Biden, Netanyahu speak after president criticizes Israel's campaign in Gaza

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday had a «pretty detailed back-and-forth» about a looming military operation in the Gaza city of Rafah as another potential hostage deal with Hamas makes «significant progress,» a senior Biden administration official told reporters.

The official added that the U.S. has heard from Israeli leaders that they have a «clear precondition» for any military operations in the southern Gaza city that «the population would have to move, would have to be moved safely and everything else.» But the senior official said it's «a huge question» how that can be accomplished.

Rafah is estimated to now be sheltering some 1.4 million Palestinians.

Irsael's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, separately insisted on Sunday on ABC's «This Week» that while Israeli forces fight with Hamas in Rafah, civilians would be able to flee back to the north, where much of the infrastructure has already been destroyed in the war, sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack.

«They're living in tents. Where are these people supposed to go?» co-anchor Jonathan Karl asked.

«The areas that we've cleared north of Rafah, plenty of areas there. But we are working out a detailed plan to do so. And that's what we've done up to now. We're not, we're not cavalier about this, this is part of our war effort to get civilians out of harm's way,» said Netanyahu, brushing aside Biden's recent criticism that Israel's bombardment of Gaza in pursuit of Hamas is «over the top.»

«I don't know exactly what he [Biden] meant by that, but put yourself in Israel's shoes. We were attacked. Unprovoked attack, murderous attack on Oct. 7,» Netanyahu said on «This Week,» adding, «I think we've responded in a way that goes after