Palestinian Civilian Death Toll Reaches 17 Thousand, US Hasn't Given Israel Dead Time To End Operations In Gaza

The Israeli military in the Gaza Strip. (Source: IDF Spokesperson)

JAKARTA - The United States has not given Israel a deadline to complete its military operations in the Gaza Strip region, although the number of Palestinian civilians has reached 17 thousand people according to the records of the bag's territory authorities.

United States Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said President Joe Biden's administration had not given Israel a deadline to complete its military operations in Gaza.

"We don't mean to be too prescriptive towards our core partners and allies who have experienced a terrible and deadly attack, which in our view is in response to what is absolutely necessary in their responsibility to reduce threats to their own country," Finer said when answering questions about the matter in discussions at the Aspen Security Forum., reported The Times of Israel December 8.

But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel's War Cabinet last week that Israel had weeks, not months, to launch its war against Hamas with high intensity, since Israel launched ground operations on October 27, an Israeli official said.

"We have not given Israel a definite deadline, not ours. This is their conflict," Finer said.

"Nevertheless, we have influence, although we have no complete control over what is happening in Gaza," explains Finer.

"We are trying to use our influence to direct the conflict in the most constructive way," he continued, referring to the need to comply with international law.

"But when it comes to telling them you have to quit now, that's not how we run a business," he said.

Separately, the death toll of Palestinians as the ongoing Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip has risen to 17,177 since October 7, the Ministry of Health said in the enclave on Thursday.

"About 70 percent of victims are children and women," ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told a news conference, quoted by Anadolu.

He further said 46.000 others were injured in Israeli intense attacks on the blockaded Palestinian territories.

"At least 290 medics were killed, 102 ambulances destroyed and 160 health care centers were targeted by Israeli attacks, while 20 hospitals and 46 primary care centers were forced to malfunction," said al-Qudra.

"We are facing difficulties in calculating the death toll and injuries from ongoing attacks and communication blackouts," he added.

Israel continued its military offensive in the Gaza Strip on December 1, following the end of a week-long humanitarian hiatus with Hamas.

Israel launched a military campaign and a total blockade on the Gaza Strip, after Hamas launched an attack on their southern region on October 7, leaving about 1,200 Israelis dead according to official figures.