“If I’d known it was the last time, I’d have kissed them more.”
These words from Yarden Bibas, father of Ariel and Kfir and husband of Shiri, reflect the mood in Israel tonight on the eve of the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre.
Our thoughts are with Yarden and the Israeli people who are grieving over the loss of their loved ones and fighting to free the 48 hostages still in captivity.
Israelis are also keeping a close eye on the developments in Egypt, as leaders from Israel, the United States, and Arab states are meeting tonight and this week with Hamas officials to negotiate the final details of President Trump’s peace plan.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are on the ground on behalf of the United States government. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is leading the delegation from Jerusalem.
Israel and major Arab states have accepted the peace plan, which has gained broad support around the world and in America. A new Harvard-Harris poll shows that 83% of Americans, including 77% of Democrats and 90% of Republicans, support the U.S. peace plan for Gaza.
The United States must continue to stand with Israel and increase the pressure on Hamas and its sponsors in Qatar, Turkey and Iran to free all the hostages and accept the U.S. peace plan.
TAKE 45 SECONDS: Urge your members of Congress to publicly pressure Hamas to accept the deal and release the hostages.
Two former hostages share story of kidnapping, captivity
Two former hostages, Karina Ariev and Daniella Gilboa, who were freed from Hamas captivity after 477 days, are sharing their story about what happened to them on October 7, when Hamas attacked the IDF observation post they were deployed to.
The terrorists murdered most of their fellow soldiers, and then they were bound, filmed, and forced to sit amongst their dead friends’ bodies.
Daniella was shot in the leg and both were wounded by grenade shrapnel.
They were then dragged into Gaza and held by Hamas in underground cages, forced to eat donkey food, and subjected to psychological torment.
Daniella says that they are doing their best to recover and move on, but that it is not possible, and they will only be able to think about their future once all the hostages have been returned.
IDF intercepts another Houthi drone shot at Israel
The IDF yesterday announced that it intercepted an attack drone launched at the southern Israeli city of Eilat by the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group.
The Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks on Israel, U.S. Navy ships, and commercial vessels over the past two years.
The United States and our allies must increase the pressure on Iran and its terrorist proxies.
China secretly pays for Iranian oil, avoiding U.S. sanctions
China is continuing to buy billions of dollars' worth of illicit Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
In the last year alone, China paid $8.4 billion to Iran for crude oil, disguising the nature of these transactions through front companies and other schemes.
Illicit oil purchases, primarily from China, are a key source of revenue for the Iranian regime.
The United States must increase the pressure on Iran, including by cracking down on ports and financial institutions in China that traffic in Iranian oil.
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Jake Braunstein
Director of Policy Communications
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.
