US president Joe Biden has said prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach on Gaza was a “mistake” and urged Israel to call for a ceasefire, in an interview that aired on Tuesday, writes The Guardian.

Biden’s comments were some of his strongest criticism yet of Netanyahu amid growing tensions over the civilian death toll from Israel’s war on Hamas and dire conditions inside Gaza.

“I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden told Univision, a US Spanish-language TV network, when asked about Netanyahu’s handling of the war.

Biden reiterated that an Israeli drone attack last week that killed seven aid workers from a US-based charity in Gaza – and sparked a tense phone call with Netanyahu – was “outrageous”.

“What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country,” said Biden.

The president’s remarks on a ceasefire marked a shift from his previous comments, in which he has said the burden lay with Hamas to agree to a truce and hostage release deal.

Biden also stepped up pressure on Israel to let more aid into devastated Gaza, saying he had spoken to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, and they were “prepared to move this food in”.

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