An hours-long meeting between senior Biden administration officials and a close confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the next phase of the Israel-Hamas conflict wrapped on Tuesday evening.
Ron Dermer, a member of Israel’s war cabinet and a former ambassador to the United States, departed the White House after more than four hours following a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
A White House official told CNN the discussions included:
- The transition to a different phase of the war to maximize focus on high-value Hamas targets.
- Steps to improve the humanitarian situation and minimize harm to civilians.
- Securing the release of the remaining hostages.
- Planning for post-conflict Gaza.
US officials have looked for Israel to move away from the high intensity war it has waged for nearly three months in Gaza that has resulted in more than 20,000 people killed.
The White House told reporters last week that Israel had assured the US it would transition to operations of lower intensity, although the administration would not put a specific timeline on the move.
Some context: A senior Israeli official told CNN on Tuesday that while there are differences between the US and Israel over Israel's war with Hamas, both countries want to see the end of the militant group.
“We can have different discussions on this tactical issue or that tactical issue. We listen very attentively to whatever Washington says, and I believe they listen very carefully to whatever we say to them,” said Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Netanyahu. “But ultimately, we’re on the same side of this. We want to see Hamas destroyed.”