Thursday Briefing

American officials say Israel’s continued bombings in Gaza are only increasing risks to civilians.Credit…Mahmoud Issa/Reuters

Israel has achieved all it can in Gaza, U.S. military says

The Israeli military has severely set back Hamas but will never be able to completely eliminate the group, according to senior American officials who say continued bombings are only increasing risks to civilians.

In many respects, Israel’s military operation has done far more damage against Hamas than U.S. officials had predicted when the war began in October. Hamas and its leadership are greatly diminished, Israel has destroyed or seized supply routes from Egypt into Gaza, and about 14,000 combatants in Gaza have been killed or captured, the Israeli military said last month.

But one of Israel’s biggest remaining goals — the return of the roughly 115 living and dead hostages still held in Gaza — can be secured only through negotiations, and not through military force, according to current and former American and Israeli officials.

Truce talks: Mediators, Israeli negotiators and officials from around the world are expected to meet in Qatar today for a high-stakes push to end the war in Gaza.

Related:

• One of President Biden’s most trusted national security advisers met with Lebanese officials in Beirut in a bid to avert a war between Hezbollah and Israel.

• Turkey’s complex role in the Gaza war was on full display as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority.

• The Times spent several weeks with former hostages in Israel as they tried to rebuild their lives.

• Columbia University’s president, Nemat Shafik, resigned after months of fury at her handling of protests over the Israel-Hamas war.