The Times of Israel is liveblogging Tuesday’s events as they unfold.
Two key Democrats approve Israel arms sale that includes 50 F-15s
Two key Democrats in the US Congress have agreed to support a major arms sale to Israel that includes 50 F-15 fighter jets, the Washington Post reports, citing three unnamed officials.
Representative Gregory Meeks and Senator Ben Cardin have signed off on the deal under heavy pressure from the Biden administration after the two lawmakers had for months held up the sale, the Post reports.
“Any issues or concerns Chair Cardin had were addressed through our ongoing consultations with the administration, and that’s why he felt it appropriate to allow this case to move forward,” Eric Harris, communications director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tells the Post in a statement.
Meeks tells the paper that he had been in close contact with the White House and had urged them to pressure Israel over humanitarian efforts and civilian casualties. He says the F-15s would not be delivered until “years from now,” according to the Post.
Dozens of hostages are alive ‘with certainty’ — top Israeli negotiator
A senior Israeli negotiator tells AFP that dozens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are certainly alive and that Israel cannot accept halting the war until all captives are released in a deal.
“Dozens are alive with certainty,” the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the issue.
“We cannot leave them there a long time, they will die,” he says, adding that a vast majority of them are being held by Hamas terrorists.
The official says Israel cannot end the conflict with Hamas before a hostage deal because the terror group could “breach their commitment… and drag out the negotiations for 10 years” or more.
“We cannot, at this point in time — before signing the agreement — commit to ending the war,” the official says.
“Because during the first phase, there’s a clause that we hold negotiations about the second phase. The second phase is the release of the men and male soldier hostages.”
The official says the Israeli negotiating team had green-lit the Biden plan.
“We expect, and are waiting for, Hamas to say ‘yes,'” the official says.
“In the event we don’t reach an agreement with Hamas, the IDF will continue to fight in the Gaza Strip in a no less intense fashion than it’s fighting now,” he says.
“In a different manner, but an intense manner.
US military says it destroyed four Houthi radars, one unmanned surface vessel and one drone
The US military says it has destroyed four Houthi radars, one unmanned surface vessel and one drone in the past 24 hours.
The radars and unmanned surface vessel were destroyed in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, US Central Command tweets. The drone was destroyed over the Red Sea.
Hamas sexual abuse survivor at White House event: My recovery depends on hostages’ return
Amit Soussana, who was the first released Israeli hostage to come forward about the sexual abuse she endured in captivity, addresses a White House event marking International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.
“If someone had told me a few months ago while I was sitting in a dark room in Gaza tied up by my ankle and unable to move that I would be standing here today before you all, I would have thought that they were out of their mind,” she tells attendees shortly after meeting US Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Being in captivity means having no control over your mind, body or soul. You have absolutely no control over what happens to you. All your basic human rights are taken from you. Even your feelings are completely controlled by someone else,” says Soussana.
“Back then, I had no voice, no choice. I had no control whatsoever over my own life. I knew that my home and the people that I love were so close to me — just a few minutes drive from where I was being held. Yet they felt so far and out of reach. I feared that I would never get to see them again. I thought that I would never return home.”
“But I was lucky. I was one of the few who were released on the last day of the temporary ceasefire as part of the hostage exchange agreement (in late November).”
“Standing here today, I realize how fortunate I am to be alive, to be free, to be safe and able to share my story with you.”
“I realize that I could have just as easily still be there, perhaps even killed, with my story being told to you by others are lost and never told.”
“As difficult as it is for me to speak out, to talk to you about this very private, intimate experience that happened to me. It is far more difficult to stay silent.”
“I don’t see myself as a victim. I am a strong independent woman, and no one can change that. The sexual assault I experienced should never happen to any human being under any circumstances. No one should ever be sexually violated, and there are no justifying circumstances for these crimes.”
“I remember telling myself that no matter what happens to me, if I will come out of it alive. I would grow stronger from it and not let what happened define me.”
“Yes, it will always be a part of my story, but with time the trauma will subside, and these difficult events will empower me. Back then, I did not have any choice. I had to do what I was told in order to stay alive. Now I have a choice and I have decided I cannot stay silent.”
“I must speak about the horrible things that are probably still happening there to innocent women and men.”
“My recovery depends on the rescue of my sisters and brothers who are still there. My wounds cannot even begin to heal as long as their suffering continues.”
“When I was in Gaza during the first days of the war, I saw President Biden’s plane landing in Israel. It gave me such hope and strengthened me knowing that Israel’s best friend was coming to our aid. President Biden’s last speech renewed my hope that we can move forward with a deal and release all [the] hostages as soon as possible. I really, really hope that it will happen soon,” she concludes.
Harris: I fear testimony on Hamas sexual violence will increase as more hostages released
US Vice President Kamala Harris expresses her concern that testimony on Hamas’s use of sexual violence will only increase as more hostages are released from Gaza.
Speaking at a White House event raising awareness on conflict-related sexual violence, Harris recalls stories she’s heard from former hostages, including Amit Sussana who was the first abductee to come forward publicly about the sexual abuse she endured in captivity.
Sussana is also participating in the White House event, which includes the screening of Sheryl Sandberg’s Screams Before Silence — a documentary on the sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas-led terrorists during the October 7 onslaught.
“On October 7, Hamas committed horrific acts of sexual violence,” Harris says in her remarks. “In the days after October 7, I saw images of bloodied Israeli women abducted… Hamas committed rape and gang rape at the Nova music festival, and women’s bodies were found naked from the waist down, hands tied behind their back[s] and shot in the head.”
“I’ve heard the stories of a former hostage of what she witnessed and heard in captivity. I just met with Amit, a survivor who has bravely come forward with her account of sexual violence while she was held captive by Hamas.”
“These testimonies, I fear, will only increase as more hostages are released.”
“We cannot look away and we will not be silent,” Harris says.
“My heart breaks for all these survivors and their families and for all the pain and suffering in the past eight months in Israel and in Gaza.”
In an apparent indirect reference to allegations of sexual violence perpetrated against Palestinian terror suspects by Israeli security forces — charges Israel has denied — Harris says, “We are deeply concerned by all reports of sexual violence and degradation, and we mourn every innocent life lost in this conflict.”
It is devastating, which is why President Biden and I have made clear that Hamas needs to accept the deal that is on the table for a ceasefire, which would bring the hostages home and lead to a permanent end to hostilities,” the vice president adds.