The dispute over the Gaza war between Biden and Netanyahu is flaring up

A day after President Biden claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu dismissed that claim as “wrong,” escalating the increasingly public dispute between the leaders.

In an interview with Politico scheduled to air Sunday evening, Mr. Netanyahu disputed Mr. Biden’s assessment of Israel’s military strategy in the Gaza Strip, saying his policies represented the “overwhelming majority” of Israelis.

“I don’t know exactly what the president meant, but if he meant that I am pursuing private policies against the majority, the wishes of the majority of Israelis, and that this is detrimental to Israel’s interests, then he is wrong. on both counts,” Mr. Netanyahu told Politico. A excerpt from the interview was released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Israeli leader was responding to comments Mr Biden made on Saturday in a interview with MSNBC that would also be broadcast on Sunday evening. Mr Biden reprimanded Mr Netanyahu over the rising number of civilian casualties in Gaza, while reaffirming US support for Israel.

“He has the right to defend Israel, the right to continue to pursue Hamas, but he must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives that are being lost as a result of the actions taken,” Mr. Biden said.

“In my opinion, he is hurting Israel more than he is helping Israel,” Mr. Biden said, appearing to refer to Mr. Netanyahu’s military strategy. “It goes against what Israel stands for, and I think it’s a big mistake. That is why I want to see a ceasefire.”

The sparring comes amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with the United Nations and aid agencies warning of a looming famine in the besieged enclave of 2.2 million people. Health officials in Gaza reported that at least 25 people, most of them children, had died in recent days from malnutrition and dehydration.

Sunday is the according to the US military that an army ship, the General Frank S. Besson, had departed a day earlier from a base near Norfolk, Virginia, carrying equipment to build a floating pier off the coast of Gaza to allow aid deliveries. “Besson, a logistics support ship, is transporting initial equipment to build a temporary pier to deliver essential humanitarian supplies,” the military said.

But the Pentagon has said the project could take weeks to complete.

Nearly 60,000 pregnant women in the enclave are malnourished, dehydrated and lack proper health care, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which has said that around 5,000 women give birth monthly in “harsh, unsafe and unhealthy conditions due to bombings and displacement.” .”

The Biden administration’s plan for a pier and causeway, announced last week, could eventually help deliver as many as two million meals a day to Gazans.

Some humanitarian officials have criticized the approach, saying delivering aid by truck is much more efficient. US officials acknowledge that sea deliveries – as well as air drops – are not as effective as land deliveries, but Israel has sharply restricted aid access to Gaza.

The Pentagon has said that one of the key military units involved in the construction of the floating pier will be the Army’s Seventh Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), and that approximately 1,000 U.S. service members will work to complete the pier.

The Israeli army will help coordinate the installation of the pier, Israeli army spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said. said Saturday. Shipments will be inspected by Israeli forces before being handed over to the aid groups that will distribute the supplies, he said.

The beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan usually brings a time of religious devotion, fasting from dawn to dusk, family gatherings and nightly celebrations. But in Gaza, now in its sixth month of war, all that still seems far away. The Israeli attack, which has killed an estimated 31,000 Palestinians according to Gaza’s health ministry, began in October after a Hamas attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people.

In a more peaceful time, the streets of Gaza’s cities would be full of families buying Ramadan decorations and supplies – colorful lamps, food and sweets – and preparing for days of fasting, evenings of eating with family and nights of praying in a mosque.

“I remember the month’s festivities walking through the market streets, with songs and praises everywhere,” said Ahmad Shbat, a 24-year-old street vendor. “Everything was available and the mosques played a crucial role.”

Muslims can be exempt from fasting for many reasons, and some in Gaza have said the hardships of war will make it difficult to fast for days. Others say that with famine looming, most will only eat one meal a day anyway, and the fast will be no different from the hunger they have endured for months.

People are so hungry that some are resorted to food leaves and fodder. Many in Gaza live on little more than a native wild plant known as Egyptian mallow, which is commonly eaten by Palestinians.

Mr Shbat, who was driven from his home and now lives in a school in Jabaliya, northern Gaza, said that this year’s Ramadan “will not be pleasant, especially because we will be away from our homes and loved ones. ”

“Despite being the month of blessings, this year is particularly challenging,” he said. “The war is still raging and there is no point in this month without sitting around the table with the family.”

Reporting was contributed by Gabby Sobelman, Hiba Yazbek, Ameera Harouda, Cassandra Vinograd, Helene Kuiper, Gaya Gupta And Aaron Bokserman.