5️⃣0️⃣ HOSTAGES 🎗️ – Day 656 still held captive in Gaza, with no interventions from the Red Cross or the Palestinian Red Crescent /
- US envoy Steve Witkoff to meet Thursday in Rome with senior Israeli and Qatari officials in effort to reach a ceasefire-hostage release deal in Gaza… https://lnk.sk/ltjp7 ; https://lnk.sk/lce67
- …If sufficient progress is made, Witkoff will travel from Rome to Doha towards the end of the week to secure a deal
- Hamas negotiators in Qatar have been unable to contact military leaders in Gaza for several days now. https://lnk.sk/mtf79
- The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group claimed that it has lost contact with the captors holding Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski. https://lnk.sk/eve26
GAZA /
- The impending potential deal with Hamas may include agreement to an IDF withdrawal to virtually the same Gaza security perimeter that Israel held in January https://lnk.sk/fmtgu
- Hamas detained and abused Palestinians who had approached aid centers operated by the U.S.-affiliated Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) https://lnk.sk/ev126
- PM responds to call from bereaved families from the Hagvura Forum to cut off aid to Gaza to ensure the aid does not go to Hamas. https://lnk.sk/mwy47
- Israel denies Gaza famine claims, says aid is entering Strip but not being distributed. 950 aid trucks waiting on Gaza side of border, COGAT says, blaming UN bottleneck https://lnk.sk/dgt78
- Courage and bravery: 895 soldiers have fallen since October 7th, 2023 https://lnk.sk/xhnw5
- Hamas is facing its worst financial and administrative crisis in its four-decade history. https://lnk.sk/uahju
- Rival factions within Hamas are locked in internal disputes over the movement’s future following the collapse of its leadership and the devastating fallout from October 7. https://lnk.sk/htv34
SYRIA 🇸🇾 /
- US envoy says there’s ‘no Plan B’ to working with Syria’s current gov’t, criticizes Israeli strikes https://lnk.sk/ftwy2
ISRAEL 🇮🇱 /
- Israel rejected a statement of more than 20 countries calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza: „it is disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas. All statements should be directed at the only party responsible for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started this war and is prolonging it.“ https://lnk.sk/agcx8
IRAN 🇮🇷 /
- Defense Minister of Israel discusses potential for renewed campaign against Iran https://lnk.sk/amyu5
- The Islamic Republic has launched its most aggressive domestic security crackdown in years, following the Iran-Israel war. https://lnk.sk/eiaoy
USA 🇺🇸 /
- Columbia University issues mass suspensions, expulsions, and other penalties for students involved in a pro-Palestinian Arab protest in May. https://lnk.sk/tueh3
- The U.S. House of Representatives voted 422-6 on Friday to block an amendment to slash $500 million for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense program. https://lnk.sk/sejn7
- U.S. Ambassador to Israel confirmed that the visa issue concerning American evangelical organizations has been fully resolved https://lnk.sk/opvar
- The United States has decided to pull out of UNESCO over alleged anti-American and anti-Israel bias https://lnk.sk/rdlo1
JUDEA A SAMÁRIA /
- An independent investigation has refuted claims that Israelis deliberately set fire to a 1,500-year-old church in the Palestinian village of Taybeh. https://lnk.sk/stucr
- Israel Police: Claims Israelis Set Fire to Taybeh Church Are False https://sdu.sk/Uf8XB
GREAT BRITAIN 🇬🇧 /
- UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemns Israeli strikes in Gaza as “grotesque” and warns of more sanctions if the war continues. https://lnk.sk/ckwfo
GREECE 🇬🇷 /
- Pro-Palestinian protest in Greece prevents Israelis from disembarking ferry https://lnk.sk/mae35
Sources: Jerusalem Post, Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, The Telegraph, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Israel Hayom, All Israel News
©️ ICEJ Slovakia / ICEJ Institute; peter.svec@icej.sk