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Dear A.,


Prime Minister Netanyahu said today that he'll be traveling next week "for meetings in the U.S. with U.S. President Donald Trump; Vice President Vance; Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio; Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth; the President's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, the Commerce Secretary [and] meetings with Congressional and Senate leaders and security meetings which I will not detail here."


"These come in the wake of the great victory that we achieved in Operation Rising Lion. Taking advantage of the success is no less an important part of achieving the success," he added.

The agenda will include U.S.-Israel cooperation against Iran, next steps in Gaza and the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations with Syria and other Arab and Muslim countries, an Israeli official
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told Jewish Insider.


President Trump
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said , "We're going to talk about the great success we had in Iran... That was a precision warstrike — and the word 'obliteration' can now be used... We're also going to talk about Gaza."


Meanwhile, there are reports of potential progress towards a ceasefire-hostage release deal in Gaza.

Axios' Barak Ravid
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reported a senior Israeli official saying, "We want to try to secure a deal as quickly as possible, but if we see later this week that there’s no one to talk to, we will expand the ground operation... This is not our preferred option, but if there is no progress toward a hostage deal, we will do it as a last resort."


Qatar reportedly sent an updated proposal to Israel and Hamas today, but Hamas has not yet responded. Even if the terror group agrees to advance talks, the negotiations will be "lengthy, difficult, and ugly,"
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according to an Israeli official.


With negotiations ongoing, the IDF is continuing its military operations in Gaza,
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striking over 140 terror targets over the past day.


And the United States is continuing to stand steadfastly with Israel, approving yesterday a $510 million sale of bomb guidance kits and related support, helping to replenish our ally's munitions following the 12-day war with Iran.


"The proposed sale will enhance Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats by improving its ability to defend Israel’s borders, vital infrastructure, and population centers," the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency
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said .

The United States must continue to stand with Israel for as long as it takes and increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Qatar, Turkey, and Iran to free all 50 hostages still held in Gaza.

U.S. stands with Israel at the U.N.

The U.S. representative to the U.N.,
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speaking at a U.N. Security Council briefing on the Middle East, condemned the U.N.'s ongoing biased and discriminatory attacks on our ally Israel:


"Let us be clear: Hamas bears absolute responsibility for the ongoing war in Gaza. Hamas began a war on October 7, 2023, with a massacre of innocent civilians. Hamas has repeatedly rejected ceasefire proposals that Israel has accepted. It holds the people of Gaza for ransom, stopping at nothing to remain in power...


"Shamefully, the United Nations has yet to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization even as it holds 50 hostages, including the remains of two American citizens. The United States will not rest until those in Hamas’ captivity return to their families.


"The United States calls on this Council and the United Nations, including Secretary-General Guterres, to join us in pressuring Hamas to end the bloodshed, disarm, and to give the people of Gaza a chance for a peaceful life...


"The United States will continue to work tirelessly with Israel and our Arab partners to create a brighter and more prosperous future for all the region’s people."

Gaza aid efforts continue despite Hamas threats and U.N. silence

The Israel- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is continuing its efforts to aid civilians in Gaza despite Hamas' attempts to stop its work and the United Nations' refusal to help.


GHF has now distributed more than
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54 million meals , including nearly 2 million meals today alone.


But "the United Nations sent a directive to all of their agencies telling them to not work with us, despite the fact that most of the aid coming into the Gaza Strip right now is from us," GHF chairman Johnnie Moore
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said .


"And top it all off, Hamas itself actually attacked some of our volunteer Gazan aid workers, killed 12 of them, injured others of them, piled their bodies in front of Nasser Hospital in Gaza, refusing to allow them any medical treatment at all, and the United Nations, which receives billions of dollars from the United States government and the Europeans, didn’t even … issue a statement condemning Hamas’s murder of these local Gazan aid workers," he added.


"Our local staff, who keep these operations running, have already paid the ultimate price: twelve murdered, others tortured, and now more threats [from Hamas] emerging by the day," GHF said in a statement.


Corroborating the GHF statement, the IDF
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released a recording of a conversation with a Gaza resident, in which the resident describes how Hamas fires on civilians at aid distribution sites, then blames the IDF to disrupt humanitarian efforts.


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Other notable headlines
-
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81-year-old victim of Boulder antisemitic attack dies from wounds


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Israel says Hezbollah must disarm before any Lebanon peace talks can advance


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U.S. gave Lebanon until today to respond to demand Hezbollah relinquish weapons, sources say


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IDF troops targeting Hamas infrastructure in eastern Gaza City, says military

-
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Trump Admin Demands U.N. Fire Palestinian Rights Envoy Over ‘Virulent Antisemitism and Support for Terrorism’


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

Jake Braunstein

Director of Policy 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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