The president of United States, Joe Bidencalled his Israeli counterpart this Monday, Benjamin Netanyahuto talk about the two hostages released this Monday by the Hamas terrorist group and about his country’s support for the defense of Israel, the White House said in a statement.
The US president also emphasized the need to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Stripand detailed his country’s efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading to other regions.
Both leaders They promised to talk again in the next few days..
The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austinalso spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, to inform him of his office’s actions to prevent an escalation of violence in the Middle East.
According to the newspaper The New York TimesHowever, Austin’s call had a specific objective: to warn the Israeli authorities of the risks of undertaking a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Conditions for attack
Earlier, the American president said that Any discussion of a ceasefire in Gaza could only take place if Hamas free all the hostages captured from Israel in its October 7 attack.
“We should release those hostages and then we can talk,” Biden said at a White House event when asked if he would support a “ceasefire hostages” deal. His comments came shortly after Hamas said it had freed two more women kidnapped in Israel.
Biden also referred to a call he had with the Pope Francisco on Sunday about the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“The Pope and I are on the same page, he was very, very interested in what we were doing,” Biden said.
Biden said he had “lay out to him what the game plan was” regarding US support for Israel. “The Pope supported us in all areas,” he added.
The United States warned this Monday that any ceasefire in Gaza declared by Israel would benefit the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at a time when calls for a humanitarian truce are increasing.
A ceasefire “would give Hamas the opportunity to rest, reequip, and prepare to continue launching terrorist attacks against Israel,” State Department spokesperson told reporters. Matthew Miller.
“You can perfectly understand why this is an intolerable situation for Israel, as it would be an intolerable situation for any country that has suffered such a brutal terrorist attack and continues to see the terrorist threat right on its border,” he said.
(With information from EFE and AFP)
Source-www.infobae.com