Save civilian lives in Gaza: Biden's plea to Israel
United States (US) President Joe Biden has once again urged Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza and said that America wants the Jewish nation to scale down its offensive against Hamas. Speaking to reporters after an event near Washington, Biden stated, "I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives — not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful."
Why does this story matter?
The ongoing war in Gaza began on October 7, after the Palestinian terrorist group killed nearly 1,200 Israelis and took 240 hostages during its surprise attacks on Israel. The Jewish nation responded by launching multi-pronged military aggression in the Gaza Strip, killing close to 19,000 Palestinians so far. The ongoing Hamas-Israel conflict has also triggered a major humanitarian crisis in the strip.
You can check out Biden's comments on Gaza here
Biden aide holds 'intense, detailed' conversations with Israeli officials
Biden's comments came as US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is meeting top Israeli officials in Washington's latest push for Israel to be more precise in its Gaza operations. On Thursday, Sullivan told Channel 12 News that he had an "intense, detailed" conversation with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet over the ongoing war in the strip.
International calls for restraint and accountability
Sullivan is scheduled to meet other top Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog, on Friday. According to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, the top US official discussed transitioning the Israeli assault on the terrorist group to "lower intensity operations" in the coming days. Sullivan asked "hard questions" about Israel's efforts to be more precise and surgical in their targeting, added Kirby.
Israeli soldiers face discipline for violating code of conduct
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday announced that some of its soldiers would face disciplinary action for violating the IDF's code of conduct during an "operational activity" near a mosque in Jenin. The statement, however, does not go into detail on what the soldiers did or what "operational activity" was being carried out. "The soldiers were immediately removed from operational activity after receiving the videos and after an initial inspection of the incident by commanders," the IDF said.
