The Times of Israel is liveblogging Tuesday’s events as they happen.
CIA chief said to propose Hamas free 8 hostages as part of 28-day Gaza ceasefire
CIA Director Bill Burns floated a deal for a 28-day Gaza ceasefire, the freeing of around eight hostages by Hamas and the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners by Israel, Axios reports citing three Israeli officials.
Burns discussed the idea during a meeting on Sunday with Israeli and Qatari counterparts, Axios says, adding that Hamas would free “roughly 8 women of all ages or men over the age of 50” as part of the deal.
“Israel agrees to a temporary pause, but Hamas wants a pause that would open a process that would lead to irreversible Israeli steps. If neither sides softens its position there isn’t going to be a deal,” a senior Israeli official tells the news site.
Netanyahu said to falsely blame opposition for UNRWA legislation’s passage in call with Blinken
A US official tells the Axios news site that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu falsely told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that opposition lawmakers were the ones responsible for advancing legislation aimed at significantly restricting UNRWA’s operations.
Blinken raised Washington’s concern over the legislation during his one-on-one meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem last week, the US official says.
Netanyahu retorted by blaming the opposition and told Blinken that he should raise the issue with its leader Yair Lapid.
While Lapid’s party voted in favor of the legislation, the bills were brought to a final vote earlier today by Netanyahu’s coalition.
Lawmakers from both blocs co-sponsored the bill.
‘I’m not a Nazi. I’m the opposite of a Nazi,’ Trump tells campaign rally
ATLANTA — Donald Trump tells campaign supporters in swing state Georgia that he is “not a Nazi,” pushing back on critics’ accusations that the Republican is seeking to be an authoritarian American leader.
“I’m not a Nazi. I’m the opposite of a Nazi,” Trump tells a boisterous crowd in Atlanta, one day after he held a mega-rally in New York’s famed Madison Square Garden that was widely condemned for racist remarks that his allies made during the event.
US urges Israel ‘to pause and further consider implementation’ of anti-UNRWA leglisation
The US is “deeply troubled” by the legislation passed Monday by the Knesset targeting UNRWA, saying that it could force the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees to discontinue all of its operations in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a State Department spokesperson tells The Times of Israel.
“Implementing the legislation risks catastrophe for the more than 3 million Palestinians who rely on UNRWA for essential services, including health care, and primary and secondary education,” the spokesperson says.
“The humanitarian response in Gaza relies on UNRWA facilities and expertise to operate. UNRWA remains indispensable to these operations. There is no entity that can replace UNRWA, especially during this crisis,” the statement continues.
“We urge the government of Israel to pause and further consider implementation of this legislation to ensure UNRWA can effectively carry out its mission and facilitate humanitarian assistance.”
“UNRWA has also long been an organization in need of reform. We support steps to strengthen UNRWA impartiality and neutrality, including to respond to allegations of ties to terrorism,” the US State Department spokesperson adds.
Security officials cautioned political leaders about passing UNRWA law without alternative in Gaza
The Israeli security establishment and professional staff cautioned the political echelon against passing legislation that massively hampers UNRWA from operating in Gaza in the middle of a war without a viable replacement in place, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
While some Israeli political leaders recognized the humanitarian risk and the international backlash that would result from the law passed by the Knesset earlier today, “the political cost of opposing the legislation became too significant to endure,” the official says, explaining that the IDF itself has spent months building a campaign that ties UNRWA to Hamas.
PM’s office: Israel ready to work with global partners on Gaza aid before UNRWA ban takes force
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says Israel is prepared to work with international partners to ensure that humanitarian aid can still reach Gazan civilians in the 90 days before legislation passed Monday by the Knesset to ban UNRWA from operating in Israel goes into effect.
The international community has raised alarm over the legislation, which was passed without a plan in place for a humanitarian agency to replace UNRWA.
UNRWA provides health, education and other essential services to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, who will be forced to turn elsewhere.
The law bars Israeli authorities from even contacting UNRWA officials, which risks further hampering deconfliction efforts in Gaza where Israel has faced repeated allegations of targeting humanitarian workers.
The law’s mandated severing of communication with UNRWA officials and ban on visa authorization will all but decimate the agency’s ability to operate in Gaza, its supporters say. While Israel has worked to gradually limit UNRWA’s role in the delivery of humanitarian aid, in favor of the World Food Program, UNICEF and other agencies, UNRWA still is heavily involved in the Strip’s humanitarian operation, running shelters, clinics and warehouses.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller warned that the Knesset legislation could impact Israel’s ability to comply with US law that bars Washington’s security assistance from being transferred to countries that block the delivery of humanitarian aid.
In an apparent effort to address the criticism, Netanyahu’s office issues a tweet in English, saying, “UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable. Since avoiding a humanitarian crisis is also essential, sustained humanitarian aid must remain available in Gaza now and in the future.”
“In the 90 days before this legislation takes effect – and after – we stand ready to work with our international partners to ensure Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not threaten Israel’s security,” Netanyahu’s office adds.
Emhoff says he’d like to place mezuzah on White House if Harris wins US election
When Kamala Harris was sworn into office as vice president, she and Doug Emhoff placed a mezuzah on the US vice president’s residence in Washington. Emhoff says if Harris is elected, he would look to see if one could be placed in the White House.
“Three months from now, the White House residence could – I have to check first — could have a mezuzah on its doorpost,” Emhoff says.
Delivering remarks on antisemitism in America Monday in Pittsburgh, a day after the anniversary of the Tree of Life synagogue massacre, Emhoff says voters have a choice of whether to empower the voices fighting antisemitism or those fomenting it — declaring that he and Harris are committed to “extinguishing this epidemic of hate.”
“There is a fire in this country, and we either pour water on it or we pour gasoline on it,” he says.
“One thing we know about antisemitism is that whenever chaos and cruelty are given a green light, Jew-hatred has historically not far behind,” Emhoff says. “And that matters so much today because Donald Trump is nothing if not an agent of chaos and cruelty.”
Emhoff credits his wife for urging him to “use my voice” on the issue and says she has an “unwavering” commitment to support Israel. “Kamala feels it in her kishkes.” He contrasts her commitment with Trump, who according to former aides has praised Nazis.
Lebanon health ministry reports at least 60 killed in Israeli strikes on Bekaa Valley
Lebanon’s health ministry says at least 60 people were killed on Monday in Israeli raids on several areas in the eastern Bekaa Valley, most of them in the Baalbek region.
The health ministry says the tolls cover 12 areas in the Bekaa Valley where terrorist group Hezbollah holds sway. At least two children are among the dead, it says.
At least 58 others were wounded, the health ministry adds, noting that the toll is preliminary as rescue efforts are still underway.
Of the 60 killed, at least 16 deaths were recorded in Al-Alaq, west of Baalbek city, according to the health ministry.