Israelis fear Biden’s 'intolerable' cease-fire demand means victory for Hamas

JERUSALEM - President Biden’s push Thursday in a telephone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an immediate cease-fire in the Jewish state’s six-month war campaign to defeat the terrorist movement Hamas in Gaza unleashed fierce criticism from Israeli experts.

"A ceasefire now would be a victory to Hamas. It would show the terrorist organization that terrorism pays. The world needs to remain aligned behind Israel in its campaign to further weaken Hamas," Yaakov Katz, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem based Jewish People Institute told Fox News Digital.

In a White House readout of Biden’s call with Netanyahu it was noted that the president "underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged the Prime Minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home."

The statement also touched on Iran, noting, "The two leaders also discussed public Iranian threats against Israel and the Israeli people. President Biden made clear that the United States strongly supports Israel in the face of those threats."

BIDEN WARNS NETANYAHU THAT US WILL CHANGE POLICY ON GAZA UNLESS ISRAEL PROTECTS CIVILIANS

A spokeswoman for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office sent Fox News Digital a statement from Netanyahu’s cabinet meeting on Thursday. "The Cabinet authorized the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, and Minister [Benny] Gantz to take immediate steps to increase humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip." The statement added, "This increased aid will prevent a humanitarian crisis and is necessary to ensure the continuation of the fighting and to achieve the goals of the