WASHINGTON: US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan Tuesday met with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer to discuss shifting “to a different phase” of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, a White House official said.
The meeting focused about steps to improve the humanitarian situation in war-torn Gaza and minimize harm to civilians, according to the US official, who wished not to be named.
According to media reports, the meet was also meant as a chance to speak on “the transition to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets,” the official said, referring to the Palestinian fighters.
The discussion comes after the United Nations Security Council agreed last week to a watered-down resolution calling for aid to be delivered to the Gaza Strip “at scale.”
ALSO READ: Amir of Qatar, US President Discuss Mediation Efforts for Gaza Ceasefire
It is to mention here that Gaza’s 2.4m people are suffering dire shortages of water, fuel, food, and medicine, with only limited aid entering.
The bloodiest-ever war erupted after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 and killed about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to tally based on Israeli figures.
After the Hamas attack, Israel launched an extensive aerial bombardment and a siege followed by a ground operation. The offensive has so far killed over 21,000 people, according to Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry.
In Tuesday meeting, Israel and the United States also talked about the eventual “governance and security in Gaza, a political horizon for the Palestinian people, and continued work on normalization and integration,” the White House official added.
