Biden criticizes Netanyahu’s approach to war with Hamas as mistake

President Joe Biden offered one of his sharpest rebukes of Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza during an interview airing Tuesday, describing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict as a “mistake” and calling for a halt to the fighting.

President Joe Biden offered one of his sharpest rebukes of Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza during an interview airing Tuesday, describing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict as a “mistake” and calling for a halt to the fighting. “Well, I will tell you, I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden told Univision, in an interview taped just days after Israeli military strikes killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, sparking anger and frustration throughout the White House. “I think it’s outrageous that those four, three vehicles were hit by drones and taken out on a highway where it wasn’t like it was along the shore, it wasn’t like there was a convoy moving there,” he continued, according to a Univision transcript of the interview. It marked one of his most forceful critiques against how Netanyahu’s government is waging its war against Hamas. The president added that he’s calling for Israel to agree to a ceasefire and that there is “no excuse” for not sending in humanitarian aid. “What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks total access to all food and medicine going into the country. I’ve spoken with everyone from the Saudis to the Jordanians to the Egyptians. They’re prepared to move in. They’re prepared to move this food in. And I think there’s no excuse to not provide for the medical and the food needs of those people. It should be done now,” Biden said in the interview. The comments came in the lead up to CIA Director Bill Burns delivering a new proposal over the weekend to negotiators in Cairo as they work to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal. Speaking Tuesday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Hamas has not yet provided a response. Sullivan said he’d asked the prime minister of Qatar, which has acted as a mediator in the ongoing talks, to press the group for a quick response to a proposal that would secure the release of hostages.