Dear A.,

Today is yet another somber milestone – 700 days since October 7.

This morning, Hamas continued its psychological terror against Israelis by releasing videos of two of the 48 remaining hostages, Alon Ohel and Guy Gilboa-Dalal. 

Guy’s family approved the release of the video clip included below, which shows him emaciated, distressed, and pleading for his life. Alon’s family does not want the video to be shared but said that it shows Alon has lost vision in his right eye.

These videos reinforce the urgency of freeing all the hostages and driving Hamas from power in Gaza. Today, the IDF took dramatic action in Gaza City to increase the pressure on the terror group.

The Israeli Air Force struck a multi-story building in Gaza City that was being used by Hamas as "operational infrastructure, including underground facilities that were utilized to plan attacks, stage ambushes against IDF forces and provide escape routes for terror operatives."

The IDF warned civilians to leave the area prior to the strike, even though such warnings also allow Hamas terrorists to flee the area.

Israeli analyst Amit Segal characterized the strike as evidence of an unfolding Israeli strategy:
 

“The IDF has begun its assault on the area of Gaza City that matters most to Hamas: the city center….The IDF has slowly but surely increased the intensity of its attack on the city. And with the military now targeting the area of Gaza City that truly matters to Hamas, the terror group may be forced to decide: does it cave to Israel’s demands at the negotiating table?”

Meanwhile, Israel continues to surge aid into Gaza and urge Palestinians to move from Gaza City to safer areas.

Following his recent trip to Israel, Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) wrote in a new op-ed about the humanitarian situation:
 

"The problem is not a lack of aid — it’s that too little of it ever reaches the people who need it most. I saw pallets of food, clothing and other items cross swiftly from Israel into Gaza — within minutes of arrival. On the Gaza side, aid trucks sat idle, unmoving.

"Make no mistake, the need to surge humanitarian aid into Gaza is urgent... But Hamas owns the blame for the failed distribution to children and families."

You can read the full op-ed here.

Below are more key stories and links to share AIPAC social media content. We'll continue to provide the latest updates on our social media channels.

Shabbat Shalom,

Jake Braunstein
Director of Policy Communications
 

Rubio warns countries that Palestinian recognition will trigger Israeli response 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned other counties against unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state ahead of an upcoming meeting on the subject during the U.N. General Assembly this month.

"We told all these countries, we told them all, we said if you guys do this recognition stuff it's all fake, it's not even real, if you do it you're going to create problems," Rubio said yesterday.

"There's going to be a response, it's going to make it harder to get a ceasefire and it may even trigger theses sorts of actions that you've seen, or at least these attempts at these actions," he said, adding he would not opine on Israeli discussion of annexation of the West Bank in response.

U.S. issues new ICC sanctions

The State Department sanctioned three Palestinian NGOs for working with the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued baseless arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.

The three organizations — Al Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights — have “directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent,” Secretary Rubio said.

“This administration has been clear: The United States and Israel are not party to the Rome Statute and are therefore not subject to the ICC’s authority,” Rubio added.

“The United States will continue to respond with significant and tangible consequences to protect our troops, our sovereignty, and our allies from the ICC’s disregard for sovereignty, and to punish entities that are complicit in its overreach.”

Sen. McCormick urges Trump admin to retaliate against Norway fund's BDS move 

In a letter to the U.S. secretary of commerce and U.S. trade representative yesterday, Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) called for U.S. retaliation against Norges Bank Investment Fund, Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, following the fund's announcement that it would divest from U.S. manufacturer Caterpillar because the IDF uses its products.

McCormick wrote that he has “significant concerns that these decisions are entirely political and are driven by an agenda that has consistently targeted American companies and is explicitly anti-Israel.”

Meanwhile, Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that given Norges’ significant market share, its decisions can change the way investors view capital markets.

He also warns that the “danger of weaponized sovereign wealth funds” is an attack on “U.S. interests… and [is] now an attack on any company that does business with the State of Israel.”