ISRAEL: Israel has submitted written assurances as required by the US State Department stating its use of American-supplied weapons are not being used to violate humanitarian laws in Gaza, a US official said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

Israel had until a Sunday deadline to submit written assurances. The State Department will assess by early May whether Israel’s assurances are credible and report to the US Congress.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin urged his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant to explore alternatives to conducting a full-scale ground operation in Rafah during a call between the pair, according to a Department of Defense press release, Al Jazeera reports.

“Secretary Austin raised the need to consider alternatives to a major ground operation in Rafah, while reiterating the shared goal of defeating Hamas,” the readout said.

The two also discussed the “need to do more to protect civilians and urgently increase the flow of aid into Gaza through land crossings”, according to the statement.