US Biden criticizes Israel's Gaza operation as "Over the Top"
Shafaq News/ US President Joe Biden offered one of his strongest critiques of Israel's military conduct in Gaza, stating that the operation against Hamas had been "over the top."
In a press briefing, Biden expressed hope in the ongoing negotiations linking the release of hostages with a pause in the fighting, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, anticipating a potential for a more sustained change in the conflict.
"I'm pushing very hard now to deal with this hostage ceasefire," Biden said. "I've been working tirelessly on this deal."
Biden said, "I'm of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in Gaza – in the Gaza Strip – has been over the top," Biden told reporters at the White House.
Concerning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where millions of Palestinians suffered from food, water, and hygiene deficits, the US president argued, "A lot of innocent people starving, in trouble, dying…And it's got to stop."
Israel has signaled this week that its military is gearing up to push into Rafah, at the southern end of Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing the violence have been crammed in.
The White House warned against any Israeli military operation in Rafah, emphasizing the potential "humanitarian disaster."
Notably, Biden's new assessment of the Israeli military campaign as "excessive" marked a new stage in his public posturing on the war. For much of the months since October 7, Biden has embraced Israel and staunchly defended its right to go after Hamas.
The president's frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been growing for shrugging off calls to transition to a lower intensity phase of the war and publicly rejecting a two-state solution.
Biden has come under intense pressure from members of his own party to speak more forcefully on the situation in Gaza and demand a ceasefire.
Amid increasing protests at nearly every place in the United States against the war in Gaza and the Humanitarian catastrophe, Biden's remarks came to try to calm the streets, especially since he is coming under intense pressure from the voters almost wherever he travels.
