Israel-Hamas war

Israel-Hamas war The negotiations
Gaza ceasefire could be hours away - IDF denies plans to leave Gaza

A cease-fire in Gaza appears to be very close. According to information to the Saudi news channel Al-Sharq, Hamas is expected to accept a proposal within the next few hours, reports Haaretz.

Similar information is reported by the Israeli television channel Channel 12. A Hamas source tells the television channel that the parties have now agreed on the first step, according to the Times of Israel.

The first phase is said to last up to 40 days and during that period 33 out of 100 hostages are to be released. During the same period, Palestinian prisoners must be released and Palestinian civilians able to return to northern Gaza.

In phase two, the remaining hostages are to be released. In the third step, remains must be exchanged between the sides. Both phases are said to last 42 days.

According to the Hamas source, the terrorist group has also received a promise from the US that Israel will fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip when all steps have been achieved, which according to the agreement would take 124 days. Within the framework of the agreement, the US must also have guaranteed that Israel will not invade the city of Rafah. However, these two parts are denied by Israel and the IDF army, according to a statement circulated in several Israeli media at noon on Saturday.

"Israel will not under any circumstances agree to end the war as part of an agreement to release our hostages [...] the IDF will enter Rafah," the statement read.

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The Israel-Hamas warThe demonstrations
Review: Pro-Israeli were behind violence at UCLA

Pro-Israel counter-protesters were largely driving the violent confrontations between police and Gaza activists at UCLA University in Los Angeles this week, according to an investigation by the New York Times.

The newspaper has analyzed over a hundred videos showing pro-Israel protesters, protesting the activists' occupation, tearing down the fence of the occupied building. They attacked the occupiers with sticks and fireworks.

In the videos, the police have not yet appeared. In contrast, the university's own staff largely stand passively and watch.

A few hours later, the police entered the building and dispersed the occupants. Over 200 were arrested in the operation.

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The Israel-Hamas war|The reactions
The US says no to the invasion of Rafah: "Can't accept"

The US is saying no to a ground invasion of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, despite ally Israel clearly signaling that one is underway.

- We cannot accept a large military effort in Rafah because the damage it would cause is beyond what is acceptable, says US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at an appearance in Arizona, according to AFP.

According to information to the AP, this week Israel should have informed the US of its plan for how civilians are to be evacuated from Rafah. But the information did not change the US attitude, according to the sources.

Blinken's new statement comes at the same time as the Biden government is being pressured by university protests and internal pressure in the Democrats. Last night, 88 Democrats in the House of Representatives sent a letter to Biden urging him to stop selling offensive weapons to Israel. The news site Axios describes several of them as heavy names in the party.