US Urges Israel To Save Lives In Gaza, Says 'Want War To End As Soon As Possible, But...'
The US said it has asked Israel to focus more on saving the lives of the civilians in Gaza as the toll continues to mount in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
The White House on Thursday said that it wants the Israel-Hamas war to end as soon as possible but added that it won't dictate the terms and Tel Aviv has the right to take 'as long as they feel' to eliminate the Hamas threat, reported news agency ANI. US President Joe Biden earlier said that he wants Israel to be more focused on saving civilian lives. Biden clarified that he does not want Israel to stop going after Hamas but he just wants the nation to be more careful. US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby said that the war could end if Hamas head in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, surrenders and releases the hostages, the report added.
Kirby, while addressing a press briefing on Thursday, said, "We all want it to end as soon as possible...it could end today if Sinwar did the right thing and laid down his arms and surrendered and gave the hostages back...that doesn't look likely right now." He added that the war was started by Hamas and Israel has the right and responsibility to continue this war and protect its people. ANI quoted him as saying, "This war that Hamas started and Israel has a right and responsibility to continue to conduct this war and protect their people and protect their nation...how long that's going to take I can't predict."
"We are not dictating terms to the Israelis about how long it has to take. It has to take as long as they feel they need to take to be able to eliminate this threat, but obviously, we all want it to be over as soon as possible," he added, as reported by ANI.
Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during his talks with Israel discussed "setting conditions for shifts over time from high-intensity clearing operations to lower-intensity surgical operations against Hamas remnants," as reported by France 24.
The war, which began with Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on Oct 7, is in its third month. According to France 24, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said 18,787 people have been killed, mostly women and children, since Israel launched its offensive action in Gaza.
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