Biden urges immediate Gaza ceasefire in call with Netanyahu

President Joe Biden demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, the White House announced.

Biden "underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilise and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged the prime minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home," the statement said.

This call comes in the wake of the deaths of seven aid workers in Gaza, which sparked widespread international condemnation of Israel's actions in the war in Gaza.

Biden urged Netanyahu to "announce and implement a series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers", a White House statement said.

Biden "made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps", it said.

According to the White House, Biden also told Netanyahu that the strikes on humanitarian workers as well as the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of famine, "are unacceptable".