President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the Israeli military should focus on protecting civilian lives as it pursues its battle to remove Hamas and faces rising criticism for its military operations in Gaza.
Following a speech on prescription drug prices at the National Institutes of Health, the president was asked if he wants Israel to reduce its operations against Hamas in Gaza.
"I want them to concentrate on how to save civilian lives." "We should not stop going after Hamas, but we should be more cautious," Biden responded.
Over the next two days, Biden's national security adviser will meet with top Israeli officials as the White House presses Israel to be more precise in its operations against Hamas in Gaza. Jake Sullivan told Israeli channel Channel 12 News on Thursday evening that he had a "intense, detailed" meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet about changing from a high-intensity phase to a more focused strategy in Gaza.
Sullivan's visit comes amid a public schism between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over rising civilian losses in Gaza and differing views on what a future for Palestinians should look like when combat operations stop. Sullivan will also discuss efforts to free the eight American hostages still held by Hamas.
Sullivan spoke with Netanyahu on Thursday and is scheduled to meet with other top Israeli leaders through Friday, including President Isaac Herzog.
According to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, Sullivan addressed moving Israel's attack on Hamas to "lower intensity operations" in the near future.
Sullivan, according to Kirby, asked "hard questions" about Israel's onslaught, including efforts to be more surgical and accurate in their targeting. Sullivan also emphasized the importance of entering a new phase of the conflict, which has killed thousands of people in Gaza.
"He did talk about possible transitioning from what we would call high intensity operations, which is what we're seeing them do now, to lower intensity operations sometime, you know, in the near future," Kirby went on to say.
Sullivan subsequently remarked of the session, "I'll just say we had a very constructive conversation about these phases and how to think about the shift from high intensity to a different phase of the war." He declined to elaborate on a likely timeline.
According to a senior US official, the Biden administration has indicated to Israel that it wants to transition to a lower-intensity phase of its campaign on Hamas within weeks, possibly by the end of the year.
The US expects that a new phase will reduce the number of civilian casualties in Gaza, which has sparked international outrage.
CNN reported last week that US officials expect the current phase of Israel's ground invasion of Gaza to last several weeks before Israel shifts to a lower-intensity, hyper-localized strategy that targets specific Hamas militants and leaders, possibly by January.
The US anticipates that Israel will turn to a lower-intensity strategy centered on intelligence-based operations against Hamas, albeit the timing of that shift will be determined by ground conditions.
According to the official, the conversations are a "back and forth" exchange between the US and Israel.
Israel, according to the official.
"The Israelis have briefed us on its thinking of potential timeframes and Jake had a very good discussion about the kind of conditions that obviously we all hope to be set up," the source said.
US officials say they are aware that Israel will continue to pursue Hamas leadership and believe it is vital that they do so. They have, however, consistently encouraged Israel to take precautions to protect civilians as it pursues the gang responsible for the October 7 terror strikes.
"It's not so much about timeframes as it is about the conditions that will be established." And the Israelis have informed us in great detail about the phasing of its overall campaign," the senior administration source said, adding that it would be "irresponsible for anyone dealing with these matters to discuss timetables."
However, in a statement issued following his meeting with Sullivan, Netanyahu stated that he would be pleased with nothing short than total victory over Hamas.
"Our valiant soldiers did not die in vain," Israel's Prime Minister declared. "Out of the deep pain of their having fallen, we are more determined than ever to continue fighting until Hamas is eliminated - until absolute victory."
During a meeting on Thursday, Israel's Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, informed Sullivan that the war in Gaza will extend "more than several months," according to the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
"It will take time - it will take several months - but we will win and we will destroy them (Hamas)," Gallant stated, according to a transcript of the meeting posted on Thursday by the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
Gallant also expressed gratitude to Sullivan for the United States' support for Israel's Gaza battle, adding that "the United States and Israel share common interests, common values, and in this war, we also share common goals."
According to a readout from Netanyahu's office, the prime minister and Sullivan both "emphasized their commitment to bringing about the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza."
"The two sides discussed the continuation of the war until victory and the achieving of the common goals, first and foremost the elimination of Hamas, the release of the hostages, dismantling Hamas's military capabilities and the end of its rule in Gaza," a spokesperson for Netanyahu was quoted as saying on X.
In response to queries about how much influence the administration has over Israeli war plans, the official stated that the US successfully encouraged Israel to change some of its plans early in the battle.
"The Israelis had ideas for the military campaign very early, which we found problematic," the official explained, citing Biden's visit to Israel as a watershed moment when ground campaign plans were "adjusted" based on American advice and recommendations.
Eight Americans are among the more than 100 captives taken by Hamas after the terrorist organization's October 7 attack on Israel. The attack killed over 1,200 Israelis and international nationals.
According to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, more than 18,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 50,000 have been injured as a result of Israel's reaction.
On Wednesday, Biden visited with family members of the eight American hostages at the White House.
Prior to arriving in Israel, Sullivan traveled to Saudi Arabia to speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to a source familiar with the situation.