Washington DC - President Joe Biden is facing heightened criticism after he seemingly mocked an Israeli journalist for asking about the possibility of rescuing hostages in Gaza.

On Tuesday, President Biden held a public meeting in the Oval Office with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Before kicking things off, Biden took questions from journalists and Israeli reporter Neria Kraus asked if Biden believed he "can get a hostage deal by the end of your term?"

Biden seemingly mocked Kraus, bizarrely joking, "Do you think you can keep from getting hit in the head by a camera behind you?"

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His response garnered much criticism on social media, with some calling it "disgraceful."

Journalist Yashar Ali said the comments were "unhelpful" as "hostage families are on edge," and said Biden's rhetoric has "gone from sort of funny to dementia adjacent."

In a follow-up post, Kraus shared that what "truly concerns" her about Biden's response is that he "was not able to give me a clear answer about this very critical question."

During their meeting, Herzog stressed, "we have to get the hostages back home."

"In Gaza, we have 101 hostages," Herzog stated. "Over 400 days, I know, Mr. President, that you are day-in, day-out, actively seeking their safe return home as they are going through hell in the dungeons of Gaza."