US 'talking candidly' with Israel about military operation in Gaza: Sullivan

United States is “talking candidly” with Israel about the military operation in besieged strip of gaza, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday, October 29. He, however, refused to provide more details about the nature of the dissuasions about the IDF’s ground offensive that the two ally nations were holding.

"We talk candidly, we talked directly, we share our views and an unvarnished way and we will continue to do that," Sullivan told CBS’ Face the Nation TV. "But sitting here in public, I will just say that the United States is going to make its principles and propositions absolutely clear, including the sanctity of innocent human life. And then we will continue to provide our advice to Israel in private," he added.

"We do not stand for the killing of innocent people, whether it be Palestinian, Israeli or otherwise," Sullivan stressed.

‘Distinguish between Palestinian civilians and Hamas’: US NSA

US National Security Advisor reportedly insisted that it is the position of the US President Joe Biden that Israel must take every means possible “to distinguish between Palestinian civilians and Hamas in its military operation in Gaza.” He also remarked on the Jewish settler attacks on the Palestinians on the border areas during the tense security situation in the region, saying that Biden has asked the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “rein in extremist Jewish settler violence against innocent people in the West Bank.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the start of the second phase of the ground offensive into the Gaza Strip, drawing connection between the conflict with Hamas and the Arab-Israeli War between 1947 and 1949, which occurred as Israel declared its independence.

“The war inside Gaza is going to be long. This is our second independence war. We're going to save our country,” Netanyahu said. “Our heroic fighters have one goal: To destroy this enemy and to make sure the existence of our country. Never again. 'Never again,' is now,” Netanyahu asserted during the news conference.

It was learned earlier that the Biden administration had been pushing Tel Aviv to delay its Ground Offensive in Gaza in order to negotiate the release of the hostages with the Hamas. Biden had asked Netanyahu to wait until “Hamas released more hostages, but I did not demand it,” the reporters in Washington said. During a presser at the White House, Biden was asked by a reporter, “Are you urging Israel to delay its ground invasion?” He responded that “The Israelis can make their own decisions.”