Biden will host Muslim leaders at White House for working meeting on Gaza, scaled-down Iftar dinner

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is hosting a small group of Muslim American community leaders at the White House for a meeting on Tuesday followed by a scaled-down Iftar dinner, as he seeks to relieve tensions over his administration's staunch support for Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

The White House did not immediately name the community members who would join the meeting.

For the past two years, Biden has held large receptions to mark Ramadan and Eid at the White House, but those plans were shelved this year amid the war, which has seen more than 30,000 people killed in Gaza, the majority estimated to be civilians. More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, and about 250 Israeli troops have died in fighting since then.