Israel faces growing US calls for restraint amid renewed Gaza fighting

3/12/2023 12:12

                Israel faced growing U.S. calls to avoid further harm to Palestinian civilians in its fight against Hamas militants in Gaza, as the warring sides on Sunday showed no sign of moving toward reviving their collapsed truce.
        
        As Israeli forces pounded the enclave following the breakdown of a temporary ceasefire, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said too many innocent Palestinians had been killed in Gaza, and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin deemed it a "moral responsibility" for Israel to protect civilians.
        
        The senior U.S. officials' remarks on Saturday reinforced pressure from Washington for Israel to use more caution as it shifts the focus of its military offensive further south in the besieged Gaza Strip.
        
        With renewed fighting stretching into a third day, residents feared the air and artillery bombardment was just the prelude to an Israeli ground operation in the southern strip that would pen them into a shrinking area and possibly try to push them across into Egypt.