GAZA CITY – United States President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he expects “significant de-escalation” yesterday in its military confrontation with the Palestinians, amid intense efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Deafening air strikes and rocket fire once more shook Gaza in the conflict that has, since May 10, claimed 227 Palestinian lives, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and killed 12 people in Israel, according to Israeli police.
“The president conveyed to the prime minister that he expected a significant de-escalation today (yesterday) on the path to a ceasefire,” said the White House after a fourth phone call in a little over a week.
An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel is assessing at what stage it may stop its military campaign.
“We are looking at when is the right moment for a ceasefire.”
Netanyahu earlier issued a tough threat against Gaza Strip’s Islamist rulers Hamas, who Israel said has fired 4,000 rockets at the Jewish state since May 10.
“You can either conquer them, and that’s always an open possibility, or you can deter them, and we are engaged right now in forceful deterrence,” Netanyahu told foreign ambassadors.
“But I have to say we don’t rule out anything.”
The military source said Israel is evaluating whether its objective of degrading Hamas’s capabilities has been achieved, and “whether Hamas understands the message” that its rocket barrages towards Israel cannot recur.
Among those killed in Israeli bombardment in Gaza yesterday were a disabled man, his pregnant wife and their 3-year-old child, said the Health Ministry in the enclave.
The family’s living room was blasted to bits, and the mangled parts of a child’s red bicycle lay amid the wreckage.
Diplomatic flurry
The US, a key Israel ally, has repeatedly blocked adoption of a joint United Nations Security Council statement calling for a halt to hostilities.
A UN Security Council meeting broke up without issuing a statement late Tuesday, but France said it has proposed a resolution calling for a ceasefire, in coordination with Egypt and Jordan.
Beijing’s ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun, told reporters his team has heard the French ceasefire proposal and China is “supportive”.
But the US yesterday said it will not support the proposed resolution, saying it could undermine efforts to de-escalate the crisis.
“We’ve been clear and consistent that we are focused on intensive diplomatic efforts underway to bring an end to the violence, and that we will not support actions that we believe undermine efforts to de-escalate,” said a US spokesman at the UN.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also “urged de-escalation” during a call with his Israeli counterpart yesterday, according to the Pentagon, but “underscored his continued support for Israel’s right to defend itself”.
Humanitarian crisis
The Hamas rocket barrages have prompted many living in communities near the Gaza border to hide in bomb shelters virtually around the clock.
Palestinian rocket fire has killed 12 people in Israel, including one child, one Indian and two Thai nationals, and wounded 333, said Israeli authorities.
Israeli air strikes have killed 227 people in Gaza, including 64 children, and wounded 1,620, according to Health Ministry figures.
Israel’s bombing campaign has also left the two million population in Gaza, under Israeli blockade for 14 years, desperate for relief.
Hospitals have been overwhelmed, and some 72,000 civilians have fled their homes, seeking refuge in UN-run schools and other public buildings, said the agency. – AFP, May 20, 2021
