The Times of Israel is liveblogging Friday’s events as they happen.
US military says it shot down Houthi anti-ship missile
US forces successfully engaged and destroyed one anti-ship missile in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen on April 4, US Central Command says in a statement.
There were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships, the statement adds.
In effort to reach breakthrough, Mossad head reportedly to attend Cairo hostage talks
WASHINGTON — US CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Cairo this weekend to meet with his Egyptian and Israeli counterparts and the Qatari prime minister to try to reach a breakthrough in talks on releasing hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, Axios reporter Barak Ravid posts on social media site X, citing two sources.
US says Israel must ‘fully and rapidly implement’ steps to increase amount of aid entering Gaza
The US welcomes a series of newly announced Israeli measures aimed at expanding the amount of aid for Gaza.
“These steps, including a commitment to open the Ashdod port for the direct delivery of assistance into Gaza, to open the Erez Crossing for a new route for assistance to reach north Gaza, and to significantly increase deliveries from Jordan directly into Gaza, must now be fully and rapidly implemented,” White House National Security Council Adrienne Watson says in a statement.
“As the president said today on the call, US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these and other steps, including steps to protect innocent civilians and the safety of aid workers,” she adds.
“We are prepared to work in full coordination with the government of Israel, the Governments of Jordan and Egypt, the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to ensure that these important steps are implemented and result in a significant increase in humanitarian assistance reaching civilians in dire need throughout Gaza over the coming days and weeks.”
The Israeli announcement came hours after an intense call between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — the first since an IDF strike in central Gaza killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen.
Kamala Harris: If Israel doesn’t change approach in Gaza, ‘it’s very likely we’re going to’
US Vice President Kamala Harris describes the conversation between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “candid and frank,” after she sat in on the phone call.
“We will make sure Israel is never left without an ability to defend itself,” she tells a reporter from Spectrum News. “At the same time, if there are not changes to their approach, it’s very likely we’re going to change our approach.”
Vice President Harris who was on the Biden-Netanyahu call after landing in NC:
“It was a candid and frank conversation…
“If there are not changes to their approach, it is very likely we're going to change our approach." https://t.co/HrM6bK0UHM pic.twitter.com/EQKewztXaI
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) April 4, 2024
McDonald’s to acquire franchised restaurants in Israel amid boycott calls
McDonald’s Corporation says it will acquire Alonyal, which owns 225 McDonald’s restaurants in Israel which have been hit by calls for a boycott over the war with Hamas in Gaza.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. McDonald’s says in a statement the deal is subject to conditions which it doesn’t identify.
Alonyal has operated McDonald’s restaurants in Israel for more than 30 years, today owning 225 franchised properties with more than 5,000 employees, who will be retained after the sale.
In presenting its 2023 earnings report in February, McDonald’s said the war in Gaza that began in October with the Hamas attacks on Israel was weighing on its results.
McDonald’s was targeted with boycott calls after the franchised restaurants in Israel offered thousands of free meals to Israeli soldiers.
“We recognize that families in their communities in the region continue to be tragically impacted by the war and our thoughts are with them at this time,” Chief Executive Chris Kempczinski says in an analyst call.
He says the impact of the boycott was “meaningful,” without elaborating.
McDonald’s fourth quarter sales disappointed analysts. In franchised restaurants outside the United States, comparable sales fell 0.7 percent.
“Obviously the place that we’re seeing the most pronounced impact is in the Middle East. We are seeing some impact in other Muslim countries like Malaysia, Indonesia,” saud Kempczinski.
This also happened in countries with large Muslim populations such as France, especially for restaurants in heavily Muslim neighborhoods, he says.
McDonald’s shares were down nearly 2 percent in after-market trading Thursday.
Slamming Netanyahu, Ben Gvir says no vote held on moves to boost aid deliveries to Gaza
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir hits out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the latter’s office announced that ministers okayed a series of measures to immediately boost aid deliveries to Gaza.
Ben Gvir says the government did not vote on the matter and calls the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office “incorrect.” The statement from Netanyahu’s office said the government authorized the premier and other members of the war cabinet to take the steps, but not that a vote was held.
“Ben Gvir and others opposed the proposal and it’s regrettable that the prime minister refrained from bringing it to a vote,” the far-right minister says in a statement.
He also calls to stop allowing aid into Gaza, claiming it’s “the correct way” to return the hostages taken during Hamas’s October 7 attack.
“It’s too bad that instead of entering Rafah, there are those who prefer to deal with sending equipment to Gaza that directly reaches Hamas,” Ben Gvir continues. “We must enter Rafah now!”
Senior US diplomat holds first meeting with new PA premier
The head of the US Office of Palestinian Affairs held his first meeting with new Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa in Ramallah earlier today.
George Noll and Mustafa “discussed how the new government can implement credible and far-reaching reforms,” a US readout says.
“The revitalization of the PA through more transparent, effective, and representative governance is critical to achieving the vision of a Gaza unified with the West Bank under the PA,” the readout adds.