Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
US President Joe Biden on Thursday levelled some of his most direct criticism at Israel since it invaded the Gaza Strip in October, saying the actions of its military have been “over the top”.
Mr Biden also said he was working “tirelessly” to push for a deal that would lead to a “sustained pause” in the fighting.
“I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in the Gaza Strip has been over the top,” Mr Biden said in remarks from the White House, during which he primarily spoke about the findings of an investigation into his handling of classified documents.
Mr Biden, who is under immense political pressure from progressives and the Arab-American community to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza, said he succeeded in getting Israel and Egypt to allow more aid into the besieged enclave, where health authorities say more than 27,800 people have been killed.
He also said he was “pushing very hard” for a deal that would lead to Hamas releasing its remaining hostages in return for a ceasefire.
“I’ve been working tirelessly in this deal … to lead to sustained pause in the fighting in the actions taking place in the Gaza Strip,” Mr Biden said.
Despite intense US and international efforts to bring about a truce, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to dismiss such talk on Wednesday and vowed his country's military would keep fighting against Hamas to achieve “absolute victory”.
Mr Biden in December said Israel was losing international support due to its “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza, but the US has nonetheless continued to back Israel’s offensive after the Hamas attack on October 7. About 1,200 people were killed in the assault by militants, according to Israeli authorities.
The war has become a political albatross for Mr Biden, who frequently faces cries of “Genocide Joe” from protesters at campaign events.
The White House on Thursday said it would not support any plans by Israel for a major military operation in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, because such a move would spell disaster for Palestinian civilians seeking refuge there.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Secretary of State Antony Blinken made US concerns about such operations clear during meetings with Israeli officials. Mr Blinken has completed his fifth tour of the Middle East since the outbreak of the Gaza war, during which he pushed for peace in talks with regional leaders.
Latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures
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The Israeli bombing of Khiam, a village near the southern Lebanese border with Israel. AFP -
Members of the Ghannam family check the damage to their home after an Israeli air strike hit the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. EPA -
Mourners at Abu Yousef Al Najjar Hospital, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters -
A rescuer puts out a fire after a car was hit by an Israeli strike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters -
At Al Najjar Hospital in Rafah, Palestinians mourn after identifying the bodies of relatives killed in overnight Israeli bombardment on the southern Gaza Strip. AFP -
Palestinian families take refuge at a school affiliated with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Daraj neighbourhood. Getty Images -
Palestinian-Irish plastic surgeon Ahmed El Mokhallalati checks in on a Palestinian man wounded in an Israeli strike, at the European Hospital, in Khan Younis. Reuters -
A Palestinian man carries a bag of flour, as displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, take shelter near the border with Egypt in Rafah. Reuters -
Palestinian woman Amal Abu Hashesh, who escaped with her prosthetic leg after her house was hit by an Israeli strike, takes shelter in the European Hospital. Reuters -
Palestinians gather around a Hamas police vehicle after it was struck by an Israeli air strike in Rafah. AP -
Mother of hostage Amit Esther Buskila holds a poster of her daughter during a press conference in Paris with representatives of families of French hostages held by Hamas. Reuters -
People dance as Israeli protesters gather to block the entry of humanitarian aid trucks to the Gaza Strip at the Kerem Shalom border crossing. AFP -
Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment in Rafah. AFP -
Palestinians move along Salah Al Din road after an Israeli air strike on Al Maghazi refugee camp. EPA -
Displaced children sit on wooden pallets, as displaced Palestinians take shelter in a tent camp near the border with Egypt in Rafah. Reuters -
An Israeli tank moves along the border with Gaza in southern Israel. Getty Images -
Displaced Palestinians near the border with Egypt in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters -
A man carried an injured Palestinian man to Al Aqsa Hospital after an Israeli air strike in Deir Al-Balah in southern Gaza. Bloomberg -
A Palestinian woman reacts after an Israeli air strike in Deir Al-Balah. Bloomberg -
Palestinians search the site of a destroyed residential building hit by an Israeli air strike in Deir Al-Balah. Bloomberg -
A soldier visits the site of the Nova festival, with displayed photos of the people who were killed and kidnapped during the October 7 attack near the site. Reuters -
A displaced Palestinian girl, who fled her house due to Israeli strikes, arranges plants on a grave in a cemetery where she shelters, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters
