The United States anticipates a shift towards reduced hostilities in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to the country's top diplomat.
During a year-end press conference at the State Department on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the need for the conflict to move to a lower intensity phase. He expressed the expectation that Israeli forces would transition to more targeted operations, employing a smaller number of forces focused on addressing the leadership of Hamas, the tunnel network, and other critical elements.
Blinken underscored the importance of how Israel conducts its operations, stressing the necessity of prioritizing the protection of civilians, minimizing harm to them, and maximizing assistance reaching them.
His comments come against the backdrop of increasing global outrage, including some within the US, over the rising number of Palestinian civilian casualties resulting from heightened aerial bombardments and ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces in the Gaza Strip. The escalation followed the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians.
Responding to a question about whether the Biden administration intends to reconsider its diplomatic strategy amid ongoing conflicts worldwide, Blinken defended the administration. He used the Gaza conflict as an example, expressing frustration at the lack of demands on Hamas to stop hiding behind civilians, lay down its arms, and surrender.
Earlier in the day, President Joe Biden, during a press interaction in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, commented briefly on the expected grim milestone of 20,000 Palestinian deaths in the Gaza conflict, describing it as tragic without providing further details.
(With Agency Inputs)
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