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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced today that the Israeli military has presented a long-awaited plan to its war cabinet for evacuating civilians from “areas of fighting” in Gaza, a likely reference to the expected invasion of the southern city of Rafah. A follow-up statement added that a plan for providing humanitarian assistance to the enclave had also been approved. Netanyahu reiterated yesterday that Israel plans to invade Rafah, but that the assault could be “delayed somewhat” if a deal is reached with Hamas over the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. Mike Ives reports for the New York Times.
A hostage agreement deal would delay, but not ultimately prevent, an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah, Netanyahu said yesterday during a CBS interview. When asked whether Israel would invade Rafah regardless of a hostage deal and any accompanying pause in fighting, Netanyahu said, “victory is within reach, and you can’t have victory until you eliminate Hamas … once we begin the Rafah operation, the intense phase of the fighting is weeks away from completion, not months, weeks away from completion.” Netanyahu also defended the military response in Gaza, saying the United States would be doing “a hell of a lot more” if faced with a terror attack similar to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and his government have submitted their resignations, Shtayyeh announced today. The resignation comes as the PA comes under intense pressure from the United States to reform and improve its governance in the West Bank. Ibrahim Dahman reports for CNN.
The United States, Egypt, and Qatar have tentatively agreed on the “basic contours” of a hostage deal, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said yesterday. “We hope that in the coming days, we can drive to a point where there is actually a firm and final agreement on this issue,” Sullivan said. The deal is still under negotiation and indirect discussions by Qatar and Egypt with Hamas will continue. Niha Masih, Leo Sands, Mariana Alfaro, Silvia Foster-Frau and Lior Soroka report for the Washington Post.
The Israeli military said yesterday it had concluded its operation at Nasser Medical Complex, Gaza’s second-largest hospital, and had detained 200 people. A spokesperson for the military said that while Israeli forces were no longer inside the hospital, they were still operating in the area which they described as “an active combat zone.” Hiba Yazbek reports for the New York Times.
The U.N. Chief Antonio Guterres today deplored the U.N. Security Council’s failure to adequately respond to the war in Gaza or Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling for “serious” structural reforms. “The Council’s lack of unity on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and on Israel’s military operations in Gaza following the horrific terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October, has severely – perhaps fatally – undermined its authority,” Guterres said. “The Council needs serious [sic] reform to its composition and working methods.” Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber reports for Reuters.
Israel has failed to comply with an order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to provide aid to Gaza, Human Rights Watch said today, citing a 30% drop in the daily average number of aid trucks entering Gaza in the weeks following the court’s ruling. It also said Israel was not adequately facilitating fuel deliveries or humanitarian aid into northern Gaza, where the World Food Program withdrew from last week due to increasing chaos. Under the order, Israel must submit a report on steps it is taking to adhere to the measures within a month. While today marked a month since the order was issued, it was not clear whether Israel had submitted such a report to the court. NBC News reports.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alleged that soldiers found mortar bombs and cartridges in bags belonging to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) inside buildings that Hamas had converted into a fighting compound. A UNRWA spokesperson said the agency has no way to verify the claim. “We give out food in millions of these bags, and they get reused after they are empty,” she said, adding, “It’s like a shopping bag from Costco. Does Costco track down how its bags are used after it leaves its stores?” Mirna Alsharif reports for NBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — REGIONAL RESPONSE
Israel’s defense minister Yoav Gallant vowed to increase attacks on Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah even if a ceasefire is reached with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “We will continue the fire, and we will do so independently from the south, until we achieve our goals,” Gallant said, referring to Israel’s aim to push Hezbollah away from the Israeli border, either through diplomacy or by force. Hezbollah has previously said it will halt its near daily attacks on Israel if a ceasefire is reached in Gaza. Melanie Lidman and Abby Sewell report for AP News.
Hezbollah today said it had shot down an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over Lebanese territory with a surface-to-air missile, the second time it has announced downing this type of unmanned aerial vehicle. The Israeli military said that two missile launches had targeted an Israeli Air Force UAV operating over Lebanon, the first of which was intercepted, while the second “fell inside Lebanese territory.” Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan yesterday reiterated Washington’s opposition to an Israeli offensive in Rafah. “We’re talking about more than a million people who have been pushed into this small space in Gaza because of military operations elsewhere,” Sullvian told NBC. “It’s also the area where all of the humanitarian assistance comes into Gaza to serve all of Gaza. And so we’ve been clear that we do not believe that an operation – a major military operation – should proceed in Rafah, unless there is a clear and executable plan to protect those civilians, to get them to safety and to feed, clothe and house them. And we have not seen a plan like that.” Lauren Sforza reports for The Hill.
An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force was critically injured after setting himself on fire yesterday outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide,” a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The man walked up to the embassy shortly before 1pm and began live streaming on the video streaming platform Twitch, the person said. In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington said its officers had responded to the scene outside the Israeli Embassy to assist U.S. secret service officers and that its bomb squad had also been called to examine a suspicious vehicle.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Arab states urged judges at the ICJ to rule that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and Turkey said the occupation was the root cause of conflict in the region on the final day of hearings examining its legal status. “The real obstacle to peace is obvious. The deepening occupation by Israel of the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and failure to implement the two-state vision,” Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz said today. Reuters reports.
MILITARY CONFLICT WITH HOUTHIS
The United States and Britain carried out strikes on 18 Houthi sites in Yemen on Saturday, the Pentagon said, the fourth such joint operation by the allies. Washington said the strikes were directed against “underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter” of the rebel group. The strikes were carried out “with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand,” the statement added. Jaroslav Lukiv reports for BBC News.
The Houthis reported their first civilian death following the U.S.-U.K. airstrikes over the weekend. One person was killed and eight others wounded, the Houthis’ official news agency said. The Times of Israel reports.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro claimed he has been a victim of political persecution since leaving office just over a year ago. Speaking to tens of thousands of supporters in São Paulo, Bolsonaro said that coup allegations against home were a “lie” and called for an amnesty for hundreds of his supporters convicted for attacks on public hearings. The police investigation into whether Bolsonaro incited a failed coup after losing the 2022 election continues. Ione Wells reports for BBC News.
Hungary is expected to ratify Sweden’s NATO accession bid today. The Hungarian parliament’s vote is expected to pass smoothly after Friday’s visit by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, during which both countries signed an arms deal. Krisztina Than and Niklas Pollard report for Reuters.
Australia today imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on seven Russian prison officials it accuses of mistreating the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. “Australia holds President Putin and the Russian Government responsible for Mr Navalny’s treatment and death in custody,” Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said. Angus Watson reports for CNN.
Belarusian authorities today announced preliminary results from parliamentary and local elections in which only candidates loyal to the country’s leader, President Alexander Lukashenko, were allowed to compete. The vote cemented the 30-year rule of Lukashenko, who declared his intention to seek yet another five-year term in a presidential election next year. Yuras Karmanau reports for AP News.
China is “the most important, most competitive, and most dangerous relationship,” U.S. ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said yesterday on CBS, saying that the two countries must “live together.” Miranda Nazzaro reports for The Hill.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
Some 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said yesterday. Zelenskyy added that he would not provide a figure on those wounded as that would assist Russian military planning. Ukrainian officials rarely make casualty figures public, and other estimates are much higher. Kathryn Armstrong reports for BBC News.
Russia is preparing a new offensive against Ukraine starting as early as late May or summer, Zelenskyy said yesterday. Speaking a day after the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, “We will prepare for their assault. Their assault that began on Oct. 8 has not brought any results, I believe. We, for our part, will prepare our plan and follow it.” Olena Harmash and Dan Peleschuk reports for Reuters.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) yesterday warned about the need to supply more aid to Ukraine. Speaking after returning from a trip to Ukraine, Schumer said this year is a “crucial moment in the history of the world” and that a Ukrainian loss to Russia would also be “devastating in consequences for the US.” Antoinette Radford reports for CNN.