As America and Israel continue to pursue a hostage-ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Hamas remains the primary obstacle.
Speaking about the negotiations yesterday, President Trump said, "we are talking, and hopefully we’re going to get that straightened out over the next week. Let’s see what happens."
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff also said he was "hopeful," and met with Qatari officials yesterday in New Jersey.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said in an interview Saturday (see more on that interview below)that he was "confident" a deal could be reached: "I want as many [hostages] saved. And in the process, we hope that we can get an arrangement where we can bring humanitarian aid to the civilian population [in Gaza] without having Hamas loot it."
It was reported today that Israel has agreed to additional concessions to work towards an agreement. "We are demonstrating seriousness and a willingness to take a few more steps forward in order to reach a deal. Now it’s Hamas’s turn to show flexibility and engage seriously in the negotiations," an Israeli official said, adding, "Nothing will happen unless the U.S. pushes hard."
While Israel has accepted the U.S.-backed agreement and continues to offer concessions to reach a deal, Hamas has rejected every offer.
The United States must continue to stand with Israel and increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Qatar, Turkey and Iran to release all 50 hostages still held in captivity in Gaza.
Tell House Members: Reject Marjorie Taylor Greene and Ilhan Omar's Anti-Israel Amendments
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Ilhan Omar each recently proposed amendments to end U.S. funding for lifesaving missile defense programs like Iron Dome.
These amendments would weaken America, hurt our ally Israel and put American and Israeli lives at risk.
The House could vote on one of these amendments as soon as tomorrow.
Netanyahu sits down for Fox News interview
While in D.C., Netanyahu recorded an interview with Fox News' Mark Levin, released on Saturday.
On Iran: "A regime that chants 'Death to America,' that's killed and injured thousands of Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan through their IEDs, explosive devices, that bombed your embassy, that burned your flag, that tried to assassinate President Trump, twice, by the way, tried to assassinate me once... These are the enemies America, sworn to your destruction. And of course, President Trump understands that. He understands that our enemy is your enemy, and that our victory is your victory. But he went further than that. He changed American policy. He said, if this is our common enemy, we can have a common victory."
On the hostages: "The only reason [the war in Gaza] is not finished is because they have the hostages. We are doing everything we can to not to cause them harm. They took 255 hostages on day one… We returned to Israel 148 that are alive, 205 altogether. We’ve got 50 left, 20 are live, 30 are not alive, and I intend to get all of them back."
On the war against Hamas: "Israel does everything in its power to avoid civilian casualties. Hamas does everything in its power to have civilian casualties — civilian casualties on our side when they rocket our cities and civilian casualties on their side when they prevent the civilian population, the Palestinian population from leaving the combat zones."
You can watch the full 19-minute interview here:
Israel eliminates senior Hamas, PIJ terrorists
In a series of targeted Israeli airstrikes in Gaza over the past two weeks, the IDF has eliminated several senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commanders.
Among those eliminated is Nasr Ali Quneita, a Hamas terrorist involved in the October 7 massacre and responsible for holding former hostage Emily Damari captive in Gaza.
Damari wrote on social media following the terrorist's killing: "This is what the face of evil looks like. A face I will never forget. I’m so glad he is no longer [in] our world."
Meanwhile, over the past 24 hours, the Israeli Air Force has also struck over 100 targets in Gaza, including terrorists, infrastructure, tunnel networks, and more, as the IDF continues to increase the military pressure on Hamas.
The United States must continue to stand with Israel as our ally works to end the threat from Gaza and free all the hostages.
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The Post-Iranian Middle East America and Israel Can Build a New Regional Order
Amos Yadlin President and founder, MIND Israel; Major General (Ret.), Israeli Air Force; Chief of Israel’s Defense Intelligence, 2006-10
"Five decades ago, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin established the principle that Israel would not allow any country that calls for its destruction to acquire nuclear weapons. And beginning on June 13, it made good on this pledge. Over nearly two weeks, Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in a campaign it dubbed Operation Rising Lion, seriously damaging dozens of sites across the country...
"More important, it set the scene for diplomacy in the Middle East. With Tehran weaker than it has been in ages, Israel and Washington now have a chance to secure a robust nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic—the best way to permanently end its nuclear program—and perhaps an even more comprehensive political settlement that could reshape the entire region."
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation continues aid efforts
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has now delivered more than 74 million meals to Gazans, including nearly 1.4 million today alone.
GHF also released a statement pushing back against false media reports irresponsibly spread by the United Nations:
"On Saturday, the U.N. human rights office issued a statement on casualties of Palestinians seeking aid, tying them to GHF sites.
"These false and misleading stats come directly from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. The U.N.’s reliance and coordination with a terrorist organization to falsely smear our effort is not only disturbing but should be investigated by the international community... Instead of hurling insults and promoting Hamas’ false propaganda from the sidelines, the U.N. and humanitarian groups should be working collaboratively with GHF to maximize the amount of aid securely delivered into Gaza."
In a new op-ed, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, chairman emeritus of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, lays out how the U.N. and international community stay silent as Hamas undermines GHF's humanitarian efforts:
"Their statements ignore the facts and focus instead on ideology. What they call 'neutrality' often serves as an excuse to avoid confronting the actions of Hamas, which routinely blocks aid and threatens aid workers.
"Apparently, if you play by Hamas’s rules — accept their fabricated statistics, their propaganda, and their theft of aid — you are considered 'legitimate' by much of the legacy media. But if you challenge that system by delivering aid efficiently, securely, and without Hamas’ interference, you become the villain...
"Despite the violence [committed by Hamas], the United Nations has remained nearly silent. The European Union has offered no meaningful condemnation. Some affiliated agencies have continued to question the foundation’s mission while ignoring the violence. Only the U.S. has led with clarity in its condemnations."
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.
