Israel’s War Cabinet Meets to Discuss New Potential Cease-Fire Deal
The war cabinet met last night to discuss a potential cease-fire deal with Hamas that U.S. President Joe Biden outlined in a speech on Friday (Times of Israel)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the onus is on Hamas to accept the deal; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top foreign policy advisor told the Sunday Times that the Israeli government agreed to the deal, though two far-right ministers in the governing coalition threatened to dissolve the government over its terms
Israeli Party in Netanyahu’s Coalition Presents Bill to Dissolve Parliament
The National Unity party of war cabinet member Benny Gantz submitted a bill to dissolve the Knesset yesterday; analysts said it was unlikely the bill would earn sufficient support to pass, but its submission reflects growing divisions in the Israeli government over the country’s war strategy in the Gaza Strip (Bloomberg)
Netanyahu’s Likud party dismissed the bill as divisive and damaging to the war effort (Times of Israel)
Separately, the Israeli military announced it had advanced into central Rafah (NYT)
Israeli National Security Advisor Projects Gaza War Will Continue Through Year’s End
Israel expects another seven months of combat in the Gaza Strip before it destroys the military and governing capabilities of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi told Israeli public broadcaster Kan; Israel has seized “operational control” of a buffer strip of southern Gaza on the border with Egypt, its military announced yesterday (NYT)
U.S. Temporarily Halts Aid Deliveries Through Gaza Pier for Repairs
Part of the U.S.-built pier broke off as a result of bad weather, and rebuilding and repairing it will take at least a week, U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Sabrina Singh said yesterday; more than one thousand metric tons of humanitarian aid have been delivered to the Gaza Strip via the pier (Times of Israel)
UN Security Council Expected to Meet After Rafah Strike
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today regarding the situation in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, unnamed diplomats told media (AP)
An Israeli strike in Rafah on Sunday night killed at least forty-five people at a camp for displaced Palestinians, the Gaza health ministry said (NYT)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the event a “tragic mishap”; it prompted global calls for Israel to protect civilians (BBC)
A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said that “Israel has a right to go after Hamas, and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists,” but that “Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians” (Reuters)
The strike came as tensions rose between Israel and Egypt over the weekend following the death of an Egyptian soldier in the Rafah area; both Israeli and Egyptian authorities said they were investigating the incident (BBC)
Ahead of Expected ICJ Ruling, Israel Says It Is Carrying Out Partial Operation in Rafah
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah in response to South Africa’s petition; Israel’s military said yesterday that it was operating in Rafah’s Brazil and Shaboura areas (NYT)
UN Halts Food Distribution in Southern Gaza’s Rafah
The United Nations said a lack of supplies and an untenable security situation led to yesterday’s halt; some four hundred thousand people are thought to still be in Rafah after around nine hundred thousand departed over the past two weeks, the Israeli military office in charge of Palestinian affairs said (AP)
A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson said yesterday that none of the aid unloaded from a U.S.-built pier near the Gaza Strip had been delivered to the broader Palestinian population (CNN)
Crowds looted several UN World Food Program trucks carrying aid from the pier on Saturday, prompting the agency to suspend deliveries; the aid is being taken to warehouses for further distribution (NYT)
Separately, officials from Ireland, Norway, and Spain said today that they will recognize an independent Palestinian state; more than 140 countries have made this call, but most Western European countries do not hold this recognition (NYT)
In response, Israel’s foreign minister said the recognition sends the message that “terrorism pays,” and Israel recalled its ambassadors from the three countries for consultations (NBC)
Meanwhile, the families of several female Israeli soldiers taken hostage by Hamas released a video of their abduction in an effort to pressure the Israeli government to increase efforts to bring them home; the video was captured from body cameras worn by Hamas fighters (Times of Israel)
Israel’s prime minister’s office said yesterday evening that officials had instructed negotiators to continue hostage release talks (Haaretz)
Biden Denounces ICC Announcement Seeking Warrants as ‘Outrageous’
U.S. President Joe Biden has rejected yesterday’s news that the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders and two Israeli officials related to Hamas’s October 7 attacks and the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip; Biden issued a statement calling the development “outrageous” and said there is “no equivalence” between Israel and Hamas (CNN)
Speaking at an event to mark Jewish American Heritage Month, Biden said that Israel “wants to do all it can to ensure civilian protection” and “what is happening is not genocide” (NYT)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one of the leaders the prosecutor accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, said that he rejected the comparison with Hamas “with disgust,” while Hamas, too, rebuked the charges and demanded their cancellation (Reuters)
In Europe, countries including Italy and the United Kingdom (UK) criticized the news, while Belgium and France were among those that voiced their support for the ICC (FT)
While U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said House Republican leaders would consider imposing sanctions on the court, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby did not endorse that effort (CNN)
ICC Prosecutor Seeks Arrest Warrants for Israeli, Hamas Leaders
International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan announced today that he applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh; Khan said he has “reasonable grounds to believe” the five men bear “criminal responsibility” for war crimesand crimes against humanity in relation to Hamas’s October 7 attack in Israel and the war in the Gaza Strip (FT)
If ICC judges approve the warrants, they could result in arrests if the named leaders travel to ICC member countries; neither Israel nor Hamas immediately commented (NYT)
Netanyahu said in April that Israel “will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense” (DW)
First Aid Trucks Enter Gaza From U.S.-Built Pier
Trucks entered the enclave this morning as part of a multinational aid effort, U.S. Central Command said; the U.S. military built the floating pier and is providing logistical support for the operation, though no U.S. troops entered the Gaza Strip (NYT)
The pier operation could scale up to 150 trucks of aid per day, U.S. officials said (AP)
U.S. Anchors Aid Pier on Gaza Coast
Humanitarian supplies are due to move into the Gaza Strip via the temporary pier “in the coming days,” U.S. Central Command said today; the U.S. Department of Defense has said it aims for the operation to eventually supply 150 trucks with assistance per day (NYT)
At its annual summit, the Arab League called for a UN peacekeeping force in Gaza and the West Bank until a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be established based on borders prior to the Arab-Israeli war of 1967; it also called for a timeline for such a negotiation (NYT)
A UN spokesperson noted the organization’s forces do not enter active conflict zones (NYT)
Washington has raised the prospect of some Arab countries participating in a multinational security force in Gaza once the war ends (FT)
Biden Administration Advances Plan for New $1 Billion Arms Sale to Israel
The Joe Biden administration notified Congress yesterday that it plans to sell more than $1 billion in new weapons to Israel, unnamed U.S. and congressional officials told the Wall Street Journal and other media outlets;the package reportedly includes tank ammunition, tactical vehicles, and mortar rounds (WSJ)
When asked for comment on the new package, the White House and State Department referred to U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s statement on Monday that the United States is “continuing to send military assistance” to Israel despite previously pausing one shipment of two-thousand-pound bombs over concerns they might be dropped in densely populated cities (CNN)
U.S. officials have stressed particular concern over the possibility of a full-scale Israeli military offensive in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, from which almost 450,000 people have evacuated over the past week, according to the United Nations (BBC)
Sullivan said in his Monday remarks that Washington was “still working with Israel on a better way to ensure the defeat of Hamas everywhere in Gaza, including in Rafah;” in the immediate term, U.S. negotiators have pushed for a cease-fire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas, though Qatar’s prime minister said yesterday that those talks were at “almost a stalemate” (NYT)
NYT: Files Reveal How Hamas Surveilled Palestinians in Gaza
A Hamas police force in the Gaza Strip maintained files for years on journalists and people who questioned the Hamas government in the enclave, according to internal documents seen by the New York Times; Hamas security officials followed journalists and other critics and discussed ways to defame political adversaries (NYT)
Israeli Forces Conduct Operation in Northern Gaza’s Jabalia
Israeli forces warned civilians to evacuate the city of Jabalia before they moved in to combat Hamas’s suspected resurgence there; the offensive in the northern Gaza Strip comes as Israel continues to weigh wider military action in the southern city of Rafah (NYT)
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was concerned that Israel’s failure to establish a template for postwar governance of Gaza could lead to victories that are not “sustainable” (U.S. Department of State)
Gaza Cease-Fire, Hostage Talks End Without Deal While Israel Weighs Wider Rafah Operation
Negotiations in Cairo were stalled yesterday without resolution (NYT)
Fighting between Israeli and Palestinian forces on the outskirts of the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah has led more than one hundred thousand people to flee north, a UN official said today (AP)
An Israeli military spokesperson said its forces have sufficient arms for the missions it is planning, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel can “stand alone” if need be; those comments followed President Biden’s warning yesterday against launching a full-scale invasion of Rafah (Times of Israel)
Biden Says U.S. Will Halt More Offensive Weapons Shipments if Israel Invades Rafah
If Israel launches a major invasion of the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, U.S. President Joe Biden would place more pauses on U.S. shipments of offensive weapons, he told CNN yesterday; it was his first public conditioning of war aid to Israel since Hamas’s October 7 attack (CNN)
Biden said that the United States is still committed to Israel’s defense and would supply it with rocket interceptors for its Iron Dome system and other defensive weapons, but said that the type of heavy bombs that Washington stopped supplying Israel last week had been used to kill civilians (NYT)
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan called Biden’s comments “very disappointing,” while Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel would continue its war “despite President Biden’s pushback and arms embargo”(WaPo)
Biden’s statement comes amid international and domestic pressure to protect civilians in Gaza during Israel’s military campaign and to facilitate a cease-fire and hostage release deal; U.S. CIA Director William J. Burns met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday in Jerusalem regarding a potential deal as negotiators continued parallel talks in Cairo (NYT)
Washington Pauses Some Arms Deliveries to Israel Over Rafah Concerns
The United States withheld the delivery of 3,500 bombs last week over concerns about their potential use in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, unnamed administration officials told multiple news outlets yesterday; Israel has begun what it calls a limited operation targeting Hamas fighters in Rafah (NYT)
Today, Israel said that it reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza for aid, which was closed over the weekend following a Hamas rocket attack (Times of Israel, AP)
Israel Takes Control of Gaza Side of Rafah Crossing as Cease-Fire Talks Continue
Israeli forces have taken control of the Gaza Strip side of the southern Rafah border crossing, sending in tanks and carrying out strikes in what it called a limited operation aimed at targeting Hamas fighters in the city; the operation killed around twenty militants, Israel’s military said (NYT)
The move came as both Israel and the United States said they were reviewing Hamas’s response to a cease-fire and hostage release proposal (Al Jazeera)
Israel and Hamas delegations were due to attend talks in Cairo today on a potential deal, as was U.S. CIA Director William Burns (WaPo). Following Israel’s takeover of the Rafah crossing, the two main aid crossings into Gaza are effectively closed, the UN humanitarian affairs office spokesperson Jens Laerke said today; previously, the Rafah crossing was a critical source of fuel for aid trucks and generators, which have around a one-day buffer, Laerke said (AP)
Hamas to Accept Ceasefire Proposal
Ismail Haniyeh, the chief of Hamas’s political wing, said the group agreed to the Qatari-Egyptian ceasefire terms (WaPo). Israeli officials later said the terms of the ceasefire did not meet their demands and reiterated their commitment to launch a military operation in Rafah (CNN)
Israel Orders Evacuation of Eastern Rafah
The Israeli military’s order for at least one hundred thousand civilians to evacuate the southern Gaza Strip city comes as the fate of a potential cease-fire and hostage release agreement remain unclear (FT)
Over the weekend, a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers (Haaretz)
Israel’s government also ordered the shutdown yesterday of media outlet Al Jazeera for at least forty-five days; the move followed the passage of an April law that authorized the closure of foreign news networks deemed a threat (Axios)
Four Civilians Dead Following Israeli Strike in Lebanon
Lebanese state media reported the strike occurred when residents were inspecting damage to homes and business from previous attacks; according to the Israeli military, the strike targeted Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in the southern town of Mays al Jabal (AP)
Turkey Halts Trade With Israel Over Military Operations in Gaza
Turkey has suspended all trade with Israel until the Israeli government “allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza,” its trade ministry said yesterday; Israel’s foreign ministry said that Turkey was violating trade agreements and vowed to respond (Hürriyet)
Gaza Reconstruction Could Take Up to Eighty Years, UN Report Says
If reconstruction proceeds at the same rate it did following the previous conflicts in 2014 and 2021, the United Nations estimated it could take up to eighty years to repair and rebuild the roughly 370,000 homes in Gaza that have been damaged since Israel launched its military offensive (NYT)
Hamas Says Cease-Fire Talks Progressing, Will Send Delegation to Cairo ‘As Soon as Possible’
Deliberations on a potential cease-fire and hostage release deal in the Gaza Strip are moving forward with a “positive spirit,” Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement yesterday (WaPo)
Israel’s war cabinet met last night to discuss negotiations (Times of Israel)
Floating Pier to Gaza Over Half Complete, Aid Trucks Allowed Through Northern Checkpoint
More than 50 percent of the U.S.-built pier is finished, a Pentagon spokesperson said yesterday, and humanitarian aid delivery is expected to begin in early May (Anadolu)
The pier is part of U.S. efforts to allow greater humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip; after U.S. urging, Israel opened the Erez Crossing in the enclave’s north for the first time since Hamas’s October 7 attack (Times of Israel)