White House prepares for Gaza fighting to last months

by Amee LaTour - 12/15/23 4:29 PM ET

Evening Report

Friday, December 15

White House prepares for Gaza fighting to last months

The White House is preparing for fighting between Israel and Hamas to drag on for months as President Biden strengthens calls for Israel to protect civilians in Gaza.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Israeli leaders on Thursday and Friday. He reportedly discussed a timetable for winding down operations, but he did not share details publicly.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby had said Sullivan and officials discussed “possibly transitioning from what we would call high-intensity operations, which is what we’re seeing them do now, to lower-intensity operations sometime … in the near future.”

Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, among those with whom Sullivan met, said Thursday the war “will last more than several months.”

On Friday, Sullivan maintained “there is no contradiction between saying the fight is going to take months and also saying that different phases will take place at different times over those months, including the transition from the high-intensity operations to more targeted operations,” The Associated Press reported.

The administration continues to reject calls for a cease-fire. Biden said this week he wants Israel “to be focused on how to save civilian lives. Not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful.”

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