The US is asking Israel limit the fighting zone, and clarify where Palestinian civilians can seek refuge during any Israeli operation in the southern Gaza Strip, US officials said yesterday, Wednesday, with the aim of avoiding the mass casualties of civilians as happened during the Israeli operation in the northern part of the Palestinian enclave.

US officials, including the State Department and the Pentagon, are calling on Israel to adopt a more “cautious approach” if which expands business of the southern Gaza Strip.

Two thirds of the 2.4 million inhabitants of the Palestinian enclave have sought refuge in its southern part in order to avoid the conflicts in the north.

Israel’s operation in the north has provoked strong international reactions, and US President Joe Biden has received criticism from within the country for his unwavering support for Israel.

Washington understands Israel’s desire to eliminate Hamas militants in southern Gaza, but believes it needs to show more caution in this highly populated area, two US officials said.

Many of the masterminds behind the October 7 attack by Hamas, which killed 1,200 people in Israel, are in the southern Gaza Strip, an official explained.

“But given that thousands of civilians have fled south at Israel’s request, we believe that Israel should proceed since operational planning has taken into account the presence of many more innocents”he added.

Planning should take into account lessons learned from operations in the north to strengthen the protection of innocent civilians, “including things like limiting the conflict zone and defining areas where civilians can seek refuge,” he said. the same.

The second official said that when Israel was planning its operation in northern Gaza, US officials advised it to use a smaller force than planned and to be careful about tactics, movements, unit sizes and rules. involvement.
“They are still in the planning process for the south. We invite them to take these into account,” he noted.

Both officials noted that the US would like the Israelis to ensure they know where the civilians are, to focus on high value objectives and ensure that they target specific areas.

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and Israel finally announced this morning the agreement to extend the ceasefire in the Gaza Stripfor the seventh day, until Friday. The extension of the armistice was announced six minutes before her expiration. Qatar confirmed the extension of the truce. The Israeli government has announced that it has received a new “list” of the names of women and children held hostage