Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Tel Aviv Thursday after holding talks with Israeli officials, ending his Middle East tour that sought to broker the release of hostages in exchange for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza. Blinken said Wednesday that Hamas’s response to a deal proposal included some “non-starters” but created space to “pursue negotiations.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the militant group’s demands “delusional” and pledged to continue fighting until “complete victory.”
Netanyahu also convened a meeting of his war cabinet on Thursday, to be followed by a meeting of his security cabinet, he said on X.
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End of carouselHamas said its delegation arrived in Cairo on Thursday for fresh talks on a cessation of hostilities in Gaza, convened by Egypt and Qatar.
A U.S. strike in Baghdad killed a commander of an Iranian-backed group suspected of plotting attacks on U.S. forces in the region, officials said. An Iraqi military spokesman condemned Wednesday’s strike and said such strikes were compelling the country to end the mission of U.S.-led coalition troops in the region.
U.S. Central Command said its forces conducted two strikes late Wednesday against Houthi missiles that presented “an imminent threat” to vessels in the Red Sea. The strikes targeted Houthi anti-ship and land attack cruise missile that were “prepared to launch,” Centcom said.
Netanyahu repeated Israeli officials’ intention to next target Rafah, which he called “Hamas’s last bastion.” The United Nations said thousands of people continue to flee to the southern Gazan city, where more than a million displaced people are already crammed.
UNRWA, the lead U.N. agency on the ground in Gaza, said it has been unable to distribute food in the northern part of the enclave since Jan. 23. Famine is looming for more than half a million people in Gaza, the World Food Program warned this week.
At least 27,708 people have been killed and 67,147 injured in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
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End of carouselHamas said its delegation arrived in Cairo on Thursday for fresh talks on a cessation of hostilities in Gaza, convened by Egypt and Qatar.
A U.S. strike in Baghdad killed a commander of an Iranian-backed group suspected of plotting attacks on U.S. forces in the region, officials said. An Iraqi military spokesman condemned Wednesday’s strike and said such strikes were compelling the country to end the mission of U.S.-led coalition troops in the region.
U.S. Central Command said its forces conducted two strikes late Wednesday against Houthi missiles that presented “an imminent threat” to vessels in the Red Sea. The strikes targeted Houthi anti-ship and land attack cruise missile that were “prepared to launch,” Centcom said.
Netanyahu repeated Israeli officials’ intention to next target Rafah, which he called “Hamas’s last bastion.” The United Nations said thousands of people continue to flee to the southern Gazan city, where more than a million displaced people are already crammed.
UNRWA, the lead U.N. agency on the ground in Gaza, said it has been unable to distribute food in the northern part of the enclave since Jan. 23. Famine is looming for more than half a million people in Gaza, the World Food Program warned this week.
At least 27,708 people have been killed and 67,147 injured in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.
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