Will Israel heed US warnings to protect civilians?
Will Israel heed US calls to protect civilians or risk ‘strategic failure’?
The administration of US President Joe Biden appears to be ramping up pressure on Israel to keep Palestinians safe.
Israel’s military has resumed its assault on the besieged Gaza Strip after a seven-day truce collapsed.
More than 15,000 people have been killed in Gaza since early October, according to Palestinian health authorities.
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The limited number of aid trucks going into Gaza is nowhere near enough to meet the desperate needs of millions of people, according to aid agencies, and the United Nations has warned of a humanitarian catastrophe.
After nearly two months of the Israel-Hamas war, the United States, a key Israeli ally, appears to be shifting its tone and warning against civilian deaths in Gaza.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says Israel risks a “strategic defeat” if it doesn’t do more to protect civilians.
It’s a sentiment being shared by other senior US officials.
So, what’s behind this warning from Washington?
Presenter: Laura Kyle
Guests:
Bushra Khalidi – policy lead for the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel at Oxfam
Elijah Magnier – military and political analyst
Hussein Haridi – a former assistant foreign minister of Egypt