American media reports revealed more details about the phone call that US President Joe Biden made with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, Thursday, in which he asked him to take concrete steps to reduce “harm to civilians” in Gaza.

On Friday, NBC quoted American officials as saying that Biden assured Netanyahu that Washington might make its aid to Israel conditional on its behavior in the war.

The officials added that Biden asked the Israeli Prime Minister to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza and expand the powers of the negotiating delegation in the prisoner exchange talks.

Regarding the reasons for this change in the American tone, the same sources told the network that the killing of the World Central Kitchen relief team in an Israeli raid in Gaza last Monday, and the appeal of Jill Biden, wife of the US President, to stop the war, and the movement of the Muslim community, are all things that led to a shift in Biden’s position.

American officials added that Biden told invitees at a meeting of American Muslims that his wife calls on him daily to stop the war in Gaza.

On the other hand, the Wall Street Journal quoted an informed source as saying that Biden asked Netanyahu to reach a settlement with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) regarding the return of displaced Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip, to ensure the progress of prisoner exchange and ceasefire negotiations.

The Hamas movement says that Netanyahu is still procrastinating and refuses to reach a specific agreement, stressing at the same time its adherence to the vision it presented last March 14 and its four demands: a comprehensive ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation army from the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced, and a real exchange of prisoners.

"Tough call"

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 the country. 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.

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

For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, “Look, I will just say this: If we do not see the changes we need to see, there will be changes in our policy.”

The United States is the largest supporter of Israel in its war on the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing for about 6 months, as it established an air and sea bridge to supply it with thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition.

Source: Al Jazeera + American press