Israel-Hamas updates: US urges Israel to end large-scale ground war
The White House’s National Security Adviser
Jake Sullivan, the White House’s national security adviser, met with Israeli officials today as U.S.-Israeli tensions hit new highs.
The Biden administration has told the Israeli government that it wants Israel to end its large-scale ground campaign in Gaza and transition to a more targeted phase of its war against Hamas, two U.S. officials familiar with the discussions told NBC News.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back on criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza, pledging to continue. “Nothing will stop us. We are going on to the end, until victory, nothing less,” he said. His comments late yesterday came amid international condemnation of his government, including from the leader of his country’s closest ally, Biden.
Another significant divide is emerging between the U.S. and Israel, with a senior Israeli diplomat saying the country “absolutely” would not accept a two-state solution following the war. This runs counter to long-standing U.S. policy objectives in the region and recent Biden comments. Yesterday, a State Department spokesperson said “there can be no lasting peace and security” without a Palestinian state.
More than 18,700 Palestinians have been killed, with 70% of them women and children, according to the territory’s health officials. The vast majority of its 2.2 million people are displaced, and an estimated half face starvation amid an unfolding humanitarian crisis.
Israeli military officials say 116 soldiers have been killed during the country’s ground invasion in Gaza, which came after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and seized about 240 hostages on Oct. 7NBC News’ Richard Engel, Raf Sanchez, Hala Gorani, Hallie Jackson, and Chantal Da Silva report from the region.
Israel’s Pain is Too Fresh to Discuss a Two-State Solution Herzog says
JERUSALEM— Israel’s president has joined the ranks of high-ranking officials to speak out against a two-state solution after the war in Gaza.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Isaac Herzog said it is not the time to be talking about establishing an independent Palestinian state when the country’s pain from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack is still fresh.
“What I want to urge is against just saying two-state solution. Because there is an emotional chapter here that must be dealt with. My nation is bereaving. My nation is in trauma,” said Herzog.
Herzog spoke a day before a meeting with the White House’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. The Biden administration has said that after the war, efforts must be renewed to restart negotiations aimed at establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel under the leadership of the Palestinian Authority.
At Least 10 Killed, 15 Injured in Bombing: Palestine Red Crescent Society
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said today that its ambulances transported 10 people who were killed, and another 15 who were injured, in a bombing in Deir al-Balah.
A video also released by PRCS showed paramedics carrying a small child with blood on their head into the back of an ambulance, apparently injured in the bombing. The child, whose clothing and face were gray with ash, cried as a man wiped the blood from their face, according to the video.
PCRS said today that it has struggled to get in contact with its team in Gaza as the Palestinian enclave experiences yet another communications blackout.
“We feel extreme concern about the possibility of our teams continuing to provide emergency services, especially as this disruption affects the central 101 operation room and hinders the arrival of ambulances to the injured and wounded.
