The United States wants the war between Israel and Hamas to end “as soon as possible”a White House spokesman said Thursday, and President Joe Biden urged his ally to do more to better protect civilians in Gaza.

“I want Israel to focus on preserving civilian lives. Not that they stop against Hamas, but that they are more carefulBiden stated.

His National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, had stated during a visit to Tel Aviv that Israel would engage in “low-intensity operations” against Gaza “in the near future,” spokesman John Kirby said at a news conference.

On Tuesday, the US president, who has strongly supported Israel, issued his strongest criticism yet of the Israeli government. Benjamin Netanyahuwarned that Tel Aviv risked losing global support for the “indiscriminate bombings” it carries out.

The increasing number of civilian casualties in Gaza due to Israeli attacks has led to a widening rift between the United States and Israel, strong allies.

“I think we all want this to end as quickly as possible.Kirby told reporters at a briefing, adding that “it could end today” if Hamas pulls out, but “that doesn’t seem likely at this point.”

Kirby said that Washington “I didn’t dictate termsto Israel and that the schedule announced by Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant was “consistent” with what Israeli officials had previously said.

But during his visit to Israel, Sullivan had asked “tough questions” to Israeli officials about the conduct of their offensive against the Palestinian enclave, the spokesman added.

“He talked about a possible transition from what we would call high-intensity operations, which we are seeing now, to lower-intensity operations sometime in the near future.said Kirby. “But I don’t want to talk about specific times,” he added.

A senior US official declined to comment on the final formulation of a timetable after several US media outlets reported a request from Washington for Israel to end the first phase of the conflict before the end of the year.

Sullivan will travel to Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, on Friday for talks with Palestinian Authority leaders, the senior official said on condition of anonymity.

The official added that the days of Yahya Sinouar, the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip considered the architect of the attack on Israel on October 7, were ‘numbered’.

“He has American blood on his hands. Whatever the cost, justice will be done,” he stated. (JO)