Deputy US Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Monday that the Biden administration does not believe Israel’s current strategy against Hamas will lead to “total victory,” Politico reported.

Speaking at the NATO Youth Summit in Miami, Campbell said the US has been “struggling over what the theory of victory is” in Gaza.

“Sometimes when we listen closely to Israeli leaders, they talked about mostly the idea of some sort of sweeping victory on the battlefield, total victory. I don’t think we believe that that is likely or possible,” he said, likely in reference to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly said that Israel would achieve "total victory" against Hamas.

Campbell asserted that many countries want to see a “political solution in which the rights of Palestinians are more respected. I don’t think it’s ever been more difficult than right now, but I still believe that the commitment is there.”

His comments come as the US continues to pressure Israel not to launch a major operation in the Gazan city of Rafah.

On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken “reaffirmed the US opposition to a major military ground operation in Rafah, where over one million people have taken shelter.”

The conversation between Blinken and Gallant followed an earlier conversation between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi ahead of Israel’s Memorial Day.

The issue of Rafah came up in that conversation as well, with Sullivan reiterating “President Biden’s longstanding concerns over the potential for a major military ground operation into Rafah, where over one million people have taken shelter. He discussed alternative courses of action to ensure the defeat of Hamas everywhere in Gaza.”

Hanegbi, said the statement, “confirmed that Israel is taking US concerns into account. Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Hanegbi then reviewed the substantive discussions to date of the Strategic Consultative Group. They agreed to establish another in-person meeting soon.”