Washington ¨C The Biden administration has advised Israel to delay a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, hoping to buy time for hostage negotiations and to allow more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians in the sealed-off enclave, according to several U.S. officials.
U.S. officials also want more time to prepare for attacks on U.S. interests in the region from Iran-backed groups, which officials said are likely to intensify once Israel moves its forces fully into Gaza.
The administration is not making a demand of Israel and still supports the ground invasion and Israel¡¯s goal of eradicating Hamas, the group controlling Gaza that killed about 1,400 people in terrorist attacks Oct. 7, officials said.
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