The Latest | Biden and Netanyahu speak by phone after Israel kills aid workers in Gaza

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone Thursday, the White House said, with Biden saying future U.S. support for its war in Gaza depends on Israel taking new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

Their conversation came days after Israeli airstrikes killed seven charity workers helping deliver food in Gaza. The killings, which Israel says were in error, have further complicated the two leaders’ increasingly strained relationship.

Still, despite their differences, the Biden administration has continued to provide Israel crucial military aid and diplomatic support for Israel’s six-month war against Hamas.

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The Palestinian death toll soared above 33,000 people on Thursday, with another 75,600 wounded, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.

The United Nations says much of the population in northern Gaza is on the brink of