Biden had expressed optimism for a temporary ceasefire and a hostage deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but an agreement never materialised.
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The White House said in a statement on Friday following Biden’s call with Netanyahu that the US president said reaching an “immediate ceasefire” in exchange for hostages was “essential” and urged Israel to reach such an accord “without delay”.
White House officials acknowledge that Biden has become increasingly frustrated with Israel’s prosecution of a grinding war that has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, on October 7, killing some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage.
The Israeli military campaign in Gaza, experts say, is among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history. Within two months, researchers say, the offensive already wreaked more destruction than the razing of Syria’s Aleppo between 2012 and 2016, Ukraine’s Mariupol or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II. It has killed more civilians than the US-led coalition did in its three-year campaign against the Islamic State group.
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The White House has maintained its support for Israel amid growing domestic and international wariness with Israel’s prosecution of the war, and repeatedly said that a temporary cease-fire could have already come had Hamas agreed to release the sick, the wounded, the elderly, and young women.
But the pressure on Biden has only mounted since this week’s airstrikes that killed the World Central Kitchen workers.
The Israeli government has acknowledged “mistakes” and announced some disciplinary measures against officers involved in ordering the strikes. Israel also approved a series of steps aimed at increasing the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including the reopening of a key crossing that was destroyed in the Hamas attack.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the World Central Kitchen incident was part of a broader problem with how the Israeli military is carrying out the war. Nearly 200 humanitarian aid workers have killed since start of the conflict.
“But the essential problem is not who made the mistakes, it is the military strategy and procedures in place that allow for those mistakes to multiply time and time again,” he said. “Fixing those failures requires independent investigations and meaningful and measurable change on the ground.”
AP