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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news
DAMASCUS CONSULATE STRIKE
Israel’s Foreign Minister threatened today that its country’s forces would strike Iran directly if Iran launched an attack from its territory against Israel, as tensions ratcheted up following the killings of Iranian generals in the strikes at the Iranian consulate in Syria. “If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will respond and attack in Iran,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X. The remarks follow Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei repeating today a promise to retaliate against Israel for the consulate strikes. Jack Jeffrey reports for AP News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Hamas could agree to release some hostages before a permanent ceasefire, according to Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar citing “sources involved in the ongoing negotiations.” The newspaper reports that Hamas is willing to consider a hostage release deal in which Israeli troops would gradually retreat from the Gaza Strip and Israel would eventually agree to end the fighting, along with the “proportionate” release of Palestinian prisoners and access to northern Gaza for displaced civilians. Lazar Berman reports for the Times of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that “no force in the world” will stop Israeli troops from entering Rafah. “We will complete the elimination of the Hamas battalions, including in Rafah. There is no force in the world that will stop us. Many forces are trying to do this, but it will not help, because this enemy, after what it has done, will not do it again, it will cease to exist.” Lauren Izso reports for CNN.
Videos and eyewitness accounts cast doubt on Israel’s timeline of the deadly Gaza aid convoy incident in February that killed over 100 people, according to a CNN analysis. After an internal investigation, the Israeli military released a timeline on March 8 suggesting that a minute after an aid convoy accompanied by its tanks began crossing into Gaza, its troops fired “warning shots” toward the east to disperse crowds before firing at “suspects” who they claimed posed a threat. Shortly after, the military said it fired more warning shots. However, evidence reviewed by forensic and ballistic experts indicates that automatic gunfire began before the military said the convoy had started crossing through the checkpoint, and that shots were fired within close range of crowds that had gathered for food.
An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip killed 14 people last night, most of whom were women and children, according to a spokesperson for the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Kareem Khadder and Mia Alberti report for CNN.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
President Biden called Netanyahu’s approach in Gaza a “mistake” and reiterated the U.S. call for a cease-fire for at least six weeks to allow for aid delivery. “I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden said in a Univision interview that was taped last week and aired yesterday evening. He added, “What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks total access to all food and medicine going into the country. I’ve spoken with everyone from the Saudis to the Jordanians to the Egyptians … They’re prepared to move this food in. And I think there’s no excuse to not provide for the medical and the food needs of those people. It should be done now.” Bryan Pietsch and Lior Soroka report for the Washington Post.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that the newly increased flow of aid from Israel into Gaza must be “sustained for as long as it takes to put in place something more permanent” after the war ends. Speaking at a news conference with British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron in Washington, Blinken said the United States wanted to see 350 aid trucks entering Gaza each day by later this week, about triple the number that was entering daily through much of the war. Israel yesterday allowed 468 aid trucks into Gaza, the highest single-day tally since the war began in October. Michael Crowly reports for the New York Times.
Blinken said yesterday that Hamas should accept the “serious” new U.S. proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal. Hamas has largely rejected the plan, mediators said today, although the Qatari Prime Minister said yesterday the group has not formally responded. Qatar relayed the message to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who said yesterday, “I pressed him to secure an answer from them as soon as possible … We have seen Hamas’ public statements that have been less than encouraging.” Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) said yesterday he was willing to stall an $18 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets to Israel unless the Biden administration can show that Israel has given sufficient assurances it will no longer engage in “indiscriminate bombing” of Palestinians in Gaza. “I don’t want the kinds of weapons that Israel has to be utilized, to have more death,” Meeks said in an interview with CNN. “I want to make sure that humanitarian aid gets in. I don’t want people starving to death. And I want Hamas to release the hostages.” When asked if he would hold up the arms transfer, he said, “I will make that determination once I see what those assurances are.” Edward Wong reports for the New York Times.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a Senate committee yesterday the Pentagon had no evidence that Israel was carrying out a genocide in Gaza. Austin made the comments in testimony at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that was disrupted by demonstrators protesting U.S. support for Israel’s war. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) probed Austin to address the protestors’ concerns, asking, “Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza?” “We don’t have any evidence of genocide being created,” Austin replied. “We don’t have evidence of that, to my knowledge.” John Ismay reports for the New York Times.
About 50 activists calling for a cease-fire were arrested yesterday for protesting in the Senate cafeteria. The protesters, organized by the group Christians for a Free Palestine, were demanding an end to U.S. weapons sales to Israel and the restoration of funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. The Washington Post reports.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev) is today introducing the Combating Antisemitism Act. Rosen, the third Jewish woman and first former synagogue president to serve in the U.S. Senate, said the legislation would “establish a National Coordinator to Counter Anti Semitism for the first time ever, and take other much-needed steps across the federal government to fight anti-Jewish hatred, bigotry, and violence in the United States.” The legislation is also supported by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and a group of Republican and Democratic members of the House. Julie Tsirkin reports for NBC News.
U.S. Forces “conducted an air drop of humanitarian assistance into Northern Gaza” including 50,600 meal equivalents, CENTCOM said today.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — REGIONAL RESPONSE
Turkey and Israel announced trade barriers against each other yesterday as ties deteriorated further amid the Gaza war. Turkey announced it was restricting exports of 54 types of products to Israel with immediate effect, while Israel announced it was preparing a ban on products from Turkey. Suzan Fraser reports for AP News.
An activist who criticized Morocco’s decision to normalize relations with Israel was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday. A court found him guilty of insulting a constitutional institution and incitement, and he was also fined 50,000 Moroccan dirhams ($5,000). Sam Metz reports for AP News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Lord Cameron confirmed yesterday that U.K. arms sales to Israel will not be suspended. At a State Department news conference in Washington, The BBC asked Cameron why there had been no updates after he said last month that Britain was seeking legal advice on its arms sales. Cameron replied, “The latest assessment leaves our position on export licenses unchanged. Let me be clear, though, we continue to have grave concerns around the humanitarian access issue in Gaza, both for the period that was assessed and subsequently. So far, no like-minded countries have taken the decision to suspend existing arms export licenses to Israel and I’d add that Israel remains a vital defensive security partner to the UK.” Tom Bateman and Ali Abbas Ahmadi report for BBC News.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong suggested yesterday the country could recognize Palestinian statehood, saying a two-state solution was “the only hope to break the endless cycle of violence.” Wong added that Hamas could have no role in Palestine’s governance, saying, “The failures of this approach by all parties over decades – as well as the Netanyahu government’s refusal to even engage on the question of a Palestinian state – have caused widespread frustration.” Tiffanie Turbull reports for BBC News.
Germany yesterday said Israel’s security is at the “core” of its foreign policy as it defended a genocide case brought against it at the International Court of Justice. “Where Germany has provided support to Israel, including in a form of export of arms and other military equipment, the quality and purposes of these supplies have been grossly distorted by Nicaragua,” Germany’s lawyer told the court. Nicaragua has accused it of breaching the U.N. Genocide Convention by sending military hardware to Israel and halting funding for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. Mattea Bubalo and Matt Murphy report for BBC News.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Israel’s “disproportionate response” in the Gaza war risks “destabilizing the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world.” Speaking to the Spanish Parliament, Sanchez added that the recognition of a Palestinian state is “in Europe’s geopolitical interests.” AFP reports via The Times of Israel.
Children in Gaza have been dying from “starvation-related complications” since “the Israeli government began using starvation as a weapon of war,” Human Rights Watch said yesterday. In their report, the advocacy group calls for targeted sanctions and the suspension of arms transfers to press the Israeli government to ensure access to humanitarian aid. The report cites the Hamas-run health ministry’s figures as of April 1, 32 people including 28 children had died of malnutrition and dehydration at hospitals in northern Gaza.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and U.N. partners supported the Hamas-run Health Ministry in organizing burials of unidentified bodies found at al-Shifa Hospital, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said yesterday. The hospital was the site of a nearly two-week raid by Israeli forces. The Washington Post reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
The U.S. State Department announced yesterday that it has approved a potential emergency $138 million in foreign military sales to Ukraine for repairs to the HAWK missile systems. The department added the purchase will “support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives” of the United States because it will bolster security of a partner country. Lauren Irwin reports for The Hill.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The European Court of Human Rights ruled yesterday that Switzerland had violated its citizens’ human rights by not doing enough to stop climate change, a landmark ruling that experts say could pave the way for future challenges by activists. A group called KlimaSeniorinnen, or Senior Women for Climate Protection, which brought the case, argued their health was at risk during heat waves related to climate change and that the Swiss government had violated their rights by failing to adequately mitigate against global warming. The Court held that Switzerland had failed to meet its target in reducing carbon emissions and it must take action to address that shortcoming. Experts say it was the first time an international court determined that governments were legally obligated to meet their climate targets under human rights law. Isabella Kwai and Emma Bubola report for the New York Times.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has begun a visit to Washington. Kishida and his wife visited the White House yesterday ahead of today’s official visit and formal state dinner, as Biden looks to celebrate a decades-long ally who he views as the foundation of his Indo-Pacific policy. Aamer Madhani reports for AP News.
South Africa’s Electoral Court ruled yesterday that former President Jacob Zuma can run for office in the upcoming general election, overturning a decision that had prevented him from entering the contest due to his criminal record. The decision paves the way for Zuma to run for president on behalf of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, or MK, a new political organization he joined last year after denouncing the ruling African National Congress party that he once headed. Mogotmotsi Magome reports for AP News.
Venezuela’s former oil minister, who resigned unexpectedly last year during a corruption probe, was arrested yesterday as part of investigation into an alleged scheme through which hundreds of millions of dollars in oil proceeds seemingly disappeared. Jorge Rueda and Regina Garcia Cano report for AP News.
Voting is underway in South Korea for a new parliament, in what is widely viewed as a midterm referendum on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration. Yoon still has three years left in office, but his People Power Party has struggled to achieve its agenda in a legislature dominated by the opposition Democratic Party. Jean Mackenzie, Kelly Ng, and Frances Mao report for BBC News.
The European Union Court of Justice ruled today to remove Russian billionaires Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven from a list of individuals subject to E.U. sanctions after Russia’s full-scale invasion on Ukraine in 2022. Reuters reports.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENT
President Biden said his administration is exploring whether he has authority to shut down the southern border without authorization from Congress. “We’re examining whether or not I have that power,” Biden told Univision’s Enrique Acevedo in an interview airing last night. “Some are suggesting that I should just go ahead and try it. And if I get shut down by the court, I get shut down by the court,” Biden said. He added that a final decision has not been made and there was “no guarantee” that he has the legal authority to take such action without legislation from Congress. Hans Nichols reports for Axios.
TRUMP-LEGAL MATTERS
Judge Aileen Cannon yesterday partially granted Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request to redact names of government witnesses in former President Trump’s classified document case. “Although the Special Counsel’s request remains sweeping in nature as applied to all potential government witnesses without differentiation … the Court is satisfied that the Special Counsel has made an adequate showing on this issue” for now, Cannon wrote in the ruling. She also ruled not to seal the substantive witness statements on the grounds that they do not identify the witnesses or others mentioned. Sareen Habeshian reports for Axios.