Pentagon says Gallant briefed US defense secretary hours after strike on Hamas’s Deif

By Jacob Magid

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14 July 2024, 12:45 am

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Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

File: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (L) and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant give a joint press conference in Tel Aviv on December 18, 2023. (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP)

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant briefed US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Israel’s military operations in Gaza in a call hours after the IDF carried out a major airstrike in Gaza targeting Hamas military wing chief Muhammad Deif, the Pentagon says.

Gallant and Austin “reaffirmed the shared goals of ensuring the enduring defeat of Hamas and securing the release of all hostages, and [Austin] emphasized the importance of taking all necessary steps to minimize civilian harm,” the US readout says.

The Israeli strike killed 90 and wounded 300, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. The figures haven’t been verified and they don’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.

The IDF says it targeted a fenced-off Hamas compound within the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, and that dozens of Hamas gunmen were there.