Israel-Hamas War

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Biden scrambles Israel aid

Palestinian girls walk next to a makeshift tent camp for displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip today amid the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. Photo: Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images

President Biden's ultimatum to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — including calling for an immediate ceasefire — is shaking up the math for an Israel aid package. Why it matters: The administration is inching toward historic conditions on such aid, just as House Speaker Mike Johnson prepares to start moving a politically risky foreign aid package. But Democrats have grown uneasy with unconditional aid to Israel in recent months as the casualty count in Gaza has risen, Axios' Andrew Solender reports. "Biden knows the United States has a serious role to play in order for major course correcting to take place," Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said in a statement. Adding conditions to foreign aid won't help Johnson (R-La.), who is trying to cobble together votes for aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. Asked if Biden's comments to Netanyahu make it harder to pass an aid package, a House Republican told Axios, "It does." Johnson will have an enormous lift in getting the two-thirds majority he needs to pass any package, with a group of House Democrats now demanding an additional $9 billion in humanitarian aid to various global hot spots. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) called Biden's remarks "terrible," telling Axios, "Israel has every right to destroy Hamas after the 7 Oct massacre." 👀 Some senators are using the moment to pressure Johnson to vote on the package the Senate passed last month. "[T]hat's why it's so important [the House] just pass the Senate version," Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) told Politico. "Because it would just get stuck back over here before we could get anything out the door again." The other side: Not every pro-Israel member is pushing back. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) argued Israel can both fight Hamas and protect civilians and "it's right that the United States expect, indeed demand, that of Israel." The bottom line: "I mean, what other leverage does the United States have? To scold? Bibi doesn't give a damn about scolding," Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said of U.S. aid to Israel.

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The Israeli military dismisses 2 officers over drone strikes on aid workers in Gaza The Israeli military said Friday that it has dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission. Read more.

Why this matters: The results of the investigation marked an embarrassing admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies, including the U.S., of not doing enough to protect civilians from its war with Hamas.   The findings are likely to renew skepticism over the Israeli military's decision-making. Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict — a charge Israel denies.   More than 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict, according to the U.N. “Let’s be very clear. This is tragic, but it is not an anomaly,” Scott Paul, of the humanitarian group Oxfam, said Thursday in a briefing with other relief organizations before the results of Israel’s investigation were released. “The killing of aid workers in Gaza has been systemic.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Blinken says Israeli offers to increase flow of aid to Gaza are welcome but may not be sufficient   Senior UK jurists have joined calls to stop arms sales to Israel. Other allies face similar pressure   Rights group says Israeli strike on Gaza building killed 106 in apparent war crime

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Biden urges Egypt, Qatar leaders to press Hamas to come to agreement for Israeli hostages in Gaza

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday wrote to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, calling on them to press Hamas for a hostage deal with Israel, according to a senior administration official, one day after Biden called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to redouble efforts to reach a cease-fire in the six-month-old war in Gaza.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-gaza-hostages-16a39e89f1d7b5e6cf86eb65cfbdb7b4?

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"Middle of the war"

A drone view shows Palestinians, displaced by Israel's military offensive, gathering yesterday for their Iftar (breaking of the fast) during the holy month of Ramadan, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Shadi Tabatibi/Reuters "We are in the middle of the war," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement today. "We are on the cusp of total victory." "We are ready for a deal but not for capitulation to Hamas' extreme demands." 🖼️ The big picture: Six months to the day after Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, the war in Gaza appears to be helping the beleaguered Netanyahu stay in power, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. There's no ceasefire in sight, despite increasing calls for one from U.S. officials and many others worldwide. Negotiations for the 134 hostages held by Hamas continue off and on. But no deal is imminent. Israel is conducting sporadic raids and airstrikes, including the one that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers. But there are no major military operations going on in Gaza. Netanyahu has vowed to attack the city of Rafah to root out Hamas militants — but he's under increasing pressure not to do so. The intrigue: Many U.S. and Israeli officials are convinced that although the deeply unpopular Netanyahu seems boxed in, he might think a dragged-out war increases his chances of staying in power. The officials interpret Netanyahu's actions this way: As long as a war is going on, elections that could oust him are less likely. Most Israelis want him to resign. But there's no immediate path for new elections in Israel. Zoom in: Israeli defense officials say their military has significantly decreased its footprint in Gaza in the last two months. The Israeli Defense Forces now has only one brigade in Gaza (roughly 4,000 troops), compared to the three divisions (roughly 30,000 troops) it had there in January. At the same time, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah on the Lebanese border has been intensifying. There's much more fighting there than in Gaza, but Netanyahu doesn't call it a war. Zoom out: Shortly after Oct. 7, Netanyahu laid out three objectives of Israel's response: Eliminate the terror threat against Israel from Gaza, destroy Hamas' military and governance capabilities there, and free the hostages. After six months of fighting, the first goal appears to have been achieved. Hamas' ability to conduct a significant attack against Israel in the foreseeable future is extremely low. But most Israelis — 61% in a recent Channel 13 poll — don't think the war will end with Hamas' defeat.

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After six months of war, Israel’s isolation grows with no end in sight

When Israel declared war against Hamas six months ago, it stood unified at home and enjoyed broad backing from around the world following an unprecedented attack by the Islamic militant group. Now, Israel finds itself in a far different place. Read more.

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Israel is pulling some troops from southern Gaza. Now the plan is to clear Hamas from Rafah Israel’s military announced Sunday it had withdrawn its forces from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, wrapping up a key phase in its ground offensive against the Hamas militant group and bringing its troop presence in the territory to one of the lowest levels since the six-month-long war began. Read more.

Recent developments: Defense officials said troops were merely regrouping as the army prepares to move into Hamas’ last stronghold, Rafah. “The war in Gaza continues, and we are far from stopping,” said military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.   The withdrawal was a milestone as Israel and Hamas marked six months of fighting. Military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity under army policy, said a “significant force” remained in Gaza to continue targeted operations including in Khan Younis, hometown of the Hamas leader, Yehya Sinwar.   The prospect of a ground offensive in Rafah has raised global alarm, including from Israel’s top ally, the U.S., which has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians. Allowing people to return to nearby Khan Younis could relieve some pressure on Rafah.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ These Palestinian mothers in Gaza gave birth Oct. 7. Their babies have known only war   Top UN court opens hearings in a case accusing Germany of facilitating Israel’s Gaza conflict   In call with Blinken, father of killed aid worker urges tougher US stance on Israel in Gaza

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Palestinians returning to Khan Younis after Israeli withdrawal find an unrecognizable city

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Stunned Palestinians found their home city unrecognizable Monday as they filtered in to salvage what they could from the vast destruction left by Israeli troops who withdrew from southern Gaza’s Khan Younis a day earlier after months of fighting and bombardment.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-war-news-04-08-2024-c8776b6a074cd182d0641214f5f352d0?

ps:I thought Ukraine looked bad, but it's nothing compared to Gaza! It doesn't look like there's anything left there, where are people going to live?

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Biden calls Netanyahu’s approach to war a ‘mistake’ U.S. President Joe Biden’s remarks about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach in a television interview that aired late Tuesday deepen an already growing rift between the two staunch allies over the war, now in its seventh month. Read more.

Recent developments: Biden said Israel should agree to a cease-fire, flood beleaguered Gaza with aid for the next six to eight weeks and allow regional countries to help distribute the aid. “It should be done now,” he said. Washington has been applying pressure on Israel to improve humanitarian aid to Gaza, where half the population is on the brink of famine due to Israel’s tight restrictions on allowing aid trucks through.   Other disagreements have added strain to the ally’s relationship, including over Israel’s plans for an offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said Israel has not disclosed any specific date for the start of a Rafah offensive, a day after Netanyahu claimed that a date has been set to invade Rafah.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Israel threatens to strike Iran directly if Iran launches attack from its territory   Germany rejects allegations that it’s facilitating acts of genocide in Gaza at UN court   The Security Council revives the Palestinian Authority’s UN hopes. The US says not yet

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📺 Biden slams Bibi "mistake"

Also in the Univision interview, President Biden slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of the war in Gaza:

• "I think what he's doing is a mistake," Biden said in the rare sit-down interview. "I don't agree with his approach."

Why it matters: This ramps up pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and widening a rift between the two staunch allies.

• Read the full interview.

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An Israeli airstrike in Gaza kills 3 sons and 4 grandchildren of Hamas’ top leader

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli aircraft killed three sons of Hamas’ top political leader in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate cease-fire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-war-news-04-10-2024-fad770cbe77a7ae7d1de8568dbabd460?

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Israel braces for Iranian strike

Israeli forces raid a camp of Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank today. Photo: Zain Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images Iran is expected to strike Israel in the next few days, but it has signaled that it doesn't want to escalate the war or provoke a direct conflict with the U.S. Catch up quick: The U.S. expects Iran to strike Israel in retaliation for an Israeli bombing last week that killed a top Iranian general — prompting fears of a wider war in the Middle East. Iran has threatened to attack American troops in the region if the U.S. gets involved in its fight with Israel — while also signaling that its strike will be limited and that it does not want to provoke a wider war, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. "The Iranian message was, we will attack the forces that attack us, so don't f--k with us and we won't f--k with you," one U.S. official said. Both American and Iranian officials told The New York Times that the forthcoming strike would avoid American targets. And Iran's foreign minister has directly sought to reassure the U.S. that it would not act too quickly, because it does not want to escalate the war, per Reuters.

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Israel-Gaza live updates: Biden calling for G7 meeting after Iran's 'brazen' attack

Iran on Saturday night unleashed a retaliatory strike against Israel, sending a volley of more than 300 uncrewed drones and missiles toward targets throughout the country, Israeli military officials said. All but a few were intercepted by Israel and its allies, including the United States, officials said.

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/International/live-updates/israel-gaza-hamas-war/iran-seizes-israelilinked-ship-in-strait-of-hormuz-109199977?

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Israeli military tells Palestinians not to return to north Gaza The Israeli military renewed warnings on Monday for Palestinians not to return to northern Gaza, a day after witnesses and medical officials said Israeli troops opened fire, killing five people and wounding 54 among throngs of displaced residents trying to walk back to their homes in the devastated area. Read more.

Recent developments: Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were driven from the north after Israeli forces first launched their offensive there soon after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. In the months of fighting since, vast parts of the north have been flattened, including much of Gaza City, and Israeli restrictions on aid to the north has left some 300,000 who remained there on the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.   Still, many Palestinians have wanted to go back, saying they are sick of the conditions they endured in displacement. Israel, which has reduced the number of its troops across Gaza, has repeatedly rejected calls to let Palestinians back to the north of the territory, saying Hamas militants continue to operate there.   Some also fear remaining in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, as Israel says it plans to attack it eventually to root out Hamas. The international community, including the United States, have voiced strong objections to the planned offensive, saying it will endanger the estimated 1.4 million Palestinians sheltered in Rafah.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ More aid is supposed to be entering the Gaza Strip. Why isn’t it helping?   Pro-Palestinian demonstrators shut down airport highways and key bridges in major US cities   Analysis: Iran upends decades of shadow warfare in direct attack on Israel as tensions mount at home

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Israeli military intelligence chief resigns over his role in failing to prevent Oct. 7 attack The head of Israel’s military intelligence directorate resigned on Monday over the failures surrounding Hamas’ unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, the military said, becoming the first senior figure to step down over his role in the deadliest assault in Israel’s history. Read more.

Why this matters: Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva’s resignation could set the stage for more fallout from Israel’s top security brass over Hamas’ attack, which killed 1,200 people, resulted in roughly 250 hostages being taken into Gaza and set off the devastating war in Gaza that has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.   While Haliva and others have accepted blame for failing to stop the attack, others have stopped short, most notably Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu has said he will answer tough questions about his role but has not outright acknowledged direct responsibility for allowing the attack to unfold. He has also not indicated that he will step down.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Israeli leaders criticize expected US sanctions against military unit   Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah kill 22, mostly children, as US advances aid package   A Palestinian baby in Gaza is born an orphan in an urgent cesarean section after an Israeli strike

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Hamas official says group would lay down its weapons if a two-state solution is implemented A top Hamas political official told The Associated Press on Wednesday the Islamic militant group is willing to agree to a truce of five years or more with Israel and that it would lay down its weapons and convert into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders. But it’s unlikely Israel would consider such a scenario as its current leadership is adamantly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state on lands Israel captured during the Mideast war. Read more.

Key points: Khalil al-Hayya  said Hamas does not regret the Oct. 7 attacks, despite the destruction it has brought down on Gaza and its people. He denied that Hamas militants had targeted civilians during the attacks — despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary — and said the operation succeeded in its goal of bringing the Palestinian issue back to the world’s attention.   Al-Hayya said Hamas wants to join the Palestine Liberation Organization, headed by the rival Fatah faction, to form a unified government for Gaza and the West Bank. He said Hamas would accept “a fully sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the return of Palestinian refugees in accordance with the international resolutions,” along Israel’s pre-1967 borders. If that happens, he said, the group’s military wing would dissolve.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Hamas releases video showing well-known Israeli-American hostage   World Central Kitchen workers killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza will be honored at memorial   WATCH: AP Explains | Wave of campus protests against Gaza war grows

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US postpones decision on aid to Israeli army battalion accused of abuses against Palestinians

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken has determined that an Israeli army battalion committed grave human-rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank before the war in Gaza. But he said in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson that he is postponing a decision on blocking aid to the unit to give Israel more time to right the wrongdoing.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-us-military-aid-west-bank-abuses-515acf20ddfffd1b2838bcf55c9a7c73?

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Israel floats new hostage deal

Israeli armored vehicles and tanks move in and out of Gaza last week. Photo: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images A new Israeli proposal for a possible hostage deal with Hamas includes a willingness to discuss the "restoration of sustainable calm" in Gaza, reports Axios' Barak Ravid, who last night was presented the Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House coverage. Why it matters: It's the first time since Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack that Israeli leaders have suggested they're open to discussing an end to the war in Gaza as part of a hostage deal. Ending the war has been central to Hamas' proposals during hostage deal negotiations in recent months. 🔎 State of play: The new proposal includes a response to many of Hamas' demands — a willingness for the full return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza, and the withdrawal of the IDF from the corridor that divides the enclave. The proposal includes a willingness to discuss the establishment of a sustainable ceasefire as part of the second phase of the deal, which would take place after the release of hostages. Hamas said in a statement Friday night that it received the new proposal, will study it and respond. Keep reading.

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Ahead of visit to Israel, US’s Blinken presses Hamas to accept new proposal for Gaza cease-fire

CAIRO (AP) — The United States stepped up pressure Monday for a cease-fire deal in Gaza as the secretary of state said a new proposal had been put to Hamas, whose officials were in Cairo talking to Egyptian mediators. Israeli airstrikes killed 26 people in Gaza’s southernmost town of Rafah, according to hospital records.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-04-29-2024-d9b215f4aa1a745cdada48112d0fe4b8?

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Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah ‘with or without a deal’ as cease-fire talks with Hamas continue

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday to launch an incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering from the almost 7-month-long war, just as cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas appear to be gaining steam.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-04-30-2024-f5e14fd176d69f9c4e23b48f3ab5af6a?

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🗺️ Biden's Middle East hope

President Biden has been personally involved in intense efforts to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

• Why it matters: The president's senior advisers say the deal on the table is the only conceivable path to a ceasefire in Gaza and to possibly ending a war that has sparked sharp criticism of Biden ahead of the presidential election.

White House spokesperson John Kirby admitted yesterday that Biden is putting all his focus on the hostage deal.

• "There just has to be a deal," he said when asked about a Plan B if negotiations aren't successful.

Keep reading.

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The Latest | In Israel, Blinken pushes Hamas to agree on Gaza cease-fire deal

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel on Wednesday to press for a cease-fire deal in the Israel-Hamas war, saying “ the time is now ” and warning that Hamas would bear the blame for any failure to reach an agreement to halt the war in Gaza.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-hamas-latest-05-01-2024-a461b0aab9b8d25cddf386f2dfd30d6f?

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The Latest | Hamas will send a delegation to Cairo to keep up cease-fire talks

Hamas said Thursday it will send a delegation to Cairo as soon as possible to keep working on cease-fire talks, in response to Egypt’s latest proposal. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said he spoke to Egypt’s intelligence chief and “stressed the positive spirit of the movement in studying the cease-fire proposal.” His statement did not say when the delegation would travel.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-hamas-latest-05-02-2024-674ba9c58c74dd5741f72dd0bb6ea353?

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Israel Shuts Gaza Crossing After Hamas Rocket Barrage From Rafah

Israel closed the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing into Gaza on Sunday after a rocket barrage was fired by Hamas from the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in an incident that could imperil delicate hostage and cease-fire negotiations.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-05/israel-strike-on-south-lebanon-kills-four-civilians-state-media-says?

ps:So now where's the "OUTRAGE" against Hamas for there continued bombing of Israel??????????

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The Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah ahead of an expected assault The Israeli army has ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to begin evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent. Even as the U.S., Egypt and Qatar have pushed for a cease-fire agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated last week that the military would move on the town “with or without a deal.” Read more.

Why this matters: Israel's plan to invade Rafah has raised global alarm. It has the potential for harm to more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there.   The announcement complicated last-ditch efforts by international mediators to broker a cease-fire. Hamas and Qatar have warned that an invasion of Rafah could derail the talks.   Israel has described Rafah as the last significant Hamas stronghold after seven months of war, and its leaders have repeatedly said they need to carry out a ground invasion to defeat the Islamic militant group.

Related coverage ➤  Israel has briefed US on plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians ahead of potential Rafah operation A senior UN official says northern Gaza is now in 'full-blown famine' A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7

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🇮🇱 Scoop: U.S. stopped ammo for Israel

Israeli soldiers drive a tank at a staging ground near the border with the Gaza Strip yesterday. Photo: Tsafrir Abayov/AP ⚡ Breaking: The Israeli army on Monday ordered tens of thousands of people in the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip to begin evacuating, signaling that a long-promised ground invasion could be imminent. Get the latest. The Biden administration — highly concerned Israel will invade Rafah — put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel last week, two Israeli officials told Axios' Barak Ravid. Why it matters: It's the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that the U.S. has stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military. The incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held, Israeli officials said. Behind the scenes: Secretary of State Tony Blinken visited Israel last week and had a "tough" conversation with Netanyahu regarding a possible Israeli operation in Rafah, two sources briefed on the meeting said. Blinken told Netanyahu during their meeting that "a major military operation" in Rafah would lead to the U.S. publicly opposing it and would negatively impact U.S.-Israel relations.