Pentagon Issues Dire Warning to Israel over Gaza

The Pentagon has warned Israel that it faces "strategic defeat" if it fails to address the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the devastated Gaza Strip, where intense fighting and significant civilian casualties continue after five months of war with Hamas.

President Joe Biden's administration is simultaneously backing Israel's continued offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip—and its security crackdown in the West Bank—while expressing concern over the scale of civilian casualties, alleged war crimes, and continued expansion of settlements considered illegal under international law.

This week, Pentagon and State Department spokespeople both urged Israeli restraint, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his emergency wartime coalition cabinet show no sign of abandoning their goal of "eradicating" Hamas and re-establishing full military control over Palestinian areas.

"There's people that are suffering and they need help," Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder told reporters at a Tuesday briefing, discussing the ongoing U.S. operation to airdrop humanitarian aid into Gaza.

"We recognize the threat that Israel faces from Hamas, but it's important not to allow tactical victory against Hamas to be replaced with strategic defeat due to creating a situation where essentially Hamas is emboldened and the people of Gaza, the Palestinians who live in Gaza, can't live in peace," Ryder added.

Gaza—already impoverished by repeated wars and an Egyptian-Israeli blockade since 2007—has been devastated by Israel's response to Hamas' surprise infiltration attack into southern Israel on October 7. That operation killed some 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken back into Gaza as hostages. Five months on, around 100 remain unaccounted for.

More than 30,700 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since October, per data from the Strip's health ministry cited by The Associated Press. More than 290 Palestinians have also been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank, with at least 3,450 more arrested. To date, 247 Israel Defense Forces soldiers have been confirmed killed in the Gaza assault.

Most of the 2.3 million people living in Gaza have been displaced, many moving repeatedly to escape Israel's evolving incursion. Swathes of the territory have been razed, particularly in the north. Hundreds of thousands have fled to the southern town of Rafah on the Egyptian border, which is now also in Israeli sights.

Israel closed all border crossings with Gaza and stopped all imports of food, medicine, power, and fuel into the Strip when the war began. It later allowed humanitarian aid to enter under tight security restrictions, but the United Nations and NGOs have repeatedly warned that what is able to reach Gaza is inadequate.

Sustained U.S. pressure on Israel to allow more aid to reach Gaza has been only partially successful. This week, the U.S. began airdropping aid into Gaza and is now considering establishing a maritime aid corridor in the Mediterranean.

"We are actively reviewing options for a maritime corridor for humanitarian assistance into Gaza, including potential commercial and contracted options," Ryder said on Tuesday. "At this point in time, there are no plans to send any U.S. forces into Gaza to my knowledge," he added.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters on Wednesday: "Not only is the situation on the ground right now in Gaza unacceptable, but it's unsustainable. It cannot continue this way."

"It still is incumbent upon the government of Israel to do more as well," he added. "I can assure you that we are delivering those messages every bit as clearly privately with Israel as well, and we expect to see action."

Responding to the news that Israel had approved 3,400 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank, Miller said: "Settlements continue to be a barrier to peace."

"These settlements continue to be inconsistent with international law. And so the point that we will make to the government of Israel is that these settlements don't just harm the Palestinian people, but that they ultimately weaken Israel's security and weaken the prospects for a lasting agreement that would provide real peace and real security for the Israeli people."

Responding to U.S. concerns, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat told Newsweek in a statement that his country "deeply appreciates the support it receives from the United States since the October 7th massacre. This military, political and international support was crucial to Israel at a time we needed it most.

"President Biden's moral and political leadership, as well as the support we have received from the administration, U.S. Congress, and the American people will never be forgotten," Haiat added. "We have an open and deep dialogue with the U.S. administration, on all aspects regarding the war against Hamas and the situation in Gaza."

So far, the Biden administration's bark appears worse than its bite. American weapons and military equipment continue to flow to Israel, with more than 100 arms deals approved since October 7 despite American concerns about Israeli conduct.

"I think the White House is trying to have its cake and eat it too," Michael Allen—who served as special assistant to President George W. Bush and as the senior director at the National Security Council—told Newsweek of the dynamic early in the war.

Leading Arab-Israeli lawmaker Ahmad Tibi, meanwhile, told Newsweek last month Biden's inability to rein in Netanyahu and other Israeli allies is "embarrassing," and proof for the Palestinian people that the U.S. can never successfully mediate between the two camps.

This week, Netanyahu rival and coalition partner Benny Gantz traveled to Washington for high-level talks with Biden administration officials. CBS News reported that the trip was conducted against Netanyahu's wishes and has been interpreted by some observers as a signal to the prime minister that the White House's patience is wearing thin.

The U.S. is now pressing both sides to agree a new six-week ceasefire that would allow the release of remaining hostages in Gaza. Israel is reportedly backing the proposal, but Hamas is still demanding a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.

Biden will hope that any deal might ease his struggle on the home front. Young voters and voters of color within the Democratic Party are making clear their opposition to Israel's war, and their fury with the U.S. role in it.

"Genocide Joe"—as pro-Palestinian demonstrators have dubbed the president—saw the strength of this anger during the recent Michigan Democratic presidential primary last month, in which 13 percent of voters declared themselves "uncommitted" in protest of the White House's backing of Israel.

3/9/24 4:55 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comment from Lior Haiat.