Two days after the US president adjusted his support for Israel, criticizing the far-right government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and the response to Hamas with “indiscriminate” bombings that lost international support, the US national security adviser had a meeting with Israeli leaders in Tel. Aviv. According to the The New York TimesJake Sullivan advised the War Cabinet to change tactics in the coming weeks. However, Israel’s message remains unchanged, except that the war is now expected to last “several months.”
It was already known that Sullivan would pressure Tel Aviv to change course. Ahead of the trip, the national security adviser revealed he would discuss a timetable to end the war and urge Israeli leaders to “move to another phase of the type of high-intensity operations,” statements made at an event in the Israeli parliament. Wall Street Journal. The details were missing. According to the NYTFour senior officials said Washington wants Israel to stop bombing within three weeks. “The new phase the Americans envision would see smaller groups of elite forces moving in and out of Gaza’s population centers, carrying out more precise missions to find and kill Hamas leaders, rescue hostages and destroy tunnels,” the sources said. York newspaper.
Sullivan met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the prime minister, and then was part of a meeting between the Israeli War Cabinet and a U.S. delegation. In Washington, the White House spokesman confirmed the idea that the Americans want the war to end “as quickly as possible” and that the conflict will become “low intensity” in the meantime, with “precise and surgical” attacks. John Kirby, however, emphasized that Washington “did not dictate terms” to Israel.
Later, the US president himself spoke: “I want you to focus on how to save civilian lives,” Joe Biden told reporters. “I don’t want them to stop pursuing Hamas, but I do want them to be more careful.”
In response, Netanyahu’s office issued a statement in which the head of government “made it clear that Israel will continue the war until it achieves all objectives.” And during Gallant’s meeting with Sullivan, the former told the latter that destroying Hamas’ infrastructure is a difficult and time-consuming task – “more than several months.”
While Israel’s biggest ally applies pressure – seemingly ignored – military operations continue. According to Israeli forces, the air force carried out more than 500 airstrikes in the Gaza Strip this week and until Thursday afternoon under the coordination of ground forces.
Raid on Jenin
In the West Bank, a 60-hour military incursion into occupied territory resulted in twelve deaths, according to the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health, or ten, according to Tel Aviv. Among the dead was “an unarmed 17-year-old teenager” who was shot dead by Israeli forces “in Khalil Suleiman’s hospital complex,” the organization Doctors Without Borders said. On Wednesday, a 13-year-old boy, who was ill, had to be taken to the same hospital by his father “because Israeli armored vehicles blocked the ambulances,” the NGO said. “The boy died shortly afterwards.”
The Israeli report is different about the operation in Jenin: they arrested sixty wanted Palestinians, seized fifty weapons and hundreds of explosives. In addition, they say they have found more than ten tunnels, seven laboratories used to manufacture explosives and five control rooms. Seven Israeli soldiers were slightly injured.
Hamas militants arrested in Europe
Seven people have been arrested in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands following police counter-terrorism operations. The information was provided inconsistently by authorities. First, the Chief Inspector of the Danish Intelligence Service announced that a “network was preparing for a terrorist attack” and that the arrests, three in Denmark and one in the Netherlands, were the result of an “intensive investigation in close cooperation with partners in foreigners” .
Shortly afterwards, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said the suspects were acting “in the name of Hamas”. Finally, German prosecutors said they had arrested militants from the terrorist group Hamas, suspected of planning terrorist attacks on Jewish targets in Europe. The detainees in Germany have Lebanese and Egyptian nationalities.
Source: DN
