Middle East Crisis

Voices on Gaza
Israeli source downplays chances of ending war

A senior Israeli official is downplaying the chances of a quick end to the war in Gaza, despite signals from US President Donald Trump that a ceasefire agreement is close, writes Bloomberg.

According to the official, a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas could become a possibility within a week or two, but that does not necessarily mean an end to the more than 21-month-long conflict.

Israel is adamant that Hamas must lay down its weapons for a long-term ceasefire to be possible. The official also says that Israeli forces need access to the entire Gaza Strip to ensure that Hamas is no longer a military force.

AP writes that Israel's line of keeping troops in Gaza risks derailing peace talks, as Palestinians fear that it is part of an Israeli plan for internationally banned forced displacement.

US imposes sanctions on Albanese: “Mafia-style methods”

The US is imposing sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories. This is reported by several media outlets. Last week, the US delegation to the UN called for Albanese’s resignation, accusing her of a “year-long campaign of gross anti-Semitism and one-sided anti-Israel stance.”

In a text message to Al Jazeera, Albanese says the US is engaging in “mafia-style intimidation techniques.”

Israel has been accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its war in Gaza. Albanese has been one of the sharpest voices internationally condemning Israel.

The Guardian writes that the Trump administration’s sanctions against Albanese are the latest move against critics of Israel.

Protests
Pro-Palestinians were mapped by the White House with the help of a pro-Israeli website

The Trump administration has used the controversial pro-Israeli website Canary Mission to identify more than 100 pro-Palestinian foreign students and researchers. This is to try to deport them, documents and testimony in an ongoing trial show, Politico reports.

More than 75 of these have questioned the Trump administration. During the federal trial that is underway in Boston this week, testimony has emerged about researchers who self-censor themselves due to fear of being deported.

It also becomes clear how involved the White House and Trump's deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller have been in trying to revoke visas for pro-Palestinians.

Canary Mission states that their goal is, among other things, to expose anti-Israels. The information used by the administration was confirmed before it was used in official reports, according to security chief Peter Hatch.

Israel-Huthi
Houthi claims to have attacked airport in Israel

Houthi rebels in Yemen claim to have carried out an attack on Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, AFP reports.

The Iran-backed group says a ballistic missile was used. Israel says the attack was thwarted.