April 5: Biden urges Egypt, Qatar leaders to press Hamas to agree to hostage deal — official

Columbia suspends students for ‘Resistance 101’ event where speakers praised Hamas

Pro-Palestinian activists outside Columbia University, February 2, 2024. (Luke Tress/JTA)

NEW YORK JEWISH WEEK — Columbia University’s president says students have been suspended for an event last month that saw speakers praise Hamas and other terror groups.

Four students have been suspended over the event, according to the Columbia Spectator, the campus newspaper.

The student-led event, titled “Resistance 101,” drew harsh criticism, including from members of Congress who were already investigating the uptown university for alleged antisemitism on campus. The suspensions mark a significant step in Columbia’s response to anti-Israel activities that have rocked the campus since October 7.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik acknowledges in a statement that the “Resistance 101” event featured speakers who “support terrorism and promote violence,” and that administrators had already prohibited the event twice.

“I want to state for the record that this event is an abhorrent breach of our values,” Shafik says in the statement.

She adds, “I did not become a university president to punish students. At the same time, actions like this on our campus must have consequences. That I would ever have to declare the following is in itself surprising, but I want to make clear that it is absolutely unacceptable for any member of this community to promote the use of terror or violence.”

Despite the ban on the event, students held the discussion in a campus residential facility. In response, the university notified law enforcement and contracted an outside investigation firm, Shafik said.

The Spectator reported that four students have been indefinitely suspended and evicted from university housing over charges from the university, including disruptive behavior, endangerment, violation of law and violation of university policy.

The suspended students were given 24 hours to vacate their university housing. They will not be able to attend classes, participate in extracurricular activities or access the campus on their own, the Spectator reported.

Shafik says in her statement that the investigation was ongoing.

Biden penned letters to Egypt and Qatar, urging them to press Hamas in hostage talks – official

US President Joe Biden walks to Marine One for departure from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US President Joe Biden wrote to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, calling on them to press Hamas to agree to a hostage deal with Israel, a senior administration official tells The Times of Israel.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private letters, says Biden’s national security adviser will meet Monday with family members of some of the estimated 100 hostages who are believed to still be in Gaza.

The letters to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, come as Biden has deployed CIA Director Bill Burns to Cairo for talks this weekend about the hostage crisis.

White House officials have said negotiating a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas to facilitate the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian security prisoners held in Israel is the only way to put a temporary cease-fire into effect and boost the flow of badly needed humanitarian aid into the territory.

However, the administration has drifted away from the message in recent weeks, sometimes issuing statements and allowing a UN Security Council resolution to pass that hadn’t directly conditioned a ceasefire on a hostage deal.

The senior administration officials says Biden discussed the upcoming round of hostage talks in Cairo this weekend with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their call yesterday.

Biden “made clear that everything must be done to secure the release of hostages, including American citizens, now held by Hamas terrorists for nearly six months,” the official says.

“They discussed the importance of fully empowering Israeli negotiators to reach a deal, which in its first phase would secure the release of women, elderly, sick, and wounded hostages,” the senior US official adds.

“This basic fact remains true: There would be a ceasefire in Gaza today had Hamas simply agreed to release this vulnerable category of hostages – the sick, wounded, elderly, and young women,” the official continues. “Holding these innocent people is outrageous and a reminder as to how this war started in the first place. The onus is on Hamas to release the hostages and bring relief to the people of Gaza through a prolonged ceasefire.”

“Nobody on President Biden’s team will rest until the hostages are returned to their families,” the official says.

‘Is that a serious question?’: Biden hits back at reporter who asked if he’s abandoning Israel

US President Joe Biden waves as he walks to Marine One for departure from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, April 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

As he left the White House earlier today, US President Joe Biden was asked by a reporter whether he is abandoning Israel amid the growing rift regarding the war in Gaza.

“Where you from, man?” Biden shoots back, seemingly shocked by the question, given his longstanding support for the Jewish state.

“Are you abandoning Israel?” the reporter asks again.

“Is that a serious question?” the president replies, without further dignifying the question with a response.

Reporter: "Did you threaten to stop military aid to Israel?"
Pres. Biden: "I asked them to do what they're doing." Reporter: "Are you abandoning Israel?"
Pres. Biden: "Where you from, man?"
Reporter: "Are you abandoning Israel?"
Pres. Biden: "Is that a serious question?" pic.twitter.com/vDtEWf8knJ

— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) April 5, 2024

Biden to Netanyahu: ‘We won’t be able to support you’ if you don’t change course on Gaza

US President Joe Biden meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, in Tel Aviv. (AP/Evan Vucci)

US President Joe Biden warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their tense phone call yesterday that Washington “won’t be able to support” Israel unless it drastically changes its prosecution of the war in Gaza, the Axios news site reports, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

The sources say Biden didn’t specify what a loss of US support would mean, but his aides have not explicitly ruled out the possibility that the administration could start conditioning aid to Israel when asked repeatedly by reporters.

Yesterday’s call was the toughest Biden has held with Netanyahu — both in tone and in substance — since the start of the war, Axios reports.

Biden told Netanyahu that there needed to be a pause in the fighting following the IDF’s deadly strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy. WCK and other aid groups announced a suspension of operations in Gaza following the attack and Biden indicated a pause would prevent a total breakdown in aid distribution.

Netanyahu responded that a pause wouldn’t be necessary since Israel was implementing new procedures on the ground. Moreover, he said a truce must be contingent on Hamas releasing hostages — a position the US has long held, but has apparently been moving away from in recent weeks as the humanitarian situation worsens.

Biden’s request for a pause in fighting outside the context of a hostage deal surprised Netanyahu, a senior Israeli official tells Axios.

During a security cabinet meeting after the call, Netanyahu noted that the White House readout similarly didn’t explicitly condition a ceasefire on a hostage deal. It said that Biden told the Israeli premier “that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and he urged the prime minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home.”

An Israeli official noted that after asking the White House to privately and publicly clarify whether it has changed its position regarding the need to condition a ceasefire on a hostage deal, the administration followed through both privately and publicly.

White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters earlier today, “Let’s get a deal in place so that we can get a ceasefire for a matter of weeks in place, so that it’s easier to meet those commitments on humanitarian assistance being increased.”

“Our position remains that there should be a ceasefire as part of a hostage deal, and it should happen immediately. That’s why the president urged the prime minister to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay,” a US official tells Axios.

Asked earlier today whether he had threatened to withhold aid from Israel during the call, Biden responded that Netanyahu did what he asked him to do regarding Gaza aid.

The senior Israeli official tells Axios he expects the steps taken by Israel to significantly improve the humanitarian situation

“We think it will also calm down the situation between the US and Israel,” he says.

US officials, on the other hand, are waiting to see results before passing judgment.

“We’ll be looking at all of this in the days to come and we’re looking to see not just what steps are being taken, but the results that follow from them,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier today.

Top Biden aide to meet with families of American hostages at White House on Monday

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, March 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with relatives of some of the American hostages still being held in Gaza at the White House on Monday, a senior administration official tells The Times of Israel.

Colombia seeks to join Gaza genocide case against Israel at World Court

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), holds public hearings on the request for an advisory opinion on Israel's presence in the West Bank, from February 19 to 26, 2024 at the Peace Palace in The Hague. (International Court of Justice)

Colombia has asked the International Court of Justice to allow the country to intervene in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip, the court says

In its application, Colombia calls on the court to ensure “the safety and, indeed, the very existence of the Palestinian people.”

The ICJ, the highest UN court, can allow states to intervene and give their views. Several states have said they would also seek to intervene in the case, but so far only Colombia and Nicaragua have filed a public request.

Last week, ICJ judges ordered Israel to take all necessary and effective action to ensure basic food supplies arrive without delay to Palestinians in Gaza.

In January, the ICJ, also known as the World Court, ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the genocide convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel denies targeting Palestinian civilians, saying its sole interest is to annihilate the terror group Hamas. Lawyers for Israel have dismissed South Africa’s case as an abuse of the genocide convention.

IDF says it struck building in Lebanon belonging to group allied with Hezbollah

Footage of an IDF strike in Lebanon on April 5, 2024. (Screen capture/X)

The IDF says fighter jets carried out a strike a short while ago against a building belonging to the Amal Movement in southern Lebanon’s Marjaayoun, where operatives were gathered.

Amal names three members killed in the strike. The announcement of the deaths is also made via Hezbollah’s media channels.

Amid the ongoing war, Amal — which is allied with Hezbollah — has carried out numerous attacks against Israel, and planned additional attacks, the IDF says.

Earlier today, the IDF says troops of the Golani Brigade spotted a Lebanese terror operative using a drone to direct missile fire, and called in an airstrike against him.

Fighter jets also hit other sites belonging to Hezbollah in Kafr Kila and Tayr Harfa, as well as buildings used by the terror group in Mays al-Jabal and Blida.

מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו לפני זמן קצר מבנה צבאי של תנועת אמ"ל בו שהו מספר מחבלים של תנועת אמ"ל במרחב מרג'עיון שבדרום לבנון.

במהלך המלחמה אמ"ל פעלה נגד מדינת ישראל ותכננה גם בימים אלו תקיפה נוספת נגד ישראל >> pic.twitter.com/SvzfzEH5cX

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 5, 2024

Mexico warns Israel extradition case risks hurting ties

Tomas Zeron, the former director of the Criminal Investigation Agency of Mexico, fled to Israel in 2019 and is seeking asylum. (Screen capture/Channel 12, used in accordance with article 27a of the Copyright Law)

Mexico warns Israel that a lack of progress in efforts to extradite a former investigator in connection with one of the country’s worst human rights tragedies threatens diplomatic relations.

Mexico has repeatedly asked Israel to hand over the ex-head of the Criminal Investigation Agency, Tomas Zeron, over allegations of serious irregularities in a probe into the disappearance of 43 students in 2014.

The two countries do not have an extradition treaty.

Zeron denies allegations of kidnapping, torturing suspects, manipulating evidence and embezzling public funds.

“The lack of progress in resolving this case is interpreted as de facto protection by the Israeli government of Tomas Zeron and threatens to become an irritating and disruptive factor with the State of Israel,” the Mexican foreign ministry says in a statement.

Zeron is one of the architects of the so-called “historical truth,” the official version of the case presented in January 2015 by the government of the time that was rejected by the victims’ families.

The students had been traveling to a demonstration in Mexico City when investigators believe they were kidnapped by a drug cartel in collusion with corrupt police.

The exact circumstances of their disappearance are still unknown, but a truth commission set up by the government has branded the case a “state crime,” saying the military shared responsibility, either directly or through negligence.

Hamas reportedly turns down Israel’s latest counter-proposal in hostage talks

Ismail Haniyeh, the Doha-based political bureau chief of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, speaks on a televised speech on the occasion of Quds (Jerusalem) Day on April 3, 2024. (Hamas Media Office/AFP)

Hamas has turned down Israel’s latest counter-proposal in the ongoing hostage negotiations, CNN reports, citing a diplomat familiar with the talks.

“They refused and asserted it doesn’t include any reply to their asks,” the diplomat says.

Hamas believes “that [the] Israeli proposal includes nothing new, so they see no need to change their proposal,” the official adds.

The latest Israeli proposal did not meet Hamas’s demands for the unrestricted return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and a complete withdrawal of IDF troops from the Strip, the diplomat says, adding that Israel insisted on inspections of those returning to the north and refused to pull-out from central Gaza.

CIA Director William Burns, Israel’s Mossad Director David Barnea and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel will meet in Cairo this weekend to continue ceasefire talks, officials say

Justice Ministry reviewing ‘cyber incident’ after hacktivists’ claim breach

Illustrative image: A computer hacker. (iStock via Getty Images)

The Justice Ministry says it is looking into a “cyber incident” after activist hackers protesting against the war in Gaza say they managed to breach the ministry’s servers and retrieve hundreds of gigabytes of data.

“Since the morning hours, experts at the ministry and elsewhere have been looking into the incident and its implications,” the ministry tweets.

“The scope of the materials is still under review and it will take time to examine the content and scope of the documents that were leaked and their sources.”

A group called Anonymous for Justice has claimed responsibility for the breach, which it said included the retrieval of nearly 300 gigabytes of data. On its website, the group says it would continue attacking Israel “until the war in Gaza stops.”

The group has published files that it said it obtained in the breach such as legal documents, including drafts of bilateral agreements and contracts marked as confidential.

Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the leaked documents.

The Justice Ministry says in its post that it had prepared in advance for such a scenario and that its operations remained uninterrupted.

The National Cyber Directorate said earlier this week it was expecting an increase in attempts at cyberattacks over the weekend for Iran’s annual Quds Day, which uses the Arabic name for Jerusalem, held on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

UK newspaper reveals identity of 8200 intelligence unit chief

Illustrative: A ceremony for the incoming head of Military Intelligence's Unit 8200 in the Gelilot base, north of Tel Aviv, on April 6, 2017. (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

The British Guardian newspaper reveals the identity of the commander of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 8200 by following a digital trail linked to a book on warfare and artificial intelligence that the officer had published on Amazon.

The book at the center of what The Guardian calls an “embarrassing security lapse” was The Human Machine Team, a 2021 book whose author, identified only as Brig. Gen. YS, “offers a radical vision for how AI can transform the relationship between military personnel and machines.”

According to The Guardian, the book’s themes “closely resemble” AI-powered target identification systems alleged to have been employed by the Israeli Defense Forces — a claim which the military denies.

The Guardian says that an electronic version of The Human Machine Team “included an anonymous email address that can easily be traced” to the secretive commander’s name and Google account. Multiple sources confirmed The Guardian’s identification of the intelligence officer, the British newspaper says.

The IDF responds to the report by saying that the email address it had unearthed was not the officer’s personal account, but rather was devoted to the book.

“The book in question was published several years ago and the address mentioned in it is not used by the officer personally and has not been used in the past,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit says in response to a query on the report.

“However, the reveal of the officer’s personal details is a mistake. The issue will be investigated to prevent the recurrence of similar cases in the future,” the IDF adds.

The officer’s name has not been published by Israeli media due to military censorship guidelines.

New York, New Jersey rattled by small earthquake

Mayor Eric Adams speaks alongside commissioner Zachary Isco during a news conference at the New York City Emergency Management Department on Friday April 5, 2024 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

UN Security Council diplomats were shaken in their chairs, planes were briefly grounded and furniture rattled across New York after an earthquake jolted the city that never sleeps.

No one was hurt, though, and New York’s iconic skyline remained intact.

“I AM FINE,” reports the Empire State Building on its X account.

The tremor had a 4.8 magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Near the epicenter in Lebanon, New Jersey, store supervisor Dominika Uniejewska, 50, said “I’m still shaking” after being woken up by the quake.

In Brooklyn, buildings shook, rattling cupboard doors and fixtures, an AFP correspondent reported.

At the United Nations, which has its headquarters in New York, a Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza was temporarily paused after the tremor.

US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the earthquake, his spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre says.

Lapid to meet Blinken, Schumer in Washington next week – report

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Opposition chairman Yair Lapid in Tel Aviv on November 30, 2023. (Elad Gutman)

Channel 12 reports that Opposition Leader Yair Lapid will meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer during his visit to Washington next week.

Schumer last month called for early elections in Israel to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden says Israel doing what he asked on Gaza aid

US President Joe Biden arrives on Air Force One Wednesday March 20, 2024, at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

US President Joe Biden says that Israel is doing what he had asked to let aid into Gaza, a day after he warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a sharp shift in policy.

Asked whether he had threatened to stop military aid to Israel in the call with Netanyahu, Biden tells reporters as he leaves the White House, “I asked them to do what they’re doing.”

In the wake of the deadly strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy and Biden’s tense conversation with Netanyahu, Israel’s security cabinet voted last night to take immediate steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Israel will temporarily open up Ashdod Port for humanitarian deliveries and will open Erez Crossing in the northern Gaza Strip for the first time since October 7. Israel will also increase the amount of aid from Jordan moving through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

Asked @POTUS Biden if he had threatened to stop military aid to Israel. He replied: ‘I asked them to do what they’re doing’ pic.twitter.com/nKUOikCPz0

— Danny Kemp (@dannyctkemp) April 5, 2024

CIA chief expected in Cairo for Gaza hostage talks this weekend

CIA chief Bill Burns, Egyptian intel chief Abbas Kamel, Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. (Collage/AP/AFP)

CIA Director Bill Burns is expected in Cairo for talks on freeing hostages held in Gaza, which the White House confirms will take place this weekend with US representation.

US media reports that Burns will meet in the Egyptian capital with Mossad chief David Barnea, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declines to say if Burns would be involved, but tells journalists that “the United States will be present for those talks.”

Kirby also says one of US President Joe Biden’s requests to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a call yesterday was “getting back at the table in negotiations in Cairo and getting a hostage deal done, empowering his negotiators to come to [a] conclusion on this.”

The US, Qatar and Egypt have been engaged in weeks of behind-the-scenes talks in a bid to secure a truce in the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners being held in Israeli jails.

US envoy: Campus anti-Israel sentiment stems more from ignorance than antisemitism

Jack Lew, US President Joe Biden's nominee to be the US ambassador to Israel, testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill October 18, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/AFP)

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew maintains that the growing hostility toward Israel on American college campuses stems more from students’ ignorance than antisemitism.

“I have been on campuses for several years, as a professor and an administrator at significant universities,” Lew tells the Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

“I think that one should be very careful before reaching conclusions about the nature of the threat and the depth of hostility that people are talking about.”

“We are witnessing an ugly manifestation of antisemitism. I am very sensitive to this.”

“[But] I don’t think that’s the prevailing position on college campuses,” arguing ignorance is a far greater factor at play.

“There is no real understanding [among American college students] of history, of the story of Israel’s founding or the centuries of antisemitism that preceded it,” Lew laments.

He maintains that most people chanting “From the river to the sea — Palestine will be free — don’t know what bodies of water they’re referring to,” or that the phrase is calling for “the elimination of the State of Israel and the Jewish people within it.”

“So you’re dealing with matters ranging from well-founded hatred to slogans of ignorance.”

“What I tell people is that you can’t escape it. It is impossible to say, ‘Oh, people say ugly things, they should be silenced.’ We don’t do that in America, we don’t silence ugly speech. We stop things if they are violent or harm people directly.”

“You need to be able — as a student or an academic — to respond and say: ‘You don’t understand history. Let me tell you about it.’… It’s not pleasant to have this conversation, but contact should be made, not abandoned,” the ambassador argued.

He recalls how his father was able to attend law school in New York after quotas were lifted on Jewish enrollment and cautions against “conclud[ing] that this is a hostile environment and we must not be part of it. This is a big mistake. We need to be stronger.”

He also disputes the conclusion made in a recent Atlantic magazine story titled, “The golden age of American Jews is ending.”

“I think this is one step too far. The situation is very disturbing, and I’m not trying to [downplay] the fact that ugly things are being said or there are situations [in the US] that no student or academic should have to deal with. But you have to have the ability to stand your ground and fight back. And in fact, the American system rewards you for it. The alternative is to surrender to hatred,” Lew argues.

US not in a position to verify whether US weapons used in IDF’s WCK strike – White House

United Nations staff members inspect the remains of a car used by US-based aid group World Central Kitchen hit by an Israeli strike the previous day in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 2, 2024. (AFP)

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby is asked during a press briefing whether the Biden administration is checking to see whether American-supplied weapons were used in this week’s deadly IDF strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy.

Kirby refers to an answer that the Pentagon has given. “They have said that they’re not in a position to verify the use of any particular weapon in any particular Israeli operation,” the spokesman says, adding that Israel is better suited to answer that question.

UK’s Cameron calls for Israeli reform to ensure aid worker safety

Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron reacts as he leaves Westminster Abbey in London, at the end of the annual Commonwealth Day service ceremony, on March 11, 2024.(Daniel Leal/AFP)

British foreign minister David Cameron says that major reform was needed from Israel to ensure the safety of aid workers after the deaths this week of seven humanitarian staff, three of whom were British citizens.

“It’s clear major reform of Israel’s deconfliction mechanism is badly needed to ensure the safety of aid workers,” Cameron tweets.

EU’s Borrell: Israel’s new aid corridors are not enough to stop starvation in Gaza

Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign minister, speaks to the press as he arrives to attend a European Council summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 21, 2024. (John Thys/AFP)

Israel’s decision to open up some new corridors for humanitarian aid in Gaza will still not be enough to prevent starvation in Gaza, says EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

“Following widespread condemnation of the killing of 7 @WCKitchen staffers by IDF and mounting international pressure, the Israeli gov will open some corridors for humanitarian aid. It’s not enough to prevent starvation in #Gaza,” Borrell tweets.

“The binding UN Security Council Resolution 2728 must be implemented. Now.” he adds.

White House: No plans for US to conduct independent investigation into WCK strike

People gather around the remains of a car used by US-based aid group World Central Kitchen that was hit by an Israeli strike the previous day, in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 2, 2024. (AFP)

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says there are no plans by the United States to conduct an independent investigation into the killings of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers.

Kirby tells reporters that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefed US President Joe Biden in their phone call yesterday on the general findings of Israel’s inquiry into the incident.

Despite tougher rhetoric, don’t doubt Biden’s commitment to Israel – US envoy

IDF Northern Command head Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin (left) shakes hands with US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew, at the Northern Command headquarters, January 19, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew downplays the notion of a widening rift between the United States and Israel over the war in Gaza.

“Allow me to challenge your premise,” Lew tells the Yedioth Ahronoth daily. “From the first hours of the war, through President Biden’s unprecedented visit to Israel during wartime, to his uncompromising willingness to provide military support that demonstrated the promise to have Israel’s back — there is no reason to doubt that the US and President Biden stand with Israel.”

“President Biden spoke clearly about Israel’s right and responsibility to defend itself and the need to do so in a way that reflects our shared values and in accordance with international norms,” Lew says.

“Israel must defeat Hamas as a military and political entity that endangers it. Security must be restored so that people can return to their homes, and the hostages must be returned — The president was absolutely clear on all these elements,” the envoy continues.

“There are moments when the closest of friends see things differently, and this should not be a surprise.”

“But when the president made the decision to support Israel, he understood — like all of us — that as the war progresses there would be political opposition,” Lew says.”His decision was one of deep conviction, not politics, to stand by Israel.”

“Therefore, when questions are asked about a particular decision or statement… it is critical to look at the facts of what President Biden did – and what he continues to do up to this very day,” the ambassador says.

Lew goes on to also reject the claim that the US is trying to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. “I think this is a misconception. We try very hard not to interfere in the politics of other countries, especially our allies.”

As for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s call for early elections to replace Netanyahu, Lew says the White House does not tell lawmakers what to say.

Lew notes that amid reports of a deterioration in ties, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was still invited to Washington last week for what were “good meetings.”

The ambassador does not deny that there is a growing US distrust in Israel’s leadership as frustration mounts over the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

“The stories about the urgent need for food, water and sanitation are very disturbing, and we were clear about that,” Lew says, while noting that Israel has taken a number of steps after a massive amount of prodding from Washington.

“There has been tremendous progress, and there are large amounts of humanitarian aid going into Gaza. And there needs to be more. I won’t sit here and say the job is done. We need many more trucks to enter all parts of Gaza,” he adds.

Lew acknowledges that Israeli public opinion hasn’t been overwhelmingly supportive of delivering humanitarian aid into Gaza so long as Hamas holds onto hostages. However, “you must do this to maintain the support of the US and around the world.”

“I am convinced that in some time, this will not be remembered as a matter that we asked for, but as an issue that is in accordance with the values ​​of the State of Israel,” he argued.

IDF: Gunman from Jordan crossed into Israel, fired on troops near border before returning

The IDF says troops in an army vehicle came under fire on the Jordan border overnight, at the Jordan River Crossing near the northern town of Beit Shean.

According to the IDF’s initial probe, the gunman crossed into the border crossing and opened fire at the troops carrying out a routine patrol in the area. He then fled back to Jordan.

The IDF says the gunman did not infiltrate through Israel’s border fence, and there were no injuries in the attack.

Iran says Washington warned it not to target US facilities in response to alleged IDF strike

A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on April 4, 2024, shows the supreme leader praying over the coffins of seven Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike on the country's consular annex in Damascus, which Tehran blamed on Israel, ahead of their funeral procession. (Khamenei.ir/AFP)

An Iranian official says that Washington had warned Tehran not to attack US facilities after Iran had told it not to fall into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “trap.”

“In a written message, the Islamic Republic of Iran warns US leadership not to get dragged in Netanyahu’s trap for US: Stay away so you won’t get hurt. In response US asked Iran not to target American facilities,” Iranian presidential aide Mohammad Jamshidi tweets.

There was no immediate US comment on his remarks.

Hezbollah chief says Iran response ‘inevitable’ after strike on IRGC generals

An image grab from Hezbollah's al-Manar TV taken on February 16, 2024, shows the head of the Lebanese terror group Hassan Nasrallah delivering a televised speech. (Al-Manar/AFP)

The leader of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group warns Friday that Tehran will inevitably retaliate after a strike widely blamed on Israel destroyed its embassy’s consular annex in Damascus this week, killing two generals.

“Be certain that Iran’s response to the targeting of its Damascus consulate is inevitable,” Hassan Nasrallah says in a televised speech marking Quds (Jerusalem) Day — an annual day of pro-Palestinian rallies held by Iran and its allies.

Nasrallah calls the alleged Israeli strike a “turning point” since October 7, when Hamas launched a terror onslaught against Israel, killing some 1,200 and taking another 253 hostage.

US envoy says Oct. 7 upended normalization plans, but insists deal is still possible

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew prays at the Western Wall on November 8, 2023. (Western Wall Heritage Foundation)

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew says he thought when US President Joe Biden nominated him for the post in September that he would be coming to Jerusalem to help pull an Israel-Saudi normalization deal across the finish line.

Lew was still in the US when Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught unfolded, having not yet been confirmed.

Being an observant Jew, he tells the Yedioth Ahronoth daily that he didn’t find out about the attack right away.

While attending morning services for the Simhat Torah holiday, a fellow congregant approached Lew and told him that war had broken out in Israel.

He didn’t immediately understand what the man met, but Lew says he later heard the news from his daughter who lives in Israel — a detail that wasn’t widely known.

“As soon as I heard the news, without knowing all the details, I had a flashback to 1973, the Yom Kippur War. That was the last time I heard about a war in Israel that broke out on a holy day when I myself was in a synagogue,” Lew recalls.

“There was a sense of existential risk that felt very real,” Lew says of his emotions on October 7.

Acknowledging that his plans were upended by the Hamas attack, the ambassador says his goal is to overcome the crisis and return to the original path. “That is why I decided to take on this position in the first place,” he says of a potential Saudi-Israel normalization deal.

“To come out of this period of terrible darkness, there must be a vision of something better, sustainable, stable and safer for Israel and the region,” Lew says.

He insists that the “window is still open” for a deal, though, “It will become more challenging as time goes by,” as Riyadh intensifies its criticism of Israel’s prosecution of the war and comes under more pressure domestically and regionally not to ink a normalization agreement with Jerusalem following such a bloody conflict.

“It will become more challenging as time goes by, but I am of the opinion that if this was the strategic interest of the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel on October 6, it is the strategic interest of all three parties now as well,” Lew tells Yedioth, recognizing that a deal is far more challenging post-October 7.

He confirms that any deal will require Israel to agree to create a pathway to a future Palestinian state while reiterating that one would not be established immediately.

“We must enter a process where, beyond the horizon, this ambition must be realized,” Lew says.

The ambassador argues that a deal with Saudi Arabia would provide Israel with more regional stability and would also amount to a defeat for Hamas. “I’m not saying this was the reason for the attack in October, but it contributed to their sense of urgency that there is progress on this issue.”

Clarifying that the US only supports the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state, Lew says he recognizes that opposition to the idea in Israel is still widespread.

“But I think there is a thirst for normalization with Saudi Arabia, and there is a strong desire for a better future than what led to October 7,” the US envoy continues. “The question is whether there is a process that will deal with the issues themselves so that Israel will receive the security it deserves and needs and so the Palestinian people will have a future that gives them something to live for, instead of something to die for.”

The ambassador implores Israel to begin having serious discussions regarding its plans for the post-war management of Gaza.

He says there has been considerable discourse regarding what the two-state framework can look like after October 7, but insists that it must “have some legitimacy among the Palestinian people and the Arab world.”

US envoy indicates Biden’s Gaza strategy has no alternative to hostage deal

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew gives a speech at a rally calling for the release of hostages in Hamas captivity, Tel Aviv, January 13, 2024. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew indicates that the Biden administration does not see any alternative to a hostage deal as it seeks to wind down the war and stabilize the region.

“I’m not going to talk about the alternative if there is no hostage deal because, honestly, I don’t think we can accept an alternative where there is no deal,” Lew tells the Yedioth Ahronoth daily in one of his first interviews since entering his role as ambassador days after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.

“We have to keep pressing. And I understand that time is not on the hostages’ side,” he says, using the Hebrew word for hostages during the English interview, which was published in Hebrew.

He tells Yedioth that there has been progress toward a deal in recent days, but declines to speculate regarding chances for success, “especially when the party that ultimately has to make the decision is Hamas and Sinwar.”

“The hostage deal is critical, not only as a humanitarian issue, but also as a regional strategic matter,” Lew says.

The US views it as the first step in its broader regional agenda, which seeks a winding down of the war, followed by assistance from Arab partners in rehabilitating Gaza in partnership with a reformed Palestinian Authority that eventually returns to governing both the West Bank and Gaza. The US wants this restoration to be coupled with the establishment of an Israel-approved pathway for a future Palestinian state in parallel to decisions from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel in order to bolster the regional axis against Iran.

“If you look at the geopolitical components, whether it’s Hezbollah and Lebanon or Saudi Arabia. All of the pieces come together more easily if there is a deal to return the hostages along with a ceasefire,” he says.

Lew rejects the premise that intensifying public US criticism of Israel emboldens Hamas to harden its position in the hostage talks, insisting that the administration is constantly working toward a deal. “No one cares more about Hamas believing that there must be a release of the hostages than the US,” he asserts. “We wouldn’t do anything to harm that [perception].”

He also rejects the Israeli claim that the UN Security Council resolution that the US allowed to pass last month amounted to a shift in stance from Washington, which has long maintained that a ceasefire can only be reached through a hostage deal.

The resolution called for an immediate ceasefire and hostage release in the same sentence, but did not explicitly condition the former on the latter.

Lew insists that the US position remains that a ceasefire is conditioned on a hostage release. “Any description of our position as if it has changed is simply incorrect.”

London mayor becomes most senior Labour lawmaker to call on UK to halt arming Israel

London Mayor Sadiq Khan gives his acceptance speech after being declared the winner of the London Mayoral election at City Hall in London on May 8, 2021, winning his second term. (Justin Tallis/AFP)

London mayor Sadiq Khan calls for an immediate halt of UK arms sales to Israel amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.

“The government should be pausing all sales of arms to Israel,” Khan says in an interview with left-wing social media outlet PoliticsJOE.

He appears to be the most senior Labour lawmaker to make the call.

“[UK] Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claims to be chums, best friends, [have a] special relationship with [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu. Where is the evidence we’re using that influence to put pressure on the Israeli government?” he asks.

“I worry every hour this war goes on — forget every day — more innocent people are dying,” Khan adds. “Foreign aid workers are now being killed by the IDF, it’s got to stop.”

Khan also highlights the legal opinion the government reportedly received regarding whether or not British arms to Israel are being used to violate international law.

“The government has had weeks to publish the legal advice, they’ve not published it. If they publish the legal advice today and it shows there’s a breach of international law, we should halt all sales,” he says.

UN chief hopes Israel quickly, effectively boost Gaza aid access

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press conference at an UNRWA school in the Al-Wehdat camp for Palestinian refugees in Amman, on March 25, 2024. (Mohammad Hannon/AFP)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that he sincerely hopes Israel quickly and effectively boosts aid access to the Gaza Strip, describing the situation in the Palestinian enclave after six months of war as “absolutely desperate.”

He says 196 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, and “we want to know why.”

Mental health hotline sees massive jump in calls since October 7

The Eran mental health crisis hotline releases statistics for the first six months of the war with Hamas in Gaza.

The organization refers to the numbers as “notable and worrisome.”

In the last half year since October 7, Eran received 172,000 requests for mental health support by phone or internet. This averages 33,000 per month, with a higher-than-average number (44,000) in the war’s first month. The average daily call load since the beginning of the war stands at 920.

On October 7 alone, the organization dealt with more than 3,500 incoming calls. This compares to 500 calls on a routine Saturday.

There has been a 10 percent increase over the usual number of calls from men, a population that tends to call the hotline infrequently.

Many calls came from soldiers (male and female) on regular and reserve duty, as was reflected by the fact that 41% of calls received by the hotline were from people between the ages of 18 and 35.

Children and teens under age 17 called in at a rate 125% higher than the same period last year. This increase was particularly evident in the early weeks of the war.

Eran notes an increase of 950% in calls relating to anxiety, trauma, and loss as compared to the same six months in 2022-2023. As the war continued, there was also a surge in calls about depression, loneliness and general emotional distress.

Of the 38,240 young people to age 24 who called the hotline, 60% were female and 40% male. A third of these calls had to do with anxiety and trauma. One in every five calls dealt with deep mental anguish.

Ben Gvir fumes after cabinet holds vote to open crossings for Gaza aid without him

File - National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir arrives at a voting station in Tel Aviv, during the municipal elections, February 27, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is fuming after the security cabinet held a vote last night on opening additional crossings for Gaza aid without him.

“They voted in the cabinet before I arrived, even though they knew I was in a security-related meeting,” Ben Gvir claims in a statement.

Hebrew media outlets report that the vote went ahead because Ben Gvir again arrived more than 20 minutes late to the meeting.

“Since when do we vote at the beginning of a meeting? Never. Votes always take place at the end,” Ben Gvir says, claiming that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved the vote up because he knew that the far-right national security minister would vote against it. That still wouldn’t have been enough to block the measures, though.

Following Ben Gvir’s airing of frustrations, Netanyahu’s office announced that they would be adding to the meeting protocol the minister’s opposition to the vote.

Final Friday prayers of Ramadan in Jerusalem disperse, largely peacefully; 3 arrested

Worshippers clash with police during the last Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Jerusalem's Old City, April 5, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The final Friday prayers of the Muslim month of Ramadan have dispersed, largely peacefully, at the Al-Aqsa Mosque atop the Jerusalem Old City Temple Mount.

Despite heightened concerns over Ramadan, Friday afternoon prayers at the Temple Mount have passed broadly peacefully over the past month.

Muslim worshippers seen after the last Friday prayers of the holy month of Ramadan, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 5, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

A police statement says tens of thousands of worshippers attended prayer services.

As worshippers dispersed after the prayers, officers arrested three suspects, the statement adds.

One suspect was arrested for attacking police officers, while two others were arrested when they reentered the area after previously being removed by security forces, police say.

היום תפילת שישי אחרון של רמדאן ובלילה – לילת אלקדר. הבוקר קצת מתוח, לראשונה מאז תחילת החודש סוג של עימות בהר: המשטרה השתמשה בגז מדמיע שמושלך מרחפן כדי לפזר מאות שקראו קריאות תמיכה בחמאס. ביציאה עצרו 8. 4 מהם מצפון הארץ. pic.twitter.com/baVRmaV6Fc

— نير حسون Nir Hasson ניר חסון (@nirhasson) April 5, 2024

Earlier this morning, during the sunrise prayer service, Jerusalem police arrested eight people suspected of chants amounting to incitement and support for terrorism.

Police thwart suspected terror attack attempt at Megiddo Junction

Police say a suspect attempted to attack officers with a hammer at the Megiddo Junction in northern Israel.

The suspect was “neutralized” and detained, police say.

Police describe the incident as a suspected terror attack.

There are no other injuries, police add.

IDF: Fighter jets strike Hezbollah position in south Lebanon

The IDF says fighter jets carried out strikes on a Hezbollah position in southern Lebanon’s Zibqin, as well as buildings used by the terror group in Yarine and Ayta ash-Shab, where operatives were gathered.

Earlier, a Hezbollah observation post in Chebaa was targeted, and last night another site belonging to the terror group in Kfarhamam was hit, the IDF adds.

מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו תשתית טרור של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב זבקין לצד מבנה צבאי של הארגון במרחב יארין ומבנה צבאי נוסף במרחב עייתא א- שעב, בהם שהו מחבלים.

מוקדם יותר היום כוחות צה"ל תקפו עמדת תצפית של הארגון במרחב שבעא.
בנוסף, אמש הותקף אתר צבאי של הארגון במרחב כפר חמאם pic.twitter.com/HO6r4Xx4pk

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 5, 2024

Ben Gvir slams IDF dismissal of 2 officers over deadly strike on Gaza aid convoy

People gather around the remains of a car used by US-based aid group World Central Kitchen that was hit by an Israeli strike the previous day, in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 2, 2024. (AFP)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir slams IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi after the military announces the dismissal of two officers for their involvement in a deadly drone strike against a group of aid workers in Gaza earlier this week.

“The chief of staff’s decision to remove senior officers amounts to the abandonment of troops in the middle of a war,” he says in a post on X, formerly Twitter, adding that it was a “grave mistake that conveys weakness.”

He says that even if mistakes were made, during a war “soldiers should be supported and certainly not made to stand trial in a field court.”

The probe, publicized earlier today, found that the strike was ordered against the convoy of World Central Kitchen vehicles after officers suspected they carried a Hamas gunman, despite a low level of confidence, and against army regulations.

The officers did not identify the vehicles as belonging to WCK when the strike was ordered, according to the investigation.

IDF: Efrat Katz was likely killed by IAF helicopter fire during abduction by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7

Efrat Katz, 68, was killed as Hamas terrorists kidnapped her from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. (Facebook)

An IDF probe has determined that Efrat Katz, 68, was likely killed by Israeli Air Force helicopter fire while Hamas terrorists kidnapped the Kibbutz Nir Oz resident on October 7.

The findings of the probe were presented to Katz’s family today.

According to the investigation, amid battles that took place in southern Israel on October 7, an IAF helicopter opened fire against a car with several terrorists in it.

It was later revealed, based on eyewitnesses and surveillance camera footage, that the vehicle also had Israeli hostages in it.

“As a result of the shooting, most of the terrorists in the vehicle were killed, and apparently the late Efrat Katz,” the IDF says.

The IDF says the probe found that the military’s surveillance systems could not distinguish Israeli hostages from Hamas terrorists while in moving vehicles, and therefore the shooting was “defined as shooting at a vehicle with terrorists.”

The chief of the IAF, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, says that he “did not find fault in the operation by the helicopter crew, who operated in compliance with the orders in a complex reality of war.”

Katz’s body was later recovered, and she was buried on October 25 in Kibbutz Revadim.

IDF: Iron Dome shot down suspicious aerial target from Lebanon

The Iron Dome air defense system intercepted a suspicious aerial target in the Western Galilee a short while ago, the IDF says.

There are no reports of injuries or damage.

The IDF statement comes shortly after rocket and drone alert sirens were triggered in a number of northern communities near the border with Lebanon.

WCK says IDF cannot investigate its own ‘failure’, demands independent probe

Aid charity World Central Kitchen demands an independent commission to investigate the killings of seven of its staff in an Israeli air strike in Gaza, saying the Israel Defense Forces “cannot credibly investigate its own failure.”

A WCK statement commends Israel on taking responsibility for the deadly attack and disciplinary action against those in command, but it claims that the IDF has “deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement.”

“We demand the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza,” the statement says.

Israel on Tuesday acknowledged mistakenly carrying out the airstrike and announced a short while ago that it will remove two senior officers from their roles and formally censure a number of other top commanders.

‘No more excuses’: Germany pushes Israel on Gaza aid

Israel has “no more excuses” to delay aid getting into Gaza, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says after the government announced early this morning that it will open more aid routes into the Strip amid its ongoing war with the Hamas terror group.

“The people in Gaza need every aid package now… We expect the Israeli government to implement its announcements quickly,” Baerbock writes on X, formerly Twitter. “No more excuses.”

The Prime Minister’s Office announced the immediate steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza in the wake of the deadly strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy earlier this week and US President Joe Biden’s tense conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night.

Calming diplomatic spat, Poland says Israel apologized after aid worker killed in Gaza

The victims of the IDF strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza (Clockwise from top right): Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom, Damian Soból, Jacob Flickinger, James Kirby, James (Jim) Henderson and John Chapman. (World Central Kitchen/X)

WARSAW – Poland says Israel’s ambassador has apologized after an Israeli air strike killed a Polish aid worker in Gaza this week, calming a diplomatic spat that flared between the two countries.

Damian Sobol, a volunteer from southeastern Poland, was among seven people working for celebrity chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen who were killed in the airstrike in central Gaza on Monday.

“I handed over a note of protest to the ambassador. The ambassador apologized for this event, which has no precedent in the history of the civilized world,” Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna says during a press conference.

Israeli ambassador Yacov Livne will not be expelled from Poland, Szejna adds.

He adds that Poland demanded that Polish prosecution take part in the investigation in Israel and that disciplinary action be take against soldiers responsible for the incident.

“The information we received so far is not satisfactory, but we see this meeting as a change of tone,” Szejna adds.

The ambassador caused outrage in Poland after he wrote on social media platform X earlier in the week that the “extreme right and left” in Poland were accusing Israel of intentional murder, adding that “antisemites will always remain antisemites.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

UN: Attacks against humanitarian workers in Gaza may amount to war crimes

GENEVA – The UN Human Rights Office says that attacks against people involved in humanitarian assistance may amount to war crimes, following a deadly strike by Israel against aid workers in the Gaza Strip earlier this week.

“Attacking people or objects involved in humanitarian assistance may amount to a war crime,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence says. “As the High Commissioner has repeatedly stated, impunity must end.”

Seven workers from World Central Kitchen, which provides food relief in crisis and conflict zones, were killed when their convoy was hit on Monday night shortly after they oversaw the unloading of 100 tons of food brought to the Palestinian enclave by sea.

“The Israeli airstrikes that killed World Central Kitchen personnel underline the horrific conditions under which humanitarian workers are operating in Gaza,” Laurence says.

“International law requires all parties to respect and protect humanitarian relief personnel and ensure their safety, security and freedom of movement.”

He says the suspension of aid delivery and distribution by NGOs including World Central Kitchen in the wake of the killings increases the “already real risk of more deaths from famine and disease at larger scale.”

Iranian media: Palestinian Islamic Jihad chief attending Quds Day rally in Tehran

The leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, Ziad al-Nakhala, is taking part in the annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day rally in Tehran, Iranian media reports.

The rally coincides with a funeral for seven officers killed in an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria earlier this week that Tehran has blamed on Israel.

Rocket sirens sounding again in northern towns

Sirens are sounding again in northern communities near the Lebanon border, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The sirens are sounding in Avdon, Eilon, Idmit, Arab al-Aramshe, Goren, Ya’ara and Hanita.

Red Alert [13:40:30] – 7 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Avdon, Eilon, Idmit, Arab al-Aramshe, Goren, Ya'ara, Hanita#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/OkVGgRXlGG

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) April 5, 2024

Drone alert sirens are also sounding in Avdon, Neveh Ziv and Manot.

IDF: 2 senior officers will be fired for involvement in deadly WCK strike on Gaza aid convoy

An infographic released on April 5, 2024 from the IDF probe into a deadly drone strike against a group of aid workers with the World Central Kitchen organization in the central Gaza Strip on April 1, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Two senior officers will be removed from their roles and several other top commanders in the Israel Defense Forces will be formally censured for their involvement in a deadly drone strike against a group of aid workers with the World Central Kitchen organization in the central Gaza Strip earlier this week, the military says.

The investigation into the incident at around midnight between Monday and Tuesday was carried out by the General Staff Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism, an independent military body responsible for investigating unusual incidents amid the war.

The probe found that the strike was ordered against the convoy of WCK vehicles after officers suspected they carried Hamas gunmen, despite a low level of confidence. The officers did not identify the vehicles as belonging to WCK when the strike was ordered, according to the investigation.

The findings were presented to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi yesterday by the head of the mechanism, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav Har-Even, as well as to WCK and ambassadors of countries whose citizens were killed in the strike.

Halevi ordered the removal of Col. (res.) Nochi Mendel, the chief of staff of the Nahal Infantry Brigade amid the war, and the brigade’s firepower coordination officer — who holds the rank of major — over their involvement in ordering the strike.

Additionally, Halevi reprimanded the commander of the Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, for his “overall responsibility for the incident,” as well as the commander of the 162nd Division, Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, and the commander of the Nahal Brigade, Col. Yair Zukerman.

An infographic released on April 5, 2024 from the IDF probe into a deadly drone strike against a group of aid workers with the World Central Kitchen organization in the central Gaza Strip on April 1, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

According to the investigation, IDF troops identified one gunman on top of one of the WCK trucks that had arrived at a warehouse to unload a shipment of aid that had arrived earlier by sea. The troops also believed there was a second gunman in the area.

Later, several vehicles left the warehouse where the aid was unloaded, and one of the commanders mistakenly believed that the armed men seen earlier were in the escort vehicles and that they were Hamas terrorists, the IDF probe says.

The IDF says the troops did not identify the escort vehicles as being associated with WCK, and as they believed they were carrying Hamas gunmen, airstrikes were carried out against three of the cars, leading to the deaths of seven WCK workers.

“The attack on the three vehicles was carried out in serious violation of the relevant orders and instructions,” the IDF says.

The IDF says the findings of the investigation show that the incident “could have been prevented, and at the same time, those who approved the attack were convinced that they were attacking armed Hamas operatives and not WCK members.”

“The attack on the aid vehicles is a serious mistake, which stemmed from a serious failure, as a result of wrong identification, a mistake in decision-making and an attack contrary to the orders and open-fire regulations,” the IDF says.

A man displays blood-stained British, Polish, and Australian passports of World Central Kitchen aid workers after an Israeli airstrike, in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The IDF says it views the incident “that claimed the lives of seven innocent humanitarian aid workers” with severity.

“We express our deep sorrow for the loss, and share in the grief of the families and the WCK organization,” the IDF says, adding that the “vital humanitarian activity of the international aid organizations” is of “utmost importance.”

“We will continue to work to coordinate and assist their activities, while ensuring their safety and safeguarding their lives,” the IDF continues.

“The IDF once again emphasizes its commitment to uncompromising fighting against the Hamas organization, alongside upholding the values ​​of the IDF, the laws of war and avoiding harming innocents.

“The IDF will learn the lessons of the incident, and will implement the lessons,” it adds.

Following the investigation, the IDF has decided to brand aid vehicles with special stickers that are visible with thermal cameras. The WCK vehicle had a sticker of the organization’s logo, although it was not visible to IDF drones at night.

US considering rolling back Trump-era order on West Bank goods labelling – report

Washington is considering rolling back a Trump-era order requiring goods made in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank to be labeled as “Made in Israel,” according to an unconfirmed US report.

While the Financial Times report says the move is still under consideration and timing is not final, it comes a day after US President Joe Biden indicated to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington’s policy regarding the war in Gaza will fundamentally change if Israel doesn’t implement a series of concrete steps to address the humanitarian crisis and protect aid workers.

The move was reportedly also considered in February when Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced plans for the construction of more than 3,000 settlement homes in response to a deadly terror shooting in the West Bank, according to the Financial Times.

The US Department of State declines to comment on the report.

‘Our brave men will punish the Zionist regime’: Iran reiterates revenge threat for Damascus hit

Iranians attend the funeral of seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike on the country's consular annex in Damascus, which Tehran blamed on Israel, on April 5, 2024, during their funeral procession in Tehran. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

Iran reiterates its pledge to punish Israel for an airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria earlier this week, at a funeral for seven officers killed in the attack.

State television shows demonstrators carrying pictures of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers killed and banners with slogans such as “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.”

The dead included one of Iran’s top soldiers, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior IRGC commander, who was visiting the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday.

“No act of the enemy against the sacred Islamic republic will go unanswered,” Major General Hossein Salami, the IRGC commander-in-chief, tells the crowd gathered in Tehran. “Our brave men will punish the Zionist regime.”

The IRGC is a US-designated terror organization.

The funeral coincides with the annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day, during which Iran stages large state-sponsored pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel rallies nationwide.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

Israel keeps 28 embassies closed amid Quds Day rallies, fears of Iran reprisal for Syria strike

An Israeli source confirms to the Times of Israel that 28 Israeli embassies around the world are closed today, amid fears of an Iranian reprisal for a strike earlier this week on one of its consular buildings in Damascus that it blames on Israel.

The precautionary move also comes as pro-Palestinian protesters gather in Iran and around the world to commemorate Quds (Jerusalem) Day, which they have marked on the last Friday of Ramadan each year since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, claiming it as an occasion to express support for the Palestinians.

While Israel has not claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack, which killed Iran’s top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general in Syria along with his deputy and five other IRGC officers, Tehran has pointed the finger at Jerusalem and vowed revenge.

The IRGC is a US-designated terror group.

Israeli source confirms: Mossad, Shin Bet chiefs heading to Cairo this weekend for hostage talks

An Israeli source confirms to the Times of Israel that Mossad Chief David Barnea, Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, and IDF hostage point man Nitzan Alon will head to Cairo in the coming days to try to move hostage talks forward.

The exact date is yet to be determined, but Hebrew media reports that they will likely fly on Saturday night.

Earlier this morning, Axios reporter Barak Ravid posted on social media that CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Cairo this weekend to meet with his Egyptian and Israeli counterparts and the Qatari prime minister to try to reach a breakthrough in talks on releasing hostages held in Gaza by Hamas since October 7.

Drone infiltration sirens sound in northern border towns

Suspected drone infiltration alarms are sounding in northern communities in the Western Galilee, near the Lebanese border.

The alerts sound in largely evacuated towns and cities including Kiryat Shmona, Beit Hillel, Kfar Giladi, Kfar Yuval, Metula, Margaliot, Misgav Am, Tel Hai and Dafna.

There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

???? Large Red Alert [12:48:37] – 16 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Kibutz Dan, Misgav Am, Ghajar, Metulla, Margaliot, Ma'ayan Baruch, Dafna, Kfar Yuval, Kiryat Shmona, Kfar Giladi, Snir, Manara, Tel Hai, HaGoshrim, Beit Hillel, Shear Yeshuv#Israel #RocketAlert #RedAlert pic.twitter.com/I9zql6aLVO

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) April 5, 2024

IDF maps West Bank home of Gan Yavne terrorist ahead of potential demolition

IDF soldiers measure the home of a terrorist who carried out a deadly stabbing attack in Gan Yavne earlier this week, ahead of its potential demolition, in the southern west Bank town of Dura, March 5, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it operated overnight in the southern west Bank town of Dura, to measure the home of a terrorist who carried out a deadly stabbing attack in Gan Yavne earlier this week, ahead of its potential demolition.

Israel regularly destroys the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.

Lidor Levy, 34, was killed and two other Israelis were seriously wounded in the attack carried out by the 19-year-old Palestinian terrorist at a mall in the city, close to Ashdod.

Turkish official: 8 arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel

Turkey’s interior minister says eight suspects have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel.

The suspects allegedly had contact with Israeli intelligence services and transferred information and documents to them, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya writes on X, formerly Twitter.

Two of the suspects were arrested and a “judicial control decision” was handed down for six other suspects, Yerlikaya says.

“We will never allow espionage activities that are intended to be carried out against our national unity and solidarity within the borders of our country. We are following!” he adds, while sharing a video purporting to show the arrests, accompanied by dramatic background music.

İsrail İstihbarat Servisinin hedefindeki Türkiye’de bulunan şahıslar ile şirketler hakkında bilgi derleyen ve İsrail İstihbarat unsurlarına topladığı bilgi ve belgeleri aktaran şahıslara yönelik düzenlenen “KÖSTEBEK-3” operasyonunda 8️⃣ şüpheli yakalandı❗️

Şüphelilerden;
????2️⃣’si… pic.twitter.com/bkCSNc7mxh

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) April 5, 2024

Turkey has made several such rounds of arrests in recent months.

In March, Turkish police detained seven people, including a private detective, suspected of selling information to Israel’s Mossad spy agency while in January a Turkish court ordered the arrest of 15 people and the deportation of eight others suspected of having links to Israeli intelligence and targeting Palestinians living in Turkey.

Turkish and Israeli leaders have traded public barbs since the war in Gaza erupted with Hamas’s October 7 massacre. Turkey has warned Israel of “serious consequences” if it tries to hunt down Hamas members living outside the Palestinian territories, including in Turkey.

FM updates counterparts on IDF probe into deadly WCK convoy strike

Foreign Minister Israel Katz speaks overnight with his counterparts in the UAE, UK, Australia, Canada, Poland, and Japan to update them on the IDF probe into the deadly strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy.

There had been reports that the UAE has suspended diplomatic ties with Israel this week, which Israeli sources denied as “fake news.”

Katz also tells them about Israeli plans to increase the aid going into Gaza, The Times of Israel has learned.

During the security cabinet meeting last night, Katz opposed the use of Ashdod Port to bring in aid, arguing that it would place responsibility for getting aid into Gaza back onto Israel.

Blinken: US welcomes Israeli steps to boost Gaza aid; ‘proof is in the results’

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the US-EU Trade and Technology Council in Leuven on April 5, 2024. (Johanna Geron/POOL/AFP)

LEUVEN Belgium – The United States welcomes Israel’s latest efforts to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, says US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, adding that success will be measured in the results of improving the situation on the ground.

“Really the proof is in the results, and we will see those unfold in the coming days, in the coming weeks,” Blinken says, speaking along EU leaders in Belgium.

The comments come after US President Joe Biden threatened yesterday to condition support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza on it taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians, seeking for the first time to leverage US aid to influence Israeli military behavior.

Asked on Israel’s action after Biden’s shift in position, Blinken tells journalists Washington will be “closely looking” at specific metrics such as the number of trucks making their way into the Gaza Strip and the evolution of famine risks.

He also says Israel needs to make sure the population is protected from its strikes by “maximizing every effort to protect civilians,” adding: “We just can’t have so many people caught in the crossfire killed, injured going forward.”

The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, which saw some 3,000 terrorists burst across the border into Israel by land, air and sea, killing some 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, mostly civilians, many amid horrific acts of brutality and sexual assault.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

Reports: Hezbollah fires anti-tank missile at northern town of Zarit; none hurt

Terrorists in Lebanon fired an anti-tank missile at the northern town of Zarit a short while ago, according to Hebrew media reports.

There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

No sirens were activated in the reported attack.

Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.

Russia says fatal concert shooting may be linked to war in Ukraine — TASS

File - People light candles during a memorial gathering in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, on March 24, 2024, as Russia observes a national day of mourning after a Moscow concert hall massacre that killed more than 130 people. (Valery Melnikov/AFP)

Russia’s investigative committee says that last month’s concert hall shooting outside Moscow may have been linked to the country’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, the TASS news agency reported.

The committee says it found photographs of camouflaged fighters with the Ukrainian flag on the mobile phone of one of the suspected shooters, as well as those of a Ukrainian postal stamp, and considered them evidence of a possible link.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he calls his “special military operation” in Ukraine in 2022.

Dozens rally outside Rabbi Dov Landau’s Bnei Brak home in support of Haredi draft

Dozens of demonstrators have gathered outside the home of Rabbi Dov Landau in Bnei Brak, to protest his rejection of an interim order from the High Court of Justice last week barring the government from providing funds to ultra-Orthodox yeshivas for students eligible for IDF enlistment.

The protester are calling for Landau to support the move and encourage Haredim to help “share the burden” of protecting the state amid the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

“We can’t continue to bear the burden alone – failure to recruit Yeshiva students weakens the IDF and endangers the country’s security,” the protesters write on a letter they intend to present to the rabbi.

Landau is one of two deans of the Slabodka Yeshiva in Bnei Brak.

כעת בני ברק: הפגנה ליד לישיבת סלדובקה של הרב לנדו – בדרישה לשוויון בנטל. (קרדיט: ברק דור) @N12News pic.twitter.com/6w2Jpgq5h0

— אור רביד | Or Ravid (@OrRavid) April 5, 2024

Iranian state media: Millions rallying locally, around the world for Quds Day

A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on April 4, 2024, shows the supreme leader praying over the coffins of seven Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike on the country's consular annex in Damascus, which Tehran blamed on Israel, ahead of their funeral procession. (Khamenei.ir/AFP)

Iran and its allies are commemorating Quds (Jerusalem) Day, which they have marked on the last Friday of Ramadan each year since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, claiming it as an occasion to express support for the Palestinians.

Iran’s Press TV, an English-language government mouthpiece, reports that millions of people are rallying around the world, with pro-Palestinian rallies being held at 2,000 locations around Iran.

A funeral ceremony is also being held in Tehran for several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike in Damascus that Iran has blamed on Israel.

Among those killed were the IRGC’s top commander in Syria, leading the Israeli military to go on high alert following Iranian vows of retaliation.

The IRGC is a US-designated terrorist organization.

Palestinian man killed in West Bank was hurling explosive device at troops — police

Police say undercover Border Police officers killed a Palestinian man who was hurling an explosive device at troops during a raid in the West Bank this morning.

The officers had raided the West Bank city of Tulkarem to detain three wanted Palestinians suspected of involvement in terror activities, police say.

According to Palestinian media, the shooting occurred in the adjacent Nur Shams refugee camp.

Police say the officers detained the wanted men, and as they left the city a violent riot erupted, during which “a terrorist was eliminated by the undercover force after he threw an explosive device in their direction.”

He is named by Palestinian media as Sa’ed Abu Alawiya.

Palestinian man killed in IDF raid in West Bank refugee camp — reports

A Palestinian man was killed in an Israel Defense Forces raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp, close to the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, according to unconfirmed reports.

The official Palestinian news agency says doctors at the Thabet Thabet Government Hospital in Tulkarem pronounced the man’s death after he was shot by troops while taking shelter on the roof of his house.

The man is named in the report as Nur Shams resident Saed Abu Alawiya.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

Since October 7, troops have arrested some 3,700 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,600 affiliated with Hamas.

According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, more than 450 West Bank Palestinians have been killed in that time.

IDF says fighter jets hit Gaza rocket launch sites used in yesterday’s attacks on south

The IDF says the 215th Artillery Regiment shelled rocket launch sites in the northern Gaza Strip, used in attacks against southern Israel’s Sderot, Ashkelon, and Kibbutz Kfar Aza yesterday.

Fighter jets later struck several targets in the area of the launch sites, including a tunnel shaft, underground rocket launchers, and a staging ground used by terror operatives, the IDF says.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets hit some 30 more targets in Gaza over the past day, the IDF says, including buildings used by Hamas operatives, tunnels, government buildings, a weapons depot, and additional military infrastructure.

One airstrike in the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza killed at least two terror operatives who were holed up in a building, the IDF says. The IAF fighter jets also struck several booby-trapped buildings, as part of support for maneuvering ground forces, the military says.

IDF troops are currently battling Hamas in Khan Younis.

Over the past day, the IDF says the 7th Armored Brigade shelled a booby-trapped building, located weapons, and destroyed underground infrastructure.

The Commando Brigade killed several more gunmen, including by directing airstrikes and tank shelling, and the Givati Brigade raided buildings in Khan Younis’s al-Amal neighborhood, where explosive devices were found, the IDF says.

כוחות אוגדה 98 ממשיכים לפעול בחאן יונס לטיהור המרחב מחמאס. לוחמי צוות קרב חטיבה 7 השמידו בירי טנק מבנה ממולכד, איתרו ציוד צבאי ונשקים, והשמידו תשתית טרור תת קרקעית, זאת במקביל לתקיפות חיל האוויר במרחב במסגרתן מטוס קרב תקף וחיסל שני מחבלים שהיו בתוך מבנה צבאי >> pic.twitter.com/ORqSWDqSa0

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 5, 2024

Jerusalem police arrest 8 worshippers at Al-Aqsa for chants supporting terror at Ramadan morning prayers

Thousands of Muslim worshipers attend Friday prayers during Ramadan, at the Al-Aqsa compound atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, March 29, 2024. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)

Jerusalem police arrest eight people suspected of chants amounting to incitement and support for terrorism after morning prayers for the final Friday of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque atop the Temple Mount.

A police statement says thousands of worshippers attended morning prayers, with police deployed in large numbers throughout Jerusalem’s Old City.

The suspects, four from East Jerusalem and four from northern Israel, have been detained for questioning.

“These vile instigators and supporters of terrorism are residents of the State of Israel who take advantage of a religious occasion and use a holy place of prayer for incitement and support for terrorism and terrorists,” the police statement says.

“They harm first and foremost the normative Muslim public who come to the Temple Mount and do not take part in those serious incitement demonstrations.”

Army Radio shares a clip of one of the arrests on social media.

תיעוד מהעיר העתיקה: מעצר אחד החשודים בהסתה ובתמיכה בטרור ובמחבלים הבוקר בהר הבית @yoeli_brim pic.twitter.com/keozgrjFOw

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) April 5, 2024

Despite heightened worries this year of potential unrest stemming from the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, triggered by the group’s shock October 7 attack, Friday afternoon prayers for Ramadan at the Temple Mount have passed peacefully over the past three weeks.

The site is the holiest place in Judaism, where two biblical Temples once stood, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third-holiest shrine in Islam, making the site a perennial flashpoint of the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Poll: Gantz holds his lead over Netanyahu, even amid New Hope split and ongoing war

File - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz at a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, October 28, 2023. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)

National Unity party leader Benny Gantz would be able to form a ruling coalition if elections were held today, according to a new poll, though support seems to have dropped slightly amid the faction’s breakup with New Hope party chair Gideon Sa’ar last month and amid the ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.

The poll, published by Maariv, gives Gantz’s party 32 seats, down from 33 in the newspaper’s previous poll last month but soaring from its current 12.

The parties in Netanyahu’s pre-war coalition would win just 44 Knesset seats compared to the 64 they won in the November 2022 elections, while parties in the previous ruling coalition would win 66 seats in the 120-member Knesset — down from 71 last month before the National Unity faction split.

The poll also says opposition leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party would gain three mandates putting it up to 15 seats, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party would lose two, bringing it down to 17.

The Labor party, heading for primaries next month to elect a new faction leader, would be close to the electoral threshold with four seats, the poll finds, along with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party.

The survey was conducted by Panel4All yesterday and published this morning.

IDF soldier lightly injured by anti-tank missile fired by Hezbollah near Metula

An IDF soldier was lightly hurt in an anti-tank missile attack in the area of Metula on the Lebanon border overnight, the military says.

Seven rockets were also fired toward the community of Malkia in the Upper Galilee.

Hezbollah took responsibility for the attacks, saying it targeted military positions.

The IDF says it shelled the sources of fire with artillery.

FM ‘commends’ US clarification that any Gaza ceasefire must be conditioned on hostage release

Foreign Minister Israel Katz “commends” the clarification from the US that any pause in fighting in Gaza will be conditioned on the release of 130 hostages held by terror groups since Hamas’s October 7 massacre.

“We will continue to work together with our allies worldwide to preserve Israel’s right to continue the war until the hostages are released and Hamas is decisively defeated,” he says in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

It was not immediately clear which clarification Katz was referring to.

His statement comes after US President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call last night that “an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians.” He urged his Israeli counterpart to “empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home.”

US military says it shot down Houthi anti-ship missile

US forces successfully engaged and destroyed one anti-ship missile in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen on April 4, US Central Command says in a statement.

There were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships, the statement adds.

In effort to reach breakthrough, Mossad head reportedly to attend Cairo hostage talks

File: Head of Mossad David Barnea attends a state ceremony marking 50 years since the Yom Kippur War, held at the military cemetery at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl, on September 26, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

WASHINGTON — US CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Cairo this weekend to meet with his Egyptian and Israeli counterparts and the Qatari prime minister to try to reach a breakthrough in talks on releasing hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, Axios reporter Barak Ravid posts on social media site X, citing two sources.

US says Israel must ‘fully and rapidly implement’ steps to increase amount of aid entering Gaza

Activists for hostages block aid trucks from leaving the Ashdod Port during a protest against aid reaching the Gaza Strip, in Ashdod, February 1, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The US welcomes a series of newly announced Israeli measures aimed at expanding the amount of aid for Gaza.

“These steps, including a commitment to open the Ashdod port for the direct delivery of assistance into Gaza, to open the Erez Crossing for a new route for assistance to reach north Gaza, and to significantly increase deliveries from Jordan directly into Gaza, must now be fully and rapidly implemented,” White House National Security Council Adrienne Watson says in a statement.

“As the president said today on the call, US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers,” she adds.

“We are prepared to work in full coordination with the government of Israel, the Governments of Jordan and Egypt, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to ensure that these important steps are implemented and result in a significant increase in humanitarian assistance reaching civilians in dire need throughout Gaza over the coming days and weeks.”

The Israeli announcement came hours after an intense call between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — the first since an IDF strike in central Gaza killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen.

Kamala Harris: If Israel doesn’t change approach in Gaza, ‘it’s very likely we’re going to’

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 4, 2024. (Allison Joyce/AFP)

US Vice President Kamala Harris describes the conversation between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “candid and frank,” after she sat in on the phone call.

“We will make sure Israel is never left without an ability to defend itself,” she tells a reporter from Spectrum News. “At the same time, if there are not changes to their approach, it’s very likely we’re going to change our approach.”

Vice President Harris who was on the Biden-Netanyahu call after landing in NC:

“It was a candid and frank conversation…

“If there are not changes to their approach, it is very likely we're going to change our approach." https://t.co/HrM6bK0UHM pic.twitter.com/EQKewztXaI

— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) April 4, 2024

McDonald’s to acquire franchised restaurants in Israel amid boycott calls

A man walks into a McDonald's restaurant in central Jerusalem, on April 13, 2016. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

McDonald’s Corporation says it will acquire Alonyal, which owns 225 McDonald’s restaurants in Israel which have been hit by calls for a boycott over the war with Hamas in Gaza.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. McDonald’s says in a statement the deal is subject to conditions which it doesn’t identify.

Alonyal has operated McDonald’s restaurants in Israel for more than 30 years, today owning 225 franchised properties with more than 5,000 employees, who will be retained after the sale.

In presenting its 2023 earnings report in February, McDonald’s said the war in Gaza that began in October with the Hamas attacks on Israel was weighing on its results.

McDonald’s was targeted with boycott calls after the franchised restaurants in Israel offered thousands of free meals to Israeli soldiers.

“We recognize that families in their communities in the region continue to be tragically impacted by the war and our thoughts are with them at this time,” Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski says in an analyst call.

He says the impact of the boycott was “meaningful,” without elaborating.

McDonald’s fourth quarter sales disappointed analysts. In franchised restaurants outside the United States, comparable sales fell 0.7 percent.

“Obviously the place that we’re seeing the most pronounced impact is in the Middle East. We are seeing some impact in other Muslim countries like Malaysia, Indonesia,” saud Kempczinski.

This also happened in countries with large Muslim populations such as France, especially for restaurants in heavily Muslim neighborhoods, he says.

McDonald’s shares were down nearly 2% in after-market trading Thursday.

Slamming Netanyahu, Ben Gvir says no vote held on moves to boost aid deliveries to Gaza

National Security Itamar Ben Gvir leads an Otzma Yehudit faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 4, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir hits out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the latter’s office announced that ministers okayed a series of measures to immediately boost aid deliveries to Gaza.

Ben Gvir says the government did not vote on the matter and calls the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office “incorrect.” The statement from Netanyahu’s office said the government authorized the premier and other members of the war cabinet to take the steps, but not that a vote was held.

“Ben Gvir and others opposed the proposal and it’s regrettable that the prime minister refrained from bringing it to a vote,” the far-right minister says in a statement.

He also calls to stop allowing aid into Gaza, claiming it’s “the correct way” to return the hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7 attack.

“It’s too bad that instead of entering Rafah, there are those who prefer to deal with sending equipment to Gaza that directly reaches Hamas,” Ben Gvir continues. “We must enter Rafah now!”

Senior US diplomat holds first meeting with new PA premier

US Office of Palestinian Affairs chief George Noll (L) meets with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa in Ramallah on April 4, 2024. (US Office of Palestinian Affairs/X)

The head of the US Office of Palestinian Affairs held his first meeting with new Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa in Ramallah earlier today.

George Noll and Mustafa “discussed how the new government can implement credible and far-reaching reforms,” a US readout says.

“The revitalization of the PA through more transparent, effective, and representative governance is critical to achieving the vision of a Gaza unified with the West Bank under the PA,” the readout adds.