By Bernd Debusmann Jr & Barbara Plett Usher BBC News, Washington

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said he urged Israel to protect civilians in Gaza and make the war there more "surgical".

Mr Austin, who spoke after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart in Tel Aviv, reiterated US support for the offensive against Hamas.

He said Washington would provide more arms, vehicles and munitions to Israel.

US officials have been steadfast in their support of Israel since the 7 October attacks by Hamas.

But President Joe Biden has been under growing pressure, including from within his own Democratic Party, to rein in their military campaign.

Speaking on Monday, Mr Austin said the US would not "dictate timelines or terms" of the war to its ally.

"Our support to Israel's right to defend itself is ironclad... and that's not going to change," he said. "It's critical... that Hamas not be able to threaten Israel from Gaza or even threaten Gaza anymore."

Mr Austin then said he had discussed the objectives of the military campaign and "how to reduce harm to civilians in the battlespace" with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant

"We also have some great thoughts about how to transition from high intensity operations to a lower intensity and more surgical operations," he said.

Mr Gallant, meanwhile, said Israeli forces would "continue to operate in Gaza with different levels of intensity".

While Mr Austin has been advising Israel to temper and target its operations since its military campaign began, he has become more outspoken as civilian deaths have increased. He earlier warned that Israel risked replacing a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.

More on Israel-Gaza war

The health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, says more than 19,400 people have been killed and 52,000 injured in the enclave since the start of the war.

Mr Austin said that he had held discussions with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about how to reduce civilian casualties and collateral damage as the operation continues.

His remarks align with the US government's recent approach to the war, with officials urging Israel to "put a premium on human life" and give clearer instructions to allow people to avoid the conflict.

Senior US officials have also displayed increasing discontent at Israel's military response.

Last week, Mr Biden said Israel was starting to lose global support over what he called its "indiscriminate bombing" of Gaza.

But he reiterated that Israel could rely on US support and stressed that he supported its right to defend itself.

Concern has mounted over the rising civilian cost of Israeli military operations in the Hamas-run territory, which began after Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October left around 1,200 Israelis dead.

A Human Rights Watch report released on Monday accused Israel of "using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in the Gaza Strip, which is a war crime".

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o67CZ5qopV%2Bjsri%2FjrCmq6SUYsK0ecKapZqckWKDeIOUbG9wbg%3D%3D