There was fierce combat between as Israel's ground operations met renewed# and heavy resistance from Hamas.

Civilians,## as ever, are caught in the middle, with the# Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry saying nearly## 19,000 people have been killed# in the enclave since October 7.

John Yang begins our coverage.

JOHN YANG: In Gaza City, Israeli# troops engaged in heavy combat,## their campaign against Hamas raging on, even# after suffering their heaviest losses in weeks.

The IDF says nine soldiers were killed yesterday# when they were ambushed in Gaza City's Shaja'ia## neighborhood.

The military had set operations# in Northern Gaza all that wiped out Hamas'## hold there.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin# Netanyahu said setbacks will not deter him.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime# Minister (through translator): We## had a very difficult the true heroes of Israel.

I want to say# in the clearest way, we continue to the## end.

I say this in the face of great pain, but# also in the face of international pressures.

Nothing will stop us.

We will go to# the end to victory, no less than that.

JOHN YANG: It comes as global support for# Israel's operation is dwindling by the day.

MAN: One hundred and fifty-three# in favor, 10 against.

JOHN YANG: Last night, the U.N. General Assembly## approved a nonbinding resolution# demanding an immediate ce ase-fire.

The United States was one# of just 10 nations to vote against it.

Today, the "NewsHour"'s Laura Barron-Lopez# pressed White House officials about President## Biden's comment yesterday that indiscriminate# bombing was eroding international support.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: After the president's comments## yesterday talking abou said that Israel would continue its war# with or without international support.

Do you have a response to that?

JOHN KIRBY, NSC Coor suppor lose international support for what they're trying# to do.

They have every right JOHN YANG: Earlier, Mr. Biden met# with the families of the eight## American hostages held in Gaza.

It was# their second meeti NA'AMA WEINBERG, Cousin of Hamas Hostage:## Every day that passes by might be the last day# of the hostages while they're alive.

Every day,## we hear about new names and new hostages that came# there alive and now they're taken out as bodies.

JOHN YANG: In Gaza, residents already scrambling# for food and shelter are now dealing with heavy## rain.

In the Jabalia refugee camp, mourners# carry the dead through knee-deep water.

Across Gaza, tent cities muddied and# wet are now practically uninhabitable.

YASMIN MHANI, Displaced Gazan (through# translator): I woke up my 7-month-old,## who was soaking wet.

We blanket.

There are no covers, no mattresses, no# food, no water to drink.

This is the fifth place## I had to move to, fleeing from one place# to another with nothing but a T-shirt on.

JOHN YANG: Only adding to the misery of# hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans.

For weeks, Biden administration officials# have pressed Prime Minister Netanyahu to## increase humanitarian aid, as well# as reduce civilian casualties.

And## now President Biden is taking# that up to a whole new level.

Natan Sachs is director of the Brookings# Institutions' Center for Middle Mr .

Sachs, what's behind this apparent public## rift between President Biden# and Prime Minister Netanyahu?

NATAN SACHS, Brookings Institution: Well,# there are both substantive differences## between the two parties and also political ones.

Substantively, the president and the# prime minister see quite es pecially the day after of the ground# operation in the Gaza Strip.

We're## looking at probably the last few weeks# of this phase of the ground operation.## And what follows has been described# very differently by the two leaders.

President Biden has said no Hamas# ruling the Gaza Strip after the war,## but also no Israeli reoccupation of the# Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu, on the other hand,## has described an indefinite Israeli security# overall responsibility in the Gaza Strip,## believing that no other force, international# or multinational, would have the wherewithal## and they would agree to pay the price to# conduct counterinsurgency in the Gaza Strip.

He's probably right in this assessment.# But there's also other differences.

The## president sees a major role for the# Palestinian Authority that currently## controls parts of the West Bank,# at least rejuvenated, reformed,## but then entering into the Gaza Strip# as the main Palestinian force there.

Netanyahu has staked out a position# that that would be unacceptable and## there would be no future at least for# this current form of the Palestinia Authority in the Gaza Strip.

That's# a major difference between t There's also politics involved.

Biden has a lot# of pressure domestically and internationall and sees a need to make clear that he's# been using not only his love for Israel,## but also his pressure, the leverage that he's# gained by showing this close affinity to Israel.

And Netanyahu is struggling for# his political future himself.

He's## now trailing badly in the polls# against the presumptive winner,## would be Benny Gantz, who's currently# in the coalition, but only temporarily.

And he's trying to stake out a position that# would differentiate between him and Benny Gantz,## in particular, on the question of the# Palestinian Authority and whether there## might be a Palestinian state and a# two-state solution down the so mething Netanyahu is hinting that he is the# only one who would pre very fearful of it today, and hinting that Benny# Gantz perhaps would not be able to prevent it.

JOHN YANG: You're talking about these differences,## and they had Why do you think President Biden# is bringing this public now?

NATAN SACHS: Well, we're nearing the end of# the year, and the American administration## has said privately to the Israelis that# this is likely the last few weeks of w the Americans would agree to as this phase# of the ground operations, so major ground## operations with a lot of Israeli forces in# now the Southern and Northern Gaza Strip.

We're not going to see the end of fighting.# Israel will continue to operate.

And,## of course, it depends on what it achieves# in the last few weeks, for example, the leaders of Hamas who were# behind the horrific attack of Oc and it managed to degrade# other Hamas infrastructure.

But, nonetheless, this phase is probably ending# in a few weeks.

And pressure on Israel, make sure that Israel# really does adhere to that kind of timeline,## but also to set the stage for what comes after.

As I said, there's deep disagreements there.# For Neta to voice it publicly, is not only an# attempt to push back diplomatically,## but also to signal to the audience that Netanyahu# cares about most perhaps, and that's his voters.

He is trailing badly, as I said,# and is really trying to stake out a## political position that would allow him to# remain in office for as long as possible.

JOHN YANG: Will this pressure from# the United States, from President## Biden have any effect on Prime Minister Netanyahu NATAN SACHS: It's a mixed bag there.

On the one han much traumatized by October 7, it is# reliving the trauma, it is feeling it,## talking about it incessantly daily, and has very# little patience for concessions to Palestinians.

On the other hand, President Biden stood by# Israel in a way that really moved Israeli## hearts and minds immediately after October 7.

And# that gives him a lot of cachet, a lot of leverage## in Israel.

So Netanyahu will voice very strong# public rhetoric against any pressure, but in## private and in practice he often follows suit in# terms of what the American administration wants.

So Biden has a lot of sway on Israel.

And# he's already used a lot of it in ways that## some of them have not been public, but there# is a limit to it.

The Israeli public and the## Israeli elites see it as a national interest# now, national imperative to bring down Hamas.

And so that -- in between there# is where Biden has leverage.

JOHN YANG: And is there a real threat, do# you think, that U.S. support could change,## could go down, or maybe have strings# attached, restrictions attached to it?

NATAN SACHS: I don't expect the fundamental# support from President Biden to change.## He clearly believes firmly in the main# goal, which is that Hamas after Octo 7 cannot be allowed to rule a statelet# neighboring Israel or any other country.

And in that, he is in full agreement with the# Israelis.

But we can see, and we have already## seen a change in the American position that# would give full support to the Israeli operation,## including the supply of munitions,# the very crucial supply of munitions.

There's another element in# which I don't expect a change,## and it's been a crucial one.

And that's the war# And that's a war between Israel, a major# war between Israel and Hezbollah and other## Iranian supported groups.

We have seen# fighting, we have seen, in fact, war,## but not at the scale that would be# -- that would show real devastation,## both in Israel proper, but also in Lebanon,# where the devastation between Hezbollah and## Israeli war would be absolutely catastrophic,# dwarf even what we have seen since October 7.

JOHN YANG: Natan Sachs of the# Brookings Institution Center## for Middle East Policy, thank you very much.

NATAN SACHS: Thank you.