President Biden on Thursday urged Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu toward a cease-fire deal that would release the remaining hostages in Gaza while suggesting that U.S. policy on the war will depend on Israel’s ability to better protect civilians and humanitarian workers after a deadly attack that killed a contingent of international aid workers this week.
Biden spoke with Netanyahu days after an Israeli strike killed several humanitarian aid workers with World Central Kitchen, a charity group that was distributing food to Palestinians in Gaza. The president told Netanyahu the incident was “unacceptable.”
“He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers,” the White House said in a readout of the call. “He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.”