The U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was expected to press Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza on a visit Monday, in the latest test of whether the US can leverage its unwavering support for the offensive to blunt its devastating impact on Palestinian civilians.
France, the UK and Germany, some of Israel’s closest allies, joined global calls for a ceasefire over the weekend, and Israeli protesters have demanded the government relaunch talks with the resistance group on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops while waving a white flag.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will keep fighting until it removes Hamas from power, crushes its still-formidable military capabilities and returns the roughly 129 hostages still held by the group after its Oct. 7..
The US has vetoed international calls for a ceasefire and rushed munitions to its close ally while pressing it to take greater steps to avoid harming civilians. The 10-week-old war against Hamas has killed over 18,700 Palestinians and transformed much of northern Gaza into a moonscape.
Some 1.9 million Palestinians — nearly 85 percent of Gaza’s population — have fled their homes, with most packing into UN-run shelters and tent camps in the southern part of the besieged territory.
Austin, who is traveling with Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, is expected to press Israeli leaders to transition to a more precise phase, with targeted operations aimed at killing Hamas leaders, destroying tunnels and rescuing hostages.
Heavy fighting around Gaza’s hospitals, which are overflowing with patients and displaced people, has taken most of them out of service. Israel accuses militants of sheltering in health facilities and has provided evidence in some cases. Health officials deny the allegations and say the army has recklessly endangered civilians.
The World Health Organization said it was “appalled” by an Israeli raid on northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital over the last several days. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said late Sunday that at least eight patients had died, including a 9-year-old, and that several had fled on foot because ambulances could not reach the facility.
The WHO, which is working to restore services at Shifa hospital and was able to visit on Friday, described its emergency department as a “bloodbath,” with hundreds of wounded patients, some being sutured on the floor with little or no pain medicine. It said tens of thousands of people are sheltering in the medical compound despite severe shortages of food and water.