On the 69th day of the war, tensions continue to escalate. Israel’s military campaign will continue for “some time,” US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said after meeting with Netanyahu, who again promised “absolute victory.”

According to diplomatic sources, Israel allegedly told US officials that the current aggressive phase of the conflict could end in two to three weeks. According to the region’s main telecommunications company, Internet and telephone networks were down again in Gaza on Thursday.

The Palestinian Authority “may eventually play a role in a post-war Gaza,” according to a senior US official who confirmed that White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Friday.

Watch the Israel-Hamas war LIVE, day 69, on HotNews.ro:

05:39Thousands of Palestinian civilians were trapped in their homes as armed Israeli drones, armored vehicles, military bulldozers and at least 1,400 soldiers launched a massive 60-hour raid on Jenin in the West Bank.

Residents described violence by Israeli occupation forces, breaking down doors, ransacking Palestinian homes and blowing up others, and what resident Ahmad al-Azmi described as soldiers’ “hatred” for all Palestinians, Al Jazeera reported.

05:00A senior Biden administration official, who briefed reporters on US national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s meetings in Israel, said “we can now say with certainty that the days of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar are numbered.” This is the first time a senior US official has spoken of Sinwar in this way.

“We can now say that justice will be served,” added a senior administration official, noting that Sinwar “has American blood on his hands.”

01:28A senior US general will join the head of the Pentagon in meetings in Israel

Gen. Charles C. Brown, America’s top general, will join Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for meetings in Israel in the coming days, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

This will be the first trip by an Air Force general to the Middle East since becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said at a news conference. Austin will embark on his trip to the Middle East on Saturday, and will also visit Qatar and Bahrain.

00:50 The US says Israel will continue to strike Hamas “for some time”.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Israel’s military campaign against Hamas will continue “for some time”.

He spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about when the high-intensity operations will move into a more targeted phase, he said on Israeli television.

Washington’s contribution is based on what will end the terrorist threat posed by Hamas to Israel and protect civilians in Gaza, Sullivan added, according to Sky News.