Biden at meeting with King Abdullah: I advocate for a six-week ceasefire in Gaza

(Patria) - US President Joe Biden said the United States advocates for a six-week pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza as a stepping stone to a longer ceasefire.

Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah spoke at the White House. Their discussions covered the upcoming Israeli ground offensive in southern Gaza and the threat of a humanitarian catastrophe among Palestinian civilians, Reuters reported.

Biden, who has shown increasing frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not heeding his advice, said the United States is working with allies in the region on an agreement to pause fighting to allow the release of hostages in Gaza and the flow of humanitarian aid. The agreement would begin with a pause in fighting of at least six weeks, "which we could then extend to build something more enduring," Biden said.

Taking the floor after Biden spoke, Abdullah renewed his call for a broad ceasefire.

"We cannot stand by and allow this to continue," he said. "We need a lasting ceasefire now. This war must end," he added.

The meeting was held as Biden has become increasingly vocal in his demand that Israel not undertake a ground offensive in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza without a plan to protect Palestinian civilians.
Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Sunday, and the White House said he stressed that "a military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible and feasible plan to ensure the safety and support of the more than one million people sheltering there."

Palestinian health officials estimate that more than 28,000 people in Gaza have been killed in the Israeli offensive.