The results of Israel’s war on Gaza will affect the Middle East for years, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday.
A statement from Israel’s Defense Ministry said Gallant made the remarks during a meeting with Sullivan at the White House.
It added that the meeting dealt with “steps necessary to continue defeating Hamas and dismantling its military and government capacities and efforts to return the hostages.”
Gallant stressed that the way the war in Gaza ends “will affect Israel and the entire region for decades to come and will send a clear message.”
Gallant embarked on an official visit to the United States (US) on Sunday at the invitation of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss the war against the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, efforts to free hostages, humanitarian efforts and measures to ensure regional stability.
Accused of genocide, Israel launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7 that killed at least 32,333 Palestinians and injured 74,694.
On January 26, following a genocide lawsuit filed by the Republic of South Africa, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel must refrain from any actions related to the killing, attacks and destruction of the residents of the Gaza Strip and take all measures to prevent genocide, AA writes.