Biden urges Israel to 'be more careful' to save civilian lives

U.S. President Joe Biden urged Israel on Thursday to take greater care to protect civilians in Gaza amid reports that Washington wants the Israeli army to scale back its ground war in the enclave.

"I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives. Not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful," Biden said in response to a question on whether he wants Israel to phase down the war.

The White House sent mixed messages on Thursday about the timeline for Israel's ongoing war in Gaza, just hours after a senior Israeli minister said the war is likely to last for several more months.

"We're not dictating terms to the Israelis about how long it has to take. It has to take as long as they feel they need to take to be able to eliminate this threat," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at the White House.

Biden said Tuesday that Israel is starting to lose support around the world with the "indiscriminate bombing that takes place."