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Dear A.,


Hamas is once again refusing to accept a U.S.-backed deal agreed to by Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages.


"Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE... I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," President Trump said last night.


Trump's announcement came after a
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meeting yesterday between White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in D.C.

According to reports, the agreement would see Hamas release ten living and eight dead hostages, in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire during which Israel and Hamas would negotiate an end to the war in Gaza.


Under the proposed deal, the IDF will stay on the Gaza border and in the Philadelphi Corridor to protect Israeli communities and prevent weapons smuggling.


The IDF would also reportedly be able to conduct raids in Gaza when necessary to prevent terror activity.


Two senior Israeli officials said the progress in recent days stems from heavy pressure by the Trump administration on Qatar, which in turn pressured Hamas, Axios' Barak Ravid
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reported . Qatar is a key sponsor of Hamas.


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Meanwhile, released hostage Ohad Ben Ami
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testified before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee yesterday about the horrific treatment he faced as a hostage.


Ben Ami, abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7 and released in February 2025, said that a month before his release he and five other hostages were told by a Hamas terrorist that three of them would be sentenced to death, and that it was up to them to choose.


"A [Hamas] commander, probably a senior one, came to us and cocked his gun, and said: 'Choose three people to die and three people who I will shoot in the kneecap.' They made us decide which three should take a bullet to the head, and which three a bullet to the knee."


"We had to debate this for an entire hour, all while they filmed us. They let each of us speak and explain why we deserved to live, why we deserved to die, or why we deserved to be shot in the knee."

When they couldn't decide, the terrorist chose three hostages at random. They were then forced to speak badly about the Israeli government to have their lives spared.

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.

Iran formally suspends IAEA cooperation

Iran today formally
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suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), once again violating its international commitments by preventing the IAEA from accessing its nuclear sites.


State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce called the move "unacceptable," saying that Iran has "a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity. Iran must cooperate fully without further delay."

The UK, France and Germany should immediately initiate snapback to reimpose U.N. sanctions and restrictions targeting Iran's nuclear and missile programs.


The United States must lead a global effort of our allies to impose maximum pressure on Iran and fully enforce sanctions, including on oil sales to China, until the regime permanently and verifiably has no domestic enrichment capabilities, abandons its ballistic missile program, and stops funding terror groups.

New data highlights immense success of Israeli missile defense

Last night, Israel's Defense Ministry released new data highlighting its remarkable success and
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technological sophistication in countering Iran’s missile and drone attacks during the 12-day war with Iran.


Israel's aerial defense systems successfully intercepted 86% percent of ballistic missiles and 99% of drones launched by Iran.



These interceptions prevented an estimated $15 billion in property damage — seven times greater than the actual damage caused — and saved countless lives.


"The greatest achievement of this operation is the ability of all of [Israel’s weapons] systems to operate in coordination with one another, along with the collaboration with U.S. systems, which enabled us to achieve major successes,"
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said Moshe Patel, head of the Israel Missile Defense Organization.

Israel's ability to defend its families against Iran was thanks in large part to decades of U.S.-Israel security cooperation and joint missile defense programs that AIPAC has spent years lobbying for. Thanks to our work, countless lives were saved.

Katz responds to latest Houthi missile launched at Israel

Last night, the Israeli Air Force
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intercepted a ballistic missile launched by the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists from Yemen.


The attack triggered sirens and sent Israeli civilians across the country into bomb shelters. Fortunately, no injuries or damage were reported.


Since mid-March, the Houthis have fired over 50 ballistic missiles and at least 13 drones towards Israel.


Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a strong warning against the Iranian terror proxy: "Yemen will be treated like Tehran. After striking the head of the snake in Tehran, we will also strike the Houthis in Yemen. Whoever raises a hand against Israel — that hand will be cut off."

The United States must continue to stand with Israel in countering attacks from this Iranian proxy, whose slogan calls for "Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse upon the Jews."

GHF chairman pushes back against false narratives, U.N. sabotage

The Israel- and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has now distributed more than 56 million meals to Gazans, including nearly 2 million meals today alone.


In a
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podcast interview , GHF chairman Rev. Johnnie Moore pushed back against false narratives and disinformation being spread about GHF's efforts to aid civilians.


"To my great surprise, we poked a number of bears that I wasn’t anticipating, and not all of them are Hamas threatening our local aid workers and the Americans helping these people. A lot of [the antagonists] wear suits and are in places like Geneva and New York City... elite organizations that we would assume [have] good intent have just attacked us again and again."


Moore says that the U.N. has "been trying to sabotage us from the very beginning," adding, "they spread lies that originate in Hamas and try to shut us down, and I can’t think of anything more immoral than trying to shut down an operation that’s … feeding millions and millions of meals every day."


"What’s clear is that there is this very intentional disinformation campaign that is trying to say that … the GHF is a death trap, that we exist not to feed people 50 million meals, but to lure people. This is the lie that they [Hamas] keep telling...This is their primary way of both trying to scare Gazans [from] getting our aid, trying to force us to shut down, trying to force European governments not to fund us, for the United Nations to continue opposing us."


You can watch the interview
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here :


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Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman responds to anti-Israel action from Ireland

After the Irish government advanced
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legislation to restrict trade with Israel, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID)
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said :


"Ireland, while often a valuable U.S. partner, is on a hateful, antisemitic path that will only lead to self-inflicted economic suffering. If this legislation is implemented, America will have to seriously reconsider its deep and ongoing economic ties. We will always stand up to blatant antisemitism."
The United States must continue to push back against discriminatory efforts targeting the Jewish state on the world stage.


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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