The United States is calling on Israel to reduce the combat zone and clarify where Palestinian civilians can seek refuge during Israeli operations in southern Gaza, the White House said Wednesday. Joe Biden’s administration seeks to prevent a repeat of the mass casualties of Israeli attacks in northern Gaza.
Future President Joe Biden administration officials, including the State Department and the Pentagon, are pushing for a more cautious approach as the IDF expands its operations in southern Gaza.
Two-thirds of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents fled south to escape bombing in the north.
Israel’s operation in the north has drawn harsh international criticism and Biden has faced criticism at home for his unrestricted support for Israel.
Washington understands Israel’s desire to dislodge militants from Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, from southern Gaza, but believes greater caution is needed in the densely populated area, said two U.S. administration officials who provided some details of the consultations.
Many of the organizers of the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,200 people, are in southern Gaza, a White House official said.
“But given that hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled to the south at Israel’s request, we believe Israel should move forward only after operational planning takes into account the presence of even more civilians,” the source said.
Planning should include learning from operations in the north to strengthen protection of innocent civilians, “including things like narrowing the battle zone and clarifying where civilians can seek shelter,” the source said.
The second source said that when Israel planned its operations in northern Gaza, American advisers suggested that the Israelis use smaller forces than planned and be careful about tactics, movements, unit sizes and rules of engagement. .
“They are still in the planning stages for the south. “We urge them to take this into account in their planning,” the source said.
Both sources said the United States would like the Israelis to make sure they know where civilians are, so they focus on precise targets and make sure they hit specific locations rather than launching random attacks.