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Dear A.,


Prime Minister Netanyahu
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reaffirmed today that Israel would continue to operate throughout Gaza, "including Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold."


"Whoever tells us not to act in Rafah is telling us to lose the war and that will not happen," Netanyahu said at an IDF graduation ceremony. "There is international pressure and it's growing, but particularly when the international pressure rises, we must close ranks, we need to stand together against the attempts to stop the war."


Netanyahu’s comment come just days after Gantz
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told U.S. officials in D.C. that, “Finishing the war without demilitarizing Rafah is like sending in firefighters to put out 80% of a fire.”

Biden to Announce Maritime Humanitarian Dock in Gaza


President Biden is expected to announce at tonight’s State of the Union address that the U.S. will help construct a temporary dock in Gaza to allow for an influx of humanitarian aid.


Axios’ Barak Ravid
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cited an Israeli official who said, "Israel welcomes and fully supports the deployment of a temporary dock to facilitate further humanitarian aid to Gazan civilians. The initiative has been discussed by U.S. and Israeli officials, and will be carried out with full coordination between the two parties."

Hamas' attack unleashed war in Gaza and its despicable use of human shields has led to tragic deaths and suffering. We appreciate the Biden administration working with Israel to coordinate and implement this maritime corridor to supplement the aid that Israel is already facilitating into Gaza.


The temporary platform will reportedly be operational in a few weeks and requires no U.S. military personnel on the ground.

General Petraeus on Hamas threat, IDF success


Today, former CIA Director General David Petraeus
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spoke about the immense challenge facing the IDF at the Institute for National Security Studies’ (INSS) 17th Annual International Conference in Tel Aviv.


"What we did during the surge in Iraq is nowhere near as fiendishly difficult as Gaza is, nowhere near as large an enemy in aggregate, nowhere near the tunnels, the subterranean, the knowledge of the neighborhoods, all of this, the support of the people… I see Hamas as the equivalent of the Islamic State. They are not reconcilable."


"I think the IDF soldiers have done a magnificent job on the ground. There has to be much more as I have described, but the key is, I believe, not to stopping until Hamas has been destroyed, rendered incapable of accomplishing its mission without reconstitution, and then a plan is implemented that keeps them from being able to reconstitute."

WATCH TOMORROW: AIPAC Interview with Richard Goldberg


AIPAC’s new interview series highlights the multiple fronts Israel is forced to defend against. I encourage you to watch our latest interview on Iran — the head of the snake, the epicenter of the threats facing Israel, America and the region — with Richard Goldberg, senior advisor for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.


Click below to stream it live at 2PM ET. The conversation will be available to watch on-demand after it airs.

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Subscribe to AIPAC’s YouTube channel to get updates when each episode is posted.


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International Women’s Day


Tomorrow marks International Women’s Day – a day that has taken on extra significance for the 19 women and girls held hostage in Gaza — 154 days after Hamas kidnapped them and hundreds of others.


The silence from much of the world, including women’s rights leaders, has been deafening.


But the hostage families and freed hostages are using this day to raise awareness for the plight of these women and girls.


Maya Regev, a female hostage freed in the previous hostage deal,
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spoke this week at a ceremony to mark International Women's Day in the Knesset: "The women who are in captivity are perhaps the strongest you will know. They are experiencing 151 days of continuous and never-ending nightmares. They should be everyone's priority."


Speaking about her 30-year-old daughter held hostage in Gaza, Simona Steinbrecher said, "Doron is a young woman, and the fear is of sexual violence, rape, even pregnancy."


This all comes just days after the U.N. finally reported on Hamas’ widespread sexual abuse, citing "clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment occurred against some women and children during their time in captivity and has reasonable grounds to believe that this violence may be ongoing."


Nearly 20 family members of hostages being held in Gaza will be in attendance at tonight’s State of the Union address, which is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET.



Tell Congress: Hamas is Rejecting U.S.-Backed Deal
Make sure your elected leaders know the Israelis accepted the U.S.-brokered deal that would pause fighting, free hostages and surge aid, and Hamas has failed to respond.

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Washington Post report: 100+ U.S. weapons transfers to Israel since Oct. 7


The United States has
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approved and delivered more than 100 separate foreign military sales to Israel since October 7.


Included in these transfers have been thousands of precision-guided munitions, small-diameter bombs, bunker busters, small arms and other lethal aid.


Continue to
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follow AIPAC on social media for the latest updates.


Sincerely,

Adam Harris

Director of Communications


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Support our work to keep Israel safe.



The mission of AIPAC is to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.


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