President Biden said he believes that Israel’s military response in Gaza following Hamas’ attack on the Jewish state has been “over the top,” as he works to get much-needed humanitarian aid for Palestinians.

“I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in the Gaza strip has been over the top,” the President told reporters at a White House press conference Thursday night.

Biden said that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, whom he erroneously referred to as “the president of Mexico,” refused to open up its gate on the Gaza Strip’s southern border to allow aid in before he spoke with him.

“I talked to him. I convinced him to open the gate,” he said, adding that he’s also spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow aid in through the Israeli border as well.

“There are a lot of innocent people who are starving, a lot of innocent people who are in trouble and dying and it’s got to stop,” Biden said.

Nearly four months into the conflict, more than 27,800 Palestinians have been killed and more than 67,000 wounded as IDF forces relentlessly bombard the shut-in enclave, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

UN officials said that a quarter of Gaza’s residents are now starving and 85% of the population has been forced from their homes, with hundreds of thousands packed in makeshift tent camps.

War broke out in Gaza on Oct. 7 after Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 others.

Biden said he’s been working with Israel’s neighbors in the Middle East to broker a deal for a ceasefire in exchange for Hamas’ Israeli hostages.

“I’ve been on the phone with the Qataris, I’ve been on the phone with the Egyptians, I’ve been on the phone with the Saudis to get as much aid as we possibly can into Gaza.

“I think if we could get the initial delay I think we would be able to extend that so we can increase the prospect that this fighting in Gaza changes,” he said.

Biden said that just before Hamas attacked Israel, he had been in contact with Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations offering them arms commitments from the United States in exchange for recognizing Israel’s right to exist in the region.

“Coincidentally, that is the time frame when this broke out,” he said. I have no proof what I’m about to stay — but it’s not unreasonable to suspect that Hamas understood what was about to take place and wanted to break it up before it happened.”