The Biden administration is urging Israel to rethink its plans for a major ground offensive in the Gaza Strip and instead to opt for a more “surgical” operation using aircraft and special operations forces carrying out precise, targeted raids on high-value Hamas targets and infrastructure, according to five U.S. officials familiar with the discussions.

Administration officials have become highly concerned about the potential repercussions of a full ground assault, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters, and they increasingly doubt that it would achieve Israel’s stated goal of eliminating Hamas. They also are concerned that it could derail negotiations to release nearly 200 hostages, particularly as diplomats think they have made “significant” advances in recent days to free a number of them, potentially including some Americans, one of the officials said.

The Biden administration also is worried that a ground invasion could result in numerous casualties among Palestinian civilians as well as Israeli soldiers, potentially triggering a dramatic escalation of hostilities in the region, the officials said. U.S. officials think a targeted operation would be more conducive to hostage negotiations, less likely to interrupt humanitarian aid deliveries, less deadly for people on both sides and less likely to provoke a wider war in the region, the officials said.

  • @[email protected]
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    1 year ago

    I like that US is keeping Israel in check. I do wish they’d do something about settlements in the West Bank as in armed peacekeeping forces aimed to protect people within West Bank. No Hamas, no settlements in the West Bank, defeat of Netanyahu in the next election, and a long trial of investigation of Netanyahu as well as collaborators. I don’t know what to do about fundamental Islam, but I think a push to secular thinking among Middle East is needed, and even secular thinking should be more supported within Israel.

    • Annoyed_🦀
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      51 year ago

      There’s no way the illegal settlement can be evicted without US forcing Israel to do so, and from the way US and Israel act in this war, it’s highly unlikely that will happen.

    • The Octonaut
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      21 year ago

      Hamas is not “fundamentalist Islam”.

      Not sure how you’ve managed to confuse them with the Taliban besides whatever your national programming is.

      • @[email protected]
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        11 year ago

        I was thinking in context of Middle East as a whole, and yes, there’s a issue of religious fundamentalism within Middle East.

      • PugJesus
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        11 year ago

        Are you thinking of Fatah? Hamas are absolutely fundamentalist Islamists.