Biden explained that the important point is not “for them to stop their actions against Hamas, but for them to be more careful.”
Earlier on Thursday, a US National Security Council spokesman said that the United States wants the war between Israel and Hamas to end “as quickly as possible.”
“I think we all want this to end as soon as possible,” John Kirby said, adding that the conflict “could end today” if Hamas lays down its weapons, which “does not seem likely at the moment.”
Kirby also stressed that the United States does not tell Israel what to do, and that it decides how long the war will last.
Israel: War until victory
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday, after a meeting in Tel Aviv with US President’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, that Israel will continue its war against Hamas “until comprehensive victory.”
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant met with Sullivan, who stated that the Israeli army would need several months to defeat Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Gallant explained that Hamas has been building its “underground and aboveground infrastructure” for more than a decade, and that destroying the Islamist group “will require a long period of time – more than a few months.”
According to officials in the Washington administration, Jake Sullivan will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Friday.
