The civilian toll in Gaza and the Israeli military’s accidental killing of three hostages have raised questions over Israel’s strategy in Gaza. The U.S. defense secretary will visit Israel and plans to tell officials to change their approach within weeks.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III was traveling on Sunday in the Middle East for a visit to Israel and three Persian Gulf nations as Biden administration officials push Israel to end its large-scale ground and air campaign in the Gaza Strip within weeks and transition to a more focused phase in its war against Hamas.

Mr. Austin will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, to discuss in detail when and how Israeli forces will carry out a new phase that American officials envision would involve smaller groups of elite forces, U.S. officials said. Those forces would move in and out of population centers in Gaza, conducting more precise, intelligence-driven missions to find and kill Hamas leaders, rescue hostages and destroy tunnels, according to the U.S. officials.

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  • Rentlar
    1·
    10 months ago

    Mr. Austin is expected to voice support for Israel’s campaign to destroy Hamas in Gaza but also to reinforce the importance of taking civilian safety into account during operations, according to a senior Pentagon official said.

    So basically nothing different.