Biden and Netanyahu spoke on the phone
US President Joe Biden emphasized the importance of protecting civilians in Gaza in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to a statement from the White House, US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call. The latest developments in Gaza and the release of hostages, including US citizens held by Hamas, were discussed. Biden and Netanyahu discussed the immediate and safe exit of foreign citizens who wish to leave Gaza. During the call, US President Biden underlined the importance of the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the protection of civilians there. Stating that Israel has every right and responsibility to protect its citizens against terrorism and that it should do so within the framework of international law, Biden also underlined that the next step after this crisis should be a path to permanent peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The two leaders agreed to remain in constant communication. US and Israeli Defense Ministers hold phone conversation On the other hand, according to a statement from the US Department of Defense (Pentagon), US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant held a phone conversation. The ministers, who discussed the latest developments in the region, also discussed the protection of civilians in Gaza. The latest situation in Israel's attacks on Gaza Hamas' armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, launched a comprehensive attack on Israel on the morning of October 7, dubbed the "Aqsa Deluge," which included a youth festival. The Israeli army also began attacking the Gaza Strip with dozens of warplanes. It was reported that 1,400 Israelis, including 308 soldiers, were killed and 5,132 Israelis were injured in the attacks from Gaza. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that 6,546 people, including 2,704 children, 1,584 women, and 364 elderly, were killed and 17,439 people were injured in Israel’s attacks on Gaza. It was reported that more than 100 Palestinians were killed in attacks by Israeli forces and Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. 24 journalists, 20 of whom were Palestinians, three Israelis, and one Lebanese, lost their lives in the clashes. In the clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border since October 8, 43 Hezbollah members, as well as six members of the Islamic Jihad Movement, three from Hamas, and two members of the Hezbollah-backed Sunni Resistance Brigade, have died, and four civilians, one of whom was a journalist, have lost their lives. Three Israeli soldiers and one Israeli civilian have also lost their lives in attacks carried out by Lebanon.