The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they happen.
White House: Biden told PM he’s ‘working tirelessly’ to free hostages, reiterated stance on Rafah op
The White House issues a statement on US President Joe Biden’s phone call with Prime Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the two discussed hostage negotiations, humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the prospect of an Israeli operation in Rafah.
“The president reaffirmed his commitment to working tirelessly to support the release of all hostages as soon as possible, recognizing their appalling situation after 132 days in Hamas captivity,” the readout says.
“The president and the prime minister also discussed the situation in Gaza, and the urgency of ensuring that humanitarian assistance is able to get to Palestinian civilians in desperate need,” it adds.
On Rafah, the statement says Biden “reiterated his view that a military operation should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the civilians in Rafah.”
Top Biden officials discuss rising antisemitism, Islamaphobia with Jewish, Arab and Muslim youth
Several top Biden administration officials held a roundtable discussion with young leaders in the Jewish, Arab and Muslim American communities in New York earlier today on the rise of antisemitism and Islamaphobia since October 7.
Leading the conversation were US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and US ambassador for international religious freedom Rashad Hussain.
“During the conversation, participants shared their personal stories, discussed the conflict between Israel and Hamas and described the impact of the sharp rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hate on their families and communities,” says a White House readout.
For their part, the US officials “described efforts to seek peace, security and dignity for both the Palestinian people and the Israeli people and to address the recent increase in hate-fueled rhetoric and violence.”
“They emphasized the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to bringing communities together and fostering interfaith dialogue to form solutions and forge paths forward,” the readout adds.
Despite ban, Defense Ministry employing Palestinians to work on new Gaza barrier — report
Hundreds of Palestinian laborers from the West Bank are working in Israel to help build a new barrier along the border with Gaza, even though though they remain barred by the security cabinet from doing so, the Ynet news site reports, citing the testimony of soldiers deployed to the area.
Responding to the report, the Defense Ministry says it employs contractors “in accordance with security guidelines, classification and the sensitivity of the work,” and that the laborers were from a pool of workers “approved for work on essential projects.”
Israel sharply restricted Palestinian entry to Israel after the Hamas attacks of October 7, in which thousands of Gazan terrorists rampaged across southern Israel, slaughtering some 1,200 people and taking 253 hostage.