The US president has said Israel is beginning to lose the support of the international community as the country continues its massive bombing campaign inside Gaza.
At the weekend, the Israeli air force said it had carried out over 22,000 strikes in the 41km long and 10km wide enclave since the start of the conflict on 7 October.
The US has proven Israel’s biggest supporter on the world stage thus far – but the relationship is beginning to strain as civilian casualties mount as a result of IDF action.
“Israel’s security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States – it has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world supporting them,” Mr Biden said to donors during a fundraiser.
“They’re starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place,” Biden said.
He also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needed to change his hardline government, which has been widely criticised on the international stage – particularly by Arab states.
Earlier, Mr Netanyahu admitted that he and the US had differing opinions on the “next day” in Gaza when the war eventually concludes.
New Israeli warship deployed to Red Sea
The Israel Defence Forces says it has deployed a new warship to the Red Sea to help carry out offshore strikes on Hamas inside Gaza and attack the militant group’s naval capabilities.
The INS Magen, a Sa’ar 6-class corvette, began active duty in the area this week, the IDF said.
It is one of four ships in its class to be built by Israel, with the IDF praising the navy for the “very rapid pace for installing and adapting advanced combat systems and state-of-the-art Israeli systems for four ships simultaneously”.
Alongside the news of the deployment, the IDF said earlier today the Israeli Navy “successfully thwarted several unmanned underwater vessels”, which intended to attack “Israel’s strategic maritime assets and coastlines”.
It did not say who operated the vessels, and the claims are unverified.
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