US President Joe Biden criticizes Netanyahu for not stopping civilian deaths in Gaza
President of the United States, Joe Biden said on Saturday that he thinks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing more harm than good to Israel by not stopping the civilian deaths in Gaza caused by its war with Hamas.
The U.S. leader said he supports Israel's right to defend itself from Hamas, which attacked Israel with rockets on Oct. 7. But he said Netanyahu should care more about the innocent lives that are being lost because of his actions.Biden has been warning for months that Israel could lose the support of the world if it keeps killing civilians in Gaza.
His latest comments in an interview with MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart showed that he is not happy with Netanyahu's leadership.
Biden said the death toll in Gaza is against what Israel stands for. He said it is a big mistake.Biden said he does not want Israel to invade the city of Rafah in Gaza, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians live.
He said that is a red line for Netanyahu. But he said he will not stop giving weapons to Israel, like the Iron Dome system that protects Israel from rockets.
The U.S. president said he is ready to talk to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, to explain his views. He also said he might go to Israel again. Biden went there a few weeks after the Oct. 7 attack.
He did not say when or how he would go.
Biden hoped to get a ceasefire before Ramadan starts next week. But that seems unlikely now. Hamas does not want to agree to a deal that the U.S. and its friends proposed. The deal would stop the fighting for about six weeks, free more hostages and prisoners, and send more help to Gaza.
Israel wants to keep fighting and destroy Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages on Oct. 7.
Hamas let some hostages go in November, but it will not let more go unless Israel stops fighting.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza, according to the health ministry run by Hamas. Most of them are women and children. Many people are hungry.
