Top U.S. officials warned Israel to protect civilians as it resumed aerial attacks on Gaza after a week-long pause in fighting, including in the south, where the majority of the Strip’s population is now crowded after Israel instructed people in the north to evacuate. “Too many Palestinian civilians have been killed,” Vice President Harris said Saturday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he “personally pushed Israeli leaders to avoid civilian casualties,” saying that a failure to do so would drive Palestinians “into the arms of the enemy,” undermining its war efforts against Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was determining “safe areas” for Gazan civilians.
