US, Israeli defense chiefs discuss Israel-Hamas hostage talks

WASHINGTON

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant spoke by phone Sunday about talks between Israel and Hamas on a hostage deal that would lead to a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Austin and Gallant exchanged views on humanitarian assistance efforts and the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

"The Secretary reaffirmed his commitment to the unconditional return of all hostages and stressed the need for any potential Israeli military operation in Rafah to include a credible plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians and maintain the flow of humanitarian aid," Ryder said.

Despite growing international opposition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to invade Rafah, home to more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians, to defeat what he calls the “remaining Hamas battalions.”

Rafah is the last remaining area in the Gaza Strip where Israel has not yet formally announced the entry of its troops to continue the onslaught against Palestinians.

Early Sunday, Netanyahu rejected calls to end the Gaza offensive in return for a hostage swap deal with Hamas, claiming that ending the war now would keep the Palestinian group in power.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a cross-border attack on Oct. 7 last year by the Palestinian group Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people. Nearly 34,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 78,000 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Nearly seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians there.