“I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden told Univision in an interview.

Biden called an Israeli drone strike that killed several aid workers from World Central Kitchen who were distributing food in Gaza “outrageous”. That strike prompted a phone call between the two leaders, in which Biden warned the U.S. would reconsider its policy toward the war in Gaza if Israel did not do more to protect civilians.

“So what I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a cease-fire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country,” Biden told Univision.

“There’s no excuse to not provide for the medical and the food needs of those people. It should be done now.”

Tensions between Biden and Netanyahu have been simmering for months as the president faces a growing outcry from activists and some Democratic lawmakers over the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. Thousands of voters in Democratic primaries have cast ballots for “uncommitted” or a protest vote in response to Biden’s handling of the war.

Biden has argued the Israelis have a right to defend themselves from Hamas while simultaneously pushing for Netanyahu to do more to protect civilians. In an interview last month with MSNBC, Biden stated Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping” in his handling of the conflict.

But the situation reached a tipping point last week, following the strike that killed the World Central Kitchen aid workers. Israel took responsibility for the incident and called it a mistake.

The White House said after the call between Biden and Netanyahu that Israel needed to implement “a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers”, and that “U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps”.

Israel has since opened additional crossings to allow aid into Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have been without access to adequate food, water and medicine.

Austin, speaking during a Senate Armed Services hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, denied that Israel is committing a genocide after protesters interrupted the committee and called for the U.S. to stop funding the war, which they referred to as a genocide.

“We don’t have any evidence of genocide,” Austin said after a question from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) to respond to the protesters.

Austin also avoided referring to the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel as a genocide after questioning from Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), ranking member on the committee.

“It certainly is a war crime,” Austin said of the Oct. 7 attacks after Wicker repeatedly pressed him on referring to it as a genocide.

Hamas killed more than 1,100 people in the attack and took 250 hostages. About 100 hostages are believed to still be alive in Gaza and held by Hamas.

Israel has killed over 33,000 Palestinians in its response, while triggering fears of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza as people fled to the southern part of the territory.

South Africa in late 2023 filed a case at the United Nations top court, the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of carrying out a genocide in Gaza. The case is expected to take years to be resolved.

The ICJ has never officially ruled a nation has carried out a genocide before. To declare a genocide, it would have to meet certain definitions under the Genocide Convention.

The Joe Biden administration has come under increasing pressure from the left to back a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and to withhold arms to Israel. The president has accused Israel’s government of going over the top with its response while urging it to do more to protect civilians, but he has held off on demanding a permanent cease-fire.

Austin at the hearing stated the U.S. is committed to defending Israel in the wake of the Hamas attacks.

“I would remind everybody that what happened on Oct. 7 was absolutely horrible,” he continued, adding, “Numbers of Israeli citizens killed, and then a couple hundred Israeli citizens taken hostage American citizens as well as American citizens.”

Austin also said Israel must do more to protect civilians.

“Far too many civilians have been killed as a result of combat operations,” he stated, adding, “They need to get civilians out of that battle space.”

An Ipsos-Axios poll, published Tuesday, asked 1,000 Latino and Hispanic Americans about their views on the Israel-Hamas war, which has raged on for more than six months since the group launched a surprise attack on southern Israel that killed more than 1,100 people.

The group was split over the extent of U.S. involvement in the conflict. Pollsters found that 40 percent support a U.S. push for an immediate cease-fire, while 39 percent said the U.S. should not be involved. About 16 percent said the U.S. should continue to support Israel with arms and funds.

The president is facing increasing pressure from both lawmakers and voters over the worsening conditions in Gaza, where more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed since early October.

The pressure ramped up last week after an Israeli airstrike killed six aid workers with the World Central Kitchen and their Palestinian air driver. The group was delivering aid to a warehouse in central Gaza when the strike hit at night.

Biden issued his sharped criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in the wake of the attack, telling him in a phone call that U.S. policy on the war could change should Israel not take the “immediate” steps to prevent a worsening humanitarian situation.

It marked a notable shift from the president and follows a series of findings that showed most Americans disapproved Biden’s handling of the conflict.

The poll found Biden’s favorability among Latinos, a key voter group for the incumbent, has fallen by 6 points since the summer. Biden’s main 2024 rival, former President Trump, saw a rise in support by 3 points.

The findings come as President Biden works to reach and secure voters of color ahead of the November election. Last month, Biden’s reelection campaign dropped a Latino-focused ad targeting Trump for his controversial comments about immigrants in which he claimed immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of America.

The Axios/Ipsos poll was conducted with Noticias Telemundo from March 22-24, with a sample of 1,012 Latino/Hispanic adults. The margin of error is 3.6 percentage points.