CNN quoted American officials as expecting that Israel's war on Gaza will enter a new phase in the coming days, during which Israel will reduce the size of its air campaign and focus on a more tactical ground operation.

As humanitarian aid continues to flow into Gaza, the Joe Biden administration expects the Israeli air campaign to see "a decline from what we've seen," a senior administration official told CNN on Friday.

The administration expects to move to focus more on the ground campaign with the aim of eliminating the vast network of underground tunnel complexes from which Hamas operates.

The official stressed that the administration was "very direct... regarding war decisions and was deliberate and asked difficult questions" in discussions with Israel, even as the Israeli army sparked international criticism over the targeting of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to the newspaper.

In response to a question about when the Biden administration might feel compelled to call a ceasefire, something it has refused to do so far, the official said that “given the scale and nature of Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, a ceasefire is not appropriate.”

The official confirmed that the United States is actively calling on Israel to activate the so-called “humanitarian truces,” and that it assures Israel that “even if it has the right to defend itself, it must abide by international humanitarian laws.”

The official added: “Ultimately, I think the ceasefire depends on the Israelis feeling safe in ensuring that something like this does not happen again.”