The White House has strongly denied allegations that it is withholding intelligence about the location of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an attempt to pressure Israel into reducing its military offensive in Rafah.

“The United States is working with Israel day and night to hunt the senior leaders of Hamas, who were the authors of the brutal terrorist assault of Oct. 7,” a White House official told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

“We are providing unprecedented support – in ways that only the United States can – to help Israel bring them to justice. And we will continue to work relentlessly toward this objective in the period ahead.”

The official emphasized that any reports to the contrary are false and that helping Israel target Hamas leaders is a “top priority” for the US, not a “quid pro quo.” It follows an exchange on the subject during a meeting at the White House with Jewish leaders on Monday, where Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer also denied the allegations, according to the report.

In a related development, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced on Monday that the White House does not agree with the International Court of Justice’s decision that Israel is committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza.

“There’s been a lot more heat than light in the recent coverage and commentary about the war between Israel and Hamas,” Sullivan said at the press briefing. “We believe Israel can and must do more to ensure the protection and wellbeing of innocent civilians. However, we do not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide,” he said.