People are seen among the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, Oct. 29, 2023. The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip rose to 8,005, including 3,342 children, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Sunday.So far, more than 20,000 Palestinians have been injured since the fighting broke out, the ministry said in a statement. (Photo: Xinhua)

As US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuthat Israel's attack in Gaza should be consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritizes the protection of civilians, the US came under intense pressure to modify its one-sided support for Israel due to the dire and worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza as well as strong pressure from the Muslim community and international community, analysts said. 

Israel may decide to send ground forces into Gaza to destroy Hamas instead of forcing out all Palestinians from Gaza to gain complete control of the place, but the death toll would inevitably rise. While Israel could prevail in armed conflict, analysts predicted that it could not win diplomatically or politically. They urged the international community -especially the US - to intensify efforts to support a cease-fire in order to avert a humanitarian crisis before the humanitarian catastrophe worsened. 

In a White House statement on Sunday, US President Biden stated that Israel needs to carry out its attack against Hamas in Gaza "in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law that prioritizes the protection of civilians," after speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This was the first call between the two leaders since the Israeli military expanded its ground operation in Gaza late Friday, media reported.

In contrast to its earlier lopsided support for Israel, the Biden administration's approach to the Palestine-Israel issue has undergone notable adjustments. The primary causes are the worsening humanitarian crisis and the UN General Assembly's passage of the cease-fire resolution, which has forced the US to realize that it would lose the support of the international community, particularly the Islamic world, if it continues to blindly defend Israel, Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Monday.

On Friday, with a recorded vote of 121 in favor to 14 against, with 44 abstentions, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding a humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, while the US, Israel and a few other countries voted against. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Saturday that his country "outright" rejected the resolution, according to media reports. 

There is mounting pressure worldwide for a humanitarian cease-fire as the death toll in Gaza continues to rise. More than 8,000 Palestinians, including at least 3,300 children, have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. 

As Israel's largest military aid provider, the US has been accused of bearing responsibility for Israel's actions in Gaza. Meanwhile, Biden is also facing pressure within the US and even from within his own Democratic Party to call for a cease-fire.

While Biden is attempting to mitigate the harm that Israel's present military operation in Gaza is causing to its global leadership and Middle East policy, Israel wants to maintain close ties with the US, said Sun. 

Israel's military actions in Gaza are motivated by its interests in the area, but US policies are designed to uphold US hegemony worldwide. Pressure from the international community and the Arab nations' condemnation of Israel have made the US less inclined to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for Israel, the expert noted. 

More Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and Morocco, have condemned the targeting of civilians and "flagrant violations of international law" in Gaza, which has come under heavy Israeli bombardment.

Although Israel has not said it openly, it previously intended to drive out all Palestinians from Gaza and take complete control of the area, but may now seek to destroy Hamas and then withdraw from Gaza in response to the increasing pressure, particularly from the US, analysts said. 

The humanitarian situation will worsen as a result of the ongoing military operations in Gaza, which would result in an increase in fatalities, said Sun. 

Since the start of this round of fighting on October 7, the international community's sentiments toward Israel have shifted from sympathy to more complicated feelings, with more people voicing worries about the humanitarian situation brought on by Israel's excessive military activities in Gaza. Many countries have seen spikes in anti-Semitic incidents, leading to growing concerns over hate crimes. 

Some analysts warned that while the Netanyahu administration's goal of complete military domination would be successful in combat terms, it would not be successful in terms of politics or diplomacy. They called for increased international efforts to promote a truce before more hostilities took place.