Israel-Hamas (Gaza) War

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? Biden: Bibi isn't doing enough

Drone photo of protest in Tel Aviv last night. Photo: Oren Alon/Reuters Bulletin: President Biden told reporters this morning that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn't doing enough to get a hostage deal and ceasefire in Gaza, amid huge protests after Hamas killed six hostages. Biden spoke just before a decisive Situation Room meeting with Vice President Harris and the U.S. hostage-deal negotiating team, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. Asked if Netanyahu is doing enough, Biden said: "No." White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told families of American hostages that Biden is considering presenting Israel and Hamas with a final proposal for a hostage-release and ceasefire deal this week. Why it matters: The murder of six hostages held by Hamas in Gaza increased the urgency among Biden's top aides to present Israel and Hamas with a take-it-or-leave-it moment. ⚡ Behind the scenes: Sullivan and President Biden's top Middle East adviser Brett McGurk held an hourlong Zoom with family members of the seven U.S. hostages who are still held by Hamas in Gaza. Two sources said Sullivan and McGurk told the families they didn't know if a deal is possible. But they said there's a chance, and they hope it might happen as soon as two weeks from now. Between the lines: The Philadelphi corridor, along the Egypt-Gaza border, is the main sticking point in the negotiations. Netanyahu is insisting that Israeli forces stay deployed along the border during the 42 days of ceasefire that are part of the first phase of the deal. Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gen. Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet director Ronen Bar and Mossad director David Barnea have all said they don't agree with Netanyahu on that demand. That led to an unprecedented shouting match between Bibi and Gallant. Egypt and Hamas have so far rejected any proposal that included an Israel Defense Forces deployment along the Philadelphi corridor. Gallant and the security and intelligence chiefs stress that keeping forces there could undermine a deal and lead to the death of more hostages. More photos: Thousands protest in Israel to demand Gaza deal. Get the latest.

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Netanyahu pushes back against new pressure over Gaza and hostages: ‘No one will preach to me’

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pushed back against a new wave of pressure to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza after hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested and went on strike and U.S. President Joe Biden said he needed to do more after nearly 11 months of fighting.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-09-02-2024-f8a8c85f8947631a7f3039e087dd3904?

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How a narrow strip of scrubland has become an obstacle to a cease-fire in Gaza

A narrow strip of scrubland and sand dunes on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt has emerged as a major obstacle in talks aimed at halting the Israel-Hamas war and freeing scores of hostages.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-egypt-philadelphi-corridor-cd15c27cecffe70322becd933cf38909?

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Israel’s Netanyahu demands open-ended control of Gaza’s border with Egypt

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel must keep open-ended control of Gaza’s border with Egypt, digging in on his stance on an issue that has threatened to derail cease-fire efforts.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-netanyahu-gaza-philadelphi-corridor-hamas-62ff158ec4c7414dada38541dcb30c40?

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?? New White House doubts on Gaza deal

One of the main questions raised during a Situation Room meeting President Biden and Vice President Harris held with their national security team on Monday was whether there is any ceasefire and hostage deal that Hamas would ever agree to, U.S. officials told Axios' Barak Ravid.

• Why it matters: Biden and his top advisers were shocked after Hamas killed six hostages in Gaza, including U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and have started to rethink the way forward in the negotiations over the deal.

At the same time, new Hamas demands to increase the number of Palestinian prisoners released raised even more concerns among U.S. negotiators about whether an agreement is possible, U.S. officials said.

• "We all feel the urgency but what happened last weekend changed the character of the discussion. But we do want to try and get something together," a U.S. official said.

Behind the scenes: Officials said one of the main arguments made in the meeting was that the U.S. shouldn't push for a proposal that gives Hamas additional concessions after Hamas murdered the hostages.

• Keep reading.

 

Gaza ceasefire talks

 

A prospective hostage and ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is 90% completed but disputes remain over the exchange of prisoners for hostages and the redeployment of Israeli forces in Gaza, according to a senior US official. US officials, with Qatar and Egypt, have for months worked to broker a deal to bring an end to the nearly yearlong conflict. Talks remain ongoing but Hamas said this week that militants guarding Israeli hostages in the buildings and tunnels of Gaza had "new instructions" to kill them if Israeli troops closed in. Meanwhile, an Israeli newspaper reported Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu derailed a potential hostage deal in July by introducing a raft of new demands.

 

ps:Always something!!

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An Israeli strike on a Gaza humanitarian zone tent camp kills at least 40 people, Palestinians say An Israeli strike on a crowded tent camp housing Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza killed at least 40 people and wounded 60 others early Tuesday, Palestinian officials said. Israel said it targeted “significant” Hamas militants, allegations denied by the militant group. Read more.

Key points: The strikes were among the deadliest yet in Muwasi, a sprawl of crowded tent camps along the Gaza coast that Israel designated as a humanitarian zone for civilians.   An Associated Press camera operator saw three large craters at the scene, where first responders and displaced people were sifting through the sand and rubble with garden tools and their bare hands by the light of mobile phones. They pulled body parts from the sand.   The Israeli military said it had struck Hamas militants who were operating in a command-and-control center. It said its forces used precise munitions, aerial surveillance and other means to avoid civilian casualties. Hamas released a statement denying any militants were in the area. Neither Israel nor Hamas provided evidence to substantiate their claims.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Palestinians’ UN proposal demands Israel leave Gaza and the West Bank in 6 months   Grief over Gaza and qualms over US election add up to anguish for many Palestinian Americans   Chased away by Israeli settlers, these Palestinians returned to a village in ruins

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Israel releases video of a Gaza tunnel where it says Hamas militants killed 6 hostages

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military on Tuesday released video footage of a Gaza tunnel where it says six hostages were recently killed by Hamas. The video shows a low, narrow passageway deep underground that had no bathroom and poor ventilation.

https://apnews.com/article/gaza-hostages-tunnel-israel-hamas-2a86b4287b548832f31429816b5ea482?

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Israeli airstrikes hit UN school and homes in Gaza and kill at least 34 people, hospitals say

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes across Gaza overnight and Wednesday hit a U.N. school sheltering displaced Palestinian families as well as two homes, killing at least 34 people, including 19 women and children, hospital officials said. A U.N. official said six staffers were among the dead.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-school-hospital-displaced-44f93845d6b6cfc9dcc4d0ba37bdd263?

ps:Once again just killing indiscriminately!!!!!

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Underage, Under Fire

In the web of battered, sun-baked streets winding up the hillside, bloodshed is as unrelenting as the heat. So it is not hard to see why, when raid sirens and gunfire erupted yet again on a morning in late May, 15-year-old Mahmoud Hamadneh turned his bike down an alley that held out the promise of refuge.

https://apnews.com/projects/west-bank-palestinian-teenagers-israel/?

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Long-range missile lands in Israel

A firefighter works in the area around a fire after Israel's military said it fired interceptors at a missile launched from Yemen that landed in central Israel today. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Houthi rebels fired a long-range surface-to-surface missile into central Israel today, the Israeli Defense Forces said. Why it matters: The attack, which Houthis said was launched from over 1200 miles away, is a mark of escalation from the Yemen-based militia group. It's also the longest-range missile to ever hit Israel, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. The IDF's missile defense system didn't intercept the missile before it entered Israel's airspace and said the missile "exploded" in the air, scattering debris in open areas. No injuries were reported as a result of the attack, but the IDF said nine people were injured while moving to shelters after alarms sounded. Get the latest.   A missile fired by Yemen’s rebels lands in Israel and triggers sirens at international airport JERUSALEM (AP) — A missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels landed in an open area in central Israel early Sunday and triggered air raid sirens at its international airport, in the latest reverberation from the nearly yearlong war in Gaza. Israel hinted that it would respond militarily. https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-iran-yemen-lebanon-5f26be6628a0e7df38bc933520552f5b?

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Middle East

 

An emotional day of commemoration has begun in Israel to mark the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terror attacks. Thousands attended a vigil in Tel Aviv and hundreds of family members and friends gathered at the site of the Nova music festival in southern Israel to honor those killed and taken hostage that day. Many attendees at the memorials cried and comforted each other while recalling their loved ones' final moments. The Hamas attacks killed 1,200 people and others are still held by the militant group. The assault also unleashed political disturbances thousands of miles away in the US. Israel's ensuing war in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 people and triggered a humanitarian crisis, serving as a catalyst for a widening regional conflict.

 

A scarred Israel marks one year since Hamas’ attack as war in Gaza rages on Israelis held vigils and somber ceremonies to mark a year since the Oct. 7 Hamas’ attack. The cross-border attack caught Israel unprepared, shattered its sense of security and shook its faith in its leaders and the military. Its aftershocks still ripple one year later. For the dozens of hostages still in captivity, there is no end in sight to their struggle. Border communities have been upended and tens of thousands displaced. Soldiers are being killed in Gaza and Lebanon. Israel faces ongoing international criticism over its wartime conduct, with two world courts examining its actions. Read more.

Recent developments: At 6:29 a.m. local time — the exact minute Hamas launched its attack — the families of those killed at the Nova music festival, joined by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, gathered at the site where almost 400 revelers were gunned down and from where many others were taken hostage. At 6:31 a.m., four projectiles were launched from Gaza, the Israeli military said, setting off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv, as well as closer to the Gaza border. The ceremony was not disrupted.     In Gaza, which is still buckling under the weight of the ongoing war, no formal commemorative event is planned. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and most of the territory’s 2.3 million population has been displaced. The massive destruction and displacement are a constant reminder of the retaliatory Israeli assault on the territory, which has no end in sight.   Marking the moment Hamas' attack began a year ago, the families of hostages still held in Gaza — about 100, a third of whom are said to be dead — gathered near Benjamin Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence and stood during a two-minute siren. A group representing the families announced that another captive was dead. Idan Shtivi, 28, was snatched from the Nova music festival and was believed to be alive. Israeli media reported he was killed during the attack and his body was taken into Gaza.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Gaza is in ruins after Israel’s deadly offensive. Rebuilding may take decades    After Hamas’ attack shattered this Israeli community, going home still feels impossible    Violence in the Middle East is spiraling and shows no signs of ending

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Gaza evacuations

A leading medical aid group says Israel's evacuation orders in northern Gaza are turning it into an "unliveable wasteland" and "effectively emptying out the whole" area of Palestinians. Since Sunday, the Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for three large areas in the region, saying it launched a new ground offensive there to combat efforts by Hamas to rebuild its capabilities. The orders "affect hundreds of thousands of people, particularly in northern Gaza where more than 400,000 people are under pressure to move southward," according to the UN. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also warned Lebanon Tuesday that the country will face destruction "similar to what we see in Gaza" as his country escalates its strikes targeting Hezbollah.

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Israeli hostages

The parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American murdered by Hamas militants in Gaza in August, described the "crushing blow" of losing their son and say they fear that other families will receive the same "devastating news" unless world leaders take urgent action to secure the release of the remaining hostages. In the interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, both parents were wearing stickers with "374" written on them to mark the number of days that have passed since the hostages were taken to Gaza by Hamas. As part of its escalated offensive against the militant group in the enclave, the Israeli military has ordered civilians to leave and blocked all food from entering northern Gaza. The UN has warned that Israel is effectively sealing off the area and may be carrying out a "large-scale forced transfer" of civilians, which it said would amount to a war crime.

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?? U.S. to Israel: Let more aid into Gaza

The Biden administration warned Israeli leaders in a letter yesterday that they must take steps within 30 days to improve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza — or risk the supply of U.S. weapons to Israel, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

• How it works: Countries that receive U.S. military aid and are in an active military conflict must allow the transfer of U.S.-supported humanitarian aid without interruption, according to U.S. law.

The letter indicates that the U.S. doesn't think Israel is complying with those requirements.

• "The amount of assistance entering Gaza in September was the lowest of any month during the past year," Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin wrote.

Go deeper ... Read the letter.

US warns Israel to boost humanitarian aid into Gaza or risk losing weapons funding

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has warned Israel that it must increase the amount of humanitarian aid it is allowing into Gaza within the next 30 days or it could risk losing access to U.S. weapons funding.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-humanitarian-aid-blinken-austin-887ae388a022215f71309ab6def12103?

 

Gaza aid

Israel is reviewing a letter sent by the US that demands it act to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the next 30 days or risk violating US laws governing foreign military assistance, suggesting US military aid could be in jeopardy. The Biden administration and other world leaders have long pressured Israel to help ease the dire conditions in the enclave — while thousands of Palestinians face sustained Israeli airstrikes. Despite the stern warning, however, the US has continued to provide military assistance to Israel. The World Food Programme said in a recent report that the aid entering the strip has plummeted to its lowest level in months. No food has entered northern Gaza since the start of October, putting 1 million people at risk of starvation, the World Food Programme told CNN last week.

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Israel says it has killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year’s attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel’s most-wanted man.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-lebanon-hezbollah-news-10-17-2024-d12ca71945313e601cf10876072f4182?

New hope for hostage deal

People dance and wave Israeli flags as they celebrate the news of the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya today. Photo: Jack Guez via Getty Images Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's death creates an opportunity to resume negotiations for a deal to release the 101 hostages still held by Hamas and establish a ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli and U.S. officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid. Sinwar's death is a huge blow to Hamas, which has lost most of its military and political leadership. It also provides Netanyahu the "victory picture" he's been looking for since the Oct. 7 attacks and gives him political space to move toward a deal. Israeli officials said other Hamas leaders and commanders — unlike Sinwar — might be more ready to surrender and even go into exile as part of a deal to end the war. ? Driving the news: Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in a house in Rafah, Gaza. An infantry unit of 19-year-old soldiers who were on routine patrol in the area exchanged fire with three armed militants and killed them. It was a coincidental encounter that wasn't based on intelligence. It's unclear what Sinwar was doing in the house. Israeli and U.S. intelligence believed for a long time that he was hiding in deep underground tunnels with hostages around him. Go deeper.   Sinwar’s killing means much uncertainty for the war in Gaza but also possible opportunity Israel’s killing of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ top leader and the mastermind of the group’s Oct. 7 attack, is a dramatic turning point in the brutal yearlong war. But in a video statement after his killing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “The war ... is not over yet." Read more. Why this matters: With the architect of the Oct. 7 attacks dead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could now tell Israelis that one of the war’s aims has been reached. Politically, that might allow him to be more flexible on a cease-fire deal that ends the war in exchange for hostages — a condition he has so far refused to accept, in part, critics say, because it could threaten his rule. Netanyahu needs the support of two far-right parties that have threatened to topple the government if the war ends under a cease-fire deal. They repeated their opposition to a deal after Sinwar’s killing.   For Hamas, Sinwar’s killing leaves a gaping hole in the militant group’s leadership, with its future in Gaza and beyond uncertain. It is a symbolic blow for a group already reeling from multiple assassinations of its leaders. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Biden says Sinwar’s death is an ‘opportunity’ for a hostage deal and an end to war in Gaza   Who was Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader Israel says it killed?   US long-range B-2 stealth bombers target underground bunkers of Yemen’s Houthi rebels   ☎️ Biden to Bibi: End the war President Biden — speaking on the tarmac after landing in Berlin last night — told reporters that it's time for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "move on" and end the war in Gaza after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Why it matters: Biden has been personally pushing for months for a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza. He hopes to reach a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations before he leaves office on Jan. 20, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. ‍✈️ Biden called Netanyahu from Air Force One on his way to Germany and congratulated the prime minister on the elimination of Sinwar by Israeli soldiers operating in southern Gaza. Israeli and U.S. officials say Sinwar's death creates an opportunity to resume talks on a deal to release the 101 hostages still held by Hamas and establish a ceasefire in Gaza. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said: "The leaders agreed that there is an opportunity now to push for the release of the hostages and stressed they will work together to that end." The White House said Biden and Netanyahu discussed "how to use this moment to bring the hostages home and to bring the war to a close. ? What's next: Secretary of State Tony Blinken told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that he's planning to travel to the region in the coming days to discuss ways to push for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, the Israeli president's office said. Today's New York Times Vice President Harris said in Milwaukee that "justice has been served, and the United States, Israel, and the entire world are better off as a result. ... And it is time for the day after to begin without Hamas in power." Graphic: Top Hamas, Hezbollah leaders believed killed by Israel in past year ...

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Middle East

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, believed to be the chief architect of the militant group's October 7, 2023, terror attack that set off the war in Gaza, has been killed by Israeli forces. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sinwar's death marked "the beginning of the day after Hamas." He vowed that Israel would continue fighting Hamas in Gaza until all hostages were returned home. In a call discussing Sinwar's death, Netanyahu and President Joe Biden agreed there was an opportunity to advance the release of the hostages in Gaza. US officials said they would redouble their efforts with mediators to push for a ceasefire deal.

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Hostage negotiations

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on a high-stakes trip to Israel and the Middle East as the US seeks to move forward with long-stalled negotiations to bring back the Israeli hostages and end the war in Gaza. In the wake of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, there appears to be little clarity on who will take over the militant group, making it difficult to ascertain the probability of striking a new deal. Hamas has shown no inclination to change its stance on hostage and ceasefire negotiations. Blinken is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today amid tempered expectations he will return to Washington having made any significant progress on the hostage talks. Instead, US officials believe that the most pivotal place for him to make progress is on the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza.

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Israeli hostages Talks on a possible hostage release and ceasefire deal in Gaza are expected to resume this weekend, though there is little expectation of a breakthrough before the US presidential election, sources tell CNN. Some US officials have privately acknowledged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who is tracking the ins and outs of the upcoming election and the potential implications for US foreign policy — is waiting to make any serious decisions about the future of the Gaza conflict until he knows who his next counterpart in Washington, DC, will be. Meanwhile, more than 130 Israeli reservists signed a letter refusing to fight in Gaza and Lebanon unless a deal is signed to end the war and bring back the 101 hostages that remain in Hamas' captivity.

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A Gaza medic realizes he’s carrying his own mother’s body, killed by an Israeli airstrike

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Palestinian ambulance worker made a horrific discovery when the bloody sheet was lifted: The corpse on the stretcher was his own mother, killed by an Israeli airstrike Wednesday in central Gaza.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-war-palestinian-medic-mother-killed-89c8e9bde2d3f772549fa6c0e9f77a46?

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Israel fights a seemingly endless war in Gaza’s most devastated region

JERUSALEM (AP) — More than a year into a war that has ricocheted across the Middle East, Israeli troops are still battling Hamas in the most heavily destroyed and isolated part of the Gaza Strip.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-northern-gaza-displacement-aid-20628253b26a2bdcf3c844850f20da38?

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Israel’s Netanyahu dismisses his defense minister as wars rage. Protests erupt across country

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defense minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region. The move sparked protests across the country, including a mass gathering that paralyzed central Tel Aviv.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-netanyahu-gallant-gaza-war-lebanon-3810d3adb1603e8485b4be46a5b79f8b?

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A new law allows Israel to deport the relatives of attackers. Experts expect it to be struck down

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s parliament passed a law early Thursday that would allow it to deport family members of Palestinian attackers, including the country’s own citizens, to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip or other locations.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-conflict-deportation-militant-attacks-5d59b7c5836670f7b8d032becbb46535?

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Hostages

The US has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, on the grounds it would not have secured the release of hostages. US officials said the language in the resolution was not strong enough and failed to "condemn Hamas for its October 7 terrorist attack." Seven American citizens are still being held in Gaza. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered $5 million and safe passage out of Gaza to anyone returning a hostage. His announcement was met with outrage from the mother of Matan Zangauker, one of the hostages still held in the enclave. She criticized Netanyahu for "offering money to Hamas" and said his attempt to "divide and rule in Gaza through bribes to the captors" would put the hostages at risk.

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?? Biden's last push for Gaza deal

President Biden arrives at Joint Base Andrews before traveling to New York on Monday. Photo: Nathan Howard/Reuters President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call Tuesday that their focus should now be on reaching a hostage and ceasefire deal for Gaza following the Lebanon agreement, two U.S. officials told Axios' Barak Ravid. U.S. officials said Biden intends to continue pushing for a deal to release the hostages until his last day in office, even if President-elect Trump ultimately gets credit for a deal. "Biden thinks that doing nothing and telling the hostage families to wait until January 20 would be crazy," one of Biden's aides told Axios. ? Behind the scenes: Two U.S. officials said the conversation between Biden and Netanyahu lasted a few minutes. The only topic that came up besides Lebanon was the deal to release the hostages and establish a ceasefire in Gaza.

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⚡ Trump wants Gaza deal by January

President-elect Trump wants to see a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza before he assumes office on Jan. 20, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Axios' Barak Ravid in an interview.

• The big picture: Getting a Gaza deal is one of President Biden's top priorities during his last two months in office. But the lack of any clear progress in recent weeks suggests it might land on Trump's plate, Barak writes.

"Trump is more determined than ever to release the hostages, and supports a ceasefire that includes a hostage deal. He wants to see it happening now," Graham said.

• "I want people in Israel and in the region to know that Trump is focused on the hostages issue. He wants the killing to stop and the fighting to end."

Keep reading.

ps:There probably would've been a deal by now if it hadn't been for him!!!!!