In the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants, US President Joe Biden has declared his support for a ceasefire.

Biden said this in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday (local time), the White House said.

The President also spoke with Netanyahu about efforts by the United States, Egypt and other partners, to bring about such a ceasefire.

Netanyahu announced on Monday after a meeting of the security cabinet that the attacks in Gaza would continue.

"The directive reads: The strikes against terrorist targets will continue," he said.

It is a matter of "restoring peace and security to all Israeli citizens".

Biden also speaks to Abbas

Biden is facing increasing pressure to stand up for an end to the violence.

In the diplomatic communication from the White House, however, he fell short of calls for an immediate ceasefire, including from his own democratic party.

The US is Israel's most important ally.

The White House said that in the phone call with Netanyahu, Biden reiterated his support for Israel's right to self-defense.

At the same time, he had encouraged Israel "to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians".

It was Biden's third phone call with Netanyahu since the violence flared up.

For the first time since taking office almost four months ago, Biden also spoke to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Saturday.

Conflict goes into the second week

The conflict entered its second week with Israeli attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip and the shelling of Israeli cities by Palestinian militants.

According to its own statements, the Israeli army deliberately killed a high-ranking military commander of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip on Monday.

Hasem Abu Harbid, the head of the northern command of the militant organization, is said to have been responsible for several attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers as well as rocket attacks on Israel.

According to the army, further attacks were directed against five houses of high-ranking commanders of the Islamist Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

The residential complexes served as the "infrastructure of terror", it said.

They would have housed command and communication centers as well as weapons depots.

Another air strike destroyed the most important operations center of the internal security department of Hamas.

Corona test laboratory damaged in the Gaza Strip

The Ministry of Health in Gaza complained that a medical laboratory was badly damaged in one of the attacks in Rimal.

The health service in the Gaza Strip can therefore no longer carry out corona tests and vaccinations.

The pandemic situation is exacerbated by the fact that more than 40,000 people sought protection from the air raids in completely overcrowded civil defense bunkers.

Palestinian militants in the coastal area shelled the southern Israeli cities of Beersheva, Ashkelon and Ashdod.

Eight Israelis suffered minor injuries, said Magen David Adom ambulance service.