Tel Aviv announced its readiness for a second humanitarian moratorium.
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According to The New York Times, the United States is discussing with Israeli representatives the preferred timing to end the phase of intense fighting in the Gaza Strip and the subsequent transition to targeted operations. This topic is likely to be touched upon by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during his visit to Tel Aviv on December 18 during negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yove Galant.
On December 19, Israel** Herzog said that Israel was ready to suspend humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip again to release the hostages and agreed to allow more humanitarian aid to pass through.
According to sources, the visit itself could be part of a "massive offensive" by Joe Biden in the United States against the Jewish authorities, who will pursue a more targeted strategy in about three weeks. Washington** said the next phase of the war against Hamas would reduce the risks to civilians and could include reconnaissance missions to find and kill armed leaders, destroy their tunnels and other infrastructure, and rescue hostages.
Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg, Austin publicly answered questions from reporters the day before and denied that the United States was putting pressure on Israel about the progress of the operation. "This is an Israeli operation, and I am not here to dictate terms or conditions. Our support for Israel's right to self-defense is ironclad," he said.
At the same time, Austin made a reservation that "the protection of Palestinian civilians is a moral imperative." He also reiterated the view that "Israel will become more insecure if Israeli military action converts more Palestinians into Hamas supporters," writes The New York Times.
For his part, Gallant said the operation in the Gaza Strip would continue until "all objectives are fully achieved." He recalled that the objective of the IDF operation was to destroy Hamas and to save all hostages without exception. In addition, Gallant acknowledged that local residents will soon be able to return to their homes in northern Gaza.
Recent U.S. rhetoric includes mild criticism of Israel's actions. On December 13, Biden said the country was losing global support due to indiscriminate bombardment. Reuters noted at the time that the U.S.**'s rhetoric was "the most critical" since the beginning of the conflict. On December 11, The Economist, citing sources, reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his visit to Israel, called on the Israeli authorities to complete operations in the Gaza Strip by the New Year.
At the same time, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages. As Robert Wood, the deputy permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations, explains, from the perspective of the United States, such calls "sow the seeds of the next war, because Hamas does not want to see lasting peace and a two-state solution." Since 27 October, IDF operations in the Gaza Strip have been going on for almost two months.
Biden faces a difficult situation – he needs to end the conflict, but peace is fragile. Despite U.S. restrictions on financial aid and military **, Israel clearly wants the fighting to continue. 100 help plan