Officials in the Biden administration have come under mounting criticism for their support of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. They have seen more than 19,000 people there killed. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has returned to the region to ask Israeli leaders to limit the harm to civilians.

Austin sat down in Tel Aviv on Monday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. He told them Israelis would continue to get the equipment necessary to defend themselves. But he said they need to transition to a new phase of the conflict. "Protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral duty and a strategic imperative," he said.

Austin predicted earlier this month that Israeli forces could face a "strategic defeat" if they did not do more to protect civilians.

Gallant said those troops will shift their tactics depending on the situation on the ground. "Soon, we will be able to distinguish between different areas in Gaza," he said. "And every area where we achieve our mission, we will be able to transition gradually to the next phase." He said he expected civilians could return, sooner in the north than in the south.

Activists for the international non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch said the Israelis should be investigated for war crimes. They said hospitals have been "particularly hard hit." They accused Israeli leaders of using starvation as a "weapon of war."