US official confirms Biden, Netanyahu to speak on Gaza war, WCK strike Thursday

A US official confirms that President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to speak on Thursday amid growing White House frustration with Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza and in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike that killed seven aid workers, according to a US official

The official, who is familiar with planning for the call, was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity to discuss plans for the call. The statement comes as a top White House official says the administration has no plans to carry out its own investigation of what led to the strikes that killed workers — including an American citizen — associated with celebrity chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby tells reporters that the Biden administration continues to support Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. But Kirby says Israel must do more to prevent the killing and wounding of innocent civilians and aid workers as it carries out its operations in Gaza.

“As a modern military and a democracy, they have obligations to the innocent people of Gaza and they have not always have met those obligations,” Kirby says. “We are concerned about the methods too.”