A faster resolution to the fighting in Gaza could help limit civilian strife that might spur people to join the ranks of militants, US President Joe Biden’s top military adviser said. Gen. Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Israel’s stated aim for its military campaign in Gaza — the destruction of the Hamas group that runs the territory — was “a pretty large order.” But he also said Israel was focused on targeting the senior leadership of Hamas, which might be achieved more quickly. “I think the longer this goes, the harder it can become,” Brown told reporters in his first detailed remarks on the month-old conflict before arriving in Japan on Thursday. Brown, who took over as the US military’s top officer just over a month ago, expressed confidence that Israel was abiding by the laws of war in Gaza. He also said there was room for Israel’s military to improve in its public explanations about its conduct and that he had raised this with his Israeli counterpart. “There’s room for improvement based on what we’re seeing,” Brown said. “What I’ve talked to him about is how do we demonstrate — not only with the videos but also as they talk about the strikes — why they’re striking in some locations, provide more context to the strike.” Asked whether he was concerned a high Palestinian civilian death toll could push people to join the ranks of the militants, Brown said: “Yes, very much so. And I think that’s something we have to pay attention to.” “That’s why when we talk about time — the faster you can get to a point where you stop the hostilities, you have less strife for the civilian population that turns into someone who now wants to be the next member of Hamas,” he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Israelis the country is in a “tough war” that will also be long. Israel has blamed Hamas for civilian deaths in Gaza, saying it is using civilians as human shields and hiding arms and operations centers in residential areas. Brown stopped short of advocating for a short campaign or offering his view of how long Israel’s Gaza operation should last. Brown has overseen air campaigns in the Middle East in the past, including during the battle to retake cities in Iraq from Daesh He said military campaigns could drag on longer than expected. “(Almost) every conflict that I’ve been involved with throughout my military career ... (has) particularly gone a bit longer than most people would have imagined. So we’ve got to prepare ourselves for that,” he said.