Israel says it has approved the opening of two humanitarian routes into Gaza to allow more aid into the territory, after coming under intense international pressure.
The Erez Gate in northern Gaza will be temporarily re-opened for the first time since the start of the war and Ashdod Port will also be opened for humanitarian deliveries, a statement from the prime minister’s office said on Friday.
More aid from Jordan will be allowed to enter via the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
The move comes after US president Joe Biden demanded Israel addresses humanitarian concerns in a call with Benyamin Netanyahu following an Israeli strike which killed seven aid workers.
The White House has published an official record of the call between the president and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu which revealed the US wants civilians to be given greater protection in the Gaza conflict.
The call follows the death of seven World Central kitchen (WCK) workers including three Britons after they were hit by Israeli drones. Israel said the attack was a mistake and that the workers were not targeted.
It shows Biden’s main concern was the unfolding humanitarian crisis "emphasising that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable".
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".
The readout adds that Biden told his Israeli counterpart, the US's policy "with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps".
He said that an immediate ceasefire "is essential to stabilise and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians".
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaking at the White House after the call said the US, will be looking for concrete steps that Israel has made to help civilians.
He added the US hopes to see a "dramatic increase" in humanitarian aid getting into Gaza and an overall reduction in violence against civilians and aid workers.
Kirby says the US wants to see that the Israelis are "willing and able to take practical, immediate steps to protect aid workers and demonstrate that they had that they had civilian harm mitigation in place".
Asked by a reporter if President Biden has become frustrated that messages to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu don't seem to be getting through, says "yes".
"There's been growing frustration," he added.
President Biden previously said he was "outraged and heartbroken" at Israel's killing of the World Central Kitchen employees.
He added that distributing aid in Gaza is "so difficult", he said because Israel had "not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians".
Earlier this week Israel said the attack on aid workers was a "grave mistake" and promised an independent investigation.
John Chapman, 57, James Kirby, 47, and James Henderson, 33, were the Britons killed in the Israeli attack.
Also killed were American-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger, 33, Australian national Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom, 43, who was the leader of the relief team, Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25.
Following the incident, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu that far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the Prime Minister was appalled to hear the aid workers were killed in an air strike on Monday and demanded a “thorough and transparent independent investigation into what happened”.
Netanyahu earlier admitted Israel had carried out the “unintentional” strike on the aid workers.
Speaking in Hebrew in a video message, he said: "Unfortunately, in the last 24 hours there was a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip.
"It happens in war, we check it to the end, we are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again."
WCK said the group was helping to distribute a new shipload of food to northern Gaza when their convoy was hit.
