Joe Biden has called Israel’s military actions in Gaza “exaggerated” in his strongest criticism since the bombings and invasion began.
The US president reprimanded his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a press conference at the White House on Thursday.
Biden said he was trying to broker a longer ceasefire to get humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and push for the release of Hamas hostages.
“I believe, as you know, that the response in the Gaza Strip has been exaggerated,” he said.
Joe Biden has called Israel’s military actions in Gaza “over the top” in his strongest criticism since the bombing and invasion began.
Gaza’s health ministry says more than 27,000 Palestinians have been killed, while thousands more are feared buried under the rubble.
“I am now trying very hard to end this hostage ceasefire. I worked tirelessly on this deal.
“I think if we can get the delay, the initial delay, we can extend it so that we can increase the prospect of this fighting in Gaza changing.”
Biden added that he was pushing for more humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians and a temporary pause to allow the release of hostages taken by Hamas.
“I am now trying very hard to end this hostage ceasefire,” he said, before describing the war’s toll on Palestinian civilians.
“There are a lot of innocent people going hungry, a lot of innocent people in trouble and dying, and that has to stop.”
Israel began its military offensive after Hamas militants from Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on October 7.
Gaza’s health ministry says more than 27,000 Palestinians have been killed, while thousands more are feared buried under the rubble.
So far there has been one ceasefire, which lasted a week in late November, when Hamas released some of its hostages.
Biden rebuked his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a news conference at the White House on Thursday
Israel began its military offensive after Hamas militants from Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on October 7.
Biden used the same phrase to describe Hamas’ demands for the release of the remaining hostages on Tuesday.
The terrorist group that controls Gaza wanted a 135-day ceasefire, all Israeli forces to withdraw from Gaza and 1,500 Palestinian prisoners released.
Biden described the demands as “a bit exaggerated,” but Mossad, Israel’s security service, said it was “looking carefully at what was presented to us.”
Netanyahu labeled the terrorists’ demands as “bizarre” and said that agreeing to them would “only provoke another bloodbath” when they were “one finger away from a decisive victory.”
Netanyahu responded unequivocally, stating: “Surrender to the misleading demands of Hamas that we now heard will not only not lead to the liberation of the prisoners, it will only lead to another massacre.”
“We are on the path to an absolute victory,” Netanyahu said, adding that the operation would last months, not years.
“There is no other solution,” he said, calling for the “total elimination of Hamas.”
When asked whether his government would accept the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages, Netanyahu said: “Well, we haven’t really committed to anything.
“There is supposed to be some kind of negotiation process with the mediators, but from what I have seen, after Hamas’ response, I don’t know what is happening,” he said.
People inspect the damage to their homes after Israeli airstrikes on February 9 in Rafah, Gaza
Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli attack in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip
Hamas proposed three phases of 45-day releases, starting with all women, male citizens under the age of 19, the elderly and the sick in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners.
The IDF would then have to withdraw from populated areas and cease air operations before releasing the male soldiers in exchange for other convicts.
In the final phase, the bodies of the dead hostages would be returned to the last batch of terrorists held in Israeli prisons.
But the terror group’s demands also call for a complete IDF withdrawal from Gaza and would effectively allow Hamas to rebuild its army and remain in power.
It also says that a third of Palestinians released in exchange for the hostages would receive life sentences.
Qatar is said to have leaned on Hamas to drop its demand for the withdrawal of Israeli forces in exchange for the release of up to 5,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Negotiations are underway between Israel, the US and the Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Cairo.
The Daily Mail understands all parties are pushing for an agreement before Ramadan next month, which could be a time for greater religious fervor.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also met with Israeli leaders today to advance ceasefire talks while pushing for a greater post-war settlement.
It would see Saudi Arabia normalize relations with Israel in exchange for a “clear, credible, time-bound path to the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
Mr Blinken landed in Tel Aviv after Israel after meeting with the leaders of mediators Qatar and Egypt in the most serious diplomatic push of the war yet aimed at reaching an extended ceasefire.