'Only a decisive victory will bring to an end of this war,' Israeli DM Gallant tells top US officials amid escalating rift

As relations between the United States and Israel are seemingly at their lowest point in decades, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with several senior U.S. officials to discuss the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

“[I just completed a meeting] at the U.S. Department of State, with my friend Secretary Blinken,” Gallant stated on Tuesday afternoon.

"We discussed developments in the war against Hamas and the military operations required to destroy Hamas as a military and governing authority in Gaza."

Gallant's visit began on the same day the U.S. abstained from voting on a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, without conditioning it upon the release of the Israeli hostages by Hamas.

“During our discussion, I emphasized that Israel will not cease operating in Gaza until the return of all the hostages. Only a decisive victory will bring to an end of this war.”

While attempting to smooth over the tensions following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's abrupt cancellation of an Israeli delegation's trip to Washington due to the U.S. abstention, Gallant also reaffirmed his strong opposition against a ceasefire.

Israel has “no moral right to stop the war in Gaza,” Gallant said in a video statement after the UNSC resolution on Monday evening, just before meeting U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Gallant emphasized that the outcomes of this war will impact the region for decades to come and will serve as a message to the common enemies of both nations, according to his office.

The two also discussed efforts to ensure the release of hostages held by Hamas and the measures required to ensure the destruction of Hamas' governing and military capabilities.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Netanyahu had agreed that Israel would send a delegation to discuss the Rafah operation during their last phone call, amid increasing tensions between the two governments over Israel’s military strategy in the Gaza war.

After Netanyahu canceled the delegation in protest of the UN resolution, White House spokesperson John Kirby said that Sullivan, State Secretary Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would still meet Gallant and discuss the Rafah operation and other issues connected to the war in Gaza.

Sullivan said he and Gallant had “a constructive discussion on how best to ensure Hamas' lasting defeat in Gaza.”

“I conveyed President Biden’s iron-clad support for Israel’s security and defense against all threats, including Iran. I welcomed Yoav’s commitment to take additional steps to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” the security advisor added.