In Washington, the White House has said more could be done by Israel to reduce civilian casualties and the US shared international concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Reuters reports.

“We certainly all recognise more can be done to try to reduce civilian casualties,” White House national security council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sharpened Washington’s language, saying it was imperative that Israel took steps to safeguard Gaza’s civilian population.

“And there does remain a gap between…the intent to protect civilians and the actual results that we’re seeing on the ground,” he told a press conference.