Resolute Netanyahu responds to Biden's threat to withhold arms by saying Israel can "stand alone."

The breakdown in communication between the two sides coincides with the United States' efforts to press for a cease-fire in order to prevent a ground invasion of Rafah.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, boldly declared that his nation would "stand alone" in the event that its closest partner carried out threats to halt weaponry transfers in response to a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the haven for over a million Palestinians.

Speaking on Thursday, Netanyahu declared that Israel would "fight with our fingernails" to achieve its declared goal of destroying Hamas, with or without the support of the United States, which had been largely certain until recent months. This came after President Joe Biden's warning sparked anger and infighting among his senior figures.

Netanyahu mentioned his long-standing friendship with Biden in a different videotaped interview that was broadcast later on Thursday. He added, "We often had our agreements, but we've had our disagreements." We managed to get past them."

"We will take all necessary steps to save our nation, which entails safeguarding our future, even though I hope we can defeat them right now. That implies that we will vanquish Hamas, encompassing Rafah. There's nothing else we can do," he declared.

The breakdown in communication between the two sides coincides with the United States' efforts to press for a cease-fire in order to prevent a ground invasion of Rafah.

Delegations from Israel and Hamas departed Cairo without reaching an agreement to put an end to hostilities in the Gaza Strip and ensure the release of any remaining hostages detained there. The negotiations had deteriorated, a top Arab negotiator personally participating in the discussions informed NBC News. The negotiator declared, "It's a mess," adding that things had gotten worse when Israel entered Rafah. "Once we entered Rafah, everything fell apart," he remarked.

Regarding the success of CIA Director William Burns' shuttle diplomacy attempts, the insider responded, "It appears that he had a poor day with the Israelis."

Israeli forces have persisted in conducting ground operations in some portions of Rafah and bombarding other areas of the city without signs of a truce.

Following evacuation orders from Israeli soldiers earlier this week, more than 100,000 people have now left eastern Rafah, the UN reported on Friday.

Even before a full-scale Israeli invasion, aid organizations, medical professionals, and local officials have voiced growing concerns about the overcrowding in the packed southern city's hospitals and the critically low levels of food and fuel supplies.

Israel claims it has to invade Rafah in order to combat Hamas militants who are holed up there, yet the city is teeming with Palestinians seeking desperate shelter, many of whom were forced out of the enclave by violence elsewhere.

This, according to the White House, was the main point of Biden's message to Netanyahu. According to press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, "smashing into Rafah will not advance that objective," she told reporters on Thursday evening.

A crew from NBC News on the ground recorded footage of Israeli attacks that left many homes in ruins. The bodies of those slain, including children, were seen at the Kuwaiti specialized hospital in Rafah, covered in shrouds. In addition, medical professionals there warned of an increasing problem in treating injured patients due to a lack of supplies and equipment, particularly after an adjacent hospital in eastern Rafah was forced to close after receiving evacuation orders from Israel.

The World Food Programme issued a warning on Thursday, stating that "no aid" had been received via Egypt's southern Rafah gate in the past two full days.

"A single bakery remains operational. Food and fuel supplies in Gaza are only expected to last one to three days, according to a post on X by Matthew Hollingworth, the director of WFP for Palestinian areas. "Without them, our operations will go into standstill."

U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and coordinator of emergency relief, Martin Griffiths, issued a warning on Thursday, stating that supplies must be permitted to enter Gaza via the border.

After "seven months of horrors," he declared, "Civilians in Gaza are being starved and killed, and we are prevented from helping them."

Dozens of relief vehicles had entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border earlier that day, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which announced on Thursday that Israel was maintaining the crossing open "despite Hamas' constant rocket fire toward the area."

As of Thursday, "crossings are still closed and under the control" of Israeli forces, according to the Palestinian Crossings Authority.

Since Israel began its offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas' attacks on October 7, which saw about 1,200 people killed and about 250 others taken hostage in a major escalation of the decades-long conflict, more than 34,900 people have died in the Gaza Strip, according to local health officials.