"US Defense Secretary Austin Urges Israel to Scale Back Conduct in Gaza War"

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III will visit Israel, Bahrain, and Qatar this week to push for a scaling back of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The Biden administration wants Israel to transition to a more focused phase of the conflict, involving smaller groups of elite forces conducting intelligence-driven missions to target Hamas leaders, rescue hostages, and destroy tunnels. The visit comes as Britain and Germany call for a "sustainable cease-fire" and as the deaths of three Israeli hostages, mistakenly killed by Israeli forces, highlight the risks faced by remaining hostages. Gaza has also experienced a near communication blackout for two days, leaving Palestinians cut off from the outside world.