– U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss aid flow into Gaza amid tense relations due to the six-month-old war.
– Israel claimed to have killed or captured hundreds of Hamas fighters in a five-day operation at the Al Shifa hospital complex in Gaza, which Hamas and medical staff deny.
– Blinken has been engaging in diplomacy in the Middle East, including meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia and officials in Cairo, aiming for a ceasefire.
– U.S. President Joe Biden criticized Israel’s campaign in Gaza as “over the top” due to its toll on civilian lives.
– The war started with a Hamas raid into southern Israel, killing 1,200 and taking 253 hostages. Over 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombardments.
– Blinken emphasized the need for increased and sustained aid deliveries to Gaza, where the entire population faces severe food insecurity.
– Israeli Colonel Moshe Tetro denied food shortages in Gaza, claiming sufficient food enters daily.
– Discussions include Israel’s intention to launch a ground offensive on Rafah, with Washington objecting to the plan.
– An airstrike on a house in Al-Naser, east of Rafah, killed eight people, including a family with five children.
– Senior Israeli and U.S. officials are set to meet in Washington to discuss alternatives to a full-on assault on Hamas.
– Talks in Qatar focus on a proposal for a six-week halt to fighting, exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
– Israel aims to eradicate Hamas, while Hamas wants a permanent end to the war and Israeli troop withdrawal.
– Israeli troops claim to have killed or detained hundreds in the Al Shifa hospital, including senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad members, though Hamas denies fighters were in the compound.
