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, the U.S. presented Hamas with a new ceasefire and hostage-release proposal as international pressure mounted; Gazans protested against both Hamas and the war for a second day; aid agencies warned of dire shortages as Israel continued to block deliveries of food and medical supplies; and Netanyahu’s legal maneuvering sparked protests as he moved to oust top officials.

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

This week on j street

STATEMENT

J Street Condemns Trump Administration for Using “Fighting Antisemitism” as Pretext for Attacks on Immigrants, Higher Education and Constitutional Protections

STATEMENT

Senators Must Oppose Mike Huckabee and His Dangerous, Fringe Beliefs

U.S. gave Hamas new Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release proposal

The U.S. gave Hamas a new proposal through Qatari mediators in an effort to release American hostage Edan Alexander and break the stalemate in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, one U.S. official and one Israeli official said… It isn’t clear if Hamas will accept the proposal that hinges on releasing Alexander in return for a statement by President Trump calling for calm in Gaza and resuming negotiations over a broader ceasefire deal. “There is no deal yet,” a U.S. official said… U.S. and Israeli officials said that in recent days, after Israel resumed the war in Gaza, the negotiations over a new hostage-release and ceasefire deal stalled. In the meantime, Israel expanded its military operation in Gaza, including ground incursions in several parts of the enclave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened on Wednesday that if Hamas continues to refuse to release hostages, Israel is going to occupy more parts of Gaza.

Gazans Protest Against Hamas and War for a Second Day

Palestinians in Gaza protested against the war for a second straight day on Wednesday and chanted slogans against Hamas, frustrated and angry over the collapse of a cease-fire with Israel that many had hoped would become permanent. The protests were rare shows of dissent against Hamas, the armed group that has ruled Gaza for 17 years with an iron fist and which started a 15-month war by leading the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Wednesday’s protests appeared to spread to more parts of Gaza than on Tuesday, according to video on social media and witnesses.

Aid agencies warn food, medical supplies in Gaza running critically low as Israel blocks deliveries

The agency that coordinates UN humanitarian aid warns that stocks of food and medical supplies are running out fast in the Gaza Strip after several weeks have passed in which no aid has been allowed to enter the enclave. Israel announced on March 2 that it would be suspending the delivery of all goods and supplies to Gaza due to what it said was Hamas’s refusal to accept a proposal to extend the initial stage of a ceasefire and hostage release deal. The World Food Programme says it has 5,700 tons of food stocks left in Gaza, home to some 2.3 million people, enough to support its operations for two weeks at most.

Rockets fired from Lebanon prompt Israeli strikes

Rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel for the first time in months on Saturday, prompting Israeli forces to strike back hours later at sites in southern Lebanon it said were linked to the militant group Hezbollah. At least six people in Lebanon were killed in the Israeli bombardment and others wounded, according to statements from the Lebanese Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The Israeli military said it had launched a second round of attacks on Saturday night. The attacks were the latest example of how the renewed Israeli offensive in Gaza was rippling across the Middle East.

Israel readies plans for occupation of Gaza

Israel’s military has drawn up plans to reconquer Gaza in a bid to finally defeat Hamas, paving the way for a long-running occupation of the besieged enclave. The proposal — yet to be approved by Israel’s security cabinet — was formulated by the new Israel Defense Forces chief of staff with the unofficial backing of far-right ministers who have long demanded drastically harsher tactics to fight the militant group, said several people briefed on the plans. Two officials said the plans were made possible by US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, which freed up Israel from the Biden administration’s insistence that it not reoccupy Gaza or annex territory.

Iran Signals Openness to Indirect Talks After Trump Letter

Iran announced on Thursday it had responded to a letter from President Trump in which the American president had urged direct negotiations with the government in Tehran on a deal to curb the country’s advancing nuclear program. Iran appeared to be taking the middle ground, neither rejecting negotiations with the United States nor accepting face-to-face talks with Mr. Trump. But Kamal Kharazi, the top foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said, according to local news reports, “The Islamic Republic has not closed all the doors and is willing to begin indirect negotiations with the United States.”

A legal showdown looms in Israel as Netanyahu moves to oust top officials

Israel again is fighting a war on multiple fronts, but a battle is also brewing inside the country. Tens of thousands of Israelis have joined anti-government protests in recent days. A former Supreme Court chief justice has warned of civil war. And experts are saying a constitutional crisis could be on the horizon if the Israeli government moves ahead with plans to fire top legal and security officials. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week he was firing Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet internal security service, citing a crisis of confidence sparked by the failures to prevent Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Netanyahu’s government has also launched a process to dismiss the attorney general, accusing her of obstructing its agenda… They are setting up a showdown between Netanyahu and the judiciary that is deepening divisions in Israel and could set off upheaval at a time when Israel is bogged down by war.

Oscar-winning Palestinian director says Israeli soldiers beat him after attack by settlers

Only a few weeks ago, Hamdan Ballal stood on a stage in Los Angeles accepting an Oscar for the film “No Other Land,” a documentary depicting his West Bank village’s struggle against Israel’s occupation. On Tuesday, Ballal – his face bruised and clothes still spotted with blood – recounted to The Associated Press how he was heavily beaten by an Israeli settler and soldiers the night before. The settler, he said, kicked his head “like a football” during a settler attack on his village. The soldiers then detained him and two other Palestinians. Ballal said he was kept blindfolded for more than 20 hours, sitting on the floor under a blasting air conditioner. The soldiers kicked, punched or hit him with a stick whenever they came on their guard shifts, he said. Ballal doesn’t speak Hebrew, but he said he heard them saying his name and the word “Oscar.”

Analysis | For Trump and Netanyahu, Similar Strategies With Similar Goals

“The defiant, Trumpian blast was the latest evidence that Mr. Netanyahu and President Trump are running the same playbook to achieve strikingly similar goals: to neuter the judiciary, dismantle a system of oversight that puts a check on their authority and discredit national security professionals they see as arrayed against them. These moves come as Mr. Trump has aligned his Middle East policy squarely to benefit Mr. Netanyahu, including giving the Israeli prime minister freedom to renew the war in Gaza and launching U.S. airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen, a group that is an avowed enemy of Israel.”

J STREET GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS NEWS DIGEST | March 28, 2025