WASHINGTON
US President Joe Biden has dispatched a few high-ranking military officers to Israel to provide counsel to the Israeli military on operations in Gaza, the White House confirmed Monday.
“What I can tell you is that there are a few relevant military officers with the kinds of experience that we believe is appropriate to the sorts of operations that Israel is conducting and may conduct in the future to go over there to share some perspectives from their own experience and to ask the hard questions,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing.
“The same hard questions that we’ve been asking our Israeli counterparts since the beginning,” he added.
Earlier, the US news website Axios reported that Biden selected Marine Lt. Gen. James Glynn, known for his involvement in Marine special operations countering Daesh/ISIS in Iraq, along with other senior officials to advise the Israeli military.
The confirmation came amid reports that Israel is bracing for a ground operation in Gaza.
Meanwhile, earlier on Monday, Israeli Army Radio said Tel Aviv has decided to delay the Gaza ground operation pending the arrival of additional US forces to the region.
The conflict in Gaza, which has been under Israeli bombardment and a blockade since Oct. 7, began when the Palestinian group Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.
It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip has climbed to 5,087, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said Monday.
“The fatalities include 2,055 children, 1,119 women and 217 elders,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told a news conference in Gaza City.
He said 15,273 people were also injured in the Israeli attacks.
More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in Hamas attacks since Oct. 7, according to Israeli authorities.
