Following the Al-Aqsa Flood operation launched by Hamas against Israel on the morning of October 7, the clashes in the region are intensifying with each passing day.
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, the world's eyes have turned to the ground operation Israel plans to launch against Gaza. While Israel's preparations for a ground operation have been ongoing for days, a claim regarding a potential ground operation was put forward in a New York Times report.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION REQUESTED DELAY OF GROUND OPERATION
In the NYT report, it was claimed that the US President Biden administration asked Israel to delay its ground operation. According to several US officials, the Biden administration requested that Israel delay its ground operation against Gaza in hopes of gaining time for hostage negotiations and allowing more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians in the besieged area.
Two US officials stated that the advice to delay the ground operation was conveyed to the Israelis through Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, noting that the Pentagon is helping to advise Israel on military actions, including ground operations.
Austin discusses operational matters and issues such as arms support to Israel in his almost daily conversations with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant. On the other hand, Gallant's spokesperson declined to comment on the discussions.
A diplomat from the Israeli Embassy in Washington denied that the US government had advised the Israelis to delay the ground operation, stating, "We have a close dialogue and consultations with the US administration. The US is not pressuring Israel regarding a ground operation."
News Source: 12punto
