A meeting between Defense Secretaries Austin and Benny Gantz took place, which brought together two seasoned soldiers to examine the current state of Israel's ongoing military operations. During their conversation, they discussed how to avoid undermining Israel's position in the current conflict by excessively focusing on military targets. Austin asked important questions about the Israeli government's plans for Gaza once the current military operation against Hamas is completed.
Of prime concern is the plight of 1.5 million Gazans who are expected to be left without homes, electricity, and water. Austin emphasized the necessity of having a strategy to avoid a humanitarian crisis after the military operations by asking Gantz about Israel's plan for Gaza.
