Biden says 2-state solution between Israel, Palestine 'ultimate answer'

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that a two-state solution is the "ultimate answer."

"Look, I made it clear to the Israelis, to Bibi (Netanyahu) and to his war cabinet that I think the only ultimate answer here is a two-state solution. That's real," Biden said at a news conference after meeting for the first time in a year with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in San Francisco, California.

He said he does not know how long the conflict in Gaza will last.

"When is this (Israeli operation) going to stop? I think it is going to stop when Hamas no longer maintains the capacity to murder and abuse and just do horrific things to the Israelis," he said.

The president also said he is doing everything in his power to get hostages out of Gaza while stressing that it does not mean sending US troops there.

As the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip entered its 40th day, Biden has been unwavering in his support for Israel.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The government media office in Gaza on Wednesday announced that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 has risen to 11,500, including 4,710 children and 3,160 women.

“The number of deaths among medical personnel has reached 200,” the office said in a statement on Telegram.

It further said that 22 civil defense personnel and 51 journalists have also been killed, while the number of injured people has reached 29,800, with about 70% of them women and children.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.