The United States has warned Israel that it must fight more surgically in the war against Hamas and avoid further mass displacement of Palestinians to prevent a humanitarian crisis that is overwhelming the world’s ability to respond, according to senior Biden administration officials.
The White House has told Israel that a repeat of the scale of its bombing in northern Gaza, while it is making an expected push into southern Gaza after the end of the recent lull in fighting, would create a crisis beyond the capacity of any humanitarian support network. officials said Monday night. According to the United Nations, the fighting has already displaced most of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents.
The statements are the Biden administration’s strongest warning yet to Israeli officials about the next phase of their military operation. For weeks, the White House has been careful to say it does not dictate how Israel conducts its military operations, but President Biden and senior members of his staff have become more vocal as the humanitarian crisis has developed.
They also come as government officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic issues, said they would increase humanitarian aid during the ceasefire that took effect last week and expressed optimism that aid could continue even if fighting resumed.
Among other things, American officials have told Israelis that upcoming military operations should not impede the flow of electricity and water or impede the work of humanitarian facilities such as hospitals and United Nations-backed shelters in southern and central Gaza.
The Israeli government is receptive to the requests, an official said.
The ceasefire, intended to allow the exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians held by Israel, allowed the first extended pause in violence since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas gunmen and other militant groups that killed an estimated 1,200 people in Israel. According to Gaza health authorities, at least 13,000 people were killed during the nearly 50-day Israeli bombardment and ground invasion that followed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that he intends for Israel to continue fighting after the end of the ceasefire, although it was extended for two more days on Monday.
Biden administration officials said the United States planned to use the additional time. On Tuesday, the United States will begin sending military aid flights to deliver medical supplies, food, winter supplies and other essentials for civilians to Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip.
Exceptional progress has already been made in providing aid, the officials said, but acknowledged that the scale of aid was not enough to enable normal life in Gaza. Officials also said the increase in aid, including much-needed fuel, was not dependent on the release of the hostages, raising hopes that deliveries could continue if fighting resumes.
John F. Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Monday that since the pause in fighting took effect, Gaza had received its largest humanitarian convoy since the war began. The convoy has brought the total number of relief trucks to more than 2,000 since Oct. 21, he said.
Mr Kirby said the government would “use every hour of the day that there is a break to try to help the people of Gaza.”
“Our team has prioritized delivering these urgently needed supplies to Gaza to ease the suffering of Palestinian civilians there,” Kirby said. “Of course, most of these have nothing to do with Hamas.”