Washington, Mar. 27, (dpa/GNA) – US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has met with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon and urged an improvement in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
The bilateral meeting comes just one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a delegation to Washington after the US decided not to veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
“In Gaza today, the number of civilian casualties is far too high, and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low,” Austin said when welcoming Gallant on Tuesday, according to a readout.
“So Mr. Minister, I look forward to discussing how we can dramatically and urgently ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” he told his Israeli counterpart.
Austin also made clear that, recalling the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed, “No country should endure such terror, and no country would tolerate such a danger.”
“Our goal is to make Israel and the region safer and more secure. And as I have consistently said, protecting Palestinian civilians from harm is both a moral necessity and a strategic imperative.”
Austin said he also wanted to discuss the situation of the more than 1 million Palestinian refugees sheltering in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The US has repeatedly warned Israel against launching a large-scale offensive into the city, pointing to the risk of high numbers of civilian casualties.
The Israeli delegation scheduled to travel to Washington on Monday had been invited to discuss potential alternatives to a ground operation in Rafah.
When Netanyahu cancelled the visit, Gallant was already in Washington.