US envoy demands political strategy from Israel

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has once again called on the Israeli government to link its military operations in the Gaza Strip to a political strategy.

The White House made the demand on Sunday after Sullivan met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.

According to the White House, the suggested strategy aims to ensure a lasting defeat of the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas, the release of all Israeli hostages, and a better future for the Gaza Strip.

Sullivan had previously met Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman.

The US has long been urging Israel to present a strategy for administering the Palestinian coastal territory and has repeatedly warned against a large-scale attack on the city of Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wrote on social media platform X after the meeting that they discussed in detail the continuation of the war in Gaza, particularly the approach in Rafah, and the intensification of humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip.

According to the White House, Sullivan also proposed a series of measures to ensure that more aid reaches the sealed-off Gaza Strip and discussed steps to establish fixed corridors within the coastal area to ensure aid reaches all civilians in need.