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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
Hamas has presented a ceasefire proposal to mediators and the United States that includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences, according to a proposal seen by Reuters. Hamas said the initial release of Israelis would include women, children, elderly, and ill hostages in exchange for the release of 700-1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, according to the proposal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said yesterday that the new deal was still based on “unrealistic demands,” adding that an update on the matter would be handed to the war cabinet and extended security cabinet today.
At least 20 people were killed and more than 100 injured while waiting for food aid in Gaza City last night, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. A statement from the ministry blamed Israeli forces for a “targeted” attack against “a gathering of civilians waiting for humanitarian aid.” The Israeli military has denied the accusation but said it would “assess the incident with the thoroughness that it deserves.” The New York Times reports.
Israel’s military said it plans to move displaced Palestinians in Gaza to what it called “humanitarian islands” in the middle of the strip ahead of any offensive in Rafah, where some 1.4 million people are sheltering. It is unclear what the “islands” will look like or how they will operate, but the military suggested that aid and temporary housing would be provided. No timeframe has yet been given about when the operation could happen. Anna Foster reports for BBC News.
President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed Mohammad Mustafa, his long-time economic adviser, as the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. The presidential decree issued yesterday appointing Mustafa said his priorities included leading humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza and organizing post-war reconstruction. Other priorities were “continuing the reform process” of Palestinian institutions with the aim of “a robust and transparent governance system,” and developing plans for the “reunification of institutions across the homeland’s governorates as a single geographical, political, national, and institutional unit.” The White House welcomed Mustafa’s appointment and called for “the formation of a reform cabinet as soon as possible.” David Gritten reports for BBC News.
Thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv yesterday to protest the exemption of ultra-Orthodox from mandatory military service. “There is no unity without equality!” protesters were heard chanting while holding Israeli flags. CNN reports.
A private aid ship that departed from Cyprus on Tuesday arrived off the coast of Gaza today, towing a barge containing flour, rice, and protein.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said yesterday in a speech on the Senate floor that Netanyahu is a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East and called for new leadership in Israel, amounting to the sharpest critique yet from a senior U.S. elected official. Schumer said that while Netanyahu’s “highest priority is the security of Israel,” he “has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows,” adding that “Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.” “At this critical juncture,” he said, “I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called Schumer’s remarks “earth-shatteringly bad” and accused him of “calling on the people of Israel to overthrow their government.” Annie Karni reports for the New York Times.
The United States circulated the final draft of a U.N. Security Council resolution late yesterday that would support international efforts to establish “an immediate and sustained ceasefire” in the war as part of a deal to release Israeli hostages. No time has been set for a vote, and the draft resolution, obtained by AP News, could still be changed. Whereas the initial draft circulated by the United States on Feb. 19 would have underscored that a temporary cease-fire “as soon as practicable” required the release of all hostages, the final draft “unequivocally supports international diplomatic efforts to establish an immediate and sustained cease-fire as part of a deal that releases the hostages” – eliminating the word “temporary.”
The Biden administration announced sanctions on two West Bank settler outposts yesterday, marking the first time ever that economic restrictions have been placed on entire Israeli outposts in the Palestinian territory. The State Department said in a statement announcing the measures that the sanctions were issued due to acts of violence against civilians. The two sanctioned outposts were listed as Moshes Farm, also known as Tirza Valley Farm Outpost, and Zvis Farm. Both are considered illegal outposts under Israeli law, differing from other West Bank settlements that have government authorization. Three Israeli citizens who have been linked to violence against Palestinians in media reports were also individually placed on the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Adam Taylor and Shira Rubin report for the Washington Post.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — REGIONAL RESPONSE
Egypt is hoping to reach a deal for a ceasefire that would increase aid deliveries and allow displaced people in southern Gaza to move back north, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said today. Sisi said his ideal agreement would include “curbing the impact of this famine on people, and also allowing for the people in the centre and the south to move towards the north, with a very strong warning against incursion into Rafah.” It follows remarks made by Egypt’s foreign minister yesterday calling on Israel to open land crossings with Gaza to increase aid entering the enclave. Reuters reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The Australian government announced today it will resume funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees following measures to strengthen the integrity of the organization’s operations. “It is expected that more countries that have paused will take a similar approach,” the Australian government said, adding that “Australia is finalizing an updated funding agreement that will include stringent conditions such as guarantees of staff neutrality, and confidence in supply chains.” CNN reports.
MILITARY CONFLICT WITH THE HOUTHIS
A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck a ship in the Red Sea early today, causing damage to the vessel, authorities said. The attack took place off the port city of Hodeida. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center initially reported the ship had been “struck by a missile” but today said that further inspection of the vessel in daylight found no damage. It added the crew was “safe” and that the ship was continuing on its way. Jon Cambrell reports for AP News.
U.S. forces destroyed nine anti-ship missiles and two drones in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen yesterday, U.S. Central Command said. Earlier in the day, the Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden and two more missiles toward the Red Sea, CENTCOM added. No one was injured and there was no reported damage.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
A Royal Air Force plane carrying British Defense Secretary Grant Schapps on Wednesday had its GPS signal jammed while flying close to Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic. The plane was traveling between the United Kingdom and Poland when its satellite signal was temporarily interfered with on both legs of the journey. A Downing Street spokesperson said, “It didn’t threaten the safety of the aircraft and it is not unusual for aircraft to experience GPS jamming near Kaliningrad, which is of course Russian territory.” Sean Seddon and Paul Adams report for BBC News.
Voting in Russia’s presidential election is underway, which is all but certain to hand Vladimir Putin another six years in power. Ballots will be cast over three days, although Putin faces no credible opponent. Laura Gozzi and Francis Scarr report for BBC News.
The U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, David Pressman, yesterday criticized the country’s “dangerously unhinged anti-American messaging” and its “expanding relationship with Russia.” In a speech at the Central European University in Budapest on the 25th anniversary of Hungary’s accession to NATO, Pressman claimed that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was isolating himself from allies, adding, “We can neither understand nor accept the prime minister identifying the United States as a ‘top adversary’ of our ally Hungary.” After the speech, Orbán shared a video on X talking about the “difficult period in American-Hungarian relations” and said that “The American administration expects things from Hungry that we don’t want to deliver and can’t deliver.” Šejla Ahmatović reports for POLITICO.
Senegal’s opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and the presidential candidate he is supporting in this month’s delayed election, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, have been released from prison following an amnesty announced by President Macky Sall. Nicolas Négoce and Gloria Aradi report for BBC News.
The Somali extremist group al-Shabab said its fighters have attacked a hotel in the capital Mogadishu, where a loud explosion and gunfire were heard last night. On its Telegram channel, Al-Shabab said that its fighters managed to penetrate the SYL Hotel, which is patronized by government officials and located not far from the presidential palace in an ordinarily secure part of Mogadishu. There were no reports of casualties at the time of writing. Omar Faruk reports for AP News.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein in Baghdad yesterday for high-level meetings focused on “counter-terrorism, security and military cooperation,” according to a statement by the state-run Iraqi News Agency. The meeting came ahead of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s expected visit next month and a potential Turkish offensive against a Kurdish militant group that maintains bases in Iraq. A joint statement by the two countries after the meeting said both sides had stressed that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party “represents a security threat to both Turkey and Iraq.” Qassim Abdul-Zahra reports for AP News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
The leaders of Germany, France, and Poland are due to meet today in Berlin to discuss support for Ukraine. The three countries are among Ukraine’s key allies. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday, “We must do everything we can to organize as much support as possible for Ukraine.” AP News reports.
Ukraine attacked a small oil refinery in Russia’s Kaluga region with drones early today, causing damage in an operation that was conducted by the GUR military spy agency, a Ukrainian intelligence source told Reuters.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A federal judge in New York declined to dismiss the bribery charges against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), ruling that his conduct is not protected by his job as a senator or then-chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. “[T]he Court finds that none of the allegations at issue concerning the U.S. Attorney Scheme or the Egyptian Aid Scheme are protected by the Speech or Debate Clause,” Judge Sidney Stein wrote yesterday. Prosecutors have accused Menendez, 69, of conspiring with his wife and a businessman to act as an agent of Egypt. The indictment accuses Menendez of helping lift a block on U.S. military aid to Egypt and doing favors for the government of Qatar in exchange for bribes. Aaron Katersky reports for ABC News.
A panel of federal appeals court judges yesterday unanimously rejected former President Trump adviser Peter Navarro’s bid to avoid reporting to prison next week. Navarro, 74, had sought to put his prison sentence on hold pending his efforts to overturn his conviction, which stemmed from his failure to comply with a congressional subpoena issued by the January 6th House select committee. The panel of judges said Navarro “has not shown that his appeal presents substantial questions of law or fact likely to result in reversal,” meaning he must report to prison next week as scheduled. Lucien Bruggeman reports for ABC News.
TRUMP-LEGAL MATTERS
The judge presiding over the federal criminal case involving Trump’s handling of classified documents denied one his two motions to dismiss yesterday. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon found that Trump’s argument — that the Espionage Act is unconstitutionally vague as it applies to presidents — is better suited to be addressed later “in connection with jury-instruction briefing and/or other appropriate motions.” Cannon made clear she was skeptical of his attorney’s arguments on their other motion to dismiss, which argues that the Presidential Records Act bars Trump from prosecution. Cannon said she would rule on that motion “promptly.” Katherine Doyle, Dareh Gregorian, and Gary Grumbach report for NBC News.