A senior US official has stated confidence that the days of Hamas political bureau leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza are numbered, emphasizing that Gaza after Hamas will be under Palestinian leadership. The official told reporters that Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, discussed in detail during his recent visit to Israel the efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages from Gaza, noting widespread agreement that Gaza's future should be led by Palestinians.
He added that Sullivan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talked about ways to shift Israeli attacks on Gaza to less intensive operations focusing on high-value targets, but mentioned it would be "irresponsible" to provide specific timelines for such a change. The official said, "There was never an expectation for large-scale ground operations to continue indefinitely."
The New York Times reported, citing unnamed US officials, that the White House has requested Israel to conclude its broad ground campaign in Gaza by the end of the year and transition to a more targeted approach using elite special forces. Sullivan is scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday in Ramallah, West Bank. The two sides will discuss reforming the Palestinian Authority and holding "extremist" settlers accountable for violence against Palestinians. Palestinians have complained about the increasing attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
