Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may would delay the end of the war in Gaza for political reasons, US President Joe Biden said in an interview with "Time" magazine, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Biden said this on May 28 - days before he detailed a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, and the Israeli prime minister is struggling with deep political divisions in his country.
„There is every reason for people to draw that conclusion,”, he said when asked if he thought Netanyahu was continuing the war for political reasons.
Biden said he was “not sure“ whether the Israeli armed forces have committed war crimes in Gaza. He insists on ending the nearly eight-month-long war.
Last month, a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague sought arrest warrants for Netanyahu and the defense chief, as well as three leaders of “Hamas”, on war crimes charges.
Israel launched air and ground strikes in Gaza in October, vowing to destroy the Palestinian group Hamas after it attacked Israel and killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250. About 120 hostages remain in Gaza, including Israel announced today that it considers more than a third of them dead.
Israeli strikes have killed more than 36,000 people in Gaza, according to Gaza health authorities, who say thousands more are buried under the rubble.
Polls show that most Israelis support the war, but blame Netanyahu for the security lapses when, on October 7, armed groups of “Hamas” invaded Israeli communities near Gaza, and would vote for him if there were elections.
Mass protests have become weekly events, with tens of thousands of people demanding the government do more to return hostages taken by “Hamas” on October 7, and are calling for Netanyahu to go.