Feb 23 Israel seeks open-ended control over security and civilians in Gaza in new postwar plan By Wafaa Shurafa, Bassem Mroue, Associated Press Netanyahu presented the two-page document to his security Cabinet late Thursday for approval. Separately, cease-fire efforts appeared to gain traction, with mediators to present a new proposal at an expected high-level meeting this weekend in Paris. Continue reading
Feb 22 Cease-fire between Israel and Hamas gains steam as U.S. envoy visits. Mediators report ‘encouraging’ signs By Josef Federman, Samy Magdy, Wafaa Shurafa, Associated Press The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have been struggling for weeks to find a formula that could halt Israel's devastating offensive in Gaza, but now face an unofficial deadline as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches. Continue reading
Feb 14 Gaza cease-fire talks appear to stall as Netanyahu calls Hamas demands ‘delusional’ By Tia Goldenberg, Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, Associated Press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday accused Hamas of hobbling the high-stakes negotiations by sticking to “delusional” demands. Continue reading
Feb 10 Watch 2:09 News Wrap: Palestinians in Rafah brace for expected Israeli ground assault In our news wrap Saturday, Israel continued bombarding Rafah in southern Gaza as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu signaled an impending ground assault, a Russian drone attack killed seven people in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, and a surprising outcome to… Continue watching
Feb 09 Watch 5:08 Netanyahu orders Israeli military to plan for evacuation of Rafah ahead of ground assault By Nick Schifrin, Dan Sagalyn, Ethan Dodd Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to develop plans to evacuate Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Its population before Oct. 7 was 100,000. Now, more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have fled to the… Continue watching
Feb 08 Blinken ends latest Middle East trip after Israel’s rejection of proposed Gaza cease-fire plan By Matthew Lee, Associated Press U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the Middle East on Thursday after getting a virtual slap in the face from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the war would continue until Israel is completely victorious and appeared to reject… Continue reading
Feb 07 Netanyahu rejects Hamas terms for cease-fire, vows to fight until ‘absolute victory’ By Matthew Lee, Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, Associated Press Blinken said an agreement between the sides was still possible. But Netanyahu's remarks also underscored how wide the chasm between Israel and Hamas remains as the war enters its fifth month. Continue reading
Feb 04 Watch 3:21 News Wrap: U.S. vows ‘sustained’ military response to Iran-backed attacks In our news wrap Sunday, U.S. officials say they are not done yet with their military response in the Middle East, another atmospheric river threatens California with flooding and mudslides, Moscow-appointed officials say Ukrainian shelling killed at least 28 people… Continue watching
Jan 27 Defiant Netanyahu declares Israel’s goal is ‘complete victory’ in Gaza after UN court ruling By Najib Jobain, Wafaa Shurafa, Associated Press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday pushed back after an International Court of Justice ruling to limit death and destruction in the military's Gaza offensive, declaring that “we decide and act according to what is required for our security” and vowing to… Continue reading
Jan 23 UN chief warns that Israel’s rejection of a Palestinian state solution threatens global peace By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press Netanyahu's rejection of a Palestinian state in any postwar scenario has opened a wide rift with Israel's closest ally, the United States. Continue reading