WATCH: Peter Beinart Joins Word on The Street Live to Discuss Gaza, Zionism, Antisemitism and More, Substack
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami writes, “I had the chance to sit down with Peter Beinart this afternoon to discuss his new book, Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza and much more. It was, as you might imagine, a challenging and emotional conversation. We discussed what it’s been like to navigate October 7 and everything since – and how Peter’s relationships with the Jewish community have been tested.”
Knesset Votes 71-13 for Non-Binding Motion Calling to Annex West Bank, The Times of Israel
“The resolution, which passed 71-13, declared that the West Bank is ‘an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, the historical, cultural and spiritual homeland of the Jewish people’ and that ‘Israel has the natural, historical and legal right to all of the territories of the Land of Israel.’”
Mass Starvation Stalks Gaza as Deaths From Hunger Rise, The Washington. Post
“After four months of a near-total Israeli siege, Gaza’s few remaining hospitals now have wards for the growing number of malnourished children whose tiny bodies are just the width of their bones. Doctors are famished to the point that they have dizzy spells as they make their rounds, medics say, and the journalists documenting their caseloads are often too weak to even walk to the clinics.”
IDF Kills 14-Year-Old Palestinian Boy in West Bank, Health Ministry Says, Haaretz
“Hamran is the third teenager killed by IDF fire in the past week. On Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry stated that 16-year-old Ibrahim Nasser was killed by IDF fire in Qabatiya.”
Hamas Says It Submitted Reply to Gaza Truce Proposal Amid Mediators’ Fury at Group, The Times of Israel
“Hamas announced early Thursday morning that it had submitted a response to the latest Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal proposal, after mediators had furiously rejected the previous reply presented by the terror group on Tuesday night. The Thursday response was a softened version of what Hamas submitted on Tuesday.”
BBC and News Agencies Warn Journalists in Gaza at Risk of Starvation, BBC
“Those reporting the conflict from Gaza now face starvation and ‘the same dire circumstances as those they are covering,’ a joint statement from BBC News, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Associated Press (AP) and Reuters said.”
Doctors and Health Officials Report Wave of Hunger Deaths in Gaza, Financial Times
“In their statement on Wednesday, the aid groups said their colleagues in Gaza were now running out of food: ‘With supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes.’”
Responding to GHF Collaboration Offer, UN Says It Won’t Work With Groups That Place Gazans at Risk, The Times of Israel
“Asked about offers from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to collaborate with the United Nations in order to distribute aid in Gaza, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says the UN welcomes cooperation with any organization that abides by humanitarian principles. ‘One of them being that — don’t set up an operation that will increase the risk of people to be shot at or trampled while trying to get food,’ he says.”
[Podcast] How Seeking Food in Gaza Has Become So Deadly, The New York Times
“Aaron Boxerman, who covers Gaza for The Times, explains who is behind the distribution system and why it has been so deadly.”
Israel Is Starving Gaza, Haaretz
The Haaretz Editorial Board writes, “The IDF claimed this week that 71 trucks carrying food have entered Gaza every day over the past month. That means each of those trucks is supposed to deliver enough food to feed 30,000 people a day. You don’t need to be familiar with the logistics of food delivery or the laws of war to know that this is tantamount to starvation.”
The United States Is No Longer Leading the Free World, The Times of Israel
J Street Israel Executive Director Nadav Tamir writes, “Trump’s second term presents a historic challenge to advocates of democracy, since the power that for generations has been an anchor of democratic values now serves, hopefully temporarily, as a destabilizing force. This period, challenging as it may be, could awaken new forces in the US and compel others to step up globally, reaffirming that democratic values will not be defeated, not even when the world’s most powerful nation loses its way.”