Israeli PM asks US for more days to end Gaza offensive: Sources

By Abdel-Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the US administration for a period of two to three days before ending his military operation in the Gaza Strip, sources familiar with cease-fire talks between Israel and Palestinian factions told Anadolu Agency.

The sources, who requested not to be named since they are not authorized to brief the media, said the Israeli request came after Washington asked Netanyahu on Sunday and Monday to end aggression on the besieged territory.

Meanwhile, Barak Rafid, the political correspondent of local Israeli media outlet Walla, told CNN that the army will “need 24-48 hours to complete the operation in Gaza”.

"The message of [US President] Joe Biden's administration to Israel is that the time for [halting] the operation is running out,” he said.

Following a phone call between Biden and Netanyahu on Monday night, the White House said in a statement that Biden “expressed his support for a cease-fire and discussed US engagement with Egypt and other partners towards that end.”

During the call, Biden "reiterated his firm support for Israel’s right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks," said the statement.

However, the sources familiar with the details of the cease-fire contacts pointed out that Netanyahu refuses to make any commitment in exchange for the cease-fire.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), citing Israeli sources familiar with the ongoing cease-fire talks, said there were "signs of optimism” regarding the possibility of ending the military operation on the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu’s office, however, denied the rumors, the IPBC said, while Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz told the channel that he rules out the possibility of ending the military operation in the Gaza Strip in the coming days.

At least 212 Palestinians have been killed, including 61 children and 36 women, and 1,400 others injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since May 10, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Ten Israeli have also been killed in Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

The recent tensions that started in East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan spread to Gaza as a result of Israeli assaults on worshippers in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara