The Israeli armed forces killed 67 Palestinians as part of an offensive against Hamas targets in the Palestinian city of Rafah. According to spokesman Daniel Hagari, the Israel Defense Force rescued two elderly men -- Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har -- from Hamas militants at around 1:49 a.m. local time.
Hamas condemned the bombardment, claiming it targeted civilians. The city is home to over half of Gaza’s population, according to CNN. President Joe Biden met with the King of Jordan today to discuss ways to help the Palestinians. Biden stated that he disapproved of the offensive during a press conference today.
President Biden: Many people there have been displaced, displaced multiple times, fleeing the violence to the north, and now they’re packed into Rafah -- exposed and vulnerable. They need to be protected.
Since Israel began its offensive on October 7, almost thirty thousand people have been killed in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this week that he would not accept the proposed ceasefire conditions set by Hamas. Despite this, the White House will continue to support Israel, according to White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby.
John Kirby: We will continue to support Israel. They have a right and responsibility to go after Hamas. We’re going to make sure that they can continue to do that. But as from the very beginning, we want to make sure that they do that in a way that fully accounts for the preservation of innocent life and civilian infrastructure.
Behind the scenes, President Biden has increasingly become frustrated with his Israeli ally, claiming that Netanyahu is not listening to reason, according to CNN.