US President Joe Biden on Sunday called for a “substantial and immediate” increase in the flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip after Israel expanded its military operations in response to Hamas attacks three weeks ago, AFP reported.

“The President emphasized the need for an immediate and significant increase in the flow of humanitarian aid to meet the needs of the civilian population in Gaza,” the White House said in a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He did the same in a separate phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, with the two leaders agreeing to “accelerate and increase the flow of aid to Gaza, starting today and continuously,” the same source said in a second statement.

Calls are growing to allow humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, who are under relentless shelling by the Israeli military, triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attack on its territory, the bloodiest in Israel’s history.

According to the White House, American and Egyptian leaders also stressed “the importance of protecting civilian life, respecting international humanitarian law, and ensuring that Palestinians from Gaza are not relocated to Egypt or any other country,” a major concern in the beginning of the war

In his address to Netanyahu, Joe Biden reiterated Israel’s right to “protect its citizens from terrorism,” while insisting on “the need to do so in a manner consistent with international law that protects civilians.”

Finally, the two leaders discussed ongoing efforts to “identify and secure the release of hostages” held by Hamas following the attack.

According to the authorities, the Palestinian Islamist movement is holding about 230 hostages, among whom may be American citizens.

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