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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
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday reiterated his pledge to launch a ground invasion into Rafah. “The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question,” Netanyahu said in a meeting with the families of hostages held in Gaza, according to a statement from his office. “We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there — with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory.” The move could undermine efforts to reach a new ceasefire deal. Damien Cave reports for the New York Times.
The United Nations yesterday warned that an Israeli assault on Rafah was imminent. “The world has been appealing to the Israeli authorities for weeks to spare Rafah, but a ground operation there is on the immediate horizon,” U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths said in a post on X, adding, “a ground operation in Rafah will be nothing short of a tragedy beyond words.” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for “all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power” to prevent a Rafah offensive. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.
Israel’s high court is scheduled to hear a petition today brought by an Israeli rights group seeking to locate a Palestinian medical worker detained from Gaza in February. It is the first such case to receive a hearing before the court. Claire Parker reports for the Washington Post.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Secretary of State Antony Blinken began another round of talks in Israel today over the Gaza war. Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv late yesterday and is scheduled to hold meetings throughout today. U.N. humanitarian officials briefed Blinken in the Jordanian capital on their efforts to improve conditions in Gaza, and Blinken has said he intends to speak with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials about “the things [that] still need to be done if the test is going to be met of making sure that people have what they need,” referring to Biden’s warning in April that Washington would reassess its Gaza policy unless Israel took immediate “measurable” steps to improve humanitarian conditions. Jennifer Hansler reports for CNN; Missy Ryan, Claire Parker, and Loveday Morris report for the Washington Post.
The White House said yesterday that “time is of the essence” for ceasefire talks in Gaza as negotiators tried to broker a deal. “I wouldn’t say that we’re overly confident,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, adding, “I would say we’re being very pragmatic about this. This is a good proposal. This is a very good proposal and Hamas ought to jump on it and time is of the essence.” The U.S.-sponsored deal would halt the war for around six weeks in its first stage in exchange for 33 hostages. Kirby reiterated that the United States remained opposed to an offensive in Rafah without an effective plan to protect civilians. Peter Baker reports for the New York Times.
Clashes between law enforcement and pro-Palestinian protesters are causing disruption across the United States. A violent incident broke out between the protestors and Israel supporters at UCLA today, and over 100 protesters were arrested yesterday at Columbia University and City College of New York. Melissa Alonso reports for CNN.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) declined to ban Germany’s weapons sales to Israel. The court yesterday rejected a request from Nicaragua that Germany be forced to suspend its military aid to Israel, ruling there was no legal basis for issuing such an order. The judges did not grant Germany’s request to throw out the main complaint that Nicaragua had filed against Germany, meaning a final decision may have to await the court’s decision on a separate case brought by South Africa alleging that Israel has committed genocide. Pierre Emmannuel Ngendakumana reports for POLITICO; Marlise Simons reports for the New York Times.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Netanyahu yesterday and “reiterated the urgency and importance” of continuing to increase the flow of aid into Gaza. Sunak “continued to push for an immediate humanitarian pause to allow more aid in and hostages out” and “reiterated the UK’s support for Israel’s security,” saying “our focus is on de-escalation which is essential and in everyone’s interest.”
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
Russia appears to be looking to boost the combat strength and weapons supplies of its forces ahead of an expected large-scale offensive in mid-May or June. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said today that to maintain the pace of current military operations and ahead of “further actions,” increased weapons and military equipment needed to be sent to the front lines. Holly Ellyatt reports for CNBC.
MILITARY CONFLICT WITH THE HOUTHIS
The Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on Friday on a Portuguese-flagged container ship far in the Arabian Sea. The attack on the MSC Orion, which occurred about 375 miles off the coast of Yemen, appeared to be the first confirmed deep-sea assault claimed by the Houthis since they began targeting ships in November, and suggests the group may have the ability to strike into the far reaches of the Indian Ocean. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Russia is seeking to exploit U.S. internal divisions over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza through overt and covert propaganda, with the aim of aggravating domestic political tensions and tarnishing Washington’s global image, according to two sources familiar with U.S. intelligence on the matter. The effort includes artificial intelligence, fake social media accounts, and a spike in propaganda from Russian state media. Dan De Luce reports for NBC News.
A transitional council responsible for choosing Haiti’s next leadership yesterday named one of its members, Edgard Leblanc Fils, as council president. The council also proposed a new interim prime minister, Fritz Bélizaire, as it seeks to control gang violence in the country. Hira Humayan and Tara John report for CNN.
South African police are investigating if former President Jacob Zuma’s new political party forged supporters’ signatures to register for this month’s national elections. The MK Party, which has been highly critical of the ruling African National Congress Zuma once led, has been embroiled in legal cases over whether it and Zuma are eligible to run in the upcoming May elections. The National Police Commissioner confirmed an inquiry had been opened in Cape Town, where the alleged forgery occurred. Gerald Imray reports for AP News.
Colombia’s military has lost millions of bullets, thousands of grenades, and several missiles, the country’s president said. Gustavo Petro said the missing items came to light during recent inspections of military bases. He placed blame for the disappearances on internal corruption, saying military personnel sold weapons to arms traders. Aleks Phillips and Leonardo Rocha report for BBC News.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Trump said the possibility of political violence if he loses the election “depends on [its] fairness.” In an interview with TIME published yesterday, Trump commented on the prospect of political violence tied to November’s elections, saying “I think we’re going to win. And if we don’t win, you know, it depends. It always depends on the fairness of an election.” Trump repeated his unfounded claims that the last election was rigged by rivals, and said he is going to win because “I don’t believe they’ll be able to do the things that they did the last time. I don’t think they’ll be able to get away with it.” Vera Bergengruen and Eric Cortellessa report for TIME.
TRUMP-LEGAL MATTERS
The judge overseeing Trump’s New York criminal trial yesterday ruled he violated the gag order against him and warned subsequent violations could result in jail time. Trump was ordered to pay a $9,000 fine, with Judge Merchan warning he would “impose an incarceratory punishment” if Trump continued to violate the gag order in the case. Merchan also said Trump must remove seven “offending” social media posts on his campaign website. Trump complied with the order just before the Tuesday deadline. Erin Doherty reports for Axios; Nick Robertson reports for The Hill.