Time’s up, Mr Netanyahu – the war in Gaza cannot go on like this

Editorial: Some 28,000 civilians are dead, with children being maimed and orphaned in the most harrowing of circumstances. Any renewed Israeli offensive – including an assault on Rafah – would only weaken the prime minister’s defence against charges of genocide

Benjamin Netanyahu’s obdurate determination to redraw the Middle East will push the normalisation of relations with its neighbours further away (AP)

According to NBC News, the president of the United States is running out of patience with the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. Citing no fewer than “five people directly familiar with his comments”, Joe Biden is said to have called his counterpart an “a**hole”.

It is entirely believable, given the president’s salty way with words, and understandable, given Mr Netanyahu’s refusal to listen to Israel’s most loyal and powerful allies. Mr Biden has reportedly had enough of his “inability to persuade Israel to change its military tactics in Gaza”. He is not alone.

The question now is: what can the world do to make Mr Netanyahu think again, and to do so before a certainly horrific assault on Rafah? When it comes, it promises to be even more devastating than the levelling of Gaza City. Perhaps it will prove the most deadly of all the many tragedies in this merciless conflict.