US President Joe Biden has urgently warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against launching an offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah as the divide between the two leaders continues to grow along with the mounting Palestinian death toll.
The call between Biden and Netanyahu came as Israel appeared to be moving closer to a major military operation to root out Hamas militants in Rafah, something that Biden and his top aides have repeatedly told Israeli officials will only lead to more death and worsen despair in the war-ravaged territory.
Both leaders are facing growing public pressure for a ceasefire deal, Biden from protests on college campuses and Netanyahu from the families of some Israeli hostages.
"The president doesn't want to see operations in Rafah that put at greater risk the more than a million people that are seeking refuge there," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.
The White House described the leaders' 30-minute conversation as "constructive".
Privately, however, administration officials' concern was mounting as Israel on Monday ordered about 100,000 Palestinians to evacuate from Rafah and began carrying out "targeted" strikes in the eastern part of the city.
White House officials were carefully watching the unfolding, intensified Israeli action in Rafah with deep worry, but did not believe it amounted to the widescale attack Netanyahu has been threatening, according to a person familiar with administration thinking who was not authorised to comment publicly.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war that started after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7 that killed 1200. Some 250 people were also taken hostage in the brazen attack.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating in huge swathes of Gaza. The head of the United Nations World Food Program, Cindy McCain, said Sunday that northern Gaza has entered "full-blown famine" after nearly seven months of war.
Ahead of the leaders' call, Israel announced it was ordering Palestinians to begin evacuating from Rafah. Soon after the order, Hamas said in a statement it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a ceasefire.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel would continue its operations in Gaza as officials deliberate the ceasefire proposal approved by Hamas.
And the Israeli War Cabinet voted unanimously to approve a Rafah military operation but said it would continue ceasefire efforts.
The new targeted strikes in eastern Rafah appeared aimed at keeping the pressure on Hamas as talks continue.
Australian Associated Press
