Joe Biden has added his voice to growing international calls for Israel to drop plans for an all-out military assault on the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, after a ferocious hostage rescue operation that killed dozens of Palestinians.

Speaking after talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah at the White House on Monday, the US president said: “A major military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible plan for ensuring the safety and support of more than one million people sheltering there.

“Many people there have been displaced multiple times fleeing the violence to the north and now they are packed into Rafah, exposed and vulnerable. They need to be protected,” he said.

Biden said that the US had been working “day and night” on efforts to agree a six-week pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas as a stepping stone to a longer ceasefire. He said that “key elements of the deal are on the table” although gaps remained.

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