Israel-Hamas war: Netanyahu claims Jerusalem's actions in Gaza widely supported in US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday (Feb 27) said that he has been resisting the efforts to end the war in Gaza at a 'premature' stage consistently.

The prime minister claimed that this stand of Israel has received popular support in the United States that will help "continue the campaign until total victory" over Hamas is achieved.

Netanyahu, in his statement, which was seen as a response to remarks made by United States President Joe Biden, said that as per a poll, 82 per cent of Americans have been supporting Israel over Hamas. He added that the popular support Israel enjoys in the United States will help it fight "until total victory".

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President Biden had claimed that the hard-right government of Israel is losing international backing for its actions in war-torn Gaza.

US presses hard for "ceasefire deal"

US officials said that they are working out a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

PM Netanyahu, in his statement, said that since the war started, he has led a campaign "countering international pressure to end the war ahead of time and mobilise support for Israel."

"We have significant successes in this area," said Netanyahu, as he cited a recent Harvard-Harris poll which showed that almost 82 per cent of Americans have been supporting Israel.

"This gives us more strength to continue the campaign until complete victory," he said.

Biden on Monday (Feb 26) said that the US was hopeful of finalising a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza "by next Monday."

Watch:Israel War: US eyes Israel-Hamas ceasefire by next week

The US president further said Israel could "lose support from around the world" if it "keeps up with this incredibly conservative government they have".

Meanwhile, White House and State Department officials on Tuesday (Feb 27) said that the negotiations over a temporary ceasefire are taking place but denied providing any details regarding the potential timelines.

White House's National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said that "significant progress" was made towards a deal last week to let hostagesleave Gaza and facilitate bringing in humanitarian assistance.

"We're building on that progress this week and the president and his team remain engaged around the clock with multiple partners in the region," Kirby said.

"But as the president said just in the last 24 hours or so there's no deal as of yet. And there's a lot more work to do," he added.

Kirby said that the ceasefire would "hopefully" allow for a six-week pause, which will be much longer than previous pauses in the fight.

"Maybe that could lead to something more in terms of a better approach to end the conflict," he stated.

(With inputs from agencies)