Despite the Gaza death toll soaring, the U.S. is unlikely to rethink weapons supplies to Israel. As the number of civilian casualties continues to rise as a result of Israel’s ongoing attack in southern Gaza, the administration of Vice President Joe Biden is attempting to exert pressure on its ally to reduce the number of civilian deaths. However, they are not taking any actions that may force them to listen, such as threatening to curtail military supplies.

High-ranking American officials, such as Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have openly urged Israel to conduct a more targeted offensive in the south to avoid the significant civilian fatalities that its operations in the north have resulted in.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, approximately 900 people in Gaza were killed in Israeli airstrikes between Friday, when a truce ended, and Monday. This is approximately the same number of people who were killed in strikes in Gaza over the four days following the Hamas cross-border raid on Israel on October 7. However, this number is lower than the 1,199 people who died in the four days following the beginning of Israel’s ground offensive on northern Gaza on October 28.

Withholding the supply of weapons or harshly condemning Israel as a method of modifying its tactics is not something that Washington is considering at this time, according to two officials from the United States of America. This is because the United States feels that the current policy of quietly talking is highly effective.

“We think what we’re doing is moving them,” a senior official from the United States said, highlighting the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went from refusing to allow supplies into Gaza to admitting roughly 200 trucks of help a day. Netanyahu stated that these changes were the product of complex diplomacy rather than threats.

An official made the statement from the United States after three days of continuing aircraft bombardments of southern Gaza, which left locals digging through the wreckage to retrieve the bodies of children and adults.

An official from the United States, however, stated that cutting military backing to Israel would include significant dangers.

“You start lessening aid to Israel, you start encouraging other parties to come into the conflict, you weaken the deterrence effect, and you encourage Israel’s other enemies,” according to the representative.

The United States has stated that its support is steadfast. It would appear that the Israeli government is undeterred by the pleas of the international community to alter its tactics.

“I must admit that I sense that the prime minister feels zero pressure and that we will do whatever it takes to achieve our military goals,” Ophir Falk, Netanyahu’s foreign policy advisor, said in response to a question from Reuters about the pressure that the international community is putting on Israel.

A SIGNIFICANT LEVERAGE OF THE U.S.

Israel receives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance from the United States. This assistance includes everything from fighter planes to powerful bombs that have the potential to demolish Hamas tunnels. The administration of Vice President Joe Biden has requested that Congress authorize an extra $14 billion.

One of the advocacy directors at The Project on Middle East Democracy, Seth Binder, stated that such backing gives the United States government “significant leverage” over the campaign against Hamas.

“Withholding certain types of equipment or delaying refilling stockpiles of various arms would force the Israeli government to adjust strategies and tactics because they would not be guaranteed to have more in the pipeline,” according to Binder. “To date, the administration has demonstrated an unwillingness to use that leverage.”

Although senior advisors have increased their appeals for Israeli restraint, the presidential race in 2024 is a factor that Biden must consider. As the Democratic president pursues re-election, any move to slash funding might be detrimental to his chances of winning over pro-Israel independent voters.

A group of progressive Democrats is also exerting pressure on Vice President Biden. These Democrats want the United States to impose conditions on military assistance to its closest partner in the Middle East, and they also want the president to endorse demands for an early ceasefire.

A senior Israeli security source claimed that there had been no change in the United States’ support for Israel up to this point. “At the moment, there is an understanding and continued coordination,” stated the anonymous source. “If the U.S. shifts course, Israel will have to speed up its operations and wrap things up quickly.”

Following a seven-day respite during which Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and detainees and delivered humanitarian goods, fighting between the two groups resumed on Friday. Israel is taking retaliatory action in response to an attack carried out by Hamas terrorists on October 7 that it claims resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of over 240 hostages.

At least 15,899 Palestinians, 70 percent of whom are women or persons under the age of 18, whom the ministry considers to be minors, have been killed as a result of Israeli bombardments during eight weeks of combat, according to the Gaza health ministry, whose data has been acknowledged by the United Nations as being generally trustworthy.

Having an “eye-to eye” encounter with Israel

A heavy aerial bombardment was the first step in the Israeli military’s attack in northern Gaza. Following this, there was a significant ground invasion that ultimately led to Israeli soldiers encircling and entering Gaza City, the largest settlement in the area.

Israeli authorities have reported that they are altering their operations in the southern region to provide non-combatants in regions of conflict with additional time to flee. However, they are unable to guarantee that there will be no civilian deaths.

“We are going to continue with our campaign to destroy Hamas, a campaign that the United States sees eye to eye with us about,” said Eylon Levy, a spokeswoman for the Israeli government, during a press conference on Tuesday. Israel has often accused Hamas of using women and children as human shields, and he reiterated those claims.

Israel’s military started releasing grid-based maps online on Friday, ordering Palestinians to evacuate certain areas of southern Gaza and sending them toward the Mediterranean coast and Rafah, which is located close to the Egyptian border. A few locals reported that the so-called “safe areas” where they instructed people to go were also subjected to fire, which resulted in injuries.

Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor for the United States, stated on Monday that the United States anticipates the Israelis will follow through with their promise to refrain from bombing those neighborhoods.

The fact that Israel was being more careful in stating which locations civilians should avoid was an indication that the pressure that the United States was applying was adequate, according to a second official from the United States. According to the official, the United States believes that Israel should be more specific with its attacks in southern Gaza; nevertheless, it was too early to determine whether or not Israel had considered this advice.

Intense Israeli airstrikes were reported to have struck southern Gaza on Monday, resulting in the deaths and injuries of scores of Palestinians, according to residents and journalists on the ground.

Since Israel’s attack started, “all indications and reports suggest that the same pattern—dropping heavy-duty bombs and using artillery in densely populated areas—is continuing,” said Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch. Shakir is referring to the fact that Israel has been utilizing artillery and dropping heavy bombs in urban areas.

Amnesty International announced on Tuesday that it had discovered that two Israeli air attacks in Gaza had resulted in the deaths of 43 civilians with weapons manufactured in the United States.