Joe Biden: The war in Gaza must end and a ceasefire must be established
U.S. President Joe Biden has explicitly told Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone conversation that the war in Gaza must end and a ceasefire must be established.
The two leaders, whose relations have soured in recent months, spoke on August 1st after the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political bureau chief of Hamas, in Tehran, while Biden pledged to support Israel against renewed threats from Iran and militias. However, according to informed sources, he explicitly asked Netanyahu in the phone call to accept the ceasefire agreement as soon as possible.
Biden warned Netanyahu in this conversation about the consequences of escalating tensions in a war that has been ongoing for nearly 10 months. Biden told reporters, ‘We have a basis for a ceasefire, and everyone must take steps in this direction.’
He also added that the killing of Ismail Haniyeh has not helped to ease the tensions.