following an Israeli air strike in Gaza city. AP

An art installation of prams with the faces of kidnapped children on display in Tel Aviv. Getty Images

An Israeli woman calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. AP

A Palestinian man stands on a collapsed building following a strike by the Israeli military on Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

Palestinians gather at the site of Israeli strikes on a residential building in Khan Younis. Reuters

Thousands of civilians, both Palestinians and Israelis, have died since October 7, 2023. AFP

A Palestinian woman sits in the rubble as rescuers look for her relatives following the Israeli bombardment of Khan Younis. AFP

Smoke rises from Gaza as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas continues. Reuters

Mourners at the funeral of Druze Israeli Lt Col Salman Habaka in the village of Yanuh Jat, northern Israel. AP

A Palestinian boy pulled from the rubble of a building following an Israeli air attack on Bureij refugee camp, in the Gaza Strip. AP

A survivor calls from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis following Israeli air attacks. EPA

People wait on the Egyptian side of the border after passing the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. EPA

Pro-Palestinian supporters during a demonstration near a US military transport vessel at the Port of Oakland in California. AP