US fears Israel does not yet have a clear plan to destroy Hamas

The push comes amid concerns Israel does not yet have a military strategy that could effectively eliminate Hamas without the risk of massive civilian casualties.

A woman holding a girl reacts after Israeli airstrikes hit the Ridwan neighborhood of Gaza City on Monday. Picture: Getty Images

The US is urging Israel to delay its ground offensive in Gaza to allow US forces to be ready if the Israel-Hamas war spirals out of control and spreads across the Middle East.

Washington has also told Israel that a further delay in its land battle would increase the chances of more hostages being released and would allow for more humanitarian aid to enter the stricken territory.

The delay also comes amid reported US concerns that Israel does not yet have a military plan that could effectively eliminate Hamas without the risk of massive civilian casualties.

Israel has given no indication when its ground offensive might begin but it has stepped up its bombing on Gaza in preparation for the attack, saying it hit 320 Hamas targets in a 24-hour period.

The White House said US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to update him on “US support for ­Israel and ongoing efforts at regional deterrence, to include US military deployments”.

The US is rushing new military assets to the Middle East, including air defence systems, to prepare for its worst-case scenario that the ­Israel-Hamas war spreads and becomes a regional conflict. It has already sent two aircraft carrier battle groups to the region and has prepared plans to evacuate US citizens.

The US is especially worried that the heavily armed Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah may use the Gaza conflict to launch an attack on Israel from Lebanon, forcing it to fight a war on two fronts and potentially ­embroiling Iran.

The Israeli military said it had attacked Hezbollah positions in Lebanon in an escalating exchange of fire between both sides.

Negotiations for the possible release of 50 hostages held by Hamas, including foreign nationals, are continuing after Hamas surprised Israel by releasing two elderly Israeli women, 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz and 79-year-old Nurit Cooper.

The two women and their husbands were kidnapped by Hamas in the Nir Oz kibbutz near the Gaza border on October 7. Their husbands have not been freed.

“While I cannot put into words the relief that she is now safe, I will remain focused on securing the release of my father and all those – some 200 innocent people – who remain hostage in Gaza,” Ms Lifshitz’s daughter, Sharone, said.

A report in The New York Times said the Biden administration was worried that Israel lacked achievable military objectives in its ground invasion, which is aimed at destroying Hamas as a terrorist group.

Former US president Barack Obama also commented, saying while Israel had a right to seek to destroy Hamas after its massacre of October 7, it needed to be careful not to overreach in its response.

“The world is watching closely as events in the region unfold and any Israeli military strategy that ignores the human costs could ultimately backfire,” Mr Obama wrote. “It’s therefore important that those of us supporting Israel in its time of need encourage a strategy that can incapacitate Hamas while minimising further civilian casualties.”

But Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel’s offensive was being prepared and would come soon.

“We are preparing thoroughly for the next step – a multilateral operation in the air, ground and sea,” he said after joining a navy patrol off Israel’s southern coast. “It will come soon.”

More aid trucks have trickled into Gaza with food and water to help relieve the growing humanitarian crisis in the territory. A third convoy of 20 trucks entered Gaza from the checkpoint with Egypt, taking the total to 54 trucks since the weekend. But this is still far short of the 100 trucks a day that aid workers say is the bare minimum for a population that is almost out of food, water and fuel.

Gaza’s hospitals, which are already overwhelmed with people and short of medicine, were overrun again after Israel said it hit 320 terror targets including Hamas tunnels and command centres.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said the attacks killed more than 400 people, taking the total killed in Gaza during the conflict to more than 5000.

Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed that four Australians and one ­permanent resident had left the troubled West Bank where violence has flared in recent weeks.

But at least 77 Australians are still trapped in Gaza with no foreign nationals so far permitted to leave the strip.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire. DFAT continues to support Australians, permanent residents and immediate family members there,” Senator Wong said.