Israel has continued to pound Gaza despite a senior United States official saying that Tel Aviv has agreed to end widespread bombing and ground operations and move towards precision targeting of Hamas.
Despite mounting international calls for restraint, Israel on Friday pressed on with its offensive in Gaza. Air strikes across the strip killed dozens of people, according to local authorities.
The bombardment came after US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“There will be a transition to another phase of this war, one that is focused in more precise ways on targeting the leadership and on intelligence-driven operations,” the US envoy told reporters in Tel Aviv after the meeting.
However, he did not say when the shift would happen.
The US agrees with Israel that the war on Gaza will still last for months, Sullivan added, noting “intensive discussions” about future stages of the conflict and the aftermath.
Washington is also working to release the remaining Israeli captives held in Gaza, he said.
