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☆ No 'credible plan': U.S.' Blinken issues harshest criticism yet of Israel's Gaza operations
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"One, you have to have a clear, credible plan to protect civilians, which we haven't seen. Second, we also need to see a plan for what happens after this conflict in Gaza is over, and we still haven't seen that." The Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 34,000 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities in the besieged enclave. We're seeing parts of Gaza that Israel has cleared of Hamas where Hamas is coming back, including in the north, including in Khan Younis," Blinken said. Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes in eastern Rafah, Gaza on May 07, 2024.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Mike Herzog, Evelyn Hockstein, Blinken, Biden, Joe Biden, Ashraf Amra, Benjamin Netanyahu, Khan Younis, Abed Rahim Khatib, We've Organizations: Ben, Reuters U.S, CBS, Israel, Administration, Anadolu, Getty, Hamas, State Department, NBC Locations: U.S, Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Deir, Balah, Palestinian, America, Egypt

☆ Top Republican donors fund group doxxing pro-Palestinian college students
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The contributors listed on the tax return include billionaire Republican megadonor Jeff Yass, who Accuracy in Media said gave it $1 million. The family foundation of shipping supply magnate Richard Uihlein is also identified on the tax return, which says the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation gave $10,000. According to its tax return, Accuracy in Media said it received $15,000 from the Coors brewing family's charitable foundation. But AIM president Adam Guillette told CNBC Yass had been misidentified, and he did not give to the organization. Nonprofit groups are not required to release their donors' names publicly, but they are required to report to the IRS the names of donors who gave $5,000 or more.

Persons: Claudine Gay, Pat Greenhouse, Jeff Yass, Richard Uihlein, Ed Uihlein, Milstein, Adam Milstein, Adolph Coors, Peter H, Janine, John Harvard, Joseph Prezioso, Adam Guillette, Guillette, Phil Headley, Uihlein, Israel, Ben Curtis Organizations: Harvard, Harvard University, Boston Globe, CNBC, Media, Foundation, Milstein Family Foundation, Internal Revenue, Coors, Adolph Coors Foundation, Molson Coors, Susquehanna International Group, Pro, Harvard University in, Afp, Getty, IRS, CNBC Yass, JBS, Company, AIM, Nonprofit, Independent Women's, South, IWF, Amazon, Project Veritas, Harvard College Locations: Yass, Uihlein, Harvard University in Cambridge , Massachusetts, South Carolina, Israel, Gaza, Harvard University in Cambridge

☆ US assesses Israel has amassed enough troops to launch full-scale incursion into Rafah, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Mj Lee | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

If Israel were to proceed with a major ground operation into Rafah, it would be going against months of warnings from the US to forego a full-scale offensive into the densely populated city. Going “headlong into Rafah” could have dire consequences, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Sunday. “They couldn’t launch an attack of that scale today.”“Their weapons production factories underground have been eliminated. However, the Biden administration has been ramping up the pressure on Israel to start focusing much more in earnest on post-war Gaza plans – so far, to little effect. Blinken publicly called on Israel to engage more seriously on developing a plan for post-war Gaza over the weekend.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Jake Sullivan, Kurt Campbell, ” Campbell, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ”, Antony Blinken, “ Israel’s, ” Blinken, Israel, Matt Miller, “, Yahya Sinwar, Blinken, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, Israel, White, State, NATO Youth Summit, Aspen Institute, Press, Hamas, CBS Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel

Israelis gathered across the country on Monday for the first national day of mourning since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks, with protesters disrupting several ceremonies as they demanded that government ministers do more to secure the release of hostages. Israel’s Memorial Day is normally one of the most somber on the country’s calendar, a date when Israelis put aside their differences to grieve fellow citizens killed in war or terrorist attacks. But the protests on Monday underscored how feelings of wartime unity have given way to deep disputes over the war in the Gaza Strip, the fate of hostages taken on Oct. 7 and domestic politics. Critics heckled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he attended a memorial at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, the site of Israel’s national cemetery. One person was heard shouting, “Garbage.” Another said, “You took my children.”At a ceremony in Ashdod, on the Mediterranean coast, bystanders shouted at the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, calling him a “criminal,” before his supporters tried to drown them out.

Persons: Israel’s, Critics, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mount, “, ”, Itamar Ben Locations: Gaza, Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, Ashdod

☆ Lindsey Graham wants more bombs for Israel, saying the US was right to nuke Nagasaki and Hiroshima
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Related stories"Why is it OK for America to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end their existential threat war?" Welker challenged Graham by saying that military officials attest to weapons technology now being more precise and able to reduce civilian casualties. It's not the first time Graham has referenced Nagasaki and Hiroshima to advocate for the flow of munitions to Tel Aviv. Congress voted through a $15 billion military aid package for Israel in April, which includes about $5 billion to replenish weapons stocks. A representative for Graham did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.

Persons: —, Sen, Lindsey Graham of, NBC's Kristen Welker, Graham, Joe Biden, Welker, Welker's, It's, Israel, Biden Organizations: Service, Sunday, Business, Pearl, Republicans, Israel Locations: Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Israel, Gaza, Japan, Germany, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Rafah, America, Tel Aviv

☆ Middle East Crisis Israel Observes a Solemn Memorial Day
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Israel is observing Memorial Day, a somber annual commemoration that has taken on added significance this year in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack and the war it ignited. Roughly 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage on Oct. 7, according to the Israeli authorities. “Memorial Day is always special in Israel, but this year will be even more intense.”For Israelis whose loved ones are still in Gaza, the day is particularly painful. On Monday evening, the Memorial Day observances will end and Israel will shift to celebrating the country’s 76th Independence Day. Her two children, Yagil and Or, were taken hostage on Oct. 7 and held in Gaza for weeks.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s, Mount, Herzi Halevi, ”, Eyal Brandeis, Brandeis, “, Goren’s, Avner, Nir Oz, Goren, Renana Gome, Gome’s, Yair, ” Ms, Gome, ” Johnatan Reiss Organizations: Monday, Palestinian Locations: Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, Israel, Gaza, Sufa, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv

After Hamas attacked Israel in October, igniting the Gaza war, Israeli leaders described the group’s most senior official in the territory, Yahya Sinwar, as a “dead man walking.” Considering him an architect of the raid, Israel has portrayed Mr. Sinwar’s assassination as a major goal of its devastating counterattack. Seven months later, Mr. Sinwar’s survival is emblematic of the failures of Israel’s war, which has ravaged much of Gaza but left Hamas’s top leadership largely intact and failed to free most of the captives taken during the October attack. Even as Israeli officials seek his killing, they have been forced to negotiate with him, albeit indirectly, to free the remaining hostages. Mr. Sinwar has emerged not only as a strong-willed commander but as a shrewd negotiator who has staved off an Israeli battlefield victory while engaging Israeli envoys at the negotiating table, according to officials from Hamas, Israel and the United States. Some spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence assessments of Mr. Sinwar and diplomatic negotiations.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar’s, Sinwar, Sinwar — Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, Egypt, Qatar

CNN —President Joe Biden is facing backlash from lawmakers in both parties over his ultimatum that a major Israeli offensive in the city of Rafah would result in a shut-off of some US weapons. “So if you’re worried about Palestinian casualties, the stated policy here actually doesn’t make a ton of sense,” Vance said. The president’s announcement amounted to a turning point in US-Israeli ties since the seven-month conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October. Still, the president’s aides said the message shouldn’t have been a surprise to their intended recipients in Israel given repeated warnings to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I think President Biden has taken forceful action – so much so there’s been a lot of blowback for his recent public statement.”CNN’s Kit Maher, Aileen Graef, Kevin Liptak, Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.

Persons: Joe Biden, CNN’s Erin Burnett, “, Republican Sen, JD Vance, CNN’s Dana, ”, Biden, ” Vance, Benjamin Netanyahu, Burnett, Israel, Lindsey Graham of, Graham, GOP Sen, Rick Scott of, Israel ”, Josh Gottheimer, Adam Smith, Erin Burnett, –, Netanyahu, Democratic Sen, Chris Murphy, Bash, Murphy, Antony Blinken, ” Blinken, Chris Van Hollen, Margaret Brennan, Van Hollen, ” Van Hollen, ” Murphy, ” Democratic Sen, Chris Coons, Van Hollen’s, there’s, ” CNN’s Kit Maher, Aileen Graef, Kevin Liptak, Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood Organizations: CNN, GOP, Republican, Union, Hamas, Fox News, Democrats, House Democrats, Rep, Congress, Democratic, Connecticut, “, CBS, Ministry, Health, State Department, ” Democratic Locations: Rafah, Ohio, “ State, Israel, Rafah —, Gaza, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Rick Scott of Florida, New Jersey, Washington, ”, Iraq, Afghanistan, United States, Maryland, Chris Coons of Delaware

☆ Middle East Crisis U.N. Says About 300,000 Gazans Have Fled Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

There has been intense bombardment and fighting around Rafah since Monday, when Israel seized control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, largely halting the flow of aid. Dozens of people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Rafah since then, local health officials say. Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets over parts of Rafah and over a part of northern Gaza on Saturday that ordered people to flee. “Forcing civilians to evacuate Rafah to unsafe zones is intolerable,” Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s top diplomat, wrote late Saturday on the social media platform X. Several countries and international aid groups have condemned the prospect of a full-scale Rafah invasion, saying it would be catastrophic for civilians.

Persons: Gazans, Israel, ” Josep Borrell Fontelles, Biden Organizations: United Nations, Rafah Indonesian Field Hospital Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Al, Israel, United

☆ New York Democrat who sharply criticizes Israel faces ouster threat
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | Manu Raju | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

By December, he was standing with hunger strikers outside the White House, upping his criticism of the actions in Gaza. Shelley Mayer, a state senator whose district largely overlaps with the congressional district, initially backed Bowman. New York state Sen. Shelley Mayer at a state Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in April 2023, in Albany. Explaining how his response to the Israel-Hamas war fits his district, Bowman cited a poll conducted by his campaign that he claimed showed an overwhelming majority in his district support a permanent ceasefire. The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) has endorsed Latimer and is expecting to spend to boost him.

Persons: Jamaal Bowman’s, Manu Raju ”, Jamaal Bowman, Israel’s, Israel, Bowman, upping, He’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Shelley Mayer, George Latimer, Sen, Hans Pennink, ” Mayer, “, ”, We’ve, ” Bowman, Rashida Tlaib, Jonathan Jackson, Cori Bush, Nathan Howard, Biden, Chuck Schumer, –, New Yorker, Usamah Andrabi, Jeenah, Latimer, Jimmy Carter, Hakeem Jeffries, Kevin Riley, Riley, Israel doesn’t, ” Latimer, he’s, he’d, ‘, ’ ” Bowman, Amy Paulin, it’s, ” Paulin, Jamaal, Mandel Ngan, Latimer hasn’t, Patrick Dorton, Jeremy Ben, Ami, Ben, ” Ben, Steny Hoyer, Hoyer, ” Hoyer Organizations: CNN, Democrat, United Nations, J, New York Democrats, Democratic, Westchester, Republican, Capitol, Fox News, ”, Reps, House, Iron, Democratic Socialists, America’s, Michigan Rep, Palestinian, Israel, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, New, George Latimer voters, Democrats, Washington Post, House Democratic, Conservative, Getty, Jewish Voters, Empowerment, Black, AIPAC, PAC United Democracy, Democratic Party, ” Maryland Locations: Gaza, Bronx, Westchester County, That’s, New York, Washington, Israel, Washington groaned, George Latimer . New York, Albany, Palestine, Palestinian, York, Palestinian American, ”, White Plains , New York, Yonkers, Rye, Brooklyn, Westchester, Scarsdale, Washington ,, AFP

☆ In Rome, Adams Sees a Model for Helping Migrants Assimilate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It didn’t take long for Mayor Eric Adams of New York to articulate what he liked about a welcome center for migrants and asylum seekers that he visited on Sunday in Rocca di Papa, a town about 15 miles outside Rome. “In two months they’re going from migrant to participating in society,” Mr. Adams said after a 30-minute tour of the center, where migrants from countries including Syria and Sudan are processed, take Italian lessons and receive health care before being sent out for job opportunities. The mayor, who has called on the federal government to expedite work permits and relocation assistance for migrants, repeated that appeal after visiting the center, which is run by the Red Cross and receives funding from the Italian government. He said he wanted help from the Biden administration to develop something similar in New York, where more than 190,000 migrants have arrived over the last two years. Mr. Adams’s visit came on the last day of a three-day trip to Rome, where he met Pope Francis at the Vatican and spoke at an international conference on peace.

Persons: Eric Adams, Rocca, “, ” Mr, Adams, Biden, Adams’s, Pope Francis Locations: New York, Rocca di, Rome, Syria, Sudan, Israel

☆ Young Palestinians with amputated and injured legs find care in US — but face uncertain future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Aditi Sangal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Celina OdehShe is one of three Palestinians who received PCRF’s help to come to the US for leg injury treatment. At least 1,000 children in Gaza have had one or both legs amputated, UNICEF reported in December. Doctors feared that she may have needed both legs amputated, but with adequate care and treatment, she has avoided that outcome. An anxious wait to return homeEvacuating to the United States is not the obvious answer for all injured children, Hailat said. “We’re trying to limit how many people we bring to the United States.

Persons: Ahed, “ Ahed, Bseso, ”, Tareq Hailat, Celina Odeh, Joe English, —, Israel —, Ahmed Damo, PCRF, PCRF Ayham, ’, Musalm, Hailat, Amber Alayyan, Alayyan, there’s, PCRF’s Hailat, “ We’re, malnourishment, worriedly, “ Organizations: CNN, Shriners Children’s, Palestine Children’s Relief, UNICEF, ”, Children’s Locations: Gaza, Greenville , South Carolina, United States, Israel, Chicago, Greenville

☆ Gen Z students lead pro-Palestine demonstrations while their Boomer professors see parallels to past protest eras
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

At Indiana University, protesters say they've been met with a militarized response from police. AdvertisementOn April 25, a day after Indiana University made a controversial change to its protest policies, students built an encampment on the school's Dunn Meadow. Isabella Volmert/AP PhotoShe joined the campus protests on April 25 alongside her husband, an IU staff member. From Vietnam to the Israel-Hamas WarWhen Dunn Meadow was established in 1969, official university policy dictated that overnight encampments were not allowed. AdvertisementThe Indiana University Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

Persons: they've, —, Dunn, Pamela Whitten, Whitten, Barbara Dennis, Isabella Volmert, Dennis, Jia Wu, haven't, Z Bryce Greene, Greene, Jeremy Hogan Organizations: Indiana University, Service, Business, Indiana University's School of Education, Occupy, IU, New York Times, Columbia, City College of New, Hamilton Hall, Columbia University, Getty, College, Kent State University, Ohio National Guard, Indiana University Police Department, Palestine Solidarity Committee, Naval Surface Warfare, University, Indiana University's, Faculty, UNICEF Locations: Israel, Vietnam, Gaza, Dunn, Iraq, City College of New York, New York City, AFP, Kent, Palestine, Crane , Indiana, Indiana

☆ Switzerland wins Eurovision Song Contest amid Gaza protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The completed stage for the Eurovision song contest (ESC) is pictured at the Malmo Arena, shown to the media at a press conference in Malmo, Sweden on April 25, 2024. Switzerland on Saturday won the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Swedish host city Malmo, beating runner-up Croatia, after having been among bookmakers' top-three to win the competition. Swiss rapper and singer Nemo, 24, won the contest with "The Code", a drum-and-bass, opera, rap and rock song, about Nemo's journey of self-discovery as a non-binary person. The Eurovision winner is awarded the contest's official glass trophy, which is shaped like a classic, old-fashioned microphone, with sand blasted and painted details. "I didn't just break the code, I also broke the trophy," Nemo said, laughing, at the press conference after the win.

Persons: Nemo, Celine Dion, Swiss revellers, Maha Nater, Lasagna, Marko Purisic, Israel's Eden Golan, Joost Klein Organizations: Eurovision, Malmo, Saturday, Moi, Protesters, European Broadcasting Union, Russia, Police Locations: Malmo, Sweden, Switzerland, Croatia, Israel, Gaza, Swiss, Zurich, Europe, Ukraine, Dutch

☆ University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Protesters Agree to End Encampment
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Dan Simmons | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Protesters at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will take down a pro-Palestinian encampment that had stood for two weeks under an agreement reached with the school, university officials said in a statement on Sunday. The encampment, believed to be the last one standing at a Wisconsin college, will be gone by Tuesday, they said. School officials had allowed the encampment to stand and occupy a broad patch of lawn between Mitchell Hall and a busy thoroughfare on the campus’s southern boundary, choosing not to call in the police. That approach differed from one at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where administrators in early May called in the police to break down the tents after negotiations failed. After the initial crackdown failed to end the encampment, Wisconsin-Madison later came to an agreement with protesters to break down the camp voluntarily before commencement ceremonies over the weekend.

Persons: Mark Mone Organizations: University of Wisconsin, School, Mitchell, Wisconsin -, UWM Popular University for Palestine Coalition Locations: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Israel, Gaza

☆ Opinion: Eurovision’s slogan is ‘United by Music.’ The reality turned out very different
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Opinion Louis Staples | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The Eurovision Song Contest is a glittery and eccentric spectacle that rivals the Super Bowl for its attraction to audiences. When combined with the jury vote, Israel’s impressive public vote tally saw Golan finish in fifth place overall. Despite this, the EBU has always insisted that Eurovision is an apolitical music competition between broadcasters, rather than a political competition between governments. The 2023 contest in Liverpool was a moving display of unity — so much that Liverpool’s slogan, “United By Music,” was adopted by Eurovision for all future contests. On Saturday, there was very little sense that Eurovision was “united by music.” Some fans boycotted, while others mobilized online to vote for Israel.

Persons: Louis Staples, Celine Dion, Louis Staples Louis Staples, Greta Thunberg, Eden Golan, Israel, —, Lasagna, Golan, Nemo, Russia —, ”, Turkey, Isaac Herzog, Bambie, Joost Klein, AVROTROS, Martin Österdahl Organizations: Guardian, Rolling Stone, Wired, CNN, Super Bowl, Hamas, European Broadcasting Union, Eurovision, EBU, “ United, Music, Israel, Ukraine, Twitter, Facebook Locations: London, Slate, Switzerland, Swedish, Malmö, Gaza, Europe, Turkey, Israel, Russia, Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine, Liverpool, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Netherlands, Dutch

☆ Israel pushes deeper into Rafah and battles a regrouping Hamas in northern Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Warnings continued against the growing offensive in Rafah, considered the last refuge in Gaza for more than a million civilians as well as Hamas' last stronghold. The two towns near Gaza's northern border with Israel were heavily bombed in the opening days of the war. Israel has now evacuated the eastern third of Rafah, and Hagari said dozens of militants had been killed there as "targeted operations continued." Israeli troops have captured the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, forcing it to shut down. Smoke billows after Israeli bombardment in central Gaza City on March 18, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Israel, Volker Turk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Hatem Khaled, Netanyahu, Abdel, Kareem Radwan, Daniel Hagari, Ben Caspit, Khan Younis, Hagari Organizations: Hamas, Afp, Getty, U.S, CBS, International Court of Justice, United Nations, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Health Ministry, Palestinian Civil Defense, Al Qahera News Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, RAFAH, Egypt, South, United States, Palestinian, Gaza City, Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya, Gaza's, Hamas, Israel's

As the Israeli military stepped up pressure on what it calls Hamas’s last stronghold in Gaza, fighting elsewhere in the Palestinian enclave on Sunday led to warnings that the militants might remain a force for a long time to come. Close-quarters ground combat between Hamas fighters and Israeli troops raged in parts of northern Gaza over the weekend, both sides said on Sunday, even as the world’s attention was largely focused on the southern city of Rafah, where Israel escalated military operations last week. It has become a familiar scenario in the Gaza Strip over the course of the seven-month war: After pitched battles, Israel declares an area clear of Hamas, only to return after the militants reconstitute their forces. On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said he was concerned that Israel’s failure to lay down a template for the governance of Gaza meant that its victories might not be “sustainable” and would be followed by “chaos, by anarchy and ultimately by Hamas again.”

Persons: Hamas’s, Antony J, Blinken, ” Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Israel

☆ US officials continue to warn against invasion of Rafah, even as Israel presses ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Blinken and Sullivan both said Biden made the determination because he didn’t want American weapons used in what he estimates would be a bloody, ill-advised operation. At the same time, they sought to rebut claims from Republicans and pro-Israel Democrats that Biden was leaving Israel to fend for itself. Despite American warnings dating back months about the wisdom of a ground invasion into Rafah, Israel appears poised to continue advancing on the city and has issued evacuation orders for some of the 1.4 million civilians estimated to be sheltering there. That is partly why Biden determined that American weapons should not be used in a Rafah offensive. We treat Israel, one of our closest allies and partners, just as we would treat any other country,” Blinken said on NBC.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden, Blinken, Sullivan, Biden, didn’t, Israel, ” Blinken, “ Israel’s, ” Sullivan, ” “, doesn’t, “ We’ve, we’ve, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, that’s Organizations: CNN, Top, White House, Israel Democrats, Hamas, CBS, Ministry, Health, Press, State Department, NBC, Israeli Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war as Rafah invasion looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The Israeli military has ordered the immediate evacuation of several more neighborhoods in eastern Rafah as the Israeli military steps up its operations in the southern Gazan city. “They (Israelis) told us to leave the area in the morning,” one woman in al-Shabora, Rafah told CNN without giving her name. It comes as thousands of Gazans continue to flee Rafah after the Israeli military issued a call Monday for residents in the municipality of Al-Shawka and in the Al-Salam, Al-Jeneina, Tiba Zaraa, and Al-Bayouk neighborhoods in the Rafah area to "evacuate immediately." Israel has ordered Palestinians to leave to Al-Mawasi, a coastal town near the city of Khan Younis, where an “expanded humanitarian area” has been created. Satellite images obtained by CNN have shown that Israel’s current attacks in Rafah havedeveloped from airstrikes to ground operations.

Persons: “, Salam, Tiba Zaraa, Israel, Khan Younis Organizations: People, IDF, Israel Defense Forces, Spokesperson's, CNN Locations: Rafah, Gazan, al, Al, Khirbet Al, Shabora, Khan, ”

☆ Israeli guards strapped wounded Palestinian detainees to their beds wearing diapers and fed them through straws, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAn Israeli detention center is subjecting Palestinians to abuse, strapping detainees down to their beds, blindfolding them, and holding them in diapers, a new CNN report alleges. It has been the site of abusive conduct against some of the 70 Palestinian detainees, three Israeli whistleblowers told CNN. One whistleblower told CNN that beatings were "not done to gather intelligence. In a field hospital, wounded detainees were strapped to beds, dressed in diapers, and fed through straws, CNN reported. In November, Business Insider's Alia Shoaib reported on graphic videos appearing to show IDF soldiers abusing Palestinian detainees in the West Bank.

Persons: —, Mohammed Al, Insider's Alia Shoaib, Adnan Al Organizations: Service, CNN, Business, Medical, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, of Health, Guards, Shifa, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Anadolu, Getty, West Bank, BBC, Military Locations: Israel, Gaza, Aqsa, Deir Al Balah, Negev, al

☆ Joost Klein: Eurovision disqualifies Dutch act over incident involving female crew member
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Matt Wells | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Malmo CNN —The Eurovision Song Contest was thrown into fresh turmoil Saturday when organizers disqualified the Dutch entrant hours before the grand final for a backstage incident involving a female crew member. “Swedish police have investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night’s Semi Final. While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the Contest,” the EBU said. The EBU said the disqualification of Klein did not involve any other performer or member another country’s delegation. Tensions brew in Malmo ahead of finalThe alleged incident involving Klein happened on Thursday evening after the second semi-final, the EBU said.

Persons: Joost Klein, ”, Klein’s, AVROTROS, Klein, Eden Golan, Israel, Switzerland’s Nemo, France’s, Alyona, Jerry Heil, Golan Organizations: Malmo CNN, European Broadcasting Union, Swedish Police Authority, CNN, Malmo Arena, EBU, Security, RAI, Croatia, Israel Locations: Malmo, Sweden, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Gaza

☆ 10 Israeli soldiers hospitalized for wasp stings after their tank ran over a swarm's nest in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A swarm of wasps in the southern Gaza Strip injured twelve IDF soldiers. Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv treated the wounded soldiers, with one requiring intensive care. AdvertisementTwelve IDF soldiers were injured after being attacked by a swarm of wasps in the southern Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel reports. Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer admitted 10 of the wounded soldiers for treatment, with one requiring intensive care, said the report. In the wasp incident, the swarm was provoked by a tank rolling over its nest.

Persons: —, Efrat Katz Organizations: Gaza, Gaza Division's Southern Brigade, Sheba Medical, Service, Gaza Division's, Brigade, Sheba Medical Center, IDF, US Marine, Business Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Israel, Tel Hashomer, Kentucky, Nirim, Hamas

☆ Switzerland wins Eurovision after politically charged song contest upstaged by Israel controversy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Switzerland’s Nemo won a chaotic and politically fraught Eurovision Song Contest, triumphing in a competition in Sweden that was upstaged by controversy over the presence of Israel. But organizers the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) sharply defended Israel’s presence, and insisted the contest is non-political – a line that became increasingly untenable as artists, broadcasters and fans clashed over the presence of Israel’s singer Eden Golan. Ultimately a competitor was disqualified, just hours before the event – the Dutch contestant Joost Klein, who was kicked out of the final after an “incident” backstage. Ireland’s Bambie Thug told CNN in the build-up to the event that it was “the wrong decision” not to exclude Israel, as Russia had been two years ago. But for all the celebratory scenes that closed the show, the EBU will be relieved to see a rocky week conclude.

Persons: Switzerland’s Nemo, Eden Golan, Joost Klein, Ireland’s Bambie Thug, ”, … Organizations: CNN, Israel’s, Malmo, Eurovision, Protesters, European Broadcasting Union Locations: Sweden, Israel, Gaza, Russia, Swedish

☆ The Long, Tortured Road to Biden’s Clash With Netanyahu Over Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden laid it out for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel long before letting the public know. For the first time, the president who had so strongly backed Israel’s war against Hamas was essentially threatening to change course. Six days later, on Feb. 17, Mr. Biden heard from Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. Despite the president’s warning, Mr. Blinken reported that momentum for an invasion of Rafah was building. Mr. Netanyahu responded defiantly, vowing to act even “if we need to stand alone.”

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Antony J, Blinken, Netanyahu, ” Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Munich, United States, Israel

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