WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Joe Biden issued a stark warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future U.S. support for Israel's Gaza war depends on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.
and 's roughly 30-minute call just days after Israeli airstrikes killed seven food aid workers in Gaza added a new layer of complication to the leaders鈥� increasingly strained relationship. Biden鈥檚 message marks a sharp change in his administration鈥檚 steadfast support for Israel's war efforts, with the U.S. leader for the first time threatening to rethink his backing if Israel doesn鈥檛 change its tactics and allow much more humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The White House would not specify what could change about U.S. policy, but it could include altering military sales to Israel and America's diplomatic backup on the world stage. Administration officials said they expected the Israelis to make announcements on next steps within hours or days and that the U.S. would then assess whether the Israeli moves go far enough.
Biden "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,鈥� the White House said in a statement following the leaders' call. 鈥淗e made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel鈥檚 immediate action on these steps.鈥�
Biden also told Netanyahu that an 鈥渋mmediate cease-fire is essential鈥� and urged Israel to reach such an accord "without delay," according to the White House.
The leaders' conversation comes as the , founded by restauranteur Jos茅 Andr茅s to provide immediate food relief to disaster-stricken areas, called for an independent investigation into the Israeli strikes that killed the group鈥檚 staff members, including an American citizen.
The White House has said the U.S. has no plans to conduct its own investigation even as it called on Israel to do more to prevent the harming of innocent civilians and aid workers as it carries out its operations in Gaza.
Separately, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Brussels that U.S. support would be curtailed if Israel doesn鈥檛 make significant adjustments to how it's carrying out the war. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 see the changes that we need to see, there will be changes in our policy,鈥� he said.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby echoed the call for 鈥渢angible鈥� and 鈥渃oncrete鈥� changes to be taken by the Israelis beyond reiterating long stated calls for allowing additional aid to get into Gaza.
鈥淚f there鈥檚 no changes to their policy in their approaches, then there鈥檚 going to have to be changes to ours,鈥� Kirby said. 鈥淭here are things that need to be done. There are too many civilians being killed.鈥�
The demands for Israel to bring the conflict to a swift close were increasing across the political spectrum, with former President Donald Trump, the Republicans鈥� presumptive nominee to face Biden this fall, saying Thursday that Israel was 鈥渁bsolutely losing the PR war鈥� and calling for a resolution to the bloodshed.
鈥淕et it over with and let鈥檚 get back to peace and stop killing people. And that鈥檚 a very simple statement,鈥� Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. 鈥淭hey have to get it done. Get it over with and get it over with fast because we have to -- you have to get back to normalcy and peace.鈥�
Biden also renewed his concerns about Netanyahu鈥檚 plan to carry out an operation in the southern city of Rafah, where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, as Israel looks to eliminate Hamas following the militant group鈥檚 . Vice President Kamala Harris also joined the call.
Still, the Biden administration has proceeded apace with arms transfers and deliveries to Israel, many of which were approved years ago but had only been partially or not at all fulfilled. Just this week, on Monday, the Democratic administration鈥檚 鈥淒aily List鈥� of munitions transfers included the sale to Israel of more than 1,000 500-pound (225-kilograms) bombs and more than 1,000 1,000-pound (450-kilogram) bombs.
Officials said those transfers had been approved before the publication of the list on Monday 鈥� the day Israeli airstrikes hit a World Central Kitchen aid convoy in Gaza, killing seven of the group鈥檚 employees 鈥� and that they fell below the threshold for new congressional notification. Also, they noted that the bombs are not for delivery to Israel until 2025.
Israel has acknowledged responsibility for the strikes but said the convoy was not targeted and the workers鈥� deaths were not intentional. The country continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killings.
Andr茅s harshly criticized the Israeli military for the strike, and his organization has paused its work in Gaza.
鈥淭he Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon,鈥� he wrote on X. 鈥淣o more innocent lives lost.鈥�
The war in Gaza began when , killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage.
The in Gaza, experts say, is among the deadliest and most destructive in recent history. Within two months, researchers say, the offensive already has wreaked more destruction than between 2012 and 2016, or, proportionally, the Allied bombing of Germany in World War II. It has killed more civilians than the U.S.-led coalition did in its three-year campaign against group.
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AP writers Matthew Lee in Brussels, Jill Colvin in New York and Colleen Long and Chris Megerian contributed.
Aamer Madhani And Zeke Miller, The Associated Press
