GEOFF BENNETT: Let's shift our focus# now back to the Israel-Hamas war and## the explicit warnings from President Biden and# U.S. officials to the Israeli government that## they are nearly out of patience with# how it's conducting the war in Gaza.

The administration said it's weighing# changing its policy toward Israel if## the Israeli military doesn't do more# to improve the humanitarian situation.

And Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware,# one of President Biden's closest allies in the## Senate, for the first time is signaling his# openness to that idea.

And he joins us now.

Thank you for being with us.

SEN. CHRIS COONS (D-DE): Thank you,# Geoff.

Great to be.. GEOFF BENNETT: So, you said yesterday: "We're at## that point of potentially placing# some conditions on aid to Israel."

What types of conditions or# restrictions do you support, and why?

SEN. CHRIS COONS: Geoff, let me be# clear about what I said yesterday.

In Rafah, in the very south of Gaza, there's more# than a million Palestinian refugees pressed up## against the border with Egypt.

They have nowhere# to go.

And they're there because the IDF has been## carrying out a monthslong campaign against Hamas# that began soon after the October 7 terrorist## attacks and has gradually worked its way down# Gaza from the north to the center to the south.

What I said was, if Israel ignores our pleas# for them to provide for these civilians,## these refugees, to get out of the# way of their military campaign,## and they go into Rafah at scale, bombing and# attacking with large-scale infantry units,## then I would consider conditioning aid to Israel,# the munitions that we provide for that combat,## because it would inevitably lead# to significant civilian casualties.

That may be different from what others# are saying or what others have raised,## but that's what I was trying to convey to# the Israeli leadership.

Don't go into Rafah## with a large-scale attack without providing for# humanitarian relief and for civilians to relocate.

GEOFF BENNETT: Understood.

Now, the U.S. provid.. as you well know, but also for defense and# deterrence.

What about this argument that## conditioning that aid would put Israel# at risk, especially in this environment,## when you have actors like Hezbollah, Iran, Iranian# proxies that would likely take advantage of that?

SEN. CHRIS COONS: I would not put any# limitations on the critical defensive## munitions, like the Iron Dome system that# we developed in partnership with Israel.

I recognize that Israel's greatest foe in the# region, Iran, is likely to be taking action## against Israeli interests in the coming# weeks because of their ongoing conflict,## and that Hezbollah, which is an# Iranian proxy in the south of Lebanon,## is continuing to launch rockets and# missiles into the north of Israel.

So, to be clear, I would support# ongoing military partnership between## the United States and Israel for Israel's defense.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, help us# understand President Biden's## thinking on this.

I know that# you're in close touch with him.

He has faced increased pressure to take# a harder line for months.

He has been## steadfast in his support of Israel.

But# he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin## Netanyahu yesterday that continued U.S.# support for the war in Gaza depends on## new steps to protect civilians.

Help# us understand his evolution this.

SEN. CHRIS COONS: Well, in my view,# President Biden is in no way abandoning## the Israeli people or the longstanding, the# decades-long, deep U.S.-Israel partnership.

But a number of us, myself included, have real# differences with Prime Minister Netanyahu's very## conservative government, with his ministers like# Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, who have been acting in## ways that have slowed the delivery or blocked# the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

So I was encouraged to hear that, after# yesterday's conversation between Prime## Minister Netanyahu and President Biden, the# Netanyahu government has now agreed to open## the Erez Gate in the far north of Gaza,# where the hunger is at its most acute,## the Port of Ashdod to allow for greater# deliveries of humanitarian aid into Gaza,## and the route by which Jordan# is delivering aid into Gaza.

That's a small, but important step that shows# a willingness to change direction.

I also was## encouraged that the IDF has now released the# results of its review of the attack on the World## Central Kitchen workers that led to the tragic# death of seven.

The IDF has disciplined several## senior leaders and has made it clear that this# was in violation of their policies and practices.

There's more that needs to be done# and there's more that needs to change,## but that's an encouraging step forward.

And that# shows how President Biden's engagement with this## far right government of Prime Minister# Netanyahu has had some positive impact.

GEOFF BENNETT: On that point, why has the killing# of those seven World Central Kitchen aid workers,## why has that shifted the debate and shifted the# calculus of this White House and top Democrats## like yourself in a way that the killing of tens# of thousands of Palestinians apparently had not?

SEN. CHRIS COONS: Well, frankly, this# has been steadily building over months.

When I was last in the region and last in# Israel, the head of the World Food Program,## Cindy McCain, raised with me the fact that there# had been dozens and dozens of aid workers killed,## overwhelmingly Palestinians.

And I# raised that issue directly with Prime## Minister Netanyahu.

This is now back in February.

I pressed him to address the deconfliction issue.# And he said that he would.

I think that the World## Central Kitchen issue has brought it into sharper# focus because chef Jose Andres is well-known,## well-regarded, and World Central Kitchen has# delivered critical hunger and humanitarian relief## in so many other places around the world,# from Ukraine to California to Puerto Rico.

So it has helped sharpen this# issue.

But, frankly, Geoff,## this has been building for months, the# concern that many of us have about there## being far too many civilian casualties in# Gaza over what is now a six-month conflict.

GEOFF BENNETT: That is Democratic# Senator Chris Coons of Delaware.

Thanks for your time this# evening, sir.

We appreciate it.

SEN. CHRIS COONS: Thank you, Geoff.