US President Joe Biden said in an MSNBC interview Saturday that Israel's planned campaign of Rafah in southern Gaza would be his "red line" for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but then immediately backtracked, saying there was no red line and "I'm never going to leave Israel."
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
In a somewhat contradictory exchange with his interviewer, Biden said "they cannot have 30,000 more Palestinians dead as a consequence of going after" Hamas terrorists.
Video: Hamas operative admits to Israeli hostages being held and Hamas terrorists hiding behind civilians in Nasser Hospital / Credit: X/@IDF
Biden and his aides have urged Netanyahu not to launch a major offensive in Rafah until Israel crafts a plan for mass evacuation of civilians from the last area of Gaza it has not yet invaded with ground forces. More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are sheltering in the Rafah area. Israel considers the Rafah operation vital to dismantle Hamas and secure the release of the 134 hostages still held by the terror organization.
"There's other ways to deal, to get to, to deal with ... the trauma caused by Hamas," Biden said, referring to the brutal Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed, including women and children, and over 253 were taken hostage.
Asked whether an IDF operation in Rafah would be a red line for him with Netanyahu, Biden said: "It is a red line but I'm never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical. So there's no red line [in which] I'm going to cut off all weapons so they don't have the Iron Dome to protect them."
Biden insisted, however, that Netanyahu "must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken."
He reiterated his call for a six-week ceasefire for hostage release and aid delivery, though negotiations appear to have stalled.
Asked whether a ceasefire could still be reached before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on March 10, Biden said: "I think it's always possible. I never give up on that."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
