United States President Joe Biden supported a cease-fire during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the president fell short of openly calling for a truce and end the violence.
Israel-Gaza Conflict killed More Than 200 Civilians
Eight days of Hamas rocket barrages and Israeli airstrikes have killed over 200 people, mostly Palestinians. According to Biden's meticulously-worded statement, in a White House readout of his second call to Netanyahu in three days as chaos ensued, the administration is under pressure to respond forcefully, notwithstanding its determination to drive away from the US foreign policy focal point in the Middle East conflicts.
The shift transpired following 29 Democratic and independent senators filing a joint statement regarding the siege on Monday. According to the group spearheaded by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., "To prevent any further loss of civilian life and to prevent further escalation of conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories, we urge an immediate cease-fire," reported USA Today.
Dozens of Palestinian children have died. Biden reiterated that Israel had a right to defend itself. However, he stopped short of publicly calling on the country to alter its approach notwithstanding increasing international denouncement, reported The Indian Express.
Airstrikes in the Gaza strip recently targeted a tunnel network used by Hamas in the midst of growing civilian casualties in the war. The president's support for a ceasing in hostilities on top of pressure from progressives in his party came as Israel and Gaza continued to trade fire following the death of 42 Palestinians on Sunday. Sunday was the most fatal day of the current escalation, reported The Wall Street Journal.
The US leader also prompted Israel to strive to ensure the protection of innocent civilians, as indicated in a White House readout. As the worst Israeli-Palestinian war since 2014 raged, Biden had earlier limited its public criticisms to Hamas and refused to send a top-level representative to the region or urge Israel publicly and directly to ease its most recent military operation in the Gaza Strip, a 10km-by-40km territory that is home to over two million citizens.
Calls for a cease-fire have been amplified in Washington. This involved Democrats in Congress who are avid supporters of Israel and several Republicans. Israel warplanes pounded Monday in Gaza City as the conflict between Israel and Hamas entered its second week.
Biden said to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States is working with Egypt and other nations in halting the violence. However, the US again barred a United Nations Security Council statement calling for cease of hostilities.
Biden also discussed the engagement of the US with Egypt and other partners. According to Jeremy Issacharoff, Israel's ambassador to Germany, Hamas initiated the current fatal exchange between Gaza and Israel and pleaded to stop firing rockets. He remarked Israel would not halt airstrikes until Hamas halts rocket fire into Israel.
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