Video: Aircraft identifies and eliminates terrorist squad that emerged from tunnel shaft in Khan Yunis/IDF Spokesperson
Israel wants to end the IDF operation in Khan Yunis within 3-4 weeks, and needs a similar amount of time to finish the first phase of the war, known in military jargon as the "powerful operation," a senior Israeli official told Walla.
Why it's important:
- Israel is under increasing international pressure to end the operation in Gaza.
- The Biden administration supports the Israeli operation and the goal of toppling the Hamas regime in Gaza, but 60 days after the war began, the White House is under international and domestic pressure inside the United States to demand that Israel agree to a ceasefire.
News Focus:
- The senior Israeli official said that the IDF operation in the northern Gaza Strip was making great progress, while the operation in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip was at its beginning. Israel assesses that the Hamas leadership is in Khan Yunis and hopes that in the coming weeks it will succeed in eliminating many of the organization's leaders and commanders.
- President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu on Thursday about the progress of the IDF operation in the southern Gaza Strip and plans for the future. A similar conversation took place last night between US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
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Backstage:
- The senior Israeli official noted that the United States does not put on the brakes and does not set a hard deadline for Israel regarding the end of the operation, but does make it clear to Israel that time is running out.
- The dispute between Israel and the Biden administration over a timetable for the continuation of the operation is tactical and the gap stands at a month, the Israeli official said.
- White House Deputy National Security Adviser John Feiner told a conference in Washington on Thursday that the United States is not setting a hard deadline for Israel. "It's their confrontation but we have influence even if we don't completely control everything they do in Gaza," Feiner said.
- The Israeli official said the United States would be happy if Israel completed its "intensive operation" in Gaza by the end of December, while Israel believed it could end this phase of the fighting only at the end of January. "The American message is that they would like us to end the fighting faster, with less harm to Palestinian civilians and with more humanitarian aid to Gaza. We would also like this to happen, but the enemy does not always agree. The Americans understand this and we are working together. We need them and they need us," the Israeli official said.
- More on the subject:
- Gaza War
- Iron Sword War