Israel faces growing US calls for restraint amid renewed Gaza fighting

Reuters :
Israel faced growing US calls to avoid further harm to Palestinian civilians in its fight against Hamas fighters in Gaza, as the warring sides on Sunday showed no sign of moving toward reviving their collapsed truce.
As Israeli forces pounded the enclave following the breakdown of a temporary ceasefire, US Vice President Kamala Harris said too many innocent Palestinians had been killed in Gaza, and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin deemed it a “moral responsibility” for Israel to protect civilians.
The senior US officials’ remarks on Saturday reinforced pressure from Washington for Israel to use more caution as it shifts the focus of its military offensive further south in the besieged Gaza Strip.
With renewed fighting stretching into a third day, residents feared the air and artillery bombardment was just the prelude to an Israeli ground operation in the southern strip that would pen them into a shrinking area and possibly try to push them across into Egypt.
The Gaza health ministry said at least 193 Palestinians had been killed since the weeklong truce ended on Friday, adding to the more than 15,000 Palestinian dead since the start of the war.
Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas following its October 7 attack in southern Israel in which it says 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 taken hostage.
Speaking in Dubai, Harris said Israel had a right to defend itself, but international and humanitarian law must be respected and “too many innocent Palestinians have been killed.”