US President Joe Biden again criticized Israel’s warfare in the Gaza Strip and described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s course in the conflict with radical Islamist Hamas as a “mistake” in a television interview broadcast on Tuesday evening (local time). He calls on Netanyahu to declare a ceasefire.
“I think what he’s doing is a mistake. “I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden told Spanish-language American broadcaster Univision about Netanyahu. The American president has so far consistently supported Israel in the war against Hamas, including with arms supplies. However, in light of the humanitarian emergency in the Gaza Strip, Biden has recently voiced increasingly vocal criticism of Israel’s warfare and put pressure on Netanyahu. To work toward a ceasefire, Israel must ensure the protection of the civilian population and humanitarian workers and allow increased aid deliveries to the Palestinian territory.
Last Thursday, Biden also made clear for the first time that continued US support for Israel in the Gaza war is dependent on such measures. The Israeli government subsequently agreed to open additional border crossings for aid deliveries. The Israeli army also announced it would withdraw from the town of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
However, Netanyahu is sticking to his plans for a military offensive in the city of Rafah on the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt, despite strong criticism from the US government and other Western allies.
New negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of hostages
Since this weekend, Israel and Hamas have been negotiating again in Cairo, with mediation from the US, Egypt and Qatar, on a ceasefire and the release of hostages that Hamas abducted to the Gaza Strip after the major attack on Israel on October 7.
Biden, in the interview broadcast on Tuesday, called on Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire and grant the people of Gaza “full access” to international supplies of food and medicine in the next six to eight weeks.
Hamas statements “not encouraging”
However, Biden’s security adviser Jake Sullivan expressed little confidence about the negotiations in Cairo on Tuesday. Hamas’s recent public statements on the issue were “not particularly encouraging,” Sullivan said. The radical Islamists had announced that they were exploring a draft ceasefire that would later lead to a permanent ceasefire. However, Hamas also stated that Israel had not responded to any of their demands.
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented major attack on Israel, which, according to Israeli information, killed about 1,170 people and kidnapped about 250 others as hostages in the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israel has taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip. More than 33,300 people have been killed so far, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, which cannot be independently verified.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
