‘We’re not getting off the gas’: Netanyahu rejects Biden’s plea to de-escalate in Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s military is “not getting off the gas” with its assault in southern Gaza where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering, despite President Joe Biden’s warning that an attack on Rafah is a “red line” in its war on Hamas.

“Ultimately, it’s Israel that has to decide,” Israel’s prime minister told Fox & Friends on Fox News on Monday.

“I’m telling you that we’re not getting off the gas,” he added. “I’m telling you that we have to take care of Israel’s security and our future and that requires eliminating the terrorist army. That’s a prerequisite for victory.”

Mr Netanyahu’s remarks, on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, follow more public criticism from President Biden within the last week, including the president’s message to Israel for “humanitarian assistance” during his State of the Union address and recent remarks that his ally is “hurting Israel more than helping” by disregarding “innocent lives being lost” in Gaza.

After months of international demands for US support for a ceasefire, the Biden administration has now supported a six-week pause in fighting to allow for the flow of aid. The president has also proposed an “emergency” seaport to expedite aid delivery that could take up to two months to construct.

US military planes have air-dropped more than 27,000 meals and more than 25,000 bottles of water into northern Gaza in recent days, according to US Central Command.

Palestinians walk past kiosks set up next to destroyed buildings along a street on the first day of Ramadan in Al Nusairat refugee camp in Gaza on 11 March

Israel’s government has not presented its most powerful ally – supplying tens of billions of dollars in military support – with any plan for