U.S. warns Israeli officials global pressure will grow longer war goes on

https://axios.com/blinken-israel-gaza-war-warning-hamas

Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gen. Herzi Halevi told Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Thursday that the Israeli military operation in Gaza, including in the southern part of the enclave, is expected to take "more than a few additional weeks," three people with direct knowledge of the meeting said.

The White House is increasingly concerned an Israeli operation in the southern Gaza Strip — where 2 million Palestinians are concentrated — would lead to significantly more civilian casualties and deepen the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

President Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week that the way Israel operated in northern Gaza, which included a wide assault and three armored and infantry divisions, can't be repeated in the southern part of the enclave, Axios previously reported.

Blinken didn't ask Israel to stop the operation but expressed concern and said the longer the high-intensity military campaign goes on, the more international pressure will build on both the U.S. and Israel to stop it, one source said.