US wants Israel to end the war by the end of this year

International condemnation of Israel’s military campaign in the densely populated area has grown steadily over the past nine weeks, with several world leaders raising concerns from aid groups about the worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged area as Israel’s bombardment campaign following Hamas’ October 7 cross-border attack intensified.

Israel has confirmed that nearly 1,150 of its citizens were killed in the attack, while about 240 were kidnapped. However, there are signs that Washington's patience with the offensive is wearing thin, with Palestinian health officials saying over the weekend that the death toll in Gaza had reached nearly 18,000, most of them civilians.

Citing unnamed sources, the newspaper reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a private warning during a recent visit to Israel: Finish by the end of the year or US support could be eroded. Publicly, neither government has set any deadline for ending the military campaign.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Secretary of State Blinken said the timing of the war was “an Israeli decision.” However, the top US diplomat also acknowledged that discussions had been held with Israeli officials about how the country “pursued this campaign with Hamas.” Secretary of State Blinken stated that Israel had “intent” to minimize civilian suffering, but acknowledged that “the results” did not always reflect that.

The Economist added that the Biden administration has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration to alleviate Palestinian suffering as much as possible, especially in southern Gaza. Large numbers of displaced civilians have fled to the south, where failing sanitation systems have raised concerns about the possibility of a disease outbreak.

Meanwhile, Al-Hadath TV channel reported that US troops will be deployed on the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon, while the US assured that Israel will not conduct operations in southern Lebanon.