Within the interview, with MSNBC, Mr. Biden rebuked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel over the rising civilian loss of life toll in Gaza, saying that “he should pay extra consideration to the harmless lives being misplaced” and that “he’s hurting Israel greater than serving to Israel.”

Mr. Netanyahu later dismissed that rivalry as “flawed,” and on Tuesday he once more defended Israel’s efforts to attenuate civilian casualties. Talking by video to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group primarily based in Washington that’s normally known as AIPAC, he mentioned that Israel’s allies “can’t say you assist Israel’s aim of destroying Hamas after which oppose Israel when it takes the actions crucial to realize that aim.”

Mr. Biden, whereas attempting to extend the stress on Mr. Netanyahu, has insisted that U.S. assist for Israel will stay steadfast. Mr. Sullivan, who met on Tuesday with Israel’s ambassador, Michael Herzog, declined to debate studies that Mr. Biden, if Israel proceeded with the Rafah operation, may impose restrictions on how Israel can use the arms the US is supplying it.

“We’re not going to have interaction in hypotheticals about what comes down the road, and the studies that purport to explain the president’s considering are uninformed hypothesis,” Mr. Sullivan mentioned.

However he repeated Mr. Biden’s view that Israel shouldn’t assault Rafah with out explaining how it will shield the civilians who’ve taken refuge there.

The president believes there’s a long-term path to stability and safety for Israel, Mr. Sullivan mentioned, however “that path doesn’t lie in smashing into Rafah, the place there are 1.3 million individuals, within the absence of a reputable plan to take care of the inhabitants there. And once more, as issues stand as we speak, we’ve not seen what that plan is.”

For his half, Mr. Netanyahu once more vowed on Tuesday to assault Hamas in Rafah, regardless of warnings from the US and different nations {that a} floor offensive there would have disastrous penalties for civilians within the metropolis.

“To win this battle, we should destroy the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah,” Mr. Netanyahu mentioned. “If not, Hamas will regroup, rearm and reconquer Gaza, after which we’re again to sq. one. And that’s an insupportable risk that we can’t settle for.”

Greater than 1,000,000 Palestinians who’ve fled from combating in different elements of the Gaza Strip — a lot of them obeying Israeli directives to maneuver south for his or her security — have crammed into non permanent, typically squalid shelters in Rafah, which is on the border with Egypt. Folks there and help employees have described worsening crises of starvation, illness and determined situations, and Israel’s allies have more and more urged the nation to reduce its army marketing campaign and permit extra help into Gaza.

Israeli officers have mentioned they’re creating a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah, and Mr. Netanyahu mentioned on Tuesday, “We’ll end the job in Rafah whereas enabling the civilian inhabitants to get out of hurt’s means.”

Divisions over invading Rafah have additionally added to strains in Israel’s wartime emergency authorities. On Tuesday, the hawkish New Hope get together introduced that it will go away the delicate two-party alliance led by Benny Gantz, a member of Mr. Netanyahu’s battle cupboard.

The chief of the New Hope get together, Gideon Sa’ar, has argued that Israel ought to have already got invaded Rafah, whereas senior members of Mr. Gantz’s faction have prioritized reaching a short lived cease-fire take care of Hamas to launch hostages.

Though tensions between Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu have more and more emerged in public, analysts have questioned for months whether or not Israel can accomplish its goal of eradicating Hamas. In a report launched Monday however written earlier than the newest tensions between U.S. and Israeli officers, American intelligence analysts raised doubts in regards to the feasibility of that aim.

“Israel in all probability will face lingering armed resistance from Hamas for years to return, and the army will battle to neutralize Hamas’s underground infrastructure, which permits insurgents to cover, regain energy and shock Israeli forces,” the report mentioned.

Adam Sella and Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting.