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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.

President Biden is hosting the Israeli president at the White House today,

where he reaffirmed his commitment to Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas and Gaza.

Mr. President, welcome back to the Oval Office in the White House.

You've been a friend for a long time, a personal friend,

and you know my commitment to Israel is ironclad,

and we share a deep friendship.

I want to thank you again for being here.

Biden is trying to speed up progress toward a ceasefire in Gaza before

President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. Israel has failed to meet a 30-day deadline

implemented by the Biden administration to provide a much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

NPR Scott Newman reports the White House had threatened to cut off weapon shipments to Israel if it didn't do more to address the imminent

threat of famine in Gaza. For the first time in more than a month, two truckloads of food and

water have managed to reach northern Gaza, an area that has been under intense bombardment

by Israel for weeks. But that falls far short of a U.S. demand outlined in an October letter,

with a 30-day deadline for Israel to begin allowing at least 350 truckloads of aid a day to reach Gaza.

In a scorecard published by aid groups such as Oxfam and

Mercy Corps, Israel gets a failing grade. These groups say there should be significant consequences for

Israel, including a suspension of arms shipments from the U.S. Israeli officials say they are

...