United States President Joe Biden on Saturday spoke with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestine leader Mahmoud Abbas amid flaring violence between the foes. This comes on the back of an Israeli airstrike destroying a high-rise building in Gaza that hosted international media organisations. 

“I spoke on the phone with US President Joe Biden and updated him on developments and actions that Israel has taken and intends to take. I thanked him for his unreserved US support for our right to defend ourselves,” Netanyahu tweeted. 

Meanwhile, Biden held his first conversation with Abbas since taking office, which the Palestine leader’s spokesperson said was “important” without revealing more details. 

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The 13-storey building housed American agency Associated Press and the Qatar-based Al Jazeera among other media houses. Israeli defence officials said the building also hosted offices of Hamas militants, AFP reported. 

“Netanyahu stressed that Israel is doing everything to avoid harming those uninvolved,” AFP quoted a readout from the prime minister’s office as saying.

“The proof is that towers containing terror sites are cleared of uninvolved people prior to being attacked.”

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Israel and Palestine are locked in the worst violence in 14 years with Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killing 145 people, including 41 children, since Monday. In reply, Gaza-based Hamas militants have fired at least 2,300 rockets at Israel, killing 10 people.