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☆ Blinken says he wants to work with Congress to penalize International Criminal Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Michael Conte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he wants to work with Congress on legislation to penalize the International Criminal Court after it applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan also issued warrants for senior Hamas officials, including its leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. The Biden administration came out forcefully against Khan on Monday for his decision to apply for the warrants against top Israel officials on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has faced questions about its condemnation of the ICC’s actions while saying it continues to support the court’s investigation into Russian war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine. The Trump administration previously sanctioned ICC officials by executive order in 2020 over its investigation of possible war crimes by US military and intelligence officials in Afghanistan, sanctions that the Biden administration lifted the next year.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, “, ” Blinken, Biden, Karim Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Blinken, Republican Sen, James Risch, ”, Sen, Lindsey Graham, Khan, Mike Johnson, ” Johnson, Lloyd Austin, Matthew Miller, “ We’ll, ” Miller, Trump Organizations: CNN, State Department, Senate Foreign Relations, Republican, ICC, Israel, American Heritage, Republicans, “, White House, ”, Ukraine Defense Contact, . State Department Locations: Netherlands, Gaza, Israel, Ukraine, Afghanistan

☆ Opinion: The International Criminal Court’s threat to Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would effectively become a pariah who wouldn't be able to travel to most countries if the International Criminal Court were to approve the arrest warrant. Those 124 countries would be duty-bound to arrest Netanyahu were the court to issue an arrest warrant for him. Already France and Belgium have issued statements in support of the ICC‘s requests for Netanyahu’s arrest warrant. In the United States, there has been predictable pushback against the ICC move to try to issue an arrest warrant against Netanyahu. The ICC’s move to seek an arrest warrant for Netanyahu may only harden his resolve to continue the war in Gaza seemingly indefinitely.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Qatar CNN —, Moammar Gadhafi, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Joan Donoghue, Abir, Karim Khan, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Yoav Gallant, Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Israel, Israel’s, Mitch McConnell fulminated, Joe Biden, Putin, Putin “, he’s, Republican Sen, Lindsey Graham of, Facebook I’m Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Doha, Qatar CNN, Israeli, International, ICC, International Court of Justice, BBC, Getty Images, European Union, Republican, Biden, Street, Twitter, Facebook, Global Security, Hamas, The Times Locations: New America, Qatar, Nuremberg, Gaza, Israel, Africa, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, Ukraine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina

☆ Sources say they were ‘duped’ by Egypt changing ceasefire terms for Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Alex Marquardt | Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The ceasefire agreement that Hamas ended up announcing on May 6 was not what the Qataris or the Americans believed had been submitted to Hamas for a potential final review, the sources said. “We were all duped,” one of those sources told CNN. More of Hamas’ demands were inserted into the original framework that Israel had tacitly agreed to in order to secure Hamas’ approval, the source said. After discovering the Egyptian freelancing, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani informed Israel’s intelligence service Mossad that Egypt had acted alone, two of the sources told CNN. The day before Hamas made their May 6 public announcement agreeing to the proposal, an Egyptian source told CNN that Egypt had received Hamas’ response and relayed it to the Israeli side.

Persons: Israel, Bill Burns, Burns, ”, Ahmed Abdel Khalek, Abdel Khalek, Abbas Kamel, ’, Abdel Kareem Hana, Antony Blinken, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Bill Burns Bill Clark, Biden, Yahya Sinwar doesn’t, Critics of Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Hamas, CIA, US, Biden, Military Locations: Gaza, Qatar, Israel, Egypt, Al Thani, Cairo, Washington, Rafah

☆ Amal Clooney supports ICC’s decision to seek arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Human rights attorney Amal Clooney is among a group of legal experts who advised the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor to seek arrest warrants against the top leaders of Israel and Hamas. The panel was convened by the ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and tasked to review the evidence and legal analysis underpinning his application for warrants against three Hamas leaders and two Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It issued a detailed legal report on Monday, which said the panel found “reasonable grounds to believe” that the individuals named in the arrest warrants have committed war crimes or crimes against humanity. Clooney, who has represented victims of mass atrocities, faced online criticism prior to her announcement for not speaking about Israel’s siege on Gaza. In a statement shared on her Clooney Foundation for Justice website on Monday, she explained how she had found herself advising Khan.

Persons: Amal Clooney, Karim Khan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Clooney, Khan, “, ” Clooney, Theodor Meron, Lord Justice Fulford, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, ”, ” Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu, Biden, Joe Biden, George Clooney, ” CNN’s Ivana Kottasová Organizations: CNN, Criminal Court, ICC, Hamas, Clooney Foundation, Justice, Criminal, Lord, Palestinian, Israeli, West Bank, Doughty Street Chambers, Columbia Law School, Clooney Foundation for Justice, ISIS Locations: Israel, Gaza, Yugoslavia, United States, East Jerusalem, London, Darfur

☆ Hamas and Israeli leaders may face international arrest warrants. Here’s what that means
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

If approved by a panel of judges, the arrest warrants would be issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The decision to seek arrest warrants doesn’t immediately mean the individual is guilty, but is the first stage in a process that could lead to a lengthy trial. The ICC has so far issued arrest warrants against 42 people, 21 of whom have been detained with the help of member states. Signatory states are obliged to apprehend those facing arrest warrants, but leaders have often sought to evade those warrants, restricting their freedom of movement. Video Ad Feedback ICC chief details charges he is seeking against Hamas and Israeli leaders 02:04 - Source: CNNDoes the ICC have jurisdiction over Israeli nationals?

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyah, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Mohammed Deif, Netanyahu, doesn’t, ”, Putin, Haniyah, Omar al, Bashir, Saif Gadhafi, Moammar Gadhafi, Vladimir Putin, hasn’t, Karim Khan, “, Khan, Shelly Aviv Yeini, ” Yeini, Muhammad Nazzal, Gallant, Israel Katz, Yair Lapid, Israel “, Sinwar, Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Mike Johnson, CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, Benjamin Brown, Melanie Zanona, Aber Salman, Michael Schwartz Organizations: CNN, Criminal Court, Israeli, ICC, The Hague, International Court of Justice, United Nations, UN, Djibouti –, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Reuters, Foreign, National Security, Hague, Defense Ministry, Republican Locations: Israel, Gaza, Chile, South Africa, Qatar, Rome, The, Netherlands, Russian, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros, Djibouti, Palestinian, East Jerusalem, Palestine, The Hague, Israeli

☆ ICC seeks arrest warrants against Sinwar and Netanyahu for war crimes over October 7 attack and Gaza war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the October 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, the court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview on Monday. The warrants against the Israeli politicians mark the first time the ICC has targeted the top leader of a close ally of the United States. The decision puts Netanyahu in the company of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, for who the ICC issued an arrest warrant over Moscow’s war on Ukraine. A panel of ICC judges will now consider Khan’s application for the arrest warrants. However, the ICC claims to have jurisdiction over Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank after Palestinian leaders formally agreed to be bound by the court’s founding principles in 2015.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Benjamin Netanyahu, Karim Khan, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Khan, Yoav Gallant, — Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Al, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Sinwar, ” Khan, Amanpour, Gallant, “, Israel “, ”, Israel Organizations: CNN, ICC, Israel’s, Brigades, West Bank Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, Russian, Ukraine, East Jerusalem

☆ Middle East Crisis International Criminal Court Prosecutor Requests Warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court said he is seeking arrest warrants for the leaders of Hamas and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. He also said he was requesting warrants for Mr. Netanyahu and for Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant. Credit... -/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesOn April 26, Mr. Netanyahu said on social media that the country “will never accept any attempt by the I.C.C. “would set a dangerous precedent that threatens the soldiers and officials of all democracies fighting savage terrorism and wanton aggression,” Mr. Netanyahu said. is the world’s only permanent international court with the power to prosecute individuals accused of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Karim Khan, Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Khan’s, Maya Alleruzzo, Sinwar, Deif, Haniyeh, ”, Gallant, “, Volker Türk, Mr Organizations: International, Criminal, Mr, Hamas, Credit, United Nations, Agence France Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, Rome, Qatar, Hague, Israel’s

☆ Biden denounces ICC for ‘outrageous’ implication of equivalence between Israel and Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The prosecution team is also seeking warrants for Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, along with top Hamas leaders, Khan said. Khan, the ICC prosecutor, batted down criticisms over the tribunal’s efforts to secure the warrants. News that the ICC is seeking warrants for the Israeli leaders sent reverberations of condemnation across the world. Close US allies like Britain said the court’s efforts were “not helpful” in reaching a pause in fighting. Biden administration officials also questioned whether the ICC had the jurisdiction to seek those arrests.

Persons: Washington CNN —, Biden, Karim Khan, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Yoav Gallant, Khan, ”, Biden –, CNN’s Erin Burnett, cajole Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Moammar Gadhafi, Amanpour, Gallant, Antony Blinken, United States “, Mike Johnson, John Kirby, Independent Sen, Bernie Sanders –, Biden’s –, Sanders, ” Sanders, Kirby, “, Putin, ” Kirby, CNN’s Nikki Carvajal, Haley Talbot Organizations: Washington CNN, International, ICC, Israeli, Israel’s Defense, Biden, GOP, National Security, Independent, Mr Locations: Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Russian, Britain, Germany, United States, Ukraine

☆ International Criminal Court Prosecutor Requests Warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The International Criminal Court prosecutor, Karim Khan, said Monday that he had requested arrest warrants for the leaders of Hamas and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the Oct. 7 attack and the war in Gaza. In a statement, Mr. Khan said he was applying for arrest warrants for Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader within Gaza; Muhammad Deif, Hamas’s military leader; and Ismail Haniyeh, the movement’s Qatar-based political leader. Mr. Khan also said he was requesting warrants for Mr. Netanyahu and for Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant. “Today we once again underline that international law and the laws of armed conflict apply to all,” Mr. Khan said in his statement. “No foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader — no one — can act with impunity.”

Persons: Karim Khan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Mr, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Khan’s, ” Mr, —, ” Organizations: Criminal, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Qatar

☆ What to Know About the I.C.C. Prosecutor’s Request for Warrants for Israeli and Hamas Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said on Monday that he had requested arrest warrants for war crimes and crimes against humanity for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and the leaders of Hamas. Here’s a closer look at the court and the warrant. Why did the International Criminal Court prosecutor request the warrants? Mr. Khan said that the Hamas officials “planned and instigated the commission of crimes” on that day, and that they “have acknowledged their responsibility for those crimes” through their actions, such as personal visits to hostages shortly after their kidnapping. Mr. Khan also said that he had requested arrest warrants for Mr. Netanyahu and Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, because he believed they bore responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the starvation of civilians as a weapon of war and “intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population.”

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Here’s, Karim Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Khan, “, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, ” Organizations: Hamas, Criminal Locations: Israel

☆ Opinion | Let Justice in the Gaza War Take Its Course
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( David Kaye | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In seeking the arrests of senior leaders of Israel and Hamas, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has given the world a promise of accountability. Anyone demanding an end to the conflict in Gaza and the release of all hostages from the grasp of Hamas should embrace the decision. The prosecutor, Karim Khan, has also brought accusations against Hamas’s Muhammad Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. Mr. Khan is charging Israel’s most senior leadership, including Mr. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. While Mr. Khan recognized Israel’s “right to take action to defend its population,” he accused them of having “a common plan to use starvation as a weapon of war,” the targeting of civilians and other forms of collective punishment.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas’s Yahya Sinwar, Karim Khan, Hamas’s Muhammad Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Khan, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s, ” Organizations: Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza

☆ International Criminal Court prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israel's Netanyahu, Hamas leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants against three leaders of Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the October 7 terror attack on Israel and the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. The three Hamas leaders are pursued in connection with alleged crimes committed during Hamas' October 7 terror attack against Israel, including murder, the taking of hostages and sexual abuse. The ICC also asked for warrants against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged crimes committed since October during Israel's retaliatory campaign in the Gaza Strip. The alleged crimes include the starvation of civilians, murder and persecution. Over 1,200 people have been killed in Israel since October, according to Israel's prime minister's office, while the Palestinian Health Ministry indicated over 35,000 people were killed in the Gaza Strip during that period.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Israel, Israel's, Karim Khan Organizations: Hamas, Israeli, ICC, Political, Netanyahu and, Palestinian Health Ministry Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah

☆ 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

☆ Secret Hamas Files Show How It Spied on Everyday Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Adam Rasgon | Ronen Bergman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The unit, known as the General Security Service, relied on a network of Gaza informants, some of whom reported their own neighbors to the police. People landed in security files for attending protests or publicly criticizing Hamas. Hamas has long run an oppressive system of governance in Gaza, and many Palestinians there know that security officials watch them closely. Security officials trailed journalists and people they suspected of immoral behavior. Political protests were viewed as threats to be undermined.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar Organizations: The New York Times, General Security Service Locations: Gaza, Israel

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

☆ U.N. General Assembly Adopts Resolution Supporting Palestinian Statehood
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Raja Abdulrahim | Bilal Shbair | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The United States voted no. The 193-member General Assembly took on the issue of Palestinian membership after the United States in April vetoed a resolution before the Security Council to recognize full membership for a Palestinian state. The majority of Council members supported the move, but the United States said recognition of Palestinian statehood should be achieved through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinians are currently recognized by the United Nations as a nonmember observer state, a status granted in 2012 by the General Assembly. They do not have the right to vote on General Assembly resolutions or nominate any candidates to U.N. agencies.

Persons: ”, Richard Gowan, Riyad Mansour, Gilad Erdan, Nate Evans, Gilad, Israel’s, Yahya Sinwar, Mr, Mansour Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, United Nations, United, United Arab Emirates, . Arab, Security, Washington, Security Council, International Crisis, Palestinian, ”, U.S, General Locations: Israel, United States, Palestinian, France, Gaza, U.S, South Sudan, Taiwan, Kosovo, Palestine, United

☆ Israel and Hamas Face Growing Pressure for a Cease-Fire Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, said in a text message that the group’s representatives were arriving in Cairo “with great positivity” toward the proposed deal. “If there is no agreement, it will be because of Netanyahu alone,” he said, referring to Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. Mr. Sinwar is one of the presumed architects of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which left 1,200 dead and roughly 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. In Israel, Mr. Netanyahu faces substantial opposition within his own governing coalition to the proposed framework. Agreeing to the deal would be “humiliating surrender,” Bezalel Smotrich, the country’s finance minister, wrote on Facebook late last month.

Persons: Haitham Imad, United States —, Antony J, Blinken, ”, ” Mr, William J, Burns, Husam, Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar, ” Bezalel Smotrich, Biden, “ Organizations: United, McCain Institute, Central Intelligence Agency, Qatari, Hamas, Hamas’s, Facebook, Biden Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Shutterstock, Cairo, Palestinian, Israel, Qatar, Egypt, United States, Arizona, Cairo “, Washington

☆ Hamas to consider ceasefire-hostage release proposal that Israeli sources say could avert Rafah invasion
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Becky Anderson | Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A working-level Israeli delegation of Mossad, Shin Bet and the Israeli military officials is expected to travel to Cairo on Tuesday, the Israeli source and another Israeli official said. Hamas has insisted that a permanent ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza should be part of the agreement. But Israeli sources have characterized the latest Egyptian effort to broker a deal as the last chance to avert that offensive. “The only chance to stop Rafah is a deal,” the Israeli source familiar with the negotiations said. Twenty people, including at least one infant and a toddler, died following an Israeli airstrike over Rafah, Gaza, overnight into Monday, according to hospital officials.

Persons: Shin Bet, Yahya Sinwar, Antony Blinken, ”, Børge Brende, “, Sameh Shoukry, Israel, ” Shoukry, Blinken, John Kirby, Biden, we’ve, “ They’ve, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Mahmmoud Basal, Hijazi Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, CNN, Mossad, Hamas, Economic, White, National Security Council, US, ABC, Israeli, Gaza Civil Locations: Riyadh, Jerusalem, Egypt, Israel, Gaza, Rafah, United States, Cairo, Saudi, “, Israeli, Rafah “, Gaza City

☆ Middle East Crisis Blinken Is Set to Meet With Top Middle East Diplomats on War
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, three weeks after telling him that he could rethink U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza. An administration official said that about three-quarters of Mr. Biden’s nearly hourlong call to Mr. Netanyahu focused on the possible cease-fire and hostages deal. The two leaders also discussed hostage videos released by Hamas last week, including those showing two hostages with American citizenship. Israel, heeding pleas by Mr. Biden for restraint, fired back only a token counterattack, and both sides have indicated they want to avoid further escalation. With the immediate threat of a wider war seemingly fading, Mr. Biden and his team could shift their attention back to Gaza.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony J, Blinken, “ That’s, John F, Kirby, Biden’s, Netanyahu, Israel, Mr, Biden “, “, Bernie Sanders, ”, Yahya Sinwar, ” Edward Wong Organizations: Israel, Hamas, State Department, Mr, Economic, White, ABC, Biden, American, ”, CNN, “, U.S Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Washington, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Jordan, Israel, ”, U.S, Vermont, “ State, Iran

☆ Middle East Crisis Israel’s Conflict With Iran Overshadows Fighting in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Image Mourning over the bodies of relatives in Rafah, in southern Gaza, on Tuesday. Rafah’s population has swelled to over a million, as people have flocked there for shelter from fighting elsewhere, and border crossings in southern Gaza are a main conduit for humanitarian aid. Much of the north, including Gaza City, has been destroyed by airstrikes and ground combat. Image Israeli soldiers outside Al-Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, during a tour by the Israeli army last month. Credit... Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesAcross the territoryExperts say the Israeli military has had considerable success in dismantling Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades.

Persons: Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Biden, Avishag Shaar, Deir al, Robert Blecher, Yahya Sinwar, Mr, Blecher, ” Organizations: Hamas, United Nations, ., Agence France, Shifa, Yashuv, The New York Times, Gaza, Qassam, Group Locations: Israel, Gaza, Local, Southern Gaza Israel, Rafah, Gaza’s, Egypt, Northern Gaza Israel, Al, Gaza City, Deir, Deir al Balah

☆ Israel is struggling to find and kill the top Hamas commanders it wants most
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The IDF has managed to kill some of Hamas' top commanders, but it continues to hunt down others. AdvertisementMore than six months into its war in Gaza, Israel has little to show for its efforts. Israel has claimed that it has eliminated a significant number of mid- to senior-level commanders of Hamas' military wing, known as the al-Qassam Brigades. Related storiesAll three men were known to be Hamas military operatives, Israel said. AP Photo/Leo CorreaBut several top Hamas military leaders, including those most wanted by Israel, remain at-large.

Persons: —, Marwan Issa, Jake Sullivan, Issa, Israel, Gaza's, Khan Younis, Fatima Shbair Israel, Saleh, Israel's Shin, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Leo Correa, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed, Mohammed Deif, Sullivan, Charlie Herbert, Herbert, Herbert said, Yoav Gallant, Biden Organizations: IDF, White, Service, Israel Defense Forces, AP, White House, Gaza's Hamas, United Nations, Hezbollah, Brigades, Hamas, 162nd Division, Israeli Locations: Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Beirut, Lebanon, Iran, Hamas, Jerusalem, Yemen, NATO, Khan, Rafah, Western

☆ Opinion | Israel’s Security Depends on Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Benny Morris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Unfortunately, Benjamin Netanyahu is right — “unfortunately,” I say, because he is the most incompetent, corrupt and divisive Israeli prime minister ever, as many in Israel believe. This week, the Biden administration strongly cautioned against a full-scale invasion of Rafah, saying it could be enormously harmful to civilians and ultimately hurt Israel’s security. Of course, there are formidable reasons for Israel to refrain from invading Rafah. Assaulting Rafah will inevitably cause many civilian casualties, despite assurances by Israel that it will move the civilians out of harm’s way before launching the offensive. Many of those were killed in ground offensives in Gaza City and Khan Younis to the north.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Yahya Sinwar, Biden, Netanyahu, Khan Younis Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Gaza Health Ministry Locations: Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Gaza City

☆ Middle East Crisis Top U.N. Court Orders Israel to Ensure Aid to Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Anushka Patil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Mr. Conrad said he met Mr. Issa, Mr. al-Jabari and Mahmoud al-Zahar, another senior Hamas official, about 10 times between 2009 and 2011 in Gaza City. “He was the master of the data on the prisoners,” Mr. Conrad said of Mr. Issa. Mr. Awawdeh, the analyst, called Mr. Issa a man who liked to “remain in the shadows” and who seldom granted interviews to the media. Mr. Issa was born in the Bureij area of central Gaza in 1965, but his family hails from what is now the Ashkelon area in Israel. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli military, has said that Mr. Issa helped plan the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: Marwan Issa, Jake Sullivan, Mr, Issa, —, Mohammed Deif, Ahmed al, Yahya Sinwar, Salah al, Din, Issa’s, ” Maj, Tamir Hayman, Deif, Sinwar’s, “ There’s, ” Mr, Awawdeh, “, ” Michael Milshtein, Qassam, wasn’t, Milshtein, Gerhard Conrad, Conrad, Mahmoud al, ”, Gilad Shalit, Al Jazeera, Daniel Hagari Organizations: U.S, Hamas, Qassam, Palestinian Authority Locations: Israel, Gaza, Gaza City, Palestine, Bureij, Ashkelon

☆ Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks are ‘stuck but ongoing,’ sources tell CNN
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Alex Marquardt | Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Talks over a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas have reached another stalemate but are not over, according to three people familiar with the negotiations. Burns put forward a proposal that was accepted by Israel and sent back to Hamas, the second person and an Israeli official told CNN. “The negotiations are not only centric around the prisoner exchange deal,” Hamas senior official Basem Naeim told CNN on Monday. Those releases would take place during the first phase of a ceasefire, which would be expected to last around six weeks. The senior US officials and Gallant did not reach any agreements on how Israel will move forward with an operation in Rafah in southern Gaza, US and Israeli officials told CNN.

Persons: “, ”, Bill Burns, Burns, Israel, David Barnea, Basem Naeim, “ Israel, Amir Levy, Yahya Sinwar, Matthew Miller, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, William Burns, Anna Moneymaker, ” Miller, Biden, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, CNN’s Natasha Bertrand Organizations: Hamas, CIA, Doha, Qatari, CNN, Hamas didn’t, National Security, United Nations Security, Central Intelligence Agency, House Intelligence, Cannon, US, Biden Locations: Gaza, Israel, Doha, Qatar, Tel Aviv, Washington , DC, Rafah, Washington, US

☆ Domestic Politics Drive Divisions Between Biden and Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Relations between President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel appear to have sunk to a new low, with both men pressed hard by domestic politics and looming elections. Mr. Netanyahu, however, allowed his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, to remain in Washington for talks. In a recent interview, Mr. Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, accused Mr. Biden of tacitly supporting Israel’s enemies. Mr. Biden called it “a good speech” without endorsing the call for new elections. But Mr. Biden is far more popular in Israel than Mr. Obama was and a serious break with Washington would deeply undermine Israel’s security and its future.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mr, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Nadav, Ben, ”, Yahya Sinwar, “, ” Mr, Biden “, Smotrich, Chuck Schumer, Washington, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton —, Obama, Aaron Boxerman Organizations: Security, West Bank, Mr, Palestinian, U.S . Congress, Israel, United, Washington Locations: Gaza, United States, Washington, Rafah, Israel, New York

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