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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 said today that Israel’s latest ceasefire proposal does not meet their demands, but that it would nonetheless study it and respond. In a statement, Hamas said Israel “remains stubborn and has not responded to any of the demands of our people and our resistance,” but maintained “it is keen to reach an agreement that puts an end to the aggression against our people.” The group said its leaders would review the proposal and inform mediators of their response. Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, said yesterday that the talks were at a “critical point,” and “if matters work out, a large number of hostages will return home and, in stages, everyone.” Mitchell McCluskey reports for CNN.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday Israel has set a date for its planned offensive in Rafah. Netanyahu said the offensive was necessary for “the elimination of terrorist battalions there.” He added that the date had been agreed internally, but provided no further details. Sean Seddon reports for BBC News.
The Israeli agency that oversees the Palestinian territories said 419 humanitarian aid trucks had entered Gaza yesterday, the highest single-day number since the war began on Oct. 7. However, it is still a fraction of prewar levels, and aid officials have said 500 trucks must enter daily to avert starvation in the enclave. The Washington Post reports.
A specialized U.N. committee will review whether Palestine will be granted full state member status in the U.N. this month, according to the U.N. Ambassador of Malta and Security Council’s president for April. “The council has decided that this deliberation has to take place during the month of April. That is the timeline — April 2024,” Vanessa Frazier said at a news conference yesterday. The committee held their first meeting yesterday to begin discussions on Palestine’s renewed application. Natalie Barr and Richard Roth report for CNN.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
CIA Director Bill Burns presented a new proposal on Sunday for an Israel-Hamas hostage release and ceasefire deal, three Israeli officials told Axios. The deal would secure the release of 40 hostages held in Gaza in return for a six-week ceasefire, the longest pause in fighting since the start of the war. The officials said the proposal builds on terms discussed during previous negotiations and asks for additional compromises from both parties, including on the number and identity of prisoners Hamas wants released, and on the return of displaced Palestinian civilians to northern Gaza. The White House confirmed the proposal had been presented to Hamas, and the Israeli security cabinet is expected to convene today for discussions.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met yesterday with Israel’s opposition leader, Yair Lapid, who reaffirmed U.S.-Israel ties despite friction between President Biden and Netanyahu. “The United States and the State of Israel are the best of allies and best of friends and we need to maintain this friendship. No current events, no government, even, will interfere with this friendship,” Lapid told reporters at the State Department after the meeting. Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met yesterday and discussed the Israeli military’s withdrawal from areas of Gaza, according to a U.S. Department of Defense statement. Austin expressed “the urgent need to dramatically increase humanitarian assistance delivery,” while Gallant provided details of the Israeli military’s withdrawal and the future of Israel’s military campaign. Israel’s Defense Ministry said both officials “raised ongoing threats posed by Iranian aggression,” including via Hezbollah, and “discussed coordination in the face of scenarios involving regional escalation.” Duarte Mendonca and Lauren Izso report for CNN.
State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said Israel has not presented a “credible plan for dealing with the 1.4 million civilians in Rafah.” Speaking yesterday at a news briefing, Miller said, “it’s not just a question of Israel presenting a plan to us. We have made clear to them that we think that there is a better way to achieve what is a legitimate goal, which is to degrade and dismantle and defeat the Hamas battalions that still remain in Rafah.” Miller said there will be further conversations over the coming days “to lay out our beliefs about this potential operation and how they [Israel] could achieve it in a better way.”
Vice President Kamala Harris will meet today with U.S. families whose loved ones were taken hostage by Hamas. The meeting follows National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan meeting with families yesterday.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — REGIONAL RESPONSE
The leaders of Egypt, France, and Jordan have issued a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In an op-ed published yesterday in Jordan and Egypt’s state newspapers, as well as in France’s Le Monde and The Washington Post, they stressed the need for a peaceful resolution through a two-state solution, saying that violence and warfare “have no place” in achieving peace in the Middle East. “In light of the intolerable human toll, we, the leaders of Egypt, France, and Jordan, call for the immediate and unconditional implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2728. We underline the urgent need to bring about a permanent ceasefire in Gaza,” the piece read. Jomana Karadsheh, Xiaofei Xu, and Eyad Kourdi report for CNN.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Germany strongly rejected a case brought by Nicaragua to the International Court of Justice accusing it of facilitating breaches of the Geneva Convention and international humanitarian law by providing arms and other support to Israel. “The minute we look closely, Nicaragua’s accusations fall apart,” Germany’s legal team told the judges. The head of the team said Nicaragua’s claims “have no basis in fact or law. They are dependent on an assessment of conduct by Israel, not a party to these proceedings.” Preliminary hearings held yesterday and today are focused solely on Nicaragua’s request for provisional measures, including a court order for Berlin to halt military and other aid to Israel and reinstate funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. Mike Corder reports for AP News.
France’s foreign minister said today that pressure, and possibly sanctions, must be imposed on Israel to open humanitarian aid crossings into Gaza. “There must be levers of influence and there are multiple levers, going up to sanctions to let humanitarian aid cross check points,” Stephane Sejourne said. He added, “France was one of the first countries to propose European Union sanctions on Israeli settlers who are committing acts of violence in the West Bank. We will continue if needed to obtain the opening of humanitarian aid.” Reuters reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has condemned drone strikes at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, saying “such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must be stopped immediately.” At least three drones detonated at the plant on Sunday, according to inspectors from the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency who are stationed at the facility. Ukraine has denied Russia’s claims that it was responsible for the strike. Marc Santora reports for the New York Times.
Ukraine “will lose the war” if Congress does not approve military aid to help it fight Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday. “[I]f the Congress doesn’t help Ukraine, Ukraine will lose the war,” Zelenskyy said during a virtual meeting of the Ukrainian fund-raising group UNITED24, adding, “If Ukraine loses this war, other countries will be attacked. This is a fact.” Christian Edwards and Maria Kostenko report for CNN.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Russian trolls are attempting to undermine U.S. support for Ukraine, internal Kremlin documents show. According to a trove of documents obtained by a European intelligence service and reviewed by the Washington Post, Kremlin-linked political strategists and trolls have written thousands of fabricated news articles and social media posts which promote U.S. isolationism, stir border security fears, and attempt to amplify domestic racial tensions. Analysts and former U.S. officials say the campaign is part of an increasingly sophisticated Kremlin strategy to elevate the views of anti-establishment politicians opposed to the U.S. global role. Catherine Belton and Joseph Menn report for the Washington Post.
Authorities found former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas in a “deep self-induced coma” in jail yesterday, just days after he was captured by police inside the Mexican embassy in Quito. According to a police report, Glas had ingested anti-depressants and sedatives and was being transferred to a military hospital for observation. Ecuador’s prison authority said in a statement that Glas was in a stable condition and claimed he was hospitalized because he had refused to eat food for 24 hours, an apparent contradiction to the police report of an overdose. Julie Turkewitz and Thalíe Ponce report for the New York Times.
Russia and China have agreed to talk about deepening security cooperation across Europe and Asia to counter U.S. influence, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today after talks in Beijing. Lavrov, after discussions with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, said that Putin had suggested bolstering Eurasian security and that China and Russia had agreed to “start a dialogue with the involvement of our other like-minded people on this issue.” Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, and Andrew Hayley report for Reuters.
British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron is in Washington today to meet with senior U.S. officials about the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Cameron already met with former President Trump, and is due to meet with Blinken to discuss Ukraine support, bringing stability to the Middle East, and defending NATO, the U.K. Foreign Office said. Jacqueline Howarad reports for BBC News.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield will travel to the Korean border and meet North Korean defectors in South Korea, her office said yesterday, amid faltering U.N. efforts to enforce sanctions against Pyongyang. The trip, set for April 14-20, comes after Russia rejected the annual renewal of the multinational panel that works on the implementation of U.N. sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. Hyonhee Shin reports for Reuters.
Ireland’s Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, formally resigned last night. Varadkar made the “shock announcement” in March, saying he felt he was no longer the right person for the job and citing “personal and political” reasons for the decision. A new leader is expected to be voted in by members of parliament today, while all Irish opposition parties have called for a general election. Aofie Moore reports for BBC News.
Bulgaria’s President, Rumen Radev, today appointed a caretaker government led by Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev and called for snap elections on June 9, the president’s office said in a statement. Bulgaria, one of the most corrupt E.U. states, has been rocked by political instability since anti-graft protests in 2020. Reuters reports.
TRUMP-LEGAL MATTERS
A New York appeals court judge yesterday rejected Trump’s bid to delay his April 15 hush money criminal trial. Justice Lizbeth González ruled after an emergency hearing where Trump’s attorneys asked that she postpone the trial indefinitely while they seek a new location. They argued that Trump faces “real potential prejudice” in heavily Democratic Manhattan and that the jury pool has been “polluted” by news coverage of Trump’s other recent cases, including his civil fraud judgment and the E. jean Carroll defamation verdict. Michael R. Sisak, Jake Offenhartz, and Jennifer Peltz report for AP News.
The jury questionnaire in Trump’s upcoming hush money criminal trial was revealed yesterday. The questions range from whether prospective jurors listen to podcasts, to whether they believe Trump should be criminally tried in a state court. Jurors will also be asked about what media they consume and the social media they follow. BBC News reports.
Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Trump’s claims that he is immune from prosecution in the 2020 election case, arguing “no person is above the law.” “The effective functioning of the Presidency does not require that a former President be immune from accountability for these alleged violations of federal criminal law,” Smith wrote in a brief, ahead of the Supreme Court reviewing the case on April 25. A written reply to Smith by Trump legal team’s is due next week. Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios.