WASHINGTON — On Thursday, US National Security Council
Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa,
Brett McGurk stated that the
White House does not know when Israel plans to transition to a less intense
phase in its war on the
Gaza Strip, suggesting that the aggression might
continue until the end of 2024, Amad Media reported.
اضافة اعلان
In a Zoom briefing with several experts, McGurk discussed
the
Biden administration's considerations regarding the ongoing war. According
to three informed individuals who requested anonymity, McGurk was explicit
about what the US knows and doesn't know about the developments in the war on
Gaza.
The magazine Politico, quoting one of the sources, reported
that McGurk said, “We do not know when the de-escalation will happen.” However, he indicated that the US
administration has seen encouraging signs that Israel is moving towards less
intense operations, referencing the withdrawal of five
brigades from Gaza.
The US administration expressed relief in recent days,
anticipating that Israel will no longer conduct widespread airstrikes and
ground operations that have killed over 22,000 Palestinians and displaced 85
percent of
Gaza's residents.
No visible tactical shift
According to the magazine, McGurk's frankness suggests that
the US administration has not yet seen any tangible signs of a tactical shift
and that there is little visibility on when the change might occur, despite the
public confidence expressed by the administration.
The war on the strip
could continue for a long period, possibly until the end of 2024, McGurk added,
according to Israeli officials, with some of them publicly expecting the
conflict to persist for months.
The magazine suggested that if this happens, it may increase
the chances of the war spreading beyond its borders, potentially drawing the US
further into a multi-party regional conflict, noting that
US military is
already formulating plans to respond to Iran-backed Houthi militants attacking
shipping lanes in the Red Sea, and preparing to anticipate and counter possible
attacks by Iran-backed forces in Iraq and Syria on the US.
Discussions also revolved around the return of Palestinians
to their homes in northern Gaza, which has been destroyed by the ongoing
Israeli airstrikes for months due to the diminishing military operations there,
mentioning that the US is discussing this possibility with the UN but
recognizes that many homes have been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. One
idea is to train around 6,000 members of the
Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF), but that would require about 8 to 10 months.
According to the magazine, sources familiar with McGurk’s
comments revealed that the US is less aware of Israel's intentions, even though
it has gathered intelligence on Israel's war behavior despite him covering many
aspects publicly acknowledged by the administration, including emphasizing the
humanitarian crisis and the need to find ways for Palestinians to return to
their homes in northern Gaza,
Politico lastly mentions that the
US National Security Council did not respond to its request for comment.
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