(Washington) Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will soon travel to Washington to speak with his American counterpart about the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the Pentagon announced on Saturday.
In a phone call Tuesday with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Mr. Gallant accepted an invitation to visit the United States, said a Pentagon spokesman, Gen. Patrick Ryder.
The date of his visit has not yet been set, but the objective of this meeting is to “discuss in more depth current security developments in the Middle East,” he added on X.
President Joe Biden’s administration is pushing for a ceasefire, which it says is supported by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The war was sparked on October 7 by the attack launched by Hamas from Gaza in southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count established from official Israeli data. Of 251 people kidnapped, 116 are still held hostage in Gaza, of whom 41 are dead, according to the army.
In retaliation, the Israeli army launched a large-scale offensive in Gaza that left 37,296 dead, mostly civilians, according to data Saturday from the Health Ministry of the Hamas-led Gaza government.