US President Joe Biden has said the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is not helpful for a ceasefire in Israel’s offensive in Gaza, Reuters reports.

“It doesn’t help,” Biden told reporters on Thursday, when asked if the action ruined the chances of a truce.

Biden said he had a direct conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier on Thursday.

He made the comments at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, where a plane carrying detainees released by Russia landed late on Thursday.