Protecting Palestinians a moral imperative, Pentagon chief tells Israeli counterpart

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday it was a moral and strategic imperative to protect Palestinian civilians in the war between Israel and Hamas and that the humanitarian catastrophe in besieged Gaza was getting worse. "In Gaza today, the number of civilian casualties is far too high and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low," Austin said, sitting across from Gallant, a key architect of the military campaign against Hamas in response to the militants' Oct. 7 cross-border rampage that Israel says killed 1,200 people. The Pentagon later said Austin's discussion with Gallant was frank and direct. The Israeli defense minister also met for a second day with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who told Gallant that Israel needs to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said. Speaking to reporters, Gallant, apparently seeking to cool U.S.-Israeli tensions, said he stressed the importance of U.S. ties to his country's security and of maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region, including its air capabilities. "We share 100% of the values and 99% of the interests with the United States," Gallant said. Gallant emphasized that while he had discussed humanitarian aid, he had also made clear Israel's plan to go ahead with efforts to destroy Hamas, saying it was necessary to deter "common enemies," an apparent reference to Iran. Hamas, he said, still has five battalions operating in Rafah. Austin said the security bond between Israel and the United States was "unshakeable". "The United States is Israel's closest friend and that won't change," he added.