I hope you are doing well.

I’m writing as a J Street advocacy leader to share important updates from the region as well as J Street’s statements and resources from the past week. This week, Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich downplayed downplayed the importance of freeing hostages, drawing outrage from families of those still held in Gaza; European allies condemned the “intolerable” aid blockade as humanitarian conditions in Gaza deteriorated further; and PA President Mahmoud Abbas urged Hamas to release hostages, disarm and remove Israel’s justification for continued war.

You can find more on each of these developments and others below, along with our most recent statements here.

Please feel free to reach out to your J Street Public Affairs staff if you have any questions.

All the best,
Lily

—
Lily Adelstein
She/Her
Deputy Director of Government Affairs, J Street
Cell: 202-699-2701
J Street’s Congressional Resource Page

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Israeli Minister Says Freeing Hostages Not ‘Most Important’ Aim of the War

A far-right Israeli politician said on Monday that saving the hostages in Gaza was not Israel’s “most important goal” in its war with Hamas, further stoking the debate in Israel over its objectives for the war. Bezalel Smotrich, the country’s powerful finance minister, suggested in a radio interview that ensuring that Hamas no longer ruled the Gaza Strip after its deadly 2023 attack in southern Israel was a higher priority. “We have promised the Israeli people that at the end of the war, Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel,” said Mr. Smotrich, who has called for building Jewish settlements in the Palestinian enclave. “We need to eliminate the problem of Gaza.”

World Food Programme runs out of food stocks in Gaza as aid block persists

The World Food Programme said on Friday it had run out of food stocks in Gaza due to the sustained closure of crossings into the enclave, while Gaza authorities said Israeli airstrikes had killed at least 78 people in the past 24 hours. “The WFP has depleted all its food stocks for families in Gaza,” a WFP statement said, adding the U.N. agency on Friday delivered its last remaining food stocks to hot meals kitchens in Gaza. “These kitchens are expected to fully run out of food in the coming days,” it added. The agency said no humanitarian or commercial supplies had entered Gaza for more than seven weeks as all main border crossing points remained closed, resulting in the longest closure the Gaza Strip had ever faced. Israel has previously denied that Gaza is facing a hunger crisis. The military accuses the Hamas militants who have run Gaza of exploiting aid – which Hamas denies – and says it must keep all supplies out to prevent the fighters from getting it.

Israel’s European allies urge lifting of ‘intolerable’ Gaza aid blockade

Three of Israel’s key European allies urged the government Wednesday to end its “intolerable” blockade on aid entering the Gaza Strip. The joint statement — from the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain — warned of “an acute risk of starvation, epidemic disease and death” if Israel does not “immediately re-start a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid” to the territory. “This must end,” the statement read. “Israel is bound under international law to allow the unhindered passage of humanitarian aid.” In recent weeks, dozens of Palestinians have told The Washington Post they are increasingly struggling to find adequate amounts of food, with inflation hitting the limited amounts of supplies remaining in the territory. The United Nations also warned that the blockade — in place since March 2, after a 42-day ceasefire expired — has pushed the humanitarian situation in the war-ravaged enclave to its worst point of the 18-month conflict.

PA’s Abbas tells ‘sons of dogs’ Hamas to release hostages, remove Israel’s ‘excuses’ for Gaza war

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calls on Hamas in a speech to release hostages in order to remove Israel’s pretext to continue its war in Gaza. “The first priority is to stop the war of extermination in Gaza. It must be stopped – hundreds are being killed every day,” says Abbas. “Why don’t you hand over the hostages?” Calling Hamas “sons of dogs,” the PA president tells the terror group to “release those you’re holding and put an end to this story. Shut down their [Israel’s] excuses. End it.”

At center of diplomatic intrigue, Israeli envoy pursues Saudi prize

In the halls of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, euphoric whispers spoke of an impending mega deal, including generous deliveries of American weapons to Israel, security agreements between it and its neighbors, and the top prize — normal diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, the wealthiest and most influential Arab country… While Saudi Arabia would be expected to help finance the reconstruction of [Gaza], analysts say the kingdom would unlikely do so without a political solution that makes further conflict — and renewed destruction — unlikely.

Admitting ‘errors,’ IDF fires officer over killing of 15 rescue workers in Gaza’s Rafah

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday announced the dismissal of the deputy commander of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit over an incident on March 23 in which his forces opened fire on a convoy of ambulances and emergency vehicles in southern Gaza’s Rafah, killing 15 rescue workers. The commander was also being removed from his role for his “partial and inaccurate” report of the incident during a preliminary investigation, the military said.

Opinion | My Oscar for ‘No Other Land’ Didn’t Protect Me From Violence

“On March 2, I won an Academy Award for best documentary for a film I co-directed, “No Other Land.” It’s hard to put into words how that moment felt. It was one of the most incredible moments of my life. Three weeks later, I was brutally attacked in my home and arrested. In an instant, it was as if the Oscars had never happened, as if the award didn’t mean anything. I come from Susiya, a small village on the southern edge of the West Bank. We are but a few dozen families. Our main livelihood is shepherding. Our life is simple. Our homes are simple. The main thing that steals our time is the near-daily violence and harassment of the settlers and the Israeli Army enforcing the occupation.”

Analysis | Many Jews say Trump is politicizing the fight against antisemitism

“The Trump administration has frequently cited antisemitism to justify its decisions to slash funding for elite universities, deport foreign students it accuses of anti-Jewish sentiment, and seek more control over what American schools and universities teach. Some Jewish leaders welcome President Donald Trump’s efforts as the most aggressive fight against anti-Jewish bigotry in American history. But others worry that Trump is politicizing the fight against antisemitism by using it to promote his agenda — potentially hurting Jews in the long run, especially as Trump dismantles other antidiscrimination efforts.”

J STREET GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS NEWS DIGEST | April 25, 2025