President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Monday, their first interaction in more than a month, as the divide has grown between allies over food crisis in Gaza, conduct of war, according to the White House.

The call comes after Republicans in Washington and Israeli officials were quick to express outrage after Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer sharply criticised Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza and called for Israel to hold new elections. They accused the Democratic leader of breaking the unwritten rule against interfering in a close ally's electoral politics.

Biden has not endorsed Schumer's call for election but said he thought he gave a “good speech” that reflected the concerns of many Americans.

The White House has been sceptical of Netanyahu's plan of carrying out an operation in the southern city of Rafah, to which more than a 1 million displaced Palestinians have fled, as Israel looks to eliminate Hamas following Hamas' deadly October 7 attack.

Biden administration officials have warned that they would not support such an operation without the Israelis presenting a credible plan to ensure the safety of innocent Palestinian civilians.

Israel has yet to present such a plan, according to White House officials.

On Sunday, Netanyahu railed against US criticism, describing calls for a new election as “wholly inappropriate”.

Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel never would have called for a new US election after the September 11 attacks in 2001, and denounced Schumer's comments as inappropriate. “We're not a banana republic," he said.