Isreali Prime Minister Netanyahu has doubled down on his postion that he is going after Hamas….
Period…
The Biden admin keeps trying change Netanyahu….
It is NOT stoping him
Here’s what we know:
The civilian toll in Gaza and the Israeli military’s accidental killing of three hostages have raised questions over Israel’s strategy in Gaza. The U.S. defense secretary will visit Israel and plans to tell officials to change their approach within weeks.
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Amid anguish over the accidental killing of hostages, Netanyahu vows to keep fighting.
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The U.S. defense secretary travels to Israel to push leaders there to scale back war.
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Israel invites journalists into a car-width tunnel beneath Gaza, not far from its border.
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A second crossing opens to U.N. aid for Gaza, this time directly from Israeli soil.
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In an apparent shift, Britain and Germany call for a ‘sustainable cease-fire.’
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Israeli officials are torn over whether to let Palestinians from the West Bank return to work in Israel….
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Additional Update….
Israel’s government faced calls for a cease-fire from some of its closest European allies and from protesters at home on Sunday after a series of shootings, including of three hostages who waved a white flag, added to mounting concerns about its conduct in the 10-week-old war in Gaza.
The protesters urge the government to renew hostage negotiations with Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whom it has vowed to destroy. Israel could also face pressure to scale back major combat operations when U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits Monday. Washington is expressing growing unease with civilian casualties even while as it provides vital military and diplomatic support….
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “will continue to fight until the end,” with the goal of eliminating Hamas, which triggered the war with its Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people that day, mostly civilians, and captured scores of hostages….
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The U.S. defense secretary is set to travel to Israel to continue discussions on a timetable for ending the war’s most intense phase. Israeli and U.S. officials have spoken of a transition to more targeted strikes aimed at killing Hamas leaders and rescuing hostages, without saying when it would occur.
Hamas has said no more hostages will be released until the war ends, and that in exchange it will demand the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile militants.
Hamas released over 100 of more than 240 hostages captured on Oct. 7 in exchange for the release of scores of Palestinian prisoners during a brief cease-fire in November. Nearly all freed on both sides were women and minors. Israel has rescued one hostage.
The Israeli military said Sunday it had discovered a large tunnel in Gaza close to what was once a busy crossing into Israel, raising new questions about how Israeli surveillance missed such conspicuous attack preparations by Hamas….
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Two state solution problems push by US gets a thumbs down from Netanyahu ….
The U.S. has long called for a two-state solution to end the decades of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and President Joe Biden has described the creation of a Palestinian state as the only way to effectively end the current fighting….
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The U.S. has long called for a two-state solution to end the decades of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and President Joe Biden has described the creation of a Palestinian state as the only way to effectively end the current fighting…
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But Israeli leaders have set aside discussions of a two-state solution in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack, where Hamas insurgents killed around 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostage. Israel has argued that Hamas must be removed from power in Gaza before they can achieve peace….
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Coons, a close ally of the Biden administration, directed his jabs at Netanyahu on Sunday. He said President Joe Biden “did the right thing” in rushing to Israel’s aid after the Oct. 7 attack, but that Netanyahu has made things difficult for his American allies.
“Netanyahu has done everything he can to undermine a positive vision for peace for Israel,” he told CBS’ Margaret Brennan.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) similarly slammed Netanyahu for preventing a peace process to move forward.
“Instead of trying to find peace or at least preventing the conditions on the ground from changing with additional settlements to allow a two-state solution, he has shut the door on that effort,” he said during an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”….
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Gaza Disease issues multiply…..
After 10 weeks of Israel’s military campaign against Hamas, crowded, besieged, bombarded and famished Gaza is now fertile ground for disease.
Staph infections, chickenpox, rashes, urinary tract infections, meningitis, mumps, scabies, measles and food poisoning all are rising, the Gaza Health Ministry and individual doctors say. The WHO is particularly concerned about bloody diarrhea, jaundice and respiratory infections. The United Nations is tracking 14 diseases with “epidemic potential,” Reuters reported….