Israel, not the US, will decide when to end its war against Hamas in Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday, in the wake of reports that Washington has been exerting pressure on Israel to wrap up operations by the end of the year.

Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper about the war, which has entered its third month, Blinken said that the US has been conducting discussions with Israel about its “duration” as well as “how it’s prosecuting this campaign against Hamas.”

“These are decisions for Israel to make,” he added.

Israel’s war with Hamas began with the terror group’s shock onslaught on October 7 in which thousands of terrorists burst into southern Israel from the land, air and sea, killing more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians slaughtered in their homes, communities and at a music festival, and seizing some 240 hostages.

In response, Israel launched an aerial campaign and subsequent ground operation through which the country has vowed to topple Hamas and end the terror group’s 16-year rule in the Strip.

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