Israel War of Retaliation Against Gaza and Beyond: Day 28

Palestinian death toll 8,896* (8,756 in Gaza** (including at least 3,826 children and2,405 women, and at least 140 in the West Bank); 34,281 injured (~32,000 in Gaza and over 2,281 in the West Bank). It remains unknown how many Americans are among the casualties. About 1.5 million people have been displaced; “thousands are missingand presumed to be under rubble.

Israeli airstrikes killed 20 people who were sheltering in UN-run elementary schools, according to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA), as the Israeli military confirmed they have completely encircled Gaza City. Philppe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Chief, said he received reports that three schools sheltering around 20,000 people were hit by the airstrikes, with another fatality at the beach camp. A later statement by UNWRA said a fourth school-turned-shelter had been struck. Helen Regan, Abeer Salman, Zeena Saifi, Amir Tal and Mohammed Tawfeeq report for CNN

Israel announced it will sever all contact with Gaza and return Gazan workers in Israel back to the enclave, in a government press office statement yesterday. The statement did not detail how or when workers will return to Gaza, or when contact would be cut off, although it said that funding that was designated for Gaza, including funding from the Palestinian Authority, would be deducted. Abeer Salman, Mariya Knight, Tamar Michaelis and Helen Regan report for CNN

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – REGIONAL RESPONSE

Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah claims it launched multiple strikes, including explosive drones, on Israeli army positions yesterday, marking an increase in the violent tensions. The Israeli military said it responded to the launches with air strikes and artillery fire on Hezbollah targets. Lebanon’s National News Agency said four people were killed during the Israeli shelling yesterday. Laila Bassam, Riham Alkousaa and Maya Gebeily and Maayan Lubell report for Reuters

The UAE warned there is a risk of regional expansion of the Israel-Hamas war, as the UAE works “relentlessly” to secure a cease-fire. “We cannot ignore … the necessity to turn down the regional temperature that is approaching a boiling point…the risk of regional spillover is real,” said Noura Al Kaabi, a minister of state at the ministry of foreign affairs at a policy conference. She also said the war is a result of “decades of long failure” to find a solution to the historic conflict. Alexander Cornwell and Maha El Dahan report for Reuters

A total of 677 foreign passport holders have crossed into Egypt via the Rafah crossing, the Palestinian spokesperson for the border crossing confirmed today. Another 97 injured Palestinains have crossed into Egypt, with 118 Palestinians arriving from Gaza in total. ABC News reports. 

The Russian paramilitary organization Wagner Group is planning to provide a Russian-made air-defense system to Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah, according to U.S. officials citing intelligence. Wagner troops are present in Syria and the Russian SA-22 system would be sent to Hezbollah with Syrian President Assad’s agreement if delivery is to take place. Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to give a speech today to provide his first public comments since the Hamas’ attacks of Oct. 7. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress on Tuesday that the growing relationship between Russia and Iran “poses a threat to Israel’s security.” Michael R. Gordon and Vivian Salama report for the Wall Street Journal

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE 

A group of U.N. special rapporteurs called for a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza yesterday, saying Palestinians are at “grave risk of genocide” should the violence continue. The Israeli mission to the U.N. in Geneva called the comments “deplorable.” A spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a determination of genocide could only be confirmed by a U.N. judicial body. Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Emma Farge report for Reuters. (For more on the spokesperson’s statement, see the UN Daily Press Briefing.)

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court this week for the alleged war crimes committed in the deaths of eight Palestinian journalists and an Israeli journalist killed in the course of their work in Gaza. The organization also cites the destruction of more than 50 media outlet premises in Gaza. This is RSF’s third complaint about alleged war crimes against Palestinian journalists, with the first dating back to 2018, during which a journalist was harmed during the “Great March of Return” Gaza protests. 

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – U.S. RESPONSE

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed that 74 U.S. citizens and their family members entered Egypt through the Rafah crossing yesterday, in addition to five U.S. citizens who entered on Wednesday. Hajar Harb, Kareem Fahim, Bryan Pietsch and Joanna Slater report for the Washington Post

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv today to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is expected Blinken will urge the Israeli government to protect civilians in Gaza, as work continues on hostage-releases and enabling trapped U.S. citizens to cross into Egypt. Blinken will push for a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza, saying, before he boarded the plane, “we’ve seen in recent days Palestinian civilians continuing to bear the brunt of it … and it’s important that the United States is committed to making sure everything possible is done to protect civilians.” The meeting comes after Biden publicly expressed on Wednesday his support for a “pause” and not a ceasefire. Michael Birnbaum reports for the Washington Post

The House passed a Republican-written bill approving $14.3 billion Israel-exclusive funding yesterday, in a move which ties support to Israel with domestic spending cuts. The measure was approved by a vote of 226 to 196, with all but a dozen Democrats opposing the legislation led by Republican speaker Mike Johnson, who emphasized the spending cuts were attached for “fiscal responsibility.” President Biden has previously requested a joint $105 billion package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan support, with no attachments for other budget cutbacks. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (NY-D) said the Senate would not take up the House bill, but instead create its own bipartisan bill containing financial aid to Israel and Ukraine, and humanitarian aid to Gaza. Catie Edmonson reports for the New York Times

The U.S. military is flying surveillance drones over the Gaza strip in a move marking more active involvement in the war than previously thought, according to two Defense Department officials and an analysis conducted by the New York Times.Officials say the drones were used in hostage-recovery operations as it is believed there are around 10 American hostages still being held by Hamas. U.S. officials stated this is the first known occasion that U.S. drones have flown over Gaza, saying that the goal was to assist in locating hostages and transmit leads of information to the Israeli Defence Forces. Riley Mellen and Eric Schmitt report for the New York Times

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