Austin takes firmer stance on Gaza war with Israel’s defense chiefs
After prompting by Washington, Israel's defense minister suggested a less destructive war campaign in Gaza is coming, but declined to lay out a timetable or to specify which objectives could lead to a new approach.
TEL AVIV — Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said plans were under discussion to narrow the focus of the war in the Gaza Strip but declined to reveal a timetable, despite a push by Washington to rely more on precision strikes against Hamas leadership in order to minimize civilian harm.
Speaking alongside US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Tel Aviv on Monday, Gallant said Israeli forces had destroyed a majority of Hamas’ battalions in northern Gaza since invading the Palestinian enclave in force in late October.
But the Israeli defense minister did not publicly lay out what objectives he felt needed to be met before the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) could effectively narrow the focus of the campaign, which has so far killed more than 19,000 Palestinians in the deadliest 10 weeks of war in the conflict’s 75-year history.
Despite signaling reservations, Pentagon officials visiting Israel this week indicated that the United States remained fully behind Israel’s war against Hamas, which is approaching its third month and has risked sparking wider conflict across the region.
