Washington sends clear signals. Increasing warnings to Israel
Reports from American media suggest that representatives of the US administration are increasing their pressure on Israel. They are warning that the rising number of civilian casualties could soon significantly weaken the support that the country currently enjoys.
According to Politico, representatives from the Pentagon have asked for an explanation of the initial attack on Jabalia, in light of the appeal to avoid civilian casualties.
This concern stems from the bombing of a refugee camp, where - Israel says - a leader of Hamas was allegedly present.
In an interview with CNN, Israeli Defense Forces (Cahal) spokesperson Richard Hecht acknowledged that the Israelis knew about the presence of civilians at the site of the attack.
Warnings from Washington
A report from CNN on Friday indicated that representatives from Washington are warning their Israeli counterparts more frequently. They express concern that the growing international outrage over civilian deaths due to Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip could soon seriously undermine its existing support.
Furthermore, this could have "serious strategic consequences" for the Israeli army.
During his visit to Israel on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed these sentiments, stating that more needs to be done to protect Palestinian civilians; failure to do so would only benefit terrorists.
Demands for "change of course" are emerging
CNN reports that US officials, including those close to President Joe Biden, fear that Israel has limited time left before the administration can no longer resist calls supporting a ceasefire. Such demands are also growing within the Democratic Party. On Thursday, Chris Murphy, one of the party's leading foreign affair senators, urged Israel to "change its course".
- Our friends from Israel need to realize that their current operational approach is causing an unacceptable level of civilian harm and it doesn't seem likely to achieve the goal of permanently ending the threat from Hamas - declared the senator.
In spite of increasing pressure and Blinken's calls to establish temporary ceasefires for humanitarian reasons, Israel has so far rejected these proposals.
- Israel rejects a temporary ceasefire that does not include the return of our hostages - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday.
