Gallant: 'While I'm meeting with Pentagon, Hamas is meeting with Iran'

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at press time on Tuesday. He issued a statement noting that at the same time as his meeting, Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh was in Tehran meeting with the Iranian leadership.

Gallant said that this juxtaposition of meetings and allegiances was "the clearest sign that there is a war going on between the free world and the axis which promotes terror."

The defense minister said that Israel, the US, and other allies needed to "join hands using both military and diplomatic means, and to raise the military pressure" against Hamas to convince it to release the approximately 70 living Israeli hostages plus approximately 60 remains it is holding.

He said that they discussed how to manage the next stages of the war, how to return the hostages, and how to maintain Israel's qualitative military edge over its adversaries in the region.

Despite Gallant's optimistic portrayal of the meeting, right before the two men started their meeting, Austin said that it was a moral and strategic imperative to protect Palestinian civilians, calling the situation in Gaza a "humanitarian catastrophe" as relations between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sank to a wartime low.

Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said, " Today Secretary of Defense Austin hosted Israeli Minister of Defense Gallant at the Pentagon for his first visit to Washington in his current role. The Secretary and Minister Gallant affirmed their shared interest in defeating Hamas. They discussed the importance of prioritizing civilians in Rafah, the dire humanitarian situation across Gaza, and threats to regional security."

"The Secretary stressed that the United States and Israel have a moral imperative and a shared strategic interest in safeguarding civilians, noting that any assault on Rafah should not proceed without a credible and implementable plan that ensures the safety and humanitarian support for civilians sheltering there. The Secretary also urged Minister Gallant to expand entry points for humanitarian assistance and address distribution challenges inside of Gaza. He also reiterated the department's commitment to establish a temporary maritime corridor to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.," Singh added.

Netanyahu cancels Washington delegations after USNC vote

The meeting between the two came after Netanyahu on Monday canceled a separate visit to Washington by two of his most senior aides, Tzahi Hanegbi and Ron Demer, who were due to hear US ideas about operational alternatives for how to eliminate Hamas's four battalions in Rafah in Gaza.

Netanyahu's fraught relations with Biden have hit a new nadir over Washington's decision not to veto a UN Security Council resolution seeking an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which itself came after months of frustration from Biden that Netanyahu was neither: trying to bring the war to an end, nor figure out a plan for "the Day After" the IDF will withdraw from Gaza, nor figure out ways to exponentially and rapidly increase humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Gallant did not respond to Austin's criticism on the spot or mention it in his statement to the press.

Austin's statement outlined how hard it will be for Gallant to convince Austins that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not nearly as bad as the UN and the media are portraying it to be.

Further, there is speculation that Austin and the US may slowly walk, instead of speeding up, military aid to Israel going forward until Biden feels that his main priorities are being taken more seriously by Israel.

At the same time as Netanyahu has lost more support politically in Israel, his main opposition National Unity Party leader, Benny Gantz, has continued to support him about the need to invade Rafah despite US objections.

Austin said he would discuss alternate approaches to targeting Hamas militants in Rafah.

The senior defense official said Austin discussed potential steps like Israel's precision targeting of Hamas fighters in Rafah.

The threat of such an offensive has increased differences between close allies the United States and Israel and raised questions about whether the US might restrict military aid if Netanyahu defies Biden and presses ahead anyway.

Austin said the security bond between Israel and the United States was "unshakeable."

"The United States is Israel's closest friend, and that won't change," he added.

Separately, US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Fuad Hussein.  Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Higher Military Commission process, which will enable the transition to a durable bilateral security partnership between Iraq and the United States and help to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.