Tel Aviv [Israel], December 19 : The US Secretary of Defence, during his visit to Israel, weighed in for a transition into more "targeted" and "surgical" operations in Gaza, however, also clarifying that the US won't be "dictating" any timelines or terms, Times of Israel reported.
Austin was speaking at a joint press conference with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday.
Addressing the joint presser, Austin said that the leader had "great discussions about the status of the campaign," including on goals and objectives, on reducing "harm to civilians in the battle space" and on "the need to maintain a sustained flow of humanitarian assistance."
"We also have some great thoughts about how to transition from high-intensity operations to low-intensity and more surgical operations," he added.
However, Austin also said that it is important that after the war, Hamas is not able to threaten Israel or even Gaza and he won't be dictating timelines or terms to Israel.
"Regarding the timetable, this is Israel's operation and I'm not here to dictate timelines or terms," Austin said. "It's critical that Hamas not be able to threaten Israel from Gaza, or even threaten Gaza anymore.
Israeli Defense Minister Gallant, while speaking at the presser, said that "the war will take time" and "eventually we will reach our goals" to destroy Hamas and "rescue the hostages."
He also clarified that Israel will ensure that there is no military threat to Israel from Gaza, but Tel Aviv won't be controlling Gaza in "any civilian way."
"We know that Hamas will not control Gaza. We know that we will have the freedom to eliminate any kind of threat in the future. And that there will be no serious military threats against Israel from Gaza," Gallant said.
He added, "Israel will not control Gaza in any civilian way. We will conduct any needed operational and military efforts in order to secure our future. And we are building the routes for non-hostile partners on the other side."
Gallant also signalled that Israel was open to a "new phase" of the war that would slow down the fighting. According to him, the next phase could see Israeli soldiers focusing on the leadership of Hamas, The Hill reported.
Lloyd Austin is on his second visit to Israel since the October 7 attacks by Hamas. His trip comes just days after US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan travelled to Israel, where he also discussed with Israeli officials ways to lower the intensity of the conflict in the near future.
While there is no established timeframe to wind down the intensity of the military campaign, the Biden administration has pushed to move towards targeted efforts as early as January, The New York Times reported.
The discussions have centred on Israeli forces conducting more surgical, targeted attacks that would reduce civilian casualties while allowing Israel to continue its effort to dismantle Hamas.
Notably, the death toll in Gaza has crossed 19,000 since the war began in early October, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
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