"Washington Urges Israel to Scale Down Gaza War Amid Worsening Humanitarian Crisis"
The Biden administration is urging Israel to scale down its large-scale ground and air campaign in Gaza and transition to a more targeted phase within weeks. The new phase would involve smaller groups of elite forces carrying out precise missions to find and kill Hamas leaders, rescue hostages, and destroy tunnels. The U.S. has communicated its growing impatience with civilian deaths and wants Israel to focus on saving civilian lives while continuing to go after Hamas. Israeli officials have indicated that their campaign against Hamas will last "more than several months." The U.S. and Israel have differing timelines and approaches, but the U.S. is not directly ordering Israel to change tactics. The conflict has strained the U.S.-Israel relationship, and Biden's leverage over Israel is limited due to the country's significant military assistance from the U.S.
