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US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington wants Israel’s military to switch to a less intense phase of war in Gaza “in the near future”, the White House said on Thursday.
Sullivan is in Israel this week to discuss the timing of the country’s military offensive, efforts to get more humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip and planning for the aftermath of the war. He also visited Riyadh overnight to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
“[Jake] did talk about possible transitioning from what we would call high-intensity operations, which is what we’re seeing them do now, to lower intensity operations some time in the near future,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
The Financial Times first reported earlier this week that the US expected Israel to lower the intensity of its military offensive and be more precise in its raids targeting Hamas military commanders from as early as January. American officials have made clear to Israeli officials that they support their efforts to rout Hamas but want the full-blown fighting that has killed many civilians to end as soon as possible.
After initially concentrating heavy bombardment and a ground offensive on northern Gaza, Israel is now focused on finding senior Hamas leaders believed to be in Khan Younis, the largest urban centre in the enclave’s south.
Palestinian authorities say Israel’s air and ground operations have killed more than 18,000 people in Gaza since the war began on October 7, when Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel killed about 1,200 people.
Netanyahu recently claimed that the Israel Defense Forces had killed “about half of Hamas’s battalion commanders”. Some US officials have pointed to these statements as an example of how he is looking to the next phase of the war.
Sullivan’s trip to Israel comes as US President Joe Biden faces mounting domestic criticism — including from members of his own Democratic party — for the his staunch support of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, and calls for the US to rein in the Israeli military. Defence secretary Lloyd Austin is also due for talks in the Middle East this week.
Biden’s own frustration with the Israeli military effort spilled out into the open earlier this week when he said the US ally risked losing global support because of “the indiscriminate bombing that takes place” in Gaza.
Israel and the US are also at odds over who will secure the Gaza Strip in the medium and longer-term. While US officials acknowledge Israeli troops may remain in the enclave initially, they do not want to see Israel reoccupy Gaza.
Netanyahu and his government have, however, pledged to remain in the enclave indefinitely and have said they oppose proposals for the Palestinian Authority, which was pushed out of Gaza by Hamas in 2007, to be given control again.
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