The war will last for ‘months’, says the Israeli Defence Minister to US envoy

Israel pressed its offensive in the Gaza Strip on Friday after telling a key supporter, the United States of America that the war to crush Hamas will last “more than several months”.

On Thursday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

During their meeting, Mr. Gallant warned that Israel’s fight with Hamas “will require a period of time — it will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them”.

Speaking in Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden urged Israel to take more care to protect civilians in Gaza.

“I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives — not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful,” said Mr. Biden, whose government has provided Israel with billions of dollars in military aid.

White House spokesman John Kirby, meanwhile, said Washington was “not dictating terms” to Israel and that the timeline given by Gallant was “consistent” with what Israeli officials had previously said.

Mr Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to carry on “until victory”, and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the war would continue “with or without international support”.

Mr Sullivan on Friday will head to the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian Authority leaders, a US official said on condition of anonymity.

The West Bank, which is ruled by the Palestinian Authority (PA), has seen a surge in violence since October 7.

There, the Palestinian health ministry said 11 people had been killed since the Israeli military launched a raid in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp earlier this week.

The war in Gaza has led to increased popular support for Hamas in the West Bank, further weakening the internationally recognized PA.