Kamala Harris
Kamala HarrisREUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

US Vice President Kamala Harris told Spectrum News on Thursday that the conversation between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day was "candid and frank."

"I was on that call," Harris said, adding, "It was a candid and frank conversation. We have made clear, and the President has made clear, of course, that we will support and make sure that Israel is never left without an ability to defend itself."

"At the same time," she warned, "if there are not changes to their approach, it is very likely we're going to change our approach."

The White House said in a readout following Thursday’s call that 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. He made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.”

"He underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize 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 two leaders also discussed public Iranian threats against Israel and the Israeli people. President Biden made clear that the United States strongly supports Israel in the face of those threats," the White House statement concluded.

Two US officials who spoke to NBC News following the conversation said that Biden warned Netanyahu that the US could condition military aid to Israel on what it does to address humanitarian concerns in Gaza and get to a ceasefire as soon as possible.

“That was the message,” one of the officials said.

The two US officials said Biden told Netanyahu to begin letting more trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza immediately and to be less stringent about what materials are on them.