US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, stressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the “importance” of avoiding harm to civilians in Gaza, and the efforts made to release hostages held in the Strip, according to what the US State Department said.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Blinken "renewed our support for Israel's right to prevent a recurrence of the terrorist attacks that occurred on October 7, and stressed the importance of avoiding further harm to civilians and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza."

He added that he "discussed ongoing efforts to ensure the release of all hostages."

He said, "Blinken reaffirmed the need to ensure lasting peace, ensuring the establishment of a Palestinian state."

He noted that Blinken "discussed the importance of increasing the level of humanitarian aid reaching civilians in Gaza."

The Washington Post quoted unnamed American officials as saying that “Israel informed Washington of its intention to reduce operations in the next phase of its campaign in Gaza.”

It added that Tel Aviv informed Washington "that it will rely on a smaller number of forces and reduce aerial bombardment, and that it will deploy special forces to eliminate Hamas leaders and capabilities."

The American officials themselves said, "Previous Israeli guarantees were not fulfilled, and we hope that this will be the actual beginning of a reduction in forces."

Earlier today, Israeli President Isaac Herzog attacked South Africa, against the backdrop of the lawsuit filed before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing acts of genocide against the Palestinians during its war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

This came during his conversation with the US Secretary of State, where Herzog criticized South Africa for filing the lawsuit, the hearings of which are scheduled to begin next Thursday, while he thanked Washington for its support for Israel.

Herzog said that "there is nothing more brutal and ridiculous" than the lawsuit filed by South Africa, accusing Israel of committing genocide in its war on the Gaza Strip and demanding an urgent halt to its military campaign.

In light of the pressure demanded by Washington to “reduce the harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip,” and against the backdrop of the lawsuit against Israel in The Hague, Herzog said: “We are doing our best in light of the complex circumstances not to harm civilians.”

He claimed that the Israeli occupation warns civilians before targeting their homes in the Gaza Strip, and said: “We contact them, distribute warning leaflets, and use all means permitted by international law to transfer residents,” referring to their forcible displacement from their homes.