Biden’s statement was made on Tuesday during a photo opportunity with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese when he was asked about it.

“Are you urging Israel to delay its ground invasion?” Biden was asked, to which he replied, “The Israelis can make their own decisions.”

Also Read: Israel-Hamas War Day 19: Israel labels Gaza conflict ‘war of the free world’ at UN meeting

Last week, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant outlined the nation’s strategy to alter the “security regime” in Gaza, which implies the removal of Hamas. He detailed that this plan has been devised in three distinct stages.

Gallant said that the Israeli Defence Forces (IFD) was in the plan’s first stage when it was carrying out aerial strikes. “It will be followed by ground incursion and finally, the change of security regime in Gaza”, he said.

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 5,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, including over 2,000 children and 1,100 women, as well as journalists, medical workers and first responders, with more than 16,000 injured.

John Kirby, the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, informed journalists that the United States remains committed to providing Israel with the necessary tools and capabilities to safeguard its defense.

Also Read: Hamas war: Israel’s ‘right to defend’ against terrorism gets a thumbs-up from UK, US, Canada, France, Germany and Italy

“We’re going to continue to try to get that humanitarian assistance in, and we’re going to continue to try to get hostages and people out of Gaza appropriately,” he said.

Meanwhile, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer are scheduled to visit Israel on Wednesday as a demonstration of support for the country and its people in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks and during the ongoing conflict with the extremist group Hamas, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post.

Also Read: Israel-Hamas War: S&P cuts Israel’s rating outlook to Negative as conflict rages

Previously, various world leaders also made visits to Israel as an expression of support and solidarity during the ongoing conflict with Hamas. Last week, US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelled to Israel, where they engaged in discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amidst the ongoing hostilities with Hamas.

On October 7, an unprecedented series of attacks carried out by Hamas militants resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 individuals. In response, Israel initiated a large-scale counter-offensive against the Islamic militant group that has governed Gaza since 2007.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Updated: 25 Oct 2023, 08:18 AM IST