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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its ruling today in which it issued provisional measures in the case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide. Just Security published a summary and analysis of the Court’s judgment.
A strike hit a crowd of Palestinians who were waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City yesterday, killing several people and wounding scores of others, the Hamas-run health ministry said. Many details of the incident remain unclear at the time of writing. The health ministry blamed the strike on Israel, and the Israeli military said it was looking into the reports of the incident but did not immediately comment further. Hiba Yazbek reports for the New York Times.
The death toll in Gaza has now surpassed 26,000, the Hamas-run health ministry said today. In the last 24 hours, 183 people were killed and a further 377 injured, it said. Yuliya Talmazan reports for NBC News.
The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus broke down yesterday while describing the “hellish” conditions in Gaza to the global health body’s governing body. “Seventy percent of the dead (in Gaza) are children and women. That alone is enough for a cease-fire,” he said. Samra Zulfaqar reports for NBC News.
More than 40 senior former Israeli national security officials, acclaimed scientists, and business leaders have sent a letter to Israel’s president and speaker of parliament demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be removed from office, claiming he poses an “existential” threat to the country. The letter’s signatories include four former directors of Israel’s foreign and domestic security services, two former heads of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), and three nobel prize winners. “We believe that Netanyahu bears primary responsibility for creating the circumstances leading to the brutal massacre of over 1,200 Israelis and others, the injury of over 4,500, and the kidnapping of more than 230 individuals, of whom over 130 are still held in Hamas captivity,” it reads. “The victim’s blood is on Netanyahu’s hands.” Alex Marquardt reports for CNN.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The number of antisemitic incidents registered in France and Belgium has risen sharply since the Oct. 7 attacks, according to figures released yesterday in both countries. The number of acts that followed the Oct. 7 attacks equaled those of the previous three years combined, the Council of Jewish Institutions in France said. Samuel Petrequin reports for AP News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
President Biden last week pressed Netanyahu to scale down the military operation in Gaza, stressing he is not in it for a year of war, according to two U.S. officials. Biden’s comments reflect the growing U.S. concern over the continuation of the war and his desire to see the war end before the November elections, with a Biden adviser saying the administration is concerned about losing younger voters in future elections over the president’s policy on the war. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
The White House is sending C.I.A. director William J. Burns to Europe in the coming days to meet with senior Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari officials in a bid to advance negotiations over the release of hostages held in Gaza and a longer ceasefire, according to U.S. officials. Israel is now pushing a proposal of a 60-day fighting pause in exchange for a phased release of hostages, U.S. officials said. Julian E. Barnes and Aaron Boxerman report for the New York Times.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized “the imperative of protecting civilians and protecting civilian infrastructure” in Gaza, following a strike yesterday on a U.N. facility that U.N. officials said killed 12 and wounded 75. Blinken did not assign blame for the strike, and reiterated that Hamas fighters have embedded themselves in Gaza’s civilian population. Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times.
The United States has created a channel with Israel to discuss concerns over incidents in Gaza in which civilians have been killed or injured by the Israeli military and civilian facilities have been targeted , two U.S. officials said. The channel was established after a meeting earlier this month between Blinken and Israel’s war cabinet in whichBlinken told Israeli ministers that Washington needed to know “what the answers are” when it comes to reports on such incidents and sought a “reliable channel.” Through the channel, the United States raises “every specific incident of concern” related to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which Israel investigates and provides feedback on to U.S. officials. Humeyra Pamuk reports for Reuters.
In a call last night with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant emphasized the need for “U.S. pressure” in securing hostage releases by Hamas, Gallant’s office said., Austin’s office said he reiterated Washington’s support for “Israel’s right to defend itself” during the call, as well as the importance of ensuring uninterrupted aid delivery into Gaza. Chantal Da Silva reports for NBC News.
Georgia lawmakers passed a bill yesterday 129-5 that would define antisemitism in state law. Some lawmakers opposed the bill, arguing it may censor free speech rights and stifle criticism of Israel. Jeff Amy reports for AP News.
IRAN-BACKED MILITANTS
The United States warned Iran ahead of the fatal Jan. 3 attack on Tehran by the self-styled Islamic State militant group in an attempt to help the Iranian government thwart the attack, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the plans. The officials said the United States had intelligence indicating an attack was planned by an affiliate of the militant group to strike a public memorial service for Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani. Julian E Barnes and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times.
Iran-backed militias launched at least two attacks on U.S. military positions in Iraq yesterday, U.S. defense officials said, bringing the total number of attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since October to at least 153. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post.
A delegation from the Houthi group arrived in Moscow yesterday to meet with the Russian foreign ministry for talks about the military escalation in the Red Sea, Yemen, and the ongoing war in Gaza. AP News reports.
MILITARY CONFLICT WITH HOUTHIS
The United States and United Kingdom imposed sanctions yesterday on four leaders of Yemen’s Houthi militia after repeated attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea in recent weeks. The U.S. Treasury said in a statement it believes that three of the Houthi leaders — Mohamed al-Atifi, Muhammad Fadl Abd al-Nabi, and Muhammad Ali al-Qadiri — have been involved in executing the attacks. The fourth leader, Muhammad Ahmad al-Talibi, oversees the group’s efforts to smuggle weapons, including drones and missiles provided by Iran, the statement added. Gaya Gupta reports for the New York Times.
Chinese officials have asked Iran to help rein in Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea or risk harming business relations with Beijing, according to four Iranian sources and a diplomat familiar with the matter. “Basically, China says: ‘If our interests are harmed in any way, it will impact our business with Tehran. So tell the Houthis to show restraint’,” said one Iranian official briefed on the talks. Parisa Hafezi and Andrew Hayley report for Reuters.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Kenyan High Court has blocked the government from deploying police officers to fight gangs in Haiti. The judge argued that the deployment would be illegal because the Security Council lacks the legal authority to send police outside Kenya, and can only deploy armed forces for peacekeeping missions. The judge further explained that Kenya law only allows the government to deploy police officers to another country if a reciprocal agreement between the two countries exists. Ian Wafula reports for BBC News.
Senior U.S. and Chinese representatives are expected to meet in Thailand as the two countries seek to ease tensions. Both counterparts are expected to be in Bangkok from today for separate meetings with Thai officials. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the meeting “continues the commitment by both sides at the November 2023 Woodside Summit between President Biden and President Xi to maintain strategic communication and responsibly manage the relationship.” ABC News reports.
Mali’s junta ended a 2015 peace deal with Tuareg separatist rebels yesterday, a move that risks further destabilizing the country. In a statement read on state television, the military authorities said it was no longer possible to continue the agreement due to signatories not sticking to their commitments and “hostile acts” by chief mediator Algeria. Tiemoko Diallo reports for Reuters.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
Russia and Ukraine traded blame and pushed conflicting narratives yesterday over the downing of a Russian military plane, which Moscow said was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) who were about to be exchanged and returned home. Ukraine has yet to confirm whether POWs were on board and whether it shot the plane down. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would welcome an international investigation into the incident, while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “If he means an international investigation into the criminal acts of the Kyiv regime, then it is definitely needed.” Siobhán O’Grady and Mary Ilyushina report for the Washington Post.
A representative of Ukrainian defense intelligence said he “does not exclude” the possibility there were Ukrainian prisoners of war aboard the Russian military plane, but stressed Russia provided no proof to support its claims that there were. “There is no clear information about prisoners of war. There are only statements by Russia, of a political and propagandist nature,” Andriy Yusov said. “Who or what was on board needs to be clarified,” he said. Sarah Rainsford reports for BBC News.
A senior Russian lawmaker said Ukrainian military intelligence had been given a 15 minute warning before a Russian military transport plane entered the area where it was shot down Wednesday. Reuters reports.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Former Trump White House Adviser Peter Navarro was sentenced to four months yesterday for contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena related to the investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. “You are not a victim. You are not the object of a political prosecution,” the judge said. “These are the circumstances of your own making.” Devan Cole and Holmes Lybrand report for CNN.
The House Ethics Committee has dropped its investigation into Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) for pulling a fire alarm in a Capitol office building in September as Republicans called a vote to avert a government shutdown. Bowman has long maintained he did not intend to set off the alarm and was simply trying to open a locked door. Since the House voted to censure Bowman last month, the committee determined that “further review of Bowman’s conduct would be moot.” Rebecca Kaplan reports for NBC News.
The National Security Agency buys certain logs related to Americans’ domestic internet activities from data brokers without warrants, according to an unclassified letter by the agency. The letter offered few details on the nature of the data but stressed it did not include the content of internet communications. Charlie Savage reports for the New York Times.
TRUMP-LEGAL MATTERS
Former President Donald Trump testified yesterday in the defamation trial brought by writer E. Jean Caroll. Trump was under strict rules on what he could say and his time on the stand was kept brief, but he told the jury he stands “one hundred percent” behind a deposition given in 2022 in which he denied her sexual assault allegations. Brandon Livesay and Nada Tawfik report for BBC News.