Washington DC [US], March 19 (HBTV): United States President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday and warned against the prospect of Israel conducting a major military operation in Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge.  

In their first telephone conversation in over a month, the two leaders spoke about the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including Israel's military operations, increasing humanitarian assistance going to Gaza, and efforts to bring hostages home, the White House said.  

The US President affirmed the need to defeat Hamas in Gaza while also protecting the civilian population and facilitating the safe and unhindered delivery of assistance throughout Gaza.  

Biden and Netanyahu agreed to have their teams meet soon in Washington to exchange views and discuss alternative approaches that would target key elements of Hamas and secure the Egypt-Gaza border without a major ground operation in Rafah, the White House readout said.   

Biden asked Netanyahu to send a senior team composed of military, intelligence, and humanitarian officials to Washington to discuss an alternative approach that would target Hamas in Rafah and secure the Egypt-Gaza border without a major ground invasion.    

Briefing reporters at a White House Press briefing about the 45-minute call, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden expressed his "bone-deep commitment" to ensuring the long-term security of Israel.     

"A major ground operation there would be a mistake. It would lead to more innocent civilian deaths, worsen the already dire humanitarian crisis, deepen the anarchy in Gaza and further isolate Israel internationally," he said.

(ANI) This is a syndicated news feed. HBTV has edited it for clarity.