US President Joe Biden has pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure the safety of civilians in the Gaza Strip. However, the US president did not say anything about the ceasefire.
Speaking with Netanyahu on Saturday, Biden stressed on ensuring the safety of Gaza's civilians. The White House said this in a statement.
The talks between Netanyahu and Biden came a day after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution demanding the safe and free flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. However, the resolution passed did not call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas fighters.
"The US President stressed the importance of protecting civilians, including humanitarian aid workers, and of moving civilians safely from one place to another in the midst of ongoing fighting," the White House statement said.
Earlier, Biden told reporters at the White House that he had a "long talk" with Netanyahu. He referred to this as 'private conversation'.
In response to a question at this time, Biden said, "I did not call for a ceasefire."
The two leaders discussed the "goals and phases" of Israel's military operation, with an emphasis on securing the release of other hostages, a White House statement said.
On October 7, Hamas attacked the southern part of Israel by crossing the Gaza border. According to an estimate provided by Israeli authorities, AFP said about 1,140 people were killed in the day's attacks. Most of them are civilians.
Israel has been alleging that Hamas took more than two hundred people hostage that day. In response to Hamas attacks, Israel began attacking Gaza from October 7.
Hamas has released 105 hostages under the terms of a ceasefire last month. 80 of them are Israelis. In return, 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons were released. Israeli authorities say 129 hostages are still being held by Hamas members in Gaza.
At least 20,057 people have been killed in Israel's strikes on Gaza, according to the Health Ministry of Hamas-ruled Gaza. Most of them are women and children.
After several days of diplomatic tension, the resolution was passed by the Security Council last Friday. The US has vetoed the proposal several times before. But the US stopped short of vetoing the resolution and abstained from voting after it avoided calling for a cease-fire. Russia also abstained from voting.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a humanitarian ceasefire was the only way to ensure the effective delivery of aid.
The United Nations has been pressuring Israel to allow aid to reach Gaza on a massive scale. However, Israel's foreign minister said that in the interest of security, they will keep all humanitarian aid in Gaza under surveillance.
According to UN estimates, 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.4 million residents have been displaced.
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