Joe Biden today urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to proceed with a military operation in Rafah, inside the Gaza Strip, “without a credible and feasible plan” to protect the population, the White House announced.

During their phone conversation, the US president “reiterated his view that a military operation in Rafah should not be conducted without a credible and feasible plan to guarantee the safety of the more than one million people who have found refuge there,” the US government said in a statement.

Biden’s phone conversation with Netanyahu came days after the US president said Israel’s military response to Gaza was “excessive”.

The conversation also focused on ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages from the Islamist group Hamas following its attack on Oct. 7, the White House said.

Aid agencies say an attack on Rafah would be devastating.