US President Joe Biden has said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "hurting more than helping" Israel in failing to limit civilian casualties in Gaza.
"What's happening is he has a right to defend Israel, a right to continue to pursue Hamas," Biden told MSNBC on Saturday, in remarks that point to the increasingly strained relationship between the two leaders.
"But he must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken," Biden said.
"He's hurting Israel more than helping Israel by making the rest of the world — it's contrary to what Israel stands for. And I think it's a big mistake."
Biden has for months warned that Israel risks losing international support over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, where the death toll has passed 31,000.
And he said a potential Israeli invasion of the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering, is “a red line.”
“It cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead,” Biden said.
However, he said he would not cut off weapons like the Iron Dome missile interceptors that protect Israel from rocket attacks in the region.
