According to a report, the US has advised Israel to halt its announced ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to combat the Islamist Hamas organization. Apparently the US government is hoping for more time for negotiations to release the more than two hundred hostages held by Hamas.
In addition, further civilian casualties must be avoided and more aid supplies must reach the population in the closed Gaza Strip, the New York Times reported on Sunday (local time), citing US government officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the ground offensive after Hamas killed hundreds of people and kidnapped more than 200 in terrorist attacks on Israeli soil on October 7. Since the attack, the Israeli army says it has attacked hundreds of Hamas targets in the densely populated Gaza Strip.
Two American hostages released
On Friday, Hamas surprisingly released two American hostages. This prompted the US government to advise Israel to postpone the ground offensive, the newspaper said. The Islamist group, which is classified as a terrorist organization in the US and EU, among others, has warned that a ground offensive would make the release of any more hostages very unlikely, the New York Times quoted an official in charge of the negotiations . the hostage takers are known. These discussions focused mainly on Qatar, which has close ties with the political leaders of Hamas.
More attacks on US targets are expected
By delaying the ground offensive, the US also wanted to gain more time to prepare for attacks by pro-Iranian groups on US targets in the region, the newspaper continued. Such attacks are likely to increase once Israeli forces enter the Gaza Strip.
The US government is making no demands on Israel and continues to support the ground invasion and Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas, US government officials said, according to the New York Times. Iran supports the Islamist Hamas.
This is how Israel wants to destroy Hamas
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the offensive could last as long as three months, but eventually “there will be no more Hamas,” he said on Sunday. He announced a three-part campaign. First, the Hamas regime in Gaza must be completely destroyed militarily. Further ground fighting will then take place against the remaining resistance cells. Finally, security around the Gaza Strip will be vastly expanded and responsibility for the area will be transferred into new hands – which is still unclear.
Source: Krone
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