The White House said that Biden adopted a tough tone during his call with Netanyahu (European)

US President Joe Biden informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that Washington's continued support for the war on the Gaza Strip depends on Israeli measures to protect civilians, and urged him to reach a ceasefire agreement with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) "without delay."

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said - citing political sources - that the phone call held by the two parties was “more difficult than expected,” while the White House said that the tough tone adopted by Biden during the call reflects “growing frustration” with Tel Aviv’s failure to respond to demands to protect civilians. .

Biden also called on Netanyahu - during the call - to “announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, human suffering, and the safety of aid workers,” according to a White House statement.

Immediate action

The statement added that Biden "made clear that US policy regarding Gaza will be determined by our assessment of the immediate action that Israel will take regarding these steps."

The US President said that the raids on relief workers, as well as the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the United Nations is warning of famine, are "unacceptable."

The statement said that Biden "stressed that an immediate ceasefire is necessary to achieve stability, improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and urged the Prime Minister to enable his negotiators to reach an agreement without delay to return the hostages."

The two sides also discussed Iran's overt threats against Israel, with the US President clarifying that "the United States strongly supports Israel in confronting these threats."

Rafah and the future of Gaza

Sources revealed to Al Jazeera that Biden refused to talk about any details related to a possible Israeli operation in Rafah in his call with Netanyahu.

The sources indicated that the changes that Biden requested from Netanyahu include increasing the entry of aid, expanding the powers of the negotiating team, and halting any Israeli arrangements that include a future Israeli presence in Gaza.

She added that Biden clearly told Netanyahu that the world had turned against Israel, and that allies close to Washington had informed her of a shift in their policy towards it.

Biden also informed the Israeli Prime Minister that he would temporarily suspend deliberations on a future arms deal for Israel in Congress until a change in Israel's strategy is sought.

Regarding the targeting and killing of members of the World Central Restaurant relief team in Gaza, Biden asked Netanyahu - according to the same sources - for a detailed report on the incident and called on him to immediately begin investigation procedures into the incident that include comprehensive accountability.

He also said that he would send the US National Security Advisor to Israel during his imminent visit to the region in order to follow up on concrete steps regarding changing Israel's policy in Gaza.

The White House comments

Following the meeting, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters that if Israel does not change its approach in the Gaza war, the United States will change its policy toward Israel.

He added, "What we look forward to seeing and hope to see here in the coming hours and days is a massive increase in humanitarian access, the opening of additional crossings, and a reduction in violence against civilians and aid workers."

It is noteworthy that the United States supports a ceasefire in Gaza as part of an exchange deal that it hopes will ultimately lead to a long-term settlement.

Over the course of months, Biden expressed increasing frustration with Netanyahu's decisions, but he also strongly defended Israel's right to respond to Hamas after the Al-Aqsa flood attack on October 7th.

Despite the pressure exerted by the left wing of the Democratic Party to which Biden belongs, the US administration continues to provide military supplies to Israel despite its repeated criticism of the way Tel Aviv is fighting the war.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies