speaking in brussels earlier, us secretary of state antony blinken outlined what was expressed in that phone call. the president emphasised that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable. he made clear the need for israel to announce 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 as well that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilise and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians and he urged netanyahu to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home. in an effort to bring those hostages home, the director of the us central intelligence agency, bill burns, is expected to travel to cairo this weekend to meet with his egyptian and isr