US President Joe Biden pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to safeguard people in Gaza and "immediately and significantly increase the flow of humanitarian aid" to the beleaguered coastal enclave.
“While the US ally has the right to defend itself, it must do so in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritizes civilian protection," Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call, according to the White House.
He responded after his national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, told CNN that Israel "should be taking every possible means available to them to distinguish between Hamas—terrorists, who are legitimate military targets—and civilians, who are not."
According to the White House, Biden also spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who committed to significantly increasing aid to Gaza beginning Sunday.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Gazan death toll crossed 8,000—half of whom are children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Colonel Elad Goren of COGAT, the Israeli Defence Ministry unit that deals with the Palestinians, claimed that Israel will allow a substantial increase in supplies to Gaza in the coming days and that Palestinian people should move to a "humanitarian zone" in the tiny territory's south.
According to the Gaza government's media office, 116 doctors and 35 journalists have been killed since the conflict began, according to Reuters.
The Palestinian Red Crescent stated on Sunday that it had received orders from Israeli officials to evacuate al-Quds hospital, where 14,000 Palestinians had taken refuge.
Israel accuses Hamas of installing command centers and other military equipment in Gaza hospitals, which the organization denies.
According to Palestinian officials, over 50,000 Palestinians have taken refuge in Al-Shifa Hospital, and they are concerned about continued Israeli threats against the institution.