The latest proposed cease-fire deal drawing skepticism in Israel really did come from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and has its approval, a Biden administration official said Wednesday.
“Israel’s a raucous democracy, so there’s a lot of talk and a lot of chatter, but the Israeli government has reconfirmed repeatedly, as recently as today, that the proposal is still on the table," National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on NBC's "Today" show. "Now it’s up to Hamas to accept it. The whole world should call on Hamas to accept it.”
Leaders of multiple Israeli political parties have threatened to drop out of Netanyahu's governing coalition if he strikes a deal before Hamas is thoroughly defeated. Netanyahu has continued to pledge to destroy Hamas, an issue not specifically dealt with in the proposal.
Biden sent CIA director William Burnsand Middle East envoy Brett McGurk to meet Wednesday with delegations from the Egypt and Qatar with a goal of reviving truce negotiations, Reuters reported. But a resumption of mediated talks between Israel and Hamas would not mean a suspension of theGazawar, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday.
"Any negotiations with Hamas would be conducted only under fire," Gallant said.
Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh reiterated that the militant group will deal "seriously and positively with any agreement" that includes a complete halt to conflict and total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
“The strikes and the plumes of smoke where the IDF attacks are clearly visible to the eye, both in the Gaza Strip and in the north,” says Gallant after being taken by the IAF’s 133rd Squadron over Gaza and the Lebanon border in an F-15 jet.
“We are in a process where we will continue and wear down the enemy. Any negotiations with the Hamas terror organization will only be conducted under fire,” he said.
Developments:
∎ Gazafaces unprecedented disease outbreaks this summer caused by piles of uncollected waste rotting in the heat, Action Against Hunger warned. Project coordinator Fenia Diamanti said trash can't be removed from the war-torn territory and that residents have no access to dumps.
∎ An Israeli court on Wednesday upheld a 35-day ban on Al Jazeera operations in Israel imposed by the government, citing national security concerns. The Qatari-based news outlet has been a vocal critic of Israel's war in Gaza.
Pressure on Netanyahu builds:Biden questions his motives, Hamas sticks to demands
NYT: Israel targeted US lawmakers with fake social media profiles
A pro-Israeli social media influence campaign involving hundreds of fake profiles on Facebook and X primarily targeting Black members of Congress was financed by the Israeli government, the New York Times says. The Times, citing multiple Israeli officials as well as some documents, said the $2 million covert campaign was commissioned by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.
The effort was first revealed earlier this year by Fake Reporter, which said the accounts followed a pattern typical of "foreign influence operations" that frequently shared identical content. The Fake Reporter investigation, which did not tie the effort directly to the Israeli government, said much of the content was linked to fictitious news platforms. The content asserted that university campuses had become unsafe for Jewish students, attacked the U.N.'s Palestinian aid agency and focused on crimes committed by Hamas during the Oct. 7 assault on Israel.
Fake Reporter said the effort was linked to STOIC a Tel-Aviv based marketing agency, and that Facebook owner META had recently banned the accounts from the site. Meta did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
Medical situation in Gaza is 'apocalyptic'
The bodies of at least 70 people have been brought to Al-Aqsa hospital since Tuesday following heavy Israeli strikes in Central Gaza, Doctors Without Borders said Wednesday. Another 300 wounded people, the majority of whom are women and children, also have arrived at the overwhelmed hospital, the international aid agency said. The repeated mass casualty incidents in Gaza are unacceptable and the "horrific toll on civilians shows the total disregard" for human life, the agency said in a social media post.
“With the insane escalation of violence in various locations in the Gaza Strip over the last 48 hours, and while the Rafah crossing point has remained closed for a month, the health system has been stretched to the point of collapse," agency medical coordinator Karin Huster said. "The situation is apocalyptic."
Israeli lawmaker threatens to disrupt Netanyahu's ruling coalition
Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his Otzma Yehudit Party will not vote with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fragile coalition in the Knesset until details of the latest cease-fire proposal are revealed. President Joe Biden said last week that Netanyahu's War Cabinet offered a plan for a permanent cease-fire in return for release of all hostages held by Hamas-led militants. Ben-Gvir opposes any plan to end the war before Hamas has been eliminated.
"As long as the Prime Minister continues to hide the details of the deal, Otzma Yehudit will disrupt his coalition," Ben-Gvir pledged in a social media post.
An Israeli peace plan that could be rejected − by Israel
The current peace proposal was framed byPresident Joe Biden as an Israeli offer, but now Israel may be balking. Netanyahu has sent mixed signals, and agreeing to it risks arevolt by ultra-nationalistswho could topple his government's ruling coalition. And it contained no clear solution to the fundamental Hamas demand that any cease-fire plan be permanent and involve a complete withdrawal of Israel's military from Gaza. Under the three-phase plan, all hostages would be freed by the end of the second phase.
Also not clear is the fate of Hamas under the plan. Netanyahu has pledged to destroy the militant group, and members of his ruling coaltion have threatened to abandon the prime minister if he backs down from that pledge.
Simcha Rothman, a lawyer and member of the Knesset from the far-right Religious Zionist Party, said he suspected Biden was "trying to interfere in Israel's politics, which is unacceptable."
− Kim Hjelmgaard
