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Dear A.,

Tonight, the people of Israel transition from Yom Hazikaron, Israel's national day of remembrance, to Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's independence day.


In a video statement this evening, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said, “there is no question that this year, our Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations are different.”


The past seven months "have reminded us why we rose up from tragedy and found the strength and determination to establish a beautiful and beloved national home — the miracle that is the State of Israel.”


“May we continue to raise our voices and fight for what matters — for the immediate release of our hostages. For our safety and our future in a thriving and secure Jewish and democratic State of Israel, and for a world of peace, harmony, and goodwill," he said.


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U.N. dramatically revises Gaza death toll numbers


Since October 7, the U.N. has outrageously based its death statistics on information provided by Hamas' Gaza Health Ministry.


Claims of 9,500 children killed and 14,500 women killed have been used by anti-Israel members of Congress and others to demonize the Jewish state.


While every civilian death in this war is a tragedy, the U.N. finally revised its data to reflect a major drop in the number of women and children killed --
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cutting the total almost in half .


Israeli estimates that 14,000 terrorists have been killed in the fighting, along with some 16,000 civilians -- a ratio that is
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unprecedented relative to other modern wars.


IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. (R) Peter Lerner
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said , "All civilian deaths in war are tragic and need to be avoided. [The IDF] takes precautionary measures more than any other military in the world...by appealing to basic human sentiment, with assistance of amplifiers from the U.N. organizations, that is covered by the world media, and broadcasted virally on social media - Hamas are aiming to survive the war. This strategy is Hamas’ Iron Dome system."


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Key Election Tomorrow in Maryland


Pro-Israel candidate Sarah Elfreth is competing to win the Democratic primary in Maryland's third district, running against several anti-Israel candidates in an open seat race.


The AIPAC-backed super PAC United Democracy Project has been heavily engaged in the district, running ads and encouraging voters to support Elfreth.



This is a pivotal race for our community in a high-profile district just outside Washington, D.C., and is one of several key races coming up in the next few weeks.


This race comes on the heels of last week’s major victory in Indiana, where we helped pro-Israel candidate Mark Messmer defeat his anti-Israel opponent in the Republican primary. Messmer was down in the polls before AIPAC and United Democracy Project helped catapult him to a commanding win over former Rep. John Hostettler.



90 former U.S. generals and admirals back Israel in wake of arms transfer delay


Following the Biden Administration's announcement that it is delaying an arms transfer to Israel, 90 retired U.S. military leaders declared "that a strong Israel is vital to the United States national security, and it is imperative that America unequivocally stand by this indispensable ally."


"America must support Israel as it restores its security, shattered on October 7, against Iran and its terrorist proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen that all seek to destroy the Jewish state," the leaders wrote.


"These forces are also enemies of the United States and everything we stand for. This Iranian-backed axis of terror, as well as other adversaries and allies around the world, are watching closely to see whether the United States will stand by one of its closest allies fighting in self-defense, even when the going gets tough."

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Read the full letter here.

Israel has facilitated the safe evacuation of 360,000 Gazans from eastern Rafah


Israel is proceeding with its incremental operation to root out Hamas in Rafah, while working to evacuate civilians from the area.


Since the IDF
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began ordering civilians to leave by dropping leaflets, sending text messages, publishing media announcements, and making phone calls, 360,000 Gazan civilians have been moved out of eastern Rafah toward the western part of the Strip.


The Israeli Air Force struck
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more than 120 terror targets across Gaza over the past day, as IDF ground forces operate to destroy Hamas cells in central and southern Gaza.

MUST LISTEN
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

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Dan Senor
Call Me Back Podcast





In his latest podcast, Dan Senor spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the coming operation in Rafah, the necessity for continued IDF operations in other parts of Gaza, what makes this war so different, how the Prime Minister is approaching the hostage negotiations, and whether exile for Hamas’s leaders could be part of a final deal to get the hostages home.

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


Sincerely,

Cory Meyer

Deputy Director of Communications


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Share Chaim's story on
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Facebook .




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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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