Biden speaks at an event near the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. (Cheney Orr/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"The president doesn’t want to see operations in Rafah that put at greater risk the more than a million people that are seeking refuge there," said White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
Earlier in the day, Israel’s Defense Forces ordered an evacuation of Rafah, signaling that a long-promised ground operation could be imminent.
The Israeli army has described Rafah as the last significant Hamas stronghold after seven months of war, and its leaders have repeatedly said clearing Rafah is necessary to defeat the Islamic militant group.
ISRAELI TROOPS GAIN OPERATIONAL CONTROL OF GAZAN SIDE OF RAFAH CROSSING, IDF SAYS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas. (ABIR SULTAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The war in Gaza has driven around 80% of the territory's population of 2.3 million from their homes and caused vast destruction throughout several cities.
The death toll in Gaza has soared to more than 34,500 people — per estimates from Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250 others. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
Fox News Digital's Lawrence Richard and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Timothy Nerozzi is a writer for Fox News Digital. You can follow him on Twitter @timothynerozzi and can email him at timothy.nerozzi@fox.com
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