Netanyahu confidant expected to meet White House officials to discuss next stages of war

“네타냐후 최측근, 가자전쟁 다음단계 논의하러 미국행“ In a nation at war, fighting does not stop for a holiday. Christmas in Gaza was marred by heavy bombardments, leading to hundreds of more casualties. Israel maintains its intense military operations in Gaza despite pressure from the United States. Moon Hye-ryeon has more. A member of Israel’s war cabinet and a close confidant of its prime minister is reportedly due to meet with White House officials on Tuesday to discuss the next stages of the conflict in Gaza. According to CNN on Monday, Ron Dermer – who previously served as an ambassador to the United States – will be meeting several senior Biden administration officials such as National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This comes following Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu declaring that the war “is not close to ending” on Monday despite the White House putting pressure on Israel to lower the intensity of its operations in the enclave and civilian casualties. Netanyahu’s statement was released after he visited Gaza for the second time since he declared war on Hamas, with Israel upping its attacks over the holidays. Israeli forces killed more than one hundred people at the Maghazi refugee camp, with Palestinian authorities saying some 250 Palestinians have been killed over the past 24 hours. Christmas Eve in Gaza was also marred by heavy bombardments from the Israeli military in its continued fight against Hamas leading to the leveling of buildings, and injuries to over 500 people. As of Monday afternoon, the death toll in the strip has mounted to 20-thousand-700. As the war rages on, various media sources have reported a proposal by Egypt to end the conflict – a three-phase plan to secure the release of hostages. Despite Israel’s war cabinet convening on Monday, no official statements have been given so far regarding this proposal or the release of hostages being held in Gaza. According to the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Netanyahu has said there are three prerequisites for peace: the elimination of Hamas, the demilitarization of Gaza and the Palestinian society being deradicalized. Meanwhile, U.S. forces are being attacked by Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria due to U.S. support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas. The U.S. military has faced over 100 attacks in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October. Moon Hye-ryeon, Arirang News. #Israel #Gaza #Hamas #Netanyahu #WhiteHouse #이스라엘 #하마스 #네타냐후 #미국 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2023-12-26, 18:00 (KST)