Israeli prime minister criticizes Biden’s rhetoric on Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday underlined his support from an “overwhelming majority” of Israeli residents, appearing to contradict a statement by U.S. President Joe Biden. Biden had said in an interview that Netanyahu’s decisions in Gaza were hurting Israel’s interests. The president also said in the interview that Israel would be crossing a “red line” if it began a ground invasion of the city of Rafah in Gaza. Previously, Netanyahu’s office had said that anyone who told Israel not to attack Rafah was telling them to “lose the war.” Biden did say he wouldn’t cut off weapons shipments to Israel if it did invade Rafah.

What exactly did Netanyahu say Israelis wanted? He said Israeli citizens agreed that the Israel Defense Forces needed to wipe out the remainder of Hamas in Gaza, and that after the war the Palestinian Authority should not regain power in Gaza. Netanyahu said Israeli citizens knew that would lead to a repeat of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which killed 1,200 people in Israel.

What’s going on in the war right now? The Israel Defense Forces said Monday they had eliminated 15 Hamas terrorists in the last 24 hours. During the previous day, the IDF said their troops had apprehended other militants, weapons, and military equipment in Khan Younis. On Monday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for Palestine called on Israel to cease alleged home destructions in Silwan, a locale in East Jerusalem.

Dig deeper: Read A.S. Ibrahim’s column in WORLD Opinions about how Israel must take control of Rafah.