White House: Netanyahu Agrees with Biden to Keep Kerem Shalom Crossing Open for Humanitarian Aid

On Monday morning, U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke. The White House announced that Netanyahu agreed in his conversation with Biden to keep the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza open for humanitarian aid. Israel had recently closed this crossing following an attack by Hamas that reportedly injured several Israelis. Biden's call came after the Israeli army warned residents of eastern Rafah in southern Gaza on Monday that they should move to an area that the Israeli army calls an 'expanded humanitarian zone,' which now includes Khan Younis. The Israeli army stated that it has planned a powerful attack on Rafah. Hours after the Israeli warning, Reuters reported airstrikes on Rafah based on accounts from residents in southern Gaza. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, who was not named, stated that Biden reiterated U.S. concerns regarding the assault on Rafah—a city where over one million civilians from other parts of Gaza have taken refuge—and emphasized that the U.S. President believes a ceasefire with Hamas is the best way to protect the lives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The ongoing war in Gaza, which has lasted about seven months, began with Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7. Biden's call with Netanyahu occurred just hours before the U.S. President was to host King Abdullah II of Jordan for a private lunch meeting at the White House on Monday. A Jordanian diplomat told Reuters that the meeting between Biden and King Abdullah is not a formal bilateral meeting but rather an informal private gathering. Israel claims that the attack on Rafah is necessary to destroy Hamas. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on social media on Monday that Israel's operations in Rafah impose 'suffering and increased civilian casualties' and have 'devastating' consequences for over one million people who have taken refuge there. Israel began 'airstrikes' hours after ordering the evacuation of parts of Rafah.