Netanyahu speaks with Biden again amid ongoing war, thanks him for support

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday (local time) spoke with US President Joe Biden again amid the ongoing war with Hamas, and thanked the leader for his "unequivocal" support to the nation.

Following their previous conversation which took place yesterday, Netanyahu expressed gratitude for his unwavering backing for Israel.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke again today with US President Joe Biden. The Prime Minister thanked the President for his powerful words of support, following their previous conversation yesterday, and for his unequivocal support for the State of Israel," Israel's Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Notably, it is the fourth time the two have spoken since Saturday's attack, The Times of Israel reported.

Meanwhile, during the conversation, Biden said, "At this moment, we have to be crystal clear: There is no justification for terrorism. No excuse. The type of terrorism exhibited here is just beyond the pale," he added in remarks at a separate White House event unrelated to Israel.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Netanyahu following a second briefing from their national security experts, according to a readout provided by the White House on the call, The Times of Israel reported.

"The leaders agreed to stay in regular contact in the face of an unprecedented and appalling assault by Hamas terrorists," according to the US readout.

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus on Wednesday said that 1200 Israelis were killed and more than 2,700 wounded and emphasised that the Israeli soldiers are ready to execute mission in Gaza.

"Four days after Hamas breached into Israel, attacked Israeli communities, murdered and massacred Israeli citizens and took dozens of Israeli hostages into Gaza. The death toll is staggering, a 1200 dead Israelis. The overwhelming majority of them civilians and more than 2700 wounded and sadly something tells me that these are not final numbers," he said.

The IDF spokesperson said that about 300000 soldiers had been deployed at the Gaza border and claimed that they would ensure that the Hamas will not have any military capabilities at the end of the war.

In a live video posted on X, Lieutenant Colonel Conricus added, "We have sent our inventory, armoured soldiers, our artillery cores and many other soldiers from the reserves. 300000 in numbers in different brigades and divisions and they are now close to the Gaza strip getting ready to execute the mission that the Israeli government and that is to make sure that Hamas at the end of the war won't have any military capabilities by which they can threaten or kill Israeli citizens."

As part of the ongoing counter-offensive against Hamas, dozens of Israeli Air Force fighters struck over 200 targets in the Al-Furqan neighbourhood.

In a post shared on X, IDF stated, "Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck over 200 targets in the Al-Furqan neighbourhood--a terrorist hotspot from which Hamas devises and executes their attacks. This is the 3rd counterstrike in the area during the last 24 hours, in which 450 targets were struck.