Russia and China co-sponsored a cease-fire resolution at the United Nations
The Israeli raid on the Al-Shi Fai Hospital in Gaza: a possible cease-fire and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip
TEL AVIV, Israel — Ahead of a high-stakes visit to Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt on Thursday for talks on a potential cease-fire in Gaza.
The second Israeli raid on the Al-Shi Fai Hospital in Gaza came after Blinken’s arrival in Cairo.
With the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continuing to spiral, the raid is adding new seriousness to cease-fire calls ahead of the arrival of US deputy Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, in Israel on Friday.
There will be a new resolution to the UN Security Council about Gaza, according to a draft obtained by NPR. The U.S. is expecting a vote as early as Friday. The US has not supported calls for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. This new draft includes language that supports a cease-fire tied to a hostage release.
The Israeli military’s attacks on Al-Shifa, one of the few remaining partially functioning hospitals in Gaza, have forced many women and children who were using the hospital for shelter to flee further south, according to eyewitnesses.
One witness, who wished to remain anonymous out of concerns for their safety, told NPR the upper floors of the surgical ward of the hospital had caught fire. Ezzeddine Lulu, a medical student at Al-Shifa, posted a video on Instagram from inside the facility, and said the hospital is without water, electricity and food.
The Israeli military says that no civilians have been killed and that troops have supplied food, water and generators for the hospital.
The raid on Al-Shifa has so far killed “over 140 terrorists” and netted more than 250 arrests of individuals that troops have identified as Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters, according to Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Senior officials of terrorist groups were discovered hiding in a hospital after weapons were uncovered, according to Israeli authorities.
News reports said that a senior Hamas member was captured, and that he was involved in the kidnapping and murder of three Israelis. The Shin Bet said that he was arrested and brought back to Israel for questioning.
The Humanitarian crisis in Gaza has resulted in tension between the U.S. and Israel regarding the direction of the war. More than 31,900 Palestinians have been killed since fighting began, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, and in northern Gaza, the world’s leading authority on hunger says the risk of famine is now “imminent.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s criticism of Netanyahu in a speech last week is adding to the strain. In his remarks, Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish American leader, criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the war and called for a new election in Israel.
Republicans, however, are embracing Netanyahu, who spoke to Senate Republicans via video conference this week during the party’s weekly closed lunch meeting. Netanyahu has also been invited to address Congress by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
One of the biggest points of tension between Democrats and Netanyahu is the prime minister’s intention to carry out military operations in Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians have been forced to take refuge.
In their first call in a month, Biden and Netanyahu spoke about the Israeli government’s plan to launch an attack on Rafah.
The support I appreciate from President Biden has led to him presenting us with the proposals from his side in the humanitarian sphere and other topics. Netanyahu said in a statement that there were times when he and his friends didn’t agree with them and other times when they did. “We have done what’s necessary for our security in the past and this time will be no different.”
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant is going to the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in the next week. Gallant and others will also meet with White House officials and members of Congress.
Israel, Egypt, and the United States are urging a cease-fire to Save the lives: a U.S. veto on the resolution
Blinken’s work has yet to bring “any tangible results” for Gaza and has given Israel more time to “escalate its aggression against our people,” the ministry said in a statement.
The mothers of IDF soldiers organization launched a new campaign targeting Biden and Harris. A new banner from the group that reads “Don’t Run With Sinwar” depicts Biden, Harris and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar together in an attempt to highlight how the administration’s actions are benefiting Hamas.
There is a reporter from Tel Aviv. A group of people contributed to the report, including Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv, Anas Baba in Rafah, and both Daniel and Michele Kelman in Washington, DC.
The office of Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, said in a statement on Friday that mediation by Israel, Egypt, and the United States was taking place in the capital of Doha to free hostages still held in Gaza. A U.S. official confirmed that William Burns, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, would travel to Qatar on Friday for negotiations.
Ms. Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. draft would have put the Security Council’s weight behind diplomatic efforts “to secure an immediate and sustained cease-fire as part of a deal that leads to the release of all hostages that will allow much more humanitarian aid to get into Gaza.”
After the vote, the U.S. ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, defended the resolution, saying it was brought forward “in good faith after consulting with all Council members and after multiple rounds of edits.”
But international divisions, including over Washington’s own use of its veto power in the Council and its refusal to call for a permanent cease-fire, appeared to doom the resolution on Friday.
The United States was attempting to show a sense of urgency about getting a cease-fire tied to the release of hostages, he said, noting that the countries that vetoed the resolution should have gotten behind it.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, had denounced the U.S.-backed measure before the vote, calling it a “hypocritical initiative” and “a diluted formulation” regarding a cease-fire.
“To save the lives of peaceful Palestinians, this is not enough,” he said. He said that the draft was written to undermine the authority of the Council and to ensure the impunity of Israel.
He said the Security Council cannot be used to advance Washington’s policy in the Middle East.
France will try to get the support of China and Russia for a French Security Council resolution, according to the president. He said at the news conference that the effort was a positive sign of the changing priorities in Washington.
