Israel-Hamas War

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at Egypt’s agreement to allow aid convoys into Gaza, Russia’s detention of another U.S. journalist, and Washington’s removal of sanctions on Venezuela.

Egypt has agreed to allow humanitarian aid convoys to enter Gaza through its Rafah crossing for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. Reports indicate that as many as 100 trucks are waiting to enter the war-riddled region, but local teams must first repair road damage caused by airstrikes before they can pass through. Deliveries could come as early as Friday, but delays are expected.

Rafah is the only border crossing into Gaza that is not controlled by Israel. However, Egypt has remained hesitant to open its gates, fearing Israeli airstrikes on aid workers and spillover violence into Sinai. Cairo remains adamant that Egypt will not accept any Palestinian refugees.

Gaza’s humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating, and this first batch of aid will likely not make a significant dent in relieving the crisis, according to United Nations agencies. Stores in Gaza are days away from running out of food, and the territory’s last seawater desalination plant is no longer operating. Only three liters of clean water are available per person each day in Gaza, but health experts recommend an absolute minimum of 15 liters of water and access to 50 to 100 liters of water for drinking and hygiene purposes.

U.S. President Joe Biden was among the primary forces pushing Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to open the Rafah crossing for aid convoys during his trip to Israel on Wednesday. Yet the United States was the only U.N. Security Council member on Wednesday to veto a resolution calling for a pause in bombardments to deliver aid to Gaza. And Washington maintains a strict stance on Hamas, with the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioning 10 additional Hamas members in Gaza, Sudan, Turkey, Algeria, and Qatar on Wednesday.

Britain abstained from the U.N. vote, and like Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited Israel on Thursday to pledge U.K. support for the Israel Defense Forces. Speaking at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sunak invoked rhetoric similar to that used by Winston Churchill, saying he was “proud to stand here with you in Israel’s darkest hour as your friend.” Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an immediate cease-fire on Thursday in his first major public response since the war began.

But regional tensions continue to escalate, straining foreign ties. On Thursday, Israel reportedly withdrew all diplomats from Turkey over security concerns after protests continue to erupt outside Israeli and U.S. embassies in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.

• America Is a Root Cause of Israel and Palestine’s Latest War by Stephen M. Walt
• Why the U.S. Tolerates Qatar’s Hamas Ties by Steven A. Cook
• Lebanon Knows It Is on the Edge of the Abyss by Anchal Vohra

Censored and barred. Russian authorities charged Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty editor Alsu Kurmasheva on Wednesday for not registering as a “foreign agent” while visiting for a family emergency. She has been detained in Russia since June. A dual U.S.-Russian citizen, she is the second U.S. journalist to be held by Moscow this year following the arrest of Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich in March. Both her Russian and U.S. passports were confiscated.

“We condemn Alsu Kurmasheva’s detention and call for her immediate and unconditional release,” Jeanne Cavelier, head of Reporters Without Borders’ Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, said, adding that Kurmasheva’s arrest is the Kremlin’s latest attempt to blackmail Washington for supporting Ukraine.

Scrapping sanctions on Caracas. In a major U.S. policy shift, the Biden administration temporarily removed sanctions against Venezuela’s oil and gas industries on Wednesday. For the next six months, there will be fewer U.S. bans on trading Venezuelan government bonds or investing in the country’s energy and gold-mining sectors.

The decision follows Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the nation’s opposition agreeing to a presidential election framework going into 2024. Maduro celebrated the reversal as a chance to “reconstruct relations based on respect, cooperation” with Washington. That may be solidified if Maduro releases some of the eight U.S. citizens jailed in Venezuela as well as detained opposition members, as Washington hopes. Some Venezuelan politicians have already been released.

Off to the polls. Incumbent Liberian President George Weah and former Vice President Joseph Boakai are headed to the country’s upcoming presidential runoff, according to provisional results released on Wednesday. Weah won 43.8 percent of the vote to Boakai’s 43.5 percent in the first round of voting on Oct. 10, setting up what could be the country’s closest race in history.

Weah’s election in 2017 came with great public support as the country still reeled from its deadly back-to-back civil wars 14 years earlier. But the former soccer star has faced backlash for failing to uphold campaign promises to fight corruption and seek justice for war victims, despite making inroads in developing infrastructure and providing free university tuition. Boakai has labeled himself Liberia’s much-needed “rescue” from Weah’s weak rule.

Leading the polls for Argentina’s presidential election this Sunday is far-right libertarian Javier Milei—and his five cloned dogs. You read that correctly; Milei is the proud dog dad of five mastiffs who are all genetic copies of his former dog, Conan. Murray, Milton, Robert, Lucas, and the new Conan may be the next furry faces residing at Quinta de Olivos. Hopefully the staff can tell them apart.