President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Monday as Israel, in a move opposed by the U.S. on humanitarian grounds, appeared closer to launching an offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
According to the White House, President Biden reiterated U.S. concerns about an invasion of Rafah where more than 1 million civilians from other parts of Gaza are sheltering after 7 months of attacks by Israel.
On Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister rejected international pressure to halt the military action in Gaza in a speech marking the country’s annual Holocaust memorial day, saying If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone.
He added that no amount of pressure or decision by any international forum will stop Israel from defending itself.
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The Israeli army ordered about 100,000 Palestinians on Monday to begin evacuating from Rafah, signalling that a ground invasion there could be imminent.
On Monday evening, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said the group has accepted a Gaza ceasefire proposal put forward by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Israel has yet to officially comment.
It is not clear whether the deal would meet Hamas’s key demands of a permanent ceasefire, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the return of displaced families to their homes.
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