Washington, DC [US], March 21 : United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin III held a conversation on Wednesday with Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant and their discussion primarily focused on negotiations for the release of hostages, a temporary ceasefire, and aid boosts in Gaza.
https://twitter.com/SecDef/status/1770780167478088093
In an official post on X, the United States Secretary of Defence stated, "I spoke to Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant yesterday regarding the negotiations for the release of hostages and a temporary ceasefire. I raised the need to consider alternatives to a major ground operation in Rafah, while reiterating the shared goal of defeating Hamas."
Additionally, both officials addressed the pressing need to enhance civilian protection measures and facilitate increased aid flow into Gaza through land crossings.
"We also discussed the need to do more to protect civilians from harm and to increase the flow of aid into Gaza through land crossings," the post on X reads.
Meanwhile, on March 19, US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and warned against the prospect of Israel conducting a major military operation in Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge.
In their first telephone conversation in over a month, the two leaders spoke about the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including Israel's military operations, increasing humanitarian assistance going to Gaza, and efforts to bring hostages home, the White House said.
Biden and Netanyahu agreed to have their teams meet soon in Washington to exchange views and discuss alternative approaches that would target key elements of Hamas and secure the Egypt-Gaza border without a major ground operation in Rafah, the White House readout said.
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