US President Barack Obama has expressed his concern to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the escalation of hostilities in the region.
During the phone conversation, Obama also said that the United States was ready to help bring the fighting to an end, including a return to the November 2012 ceasefire agreement. Obama reiterated that the US condemned the rocket fire into Israel by Hamas and reaffirmed Israel’s right to defend itself against the attacks.
Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to his Egyptian counterpart in an attempt to get Egypt to use its influence to calm the situation. The US government refuses to negotiate directly with Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organization. Egypt played a crucial role in mediating an Israel-Hamas ceasefire in 2012.