US President Joe Biden on Saturday called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “protect” civilians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel continues its bombings and ground offensives, the White House said in a statement.
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“The President emphasized the urgent need to protect civilians, including those involved in humanitarian assistance operations, and the importance of allowing civilians to safely leave areas where fighting continues,” it said in the message.
This conversation took place a day after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution that “commits all parties to authorize and facilitate the immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance on a large scale” in the Gaza Strip, but without agreeing to a ceasefire demands between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
Earlier in the day, Mr Biden told reporters at the White House that he had a “long discussion” with Mr Netanyahu, which he described as a “private conversation”.
In response to a follow-up question, Mr Biden said: “I have not called for a ceasefire.”
According to the White House statement, the two leaders discussed the “goals and timing” of Israel's military campaign as well as security issues.
According to Hamas, at least 20,258 people – mostly women, children and teenagers – have died in Gaza since the Israeli army's offensive began.
The war was launched in retaliation for the Palestinian Islamist movement's unprecedented attack on October 7, which killed about 1,140 people on Israeli soil, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on the latest Israeli assessment . In addition, around 250 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
Humanitarian aid, whose entry into the Gaza Strip is controlled by Israel, is coming in small quantities from Egypt and the Israeli border crossing at Kerem Shalom, but it falls far short of the immense needs of the devastated Palestinian territories after more than two months of bombing.