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Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Turkey Files Application to Join Genocide Case Against Israel at International Court of Justice

Hamas Elevates Planner of October 7 Attacks to Top Leadership

  • Hamas announced that it elevated Yahya Sinwar, the Gaza-based leader of its military wing, to the group’s top leadership position; the move follows the assassination last week of previous political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran (AP)
  • Sinwar was a mastermind of the October 7 attacks on Israel and is known for a general hard-line stance; his appointment has cast new doubts over the fate of a potential deal for a cease-fire and hostage release in the Israel-Hamas war (CNN)
  • An Israeli military spokesperson said in response to Sinwar’s elevation that the rightful place for Sinwar is “alongside Mohammed Deif and all of the other terrorists who are responsible for October 7,” referring to another Hamas leader that Israel said it killed in July (Reuters)
  • Sinwar’s appointment “only underscores the fact that it is really on him to decide whether to move forward with a cease-fire,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press conference (NYT)

UN Fires Nine Staff Over Potential Involvement in October 7 Hamas Attack

  • The United Nations announced it fired nine employees from its agency for Palestinian refugees following an internal probe that found they could have been involved in Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel; the United Nations did not give details of the evidence that led to the decision (AP)
  • Investigators found “insufficient” evidence to support Israel’s charges against another nine staffers and “no evidence” against one, a UN spokesperson said (WaPo)
  • Israel’s January statement that some UN staffers had been involved in the attack led several donor countries to suspend funding to the agency; all but the United States have since resumed support (Bloomberg)

Biden Urges Cease-Fire Deal in Call With Netanyahu

  • President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday to move “now” on a cease-fire deal in Gaza, Biden said to reporters; their call weighed rising tensions across the Middle East after the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week (Bloomberg)
  • Biden pledged to support Israel amid threats of reprisal from Iran and its allied militias and stressed the importance of de-escalation across the region, the readout of his call said (White House)
  • Meanwhile, flight data show that some commercial airlines appear to be avoiding airspace above Mideast countries such as Lebanon, Iran, and Israel at a time of rising regional tensions; over the past few days, carriers including Air India, Delta, Lufthansa, and United Airlines have suspended flights to Tel Aviv (Reuters)

Israeli Forces Say Hamas Military Leader Deif Was Killed in July 13 Strike

  • The military said it obtained intelligence today confirming that Mohammed Deif died in the strike last month in the Gaza Strip; Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that the confirmation was a “big step” toward eradicating Hamas (Times of Israel)
  • Deif is believed to have orchestrated Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who remains at large (FT)

Killing of Hamas’s Political Leader in Tehran Spurs Fears of Broader Conflict

  • Hamas accused Israel of the overnight assassination of its political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, with the group’s military wing warning that his death would have major repercussions for the entire region and Iran vowing to retaliate (FT). Israel did not claim responsibility for Haniyeh’s assassination, which came hours after it said it had struck a senior Hezbollah military leader in Beirut; together, the events have fueled fears of further regional escalation between Israel and Iran-backed forces (NYT)
  • U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today that Washington was not aware of or involved in the attack on Haniyeh, who was Hamas’s lead negotiator in ongoing talks with Israel over a potential cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza; in a televised interview, Blinken said “the best way to bring the temperature down everywhere is through the cease-fire in Gaza” (WaPo)
  • Qatar, which had been playing a mediating role in those talks, called the killing a “heinous crime and dangerous escalation” (AFP)
  • Haniyeh had been living in exile in Qatar but often traveled to his residence in Iran (AP)

Israeli Police Detain At Least Nine Military Reservists for Questioning Over Suspected Sexual Abuse of Palestinian Detainee

  • Some demonstrators broke into the Israeli military base to protest the reservist detentions; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the break-in (NYT)

Harris, Trump Separately Call for End to Gaza War During Netanyahu Visit

  • U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called for swift conclusion of a deal to bring home hostages and establish a cease-fire in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday; she reiterated Washington’s “ironclad support” for Israel but voiced concern over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, saying they should be able to exercise their right to “freedom, dignity, and self-determination” (CNN)
  • Netanyahu is also due to meet with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who separately called for Israel to end the war in Gaza “and get it done quickly” in an interview with Fox yesterday (NYT)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Says Israel “Will Not Relent” in Its Military Campaign Against Hamas in Gaza

  • In his address to the U.S. Congress yesterday, he said his postwar vision for the territory was of a “demilitarized and deradicalized Gaza” led by a civilian government of Palestinians who do not seek to destroy Israel; he is scheduled to make a visit to the White House today (Times of Israel, AP)

Prime Ministers of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand Say Cease-fire and Hostage-release Deal Is “Needed Desperately”

  • In a joint statement, the leaders called on Israel to “respond substantively” to an International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion that found Israeli occupation of certain Palestinian territories is illegal; Israel has called the ICJ ruling “blatantly one-sided” (The Guardian)

Israel’s Netanyahu to Address Joint Session of U.S. Congress Amid Ongoing War

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will lay out his vision in Israel’s war against Hamas and response to regional threats while reaffirming the country’s partnership with the United States; Nentanyahu’s visit to Washington this week comes as the war triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack continues in its tenth month, with mounting Israeli domestic pressure to secure a hostage release deal and global concern about the conflict’s humanitarian toll in Gaza and potential escalation to other parts of the Middle East (Times of Israel)
  • Netanyahu is also scheduled to later meet with senior U.S. political officials including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Donald Trump (NBC)

Leaders of Palestinian Factions Sign Unity Declaration in Beijing

  • The leaders of Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas, signed a joint statement calling for the establishment of a Palestinian unity government in Beijing; historic divisions among the groups and the failure of previous reconciliation efforts have led experts to cast doubt on the feasibility of such a government (WaPo)
  • Previous mediation talks brokered by China ended without a joint declaration; today’s statement said that a unity government would oversee the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as work toward holding elections (Reuters)
  • Israel’s foreign minister criticized the deal, saying “Hamas’s rule will be crushed” (Times of London)
  • Washington has called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern postwar Gaza (Times of Israel)
  • The declaration in Beijing comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington this week, where he is due to address the U.S. Congress and meet with senior officials, including President Joe Biden (AP)
  • Netanyahu’s office said today that a deal could be near on a hostage release in Israel’s war with Hamas (Reuters)

Israel Strikes Port in Yemen, Intercepts Incoming Missile

  • Israeli fighter jets bombed a port in Yemen on Saturday in what was retaliation for a deadly strike on Tel Aviv by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels; the health ministry in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital said the strikes killed three people and wounded dozens of others (NYT)
  • Yesterday, Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen (AP)
  • Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed for Washington today, where he is due to address Congress on Wednesday and hold senior meetings with U.S. officials (Haaretz)
  • Yesterday, his office announced it is sending a delegation to cease-fire talks this week regarding the conflict in Gaza (Times of Israel)

Houthis Claim Attack on Tel Aviv That Killed One

  • Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels carried out a drone attack near the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv, killing one person and wounding at least ten; it was the first deadly Houthi attack on the city since the war in the Gaza Strip began last October when Hamas militants attacked Israel (AP)
  • Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the country will “settle the score” with anyone who attacks it (Times of Israel)

Israel Continues Heavy Strikes in Gaza

  • Israel’s military said that it carried out twenty-five strikes in the past twenty-four hours, while Gaza’s health ministry said that Israeli strikes had killed fifty-four people (Al Jazeera)
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “this is exactly the time to increase the pressure even more” on Hamas to bring home hostages and achieve Israel’s war goals; Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel of deliberately undermining negotiations on a potential cease-fire and hostage deal (AFP)

China to Host Officials From Palestinian Groups Hamas, Fatah for Talks

  • Next week’s talks aim to bridge differences between the rival factions over discussions on the possible postwar administration of the Gaza Strip; U.S. officials have argued the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority should play a central role in Gaza’s future governance, which would likely require Hamas’s approval (NYT)
  • Cease-fire talks between Hamas and Israel are still underway (AP)

Israeli Strike on Gaza Targets Hamas Military Chief

  • The Israeli air strike on Saturday killed at least ninety people in the Gaza Strip, local health officials said (CNN)
  • Israel was targeting Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif; Hamas said yesterday that he was in good health following the attack (Politico)
  • Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Hamas commander Rafa Salama, described as one of Deif’s closest associates, was killed; a Hamas spokesperson said on Sunday that cease-fire talks with Israel are ongoing despite the fact the recent strike would “impact” negotiations. (AP)

U.S. To Dismantle Floating Aid Pier As Talks Continue on Gaza Cease-Fire

  • The U.S. military will wind down operations at a floating pier it had installed this spring to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said yesterday; Defense Department officials said more than eight thousand tons of aid had been delivered through the pier, but technical and weather-related issues prohibited it from being reattached this week (BBC)
  • Israel has given relief organizations more access to Gaza in recent weeks via ground crossings, the New York Times reported, though the aid groups report that the humanitarian situation currently faced by hundreds of thousands of people is still desperate (NYT)
  • Meanwhile, U.S. negotiators are in the Middle East this week for renewed cease-fire talks (AP)
  • U.S. President Joe Biden said in a press conference yesterday that “the trend is positive” in those negotiations, and said that “the day after” in Gaza should be “no occupation by Israel” (White House)
  • Today, envoys are in Cairo discussing a three-phase deal on hostage release and a cease-fire; part of the negotiations cover the postwar fate of Gaza (NYT)

Israel Warns All Residents of Gaza City to Evacuate

  • The announcement widens a previous partial evacuation order and says the city will remain a “dangerous combat zone” (NYT)

Thousands Flee New Israeli Push Into Gaza City

  • Palestinians fled parts of the Gaza Strip’s largest city yesterday and today amid a renewed Israeli military raid in the area; residents of Gaza reported some of the fiercest fighting since the start of the war (Reuters)
  • The Israeli offensive could put ongoing cease-fire talks between Hamas and Israel at risk, a Hamas leader said yesterday (AP)

Thousands Flee Southern Gaza After New Evacuation Order

  • Israeli forces bombed several areas of the southern Gaza Strip as thousands of Palestinians fled areas around Khan Younis following an Israeli evacuation order (Reuters)
  • The New York Times reported that several former and current top Israeli military officials want a cease-fire in Gaza to free hostages and regroup ahead of a potential land war against Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah (NYT)
  • Meanwhile, twelve former U.S. officials who resigned over U.S. policy in Gaza released a joint statement saying Washington’s posture has damaged U.S. credibility and “put a target on America’s back;” the White House and State Department did not immediately comment (Reuters)

Militants Fire Rockets From Gaza Into Israel, IDF Orders Khan Younis Evacuation

  • Militants in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis fired at least twenty rockets across the border into Israel, the Israeli military said, in what was the biggest strike in seven months; the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack (Times of Israel)
  • The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also ordered new evacuations of part of Khan Younis, where they had previously invaded and then withdrawn (NYT)

Foreign Envoys Criticize Israel Plans to Officially Recognize Five Unauthorized West Bank Settlements

  • Envoys from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the European Union criticized the statement by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in which he also said Israel will release tax funds to the Palestinian Authority that had been frozen since October 7; the Israeli Prime Minister’s office did not immediately comment on Smotrich’s statement (CNN)

UN Experts: Almost Half a Million Gazans Face Catastrophic Levels of Acute Food Insecurity

  • The UN-backed group of experts stopped short of declaring that the mass starvation is yet considered famine, but the report prompted renewed calls to facilitate access to aid in the enclave (NYT)

Israeli Supreme Court Rules Military Must Draft Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Men

  • Ultra-Orthodox male students had been previously exempt from conscription into military service, but the court cited in its decision a principle of equality before the law (Times of Israel)
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition relies on two ultra-Orthodox parties to govern; for several weeks, he had aimed to advance legislation that would preserve their exemption from military service (CNN)