Biden talks Israel-Hamas conflict with Netanyahu, support for cease-fire

President Biden spoke Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid a push from Democrats in Congress for a cease-fire in the escalating conflict between Israel and militant group Hamas.

“I’ll be speaking with the prime minister in an hour and I’ll be able to talk with you after that,” Biden told reporters at the White House just before 2 pm when asked about the pressure in his party to make a statement seeking a cease-fire. In a read-out of the call later, the White House said Biden did express support for a cease-fire while maintaining Israel’s right to defend itself from attacks from a barrage of rockets fired from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.