US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington wants Israel’s military to switch to a less intense phase of war with Hamas “in the near future”, the White House said on Thursday.
The intervention came as senior Israeli officials warned it would take months to defeat Hamas, and set out a vision for Gaza’s postwar future that differed sharply from ideas floated by the US, including Israel having full security control of the enclave and “taking territory” to provide a launch pad for future operations.
Sullivan is in Israel this week to discuss the timing of the country’s military offensive, efforts to get more humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip and planning for the aftermath of the war. He also visited Riyadh overnight to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler.