Fed Up With Netanyahu and Handling of Gaza War, Democrats Rebuke Israel, The New York Times
“Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president of J Street, a liberal pro-Israel advocacy group, described the Democrats who supported the measures to restrict the arms to Israel as champions of the country. ‘They are courageously pro-Israel because they are willing to take political heat from the right wing in this country for standing up and doing the right thing for Israel in the long run,’ he said.”
End the Silence: A Community Call to Action [Video], J Street
We gathered our movement for a powerful National Mobilization Call to demand an end to the war, the release of the hostages and urgent humanitarian aid for Gaza. We were honored to be joined by leaders and rabbis across the Jewish communal world.
Looting, Chaos and Israeli Gunfire Prevent Aid from Reaching Gazans, The Washington Post
“‘Hundreds of thousands’ of aid seekers who had been waiting for hours surged to within 100 meters of the checkpoint, and Israeli troops began to fire rifle and artillery rounds, according to an internal WFP mission security report seen by The Washington Post. Soon, the UN convoy was overrun. Within three hours, all 47 trucks were ransacked. The convoy had barely traveled several hundred meters.”
US Envoy Arrives in Israel to Monitor Gaza Food Distribution as Humanitarian Crisis Worsens, AP
“Witkoff and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee will inspect food distribution in Gaza on Friday, the White House said. At least 91 Palestinians were killed and more than 600 wounded while attempting to get aid in the past 24 hours, the Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday.”
Trump Administration Scolds Allies over Palestinian Statehood, Politico
“‘The president expressed his displeasure and his disagreement with the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday. ‘He feels as though that’s rewarding Hamas at a time where Hamas is the true impediment to a ceasefire and to the release of all of the hostages.’”
France Starts Airdrops of Humanitarian Aid into Gaza, Reuters
“France on Friday started to air-drop 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza as it urged Israel to allow full access to the area which it said was slipping into famine.”
‘We’re Exhausted and Burning Out’: Inside Northern Gaza’s Flattened Beit Hanoun With Israeli Soldiers, Haaretz
“An IDF commander said his troops killed 201 militants in 73 days, as of Wednesday, but soldiers and officers doubt the number. One told Haaretz the IDF mainly targets suspects via drones, and only afterward, troops try to verify the identities of the dead.”
Time For a Permanent Ceasefire to Bring the Hostages Home, YNet News
Jake Sullivan, former US national security adviser, writes, “Israeli officials say it’s not their fault – that there are trucks inside Gaza, and the UN and Hamas are to blame for impeding distribution of aid. But the fact remains that Israel controls Gaza militarily, and therefore, Israel has the responsibility to create an environment where humanitarian professionals can safely distribute assistance to civilians in Gaza.”
The Gaza Disengagement – A Different Perspective on a Good Idea That Went Bad, Substack
Gershon Baskin writes, “The idea of the disengagement from Gaza was not what led to October 7, it was the strategy and policies implemented by Sharon and Netanyahu that leads directly to what happened on October 7. Netanyahu was Prime Minister during the failure and disaster of October 7, the greatest disaster to have ever occurred in the State of Israel since its founding.”
Netanyahu Is Choosing to Starve Gaza, The New York Times
Alex de Waal, an expert on famine and humanitarian response, writes, “What we’re seeing today in Gaza – desperate people being robbed of food by gangsters and Hamas members, with rations being sold on the black market – is a predictable outcome of Israel’s own arrangement. When social order breaks down in a famine, the last to starve are those holding the guns. It’s unforgivable that we’ve gotten here.”