[Tee tiong huat]

Devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war on Hamas

US, alongside Jordan, airdropped more food into Gaza amid warnings that hundreds of thousands of people are on the brink of famine. US ally Israel continues to obstruct the bulk of aid deliveries, and United Nations experts on Tuesday accused Israel of "intentionally starving" Palestinians in the strip.

Hamas said Tuesday that "any prisoner exchange" would not happen until a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel's withdrawal of troops and entry of aid into the strip. Negotiators continue to work toward securing a deal by Ramadan, which starts in less than a week.
A UN team found "clear and convincing" information that hostages in Gaza were sexually abused, adding there are "reasonable grounds" to believe the sexual violence is ongoing.

[Tee tiong huat]

Israel-Hamas truce talks stall as war in Gaza grinds on. A second day of talks concluded with no breakthrough between the warring sides.

U.S. and Jordan carried out a second joint airdrop of food over northern Gaza on Tuesday, delivering more than 36,800 rations of ready-to-eat meals in "an area of great need, allowing for civilian access to the critical aid." The first U.S.-Jordanian airdrop, conducted on Saturday, contained 38,000 meals, according to the U.S. Central Command.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/isr...=107801137

[Tee tiong huat]

Devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war on Hamas
At least 20 people, including children, have died in Gaza due to malnutrition and dehydration since the war began in Gaza. The UN said almost 40% of aid missions it coordinated in Gaza were denied or impeded by Israel last month. In response to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Cyprus this week to discuss creating a maritime aid corridor to the enclave.

while US has conducted strikes on two drones in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen. The strike came just hours after a Houthi missile attack on a commercial ship near Yemen killed three crew members and wounded at least four.

[Tee tiong huat]

Devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war on Hamas. At least 20 people, including children, have died in Gaza due to malnutrition dehydration since the war began in Gaza. UN said almost 40% of aid missions it coordinated in Gaza were denied by Israel last month. In response to crisis in Gaza, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Cyprus this week to discuss creating a maritime aid corridor.

while US has conducted strikes on two drones in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen. The strike came just hours after a Houthi missile attack on a commercial ship near Yemen killed three crew members and wounded at least four.

Gaza ceasefire possible, says US; three killed in Houthi attack on ship. Negotiators are trying to secure a 40-day ceasefire in time for Ramadan, which begins early next week. At least three people were killed in a Houthi attack on a Greek-owned freighter, the first deaths since strikes began.

US said on Wednesday (Mar 6) that talks on a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza could still reach an agreement between Hamas and Israel as the enclave's humanitarian crisis prompted South Africa to ask the World Court for new emergency measures.

Negotiators from Hamas militants, Qatar and Egypt – but not Israel – are trying to secure a 40-day ceasefire in time for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins early next week.

[Tee tiong huat]

President Joe Biden announced plans for the US military to establish a temporary port along the Gaza coast to bring desperately needed additional humanitarian aid into the war-torn strip.

Speaking in his State of the Union address, Biden said, "Israel has a right to go after Hamas," but is also responsible for protecting civilians. He also reiterated US calls for a two-state solution to bring peace to the Middle East.

Displaced Palestinians say they are struggling to feed their children as Israel severely restricts aid deliveries. At least 20 people have died due to malnutrition and dehydration since the war began, according to the Gaza health ministry.

A Hamas delegation has left Cairo after days of talks, with no obvious breakthrough in negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire in exchange for hostage releases. A deal appears unlikely to happen

[Tee tiong huat]

President Joe Biden announced plans for the US military to establish a temporary port along the Gaza coast to bring desperately needed additional humanitarian aid into the war-torn strip.

Speaking in his State of the Union address, Biden said, "Israel has a right to go after Hamas," but is also responsible for protecting civilians. He also reiterated US calls for a two-state solution to bring peace to the Middle East.

Displaced Palestinians say they are struggling to feed their children as Israel severely restricts aid deliveries. At least 20 people have died due to malnutrition and dehydration since the war began, according to the Gaza health ministry.

A Hamas delegation has left Cairo after days of talks, with no obvious breakthrough in negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire in exchange for hostage releases.

No deal unlikely to happen.

U.S., Europe announce maritime humanitarian corridor for Gaza.. Officials from the U.S., Europe and United Arab Emirates have announced plans for a new maritime corridor to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by sea. 

European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said a pilot aid delivery ops would begin Friday, with hopes the corridor could formally open this weekend. 

In his State of the Union speech Thursday, President Biden unveiled a plan to build a temporary pier on Gaza’s coast to scale up aid shipments.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/202...palestine/

[Tee tiong huat]

Gaza war fuels Jerusalem fears as Ramadan set to begin. There are renewed fears of violence spreading, particularly to Jerusalem, during Islamic holy month of Ramadan, as a truce remains elusive.

Hamas has call for Palestinians to step up visits to al-Aqsa Mosque that Israel has accused Hamas of "striving to ignite the region during Ramadan", which is due to begin in the next few days. The 3rd holiest shrine in Islam is a place of worship for local Muslims. Site is also the holiest place in Judaism, known as Temple Mount often a flashpoint during flare-ups in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.


Ramadan is due to begin on 10 or 11 March depending on sighting of the new moon.This wk, the courtyards of al-Aqsa were calm as they visited, as Palestinian worshippers' minds were on the war.

"People don't feel like celebrating and enjoying the regular Ramadan traditions," said one woman, Ayat, sadly. "This year, they won't go ahead because of what's happening in Gaza." Hopes that a 40-day ceasefire could take effect by the start of Ramadan have faded although Egyptian sources say mediators will again meet a Hamas delegation on Sunday to try to reach an agreement with Israel.

Israel said on Saturday that its spy chief had met with his US counterpart as it continued efforts to try to release dozens of hostages. Afterwards the Israeli prime minister's office released a statement saying Hamas was "holding to its position," as if it was "uninterested in a deal."

A framework plan being discussed would see some of the Israeli hostages snatched by Hamas in its deadly 7 October attacks released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and an increase in aid, amid UN warnings of famine.

"This Ramadan will be difficult. How will we break our daily fast and eat when we think of our compatriots in Gaza," commented Abu Nader, who had been following the news, as he crossed al-Aqsa in his mobility scooter.
"We pray to God for better times."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68509797

[Tee tiong huat]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would push ahead with a military offensive in Rafah, where 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, despite US President Joe Biden's warning that doing so would be a "red line." Netanyahu did not provide specifics on the timeline. The US is not anticipating an imminent Israeli offensive into the southern city, US officials told CNN.

The Israeli leader's remarks come as the holy month of Ramadan begins and ceasefire talks stall.

[Tee tiong huat]

Israel-Hamas truce talks stall as war in Gaza grinds on. A second day of talks concluded with no breakthrough between the warring sides.

U.S. and Jordan carried out a second joint airdrop of food over northern Gaza on Tuesday, delivering more than 36,800 rations of ready-to-eat meals in "an area of great need, allowing for civilian access to the critical aid." The first U.S.-Jordanian airdrop, conducted on Saturday, contained 38,000 meals, according to the U.S. Central Command.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/isr...=107801137

Israeli hardliners fume, as army moves Gazan orphans from Rafah to Bethlehem. The army is facing criticism after a report carried by Channel 12 news that some 70 Gazan orphans were moved to West Bank over the last day, in a move coordinated by Defense Ministry & National Security Council, but did not receive explicit permission from the govt’s security cabinet. According to report, children were moved from SOS Children’s Village in Gaza to a facility in Bethlehem at request of German embassy, via Taba crossing near Eilat. The report claims the orphanage had stopped functioning, necessitating the extraordinary rescue.

According to info available online late January, SOS info an orphanage in Rafah where 76 children, young people sheltered, some of whom lost their parents in war. SOS said at time that its residents were safe, with food, water, and fuel being stockpiled.

Israel has sought to evacuate Gazan civilians from Rafah ahead of a planned offensive in the city, a move not backed by the international community, which has opposed evacuating Gazans out of the enclave for fear Israel will seek to take over the territory. Protesters says they are against the ops, however, are lodged not by Palestinians but by settler leaders, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who calls it “an ethical failure,” demands answers from PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

The station quotes an unnamed source in the security cabinet calling the evacuation “ridiculous & immoral behavior toward hostages in Gaza and their families.” the Gush Etzion Regional Council in West Bank, bordering Bethlehem, urges residents to protest on road used for the transfer. We'll provide more gestures, make sure aid is transferred to a group of innocent citizens including children, women, children, elderly, and the sick are being held by these evil people.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_e...bethlehem/

[Tee tiong huat]

Pirates seize control of cargo ship near Somalia, say owners. MV Abdullah was sailing from Mozambique’s capital Maputo to United Arab Emirates when it was attacked.

Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier off the coast of Somalia and taken its 23-member crew hostage, the ship’s owners said. 3The MV Abdullah was sailing from Mozambique’s capital Maputo to the United Arab Emirates with a cargo of 55,000 tonnes of coal when it was attacked on Tuesday, according to Kabir Steel Re-Rolling Mills, which owns the vessel. In capital Mogadishu, said Ambrey.

UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) advised caution to other vessels in the area and said that it was investigating the incident. Hijackings off Somalia since Dec-2023 have raised concerns about a resurgence of Indian Ocean raids by opportunistic pirates, coming on top of a separate surge in attacks on shipping launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The Houthis have launched many attacks in Red Sea & Gulf of Aden targeting vessels they say are linked to Israel, US and others too.

International naval forces have diverted north from Gulf of Aden to Red Sea, leading to fears pirates will exploit security gap. Somali pirates caused chaos in global waterways for decade from about 2008 to 2018. Data from Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa, the planning and coordination centre for European Union’s anti-piracy operation EUNAVFOR, show there have been more than 20 hijackings or attempted hijackings of ships in the Gulf of Aden & Somali Basin since November.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/12...-watchdogs

[Tee tiong huat]

A U.N. staff member looks down at bloodstains on the floor of a U.N. facility in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Wednesday. (Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images)
MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT LIVE UPDATES
Israel says it killed Hamas member in IDF strike on U.N. food center. Israel acknowledged an airstrike on a food aid distribution center in southern Gaza, which it said targeted and killed a high-ranking member of Hamas. The militant group confirmed that its deputy head of police operations in Rafah was killed. UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, which runs the center, said one of its staff members was killed and condemned the attack on one of its “very few remaining” food distribution facilities as hunger grips the enclave.

[Tee tiong huat]

At least 20 people were killed and dozens of others wounded in Gaza City as civilians waited for aid, according to the Palestinian health. Israel's military said it plans to move 1.4 million displaced Palestinians from the southern city of Rafah to humanitarian enclaves.

Hamas delivers latest response in ongoing talks for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release. Hamas submitted a new response to Egyptian and Qatari mediators in the ongoing talks for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, according to a diplomat familiar with the negotiations and a Qatari official.
It is unclear how Hamas may have countered in order to bridge the significant gaps between the two sides.

CNN previously reported that the first phase of a deal had been expected to include a six-week humanitarian pause, the release of around 40 Israeli hostages, and a large number of Palestinian prisoners. The hostages would be the remaining Israeli women — including Israel Defense Forces soldiers, the elderly, sick and wounded.

There had been sticking points — among Hamas had refused to send Israel a list of all the hostages believed to be alive or dead. Hamas has been asking for a large number of Palestinian prisoners to be exchanged, additional aid into the strip, and the IDF to withdraw from Gaza in a second phase.

[Tee tiong huat]

Iran reportedly pushed US to broker Gaza ceasefire during secret talks in Oman

NYT: US in turn asked for Tehran to halt attacks by its proxies in Yemen, Iraq & Syria, which Iranian officials claim they can't do unless fighting ends in Gaza.

This indirect diplomatic channel with Tehran is seen by the White House as “a method for raising the full range of threats emanating from Iran,” a person familiar with the talks told The Financial Times, adding that the medium allowed the US to convey to Iran how to prevent a broader conflict in the region, “as they claim to want.”

“Iran has repeatedly said it only has a form of spiritual influence [over the rebels]. They can’t dictate to the Houthis, but they can negotiate and talk,” an Iranian official said.

In solidarity with Hamas, the Houthis — part of the regional Tehran-aligned “axis of resistance” against the United States, Israel and their allies — launched missile attacks on Israel and began targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea, declaring that Israeli vessels were legitimate targets.

They frequently targeted vessels with no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route global trade & energy shipments when supply strains are already putting upward pressure on inflation globally.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-repor...s-in-oman/

[Tee tiong huat]

Israel wants administrators ‘without Hamas or PA links’ to run Gaza

The foreign ministers of 26 European countries on Thursday also called for a pause in fighting leading to a longer ceasefire. They urged Israel not to take military action in Rafah “that would worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian situation

The Israeli's however the situation is in Gaza, how desperate and significantly is, more aid is needed - fast. We are calling for an immediate.

Israeli wants a administrators ‘without Hamas or PA links’ to run Gaza. Israeli officials say they plan to trial scheme when ‘the right people’ come forward.

Israeli officials have said they wanted ONLY to use local administrators without links to either Hamas terror group or Palestinian Authority to run Gaza, and will set up small scale trials of the scheme as soon as “the right people step up to the plate”.

The controversial plan, which would see Israel retaining security control throughout Gaza, comes amid a deepening breakdown in public order in the devastated territory as convoys of aid are repeatedly looted and local communities form self-defence groups, some armed, to protect against thieves or help find food.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/f...o-run-gaza

Hopes rise after Hamas abandons key demands
Israeli negotiators are heading to Qatar again after Hamas dropped calls for permanent end to hostilities & agreed to 40-day pause. Qatar Sunday intense new efforts to bring war to pause @least temporary after Hamas abandoned key ceasefire demands last week following a series of setbacks.

In recent days, the Hamas militant has been disappointed by failure of its calls for a wave of protest during Muslim holy Ramadan mth, angered by appointment without consultation of a new PM by Palestinian Authority (PA) & suffered a possible death of a key military commander in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.

This developments have weakened Hamas’s negotiating even as casualties continue to rise in Gaza & global outrage continues.

[Tee tiong huat]

Latest news: An Israeli delegation led by Mossad’s spy chief is in Doha to discuss Hamas’s proposal latest stage plan to end fight and not war lehh. Mrenwhile Nineteen aid trucks have arrived in Jabalia, the first convoys to arrive in northern Gaza without being blocked or fired on by Israeli forces in months.

[Tee tiong huat]

Israeli forces launched an operation early on Monday (Mar 18) in and around Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, with witnesses reporting air strikes and tanks near the complex crowded with patients and displaced people.

The pre-dawn raid came at a time of growing concern over a looming Israeli ground invasion of Gaza's crowded far-southern city of Rafah, and as international mediators and envoys readied to meet in Qatar on Monday to revive stalled truce talks.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/is...an-4202351

[Tee tiong huat]

Latest news: An Israeli delegation led by Mossad’s spy chief is in Doha to discuss Hamas’s proposal latest stage plan to end fight and not war lehh. Mrenwhile Nineteen aid trucks have arrived in Jabalia, the first convoys to arrive in northern Gaza without being blocked or fired on by Israeli forces in months.

Israel to offer six-week Gaza truce for 40 hostages in Qatar talks: Israeli official
JERUSALEM: Israel will send a high-level delegation headed by its Mossad chief to Qatar on Monday (Mar 18) for mediated talks with Hamas designed to secure a six-week Gaza truce under which the Palestinian militants would free 40 hostages, an Israeli official said.

This stage of the negotiations could take at least two weeks, the official estimated, citing difficulties that Hamas' foreign delegates may have in communicating with the group in the besieged enclave after more than five months of war.

[Tee tiong huat]

Middle East crisis live: no way to eliminate Hamas in Rafah without ground offensive, says Netanyahu
Israeli PM reiterates, he plans to order a ground offensive in the southern Gaza Strip where a huge number of displaced Palestinians are living. 

Haaretz is carrying an additional quote from Benjamin Netanyahu’s office about the current state of the relationship between Israel’s prime minister and US president Joe Biden, who spoke on Monday.

It quotes Netanyahu’s office saying:

We have a disagreement with the US regarding the necessity of operating in Rafah, not about the need to destroy Hamas. Out of respect for the president, we agreed on a platform for him to share their ideas, particularly in regards to the humanitarian aspect, and enabling a planned population withdrawal and assistance to civilians. We have been doing this from the start of the war. We can’t say ‘We’ll destroy 80% of Hamas,’ because the remaining 20% will retake the Gaza Strip.

[Tee tiong huat]

Israel: 2024 will be a 'year of war,' IDF looks for Hamas leaders in Shifa. Israel's response to Hamas ceasefire proposal 'negative,' terror group claims • Dozens of Israelis call for ceasefire in Knesset protests. 

Netanyahu to approve Rafah evacuation plan, Blinken to visit Friday. This will be Blinken’s sixth regional trip to Israel since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.
https://m.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/202...tes-792815

[Tee tiong huat]

Devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war on Hamas

US-proposed to UN Security Council resolution on Gaza will be brought to a vote today. The resolution calls for “immediate and sustained ceasefire… in connection with the release of all remaining hostages.”

Talks on a ceasefire and hostages deal resume in Qatar today, according to sources familiar with the plans. "Gaps are narrowing" in deal negotiations but challenges remain, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken is in Israel, where he is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli war cabinet as a part of a diplomatic push for a ceasefire in Gaza. As the Israeli military said it killed more than 140 people it described as "terrorists" in its raid on Al-Shifa Hospital, which began on Monday. Hundreds of people are still thought to be trapped in the hospital.
https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news...index.html

[Clyde]

https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1...n%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmaktoobmedia.com%2Finternet%2Fvideo-israeli-drone-pursues-four-unarmed-civilian-youths-kills-them-with-missiles%2F

[Tee tiong huat]

Devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war on Hamas

US-proposed to UN Security Council resolution on Gaza will be brought to a vote today. The resolution calls for “immediate and sustained ceasefire… in connection with the release of all remaining hostages.”

Talks on a ceasefire and hostages deal resume in Qatar today, according to sources familiar with the plans. "Gaps are narrowing" in deal negotiations but challenges remain, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken is in Israel, where he is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli war cabinet as a part of a diplomatic push for a ceasefire in Gaza. As the Israeli military said it killed more than 140 people it described as "terrorists" in its raid on Al-Shifa Hospital, which began on Monday. Hundreds of people are still thought to be trapped in the hospital.
https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news...index.html

 
Regardless, if Russia and China don't sako...think Israel vs Hamas war will continue to fight ok...

[Tee tiong huat]

 
Regardless, if Russia and China don't sabo... Israel vs Hamas war will continue to fight ok...

So China Xi and Putin sabo U.S. in UN.

[Tee tiong huat]

Devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war on Hamas

US, alongside Jordan, airdropped more food into Gaza amid warnings that hundreds of thousands of people are on the brink of famine. US ally Israel continues to obstruct the bulk of aid deliveries, and United Nations experts on Tuesday accused Israel of "intentionally starving" Palestinians in the strip.

Hamas said Tuesday that "any prisoner exchange" would not happen until a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel's withdrawal of troops and entry of aid into the strip. Negotiators continue to work toward securing a deal by Ramadan, which starts in less than a week.
A UN team found "clear and convincing" information that hostages in Gaza were sexually abused, adding there are "reasonable grounds" to believe the sexual violence is ongoing.

Moral failure’: US House approves bill that would ban UNRWA funding. Palestinian rights advocates decry push to de-fund UN agency for Palestinian refugees amid starvation crisis in Gaza....OMG.

Washington, DC. in US House of Representatives has approved & passed a $1.2 trillion funding that would fund govt to continue it work, but not for UNs Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) amid the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, measure, which passed in a 286 to 134 vote on Friday, would keep the U.S. fully functioning in advance of a partial shutdown.🤢

[Tee tiong huat]

 
Regardless, if Russia and China don't sabo...think Israel vs Hamas war will continue to fight ok...

Hamas claims Israeli hostage dies due to 'lack of medicine and food...We announce the death of the Zionist prisoner, 'Yagev Buchshtav,' 34 years old, as a result of a lack of medicine and food," Hamas claimed in a statement. Yagev Buchshtav, 34, and his wife, Rimon Kirsht Buchstav, 36, who worked in alternative medicine, were taken hostage from Kibbutz Nirim on October 7. Rimon was released from captivity on November 28, as part of a hostage-prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.

The terrorist organization remarked, "We had previously warned that enemy prisoners are suffering from the same conditions that our people are suffering from.

[Tee tiong huat]

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/24/world...order.html

[Tee tiong huat]

SINGAPORE govt has told Israeli embassy here to take down a "completely unacceptable" Facebook post on Palestine, said Law & Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam. Sunday (Mar 24), official Facebook account of Israeli embassy published a post containing claims comparing mentions of Israel and Palestine in the Quran....

[Tee tiong huat]

So where is the 2 state solution???

Leaders worldwide have welcomed a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The UN chief Guterres says it must be implemented. Fourteen countries voted in favour of the resolution; the US, Israel’s main ally, abstained.

UN Security Council first time passes a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Monday 25 March, US finally ended its stonewalling of UN Security Council resolutions designed to bring a ceasefire to war-torn Gaza. On 3-previous occasions, US used its veto power at council to scuttle attempts to stop the war.

Analysts: Fundamental rethink of Washington’s support for Israel is needed amid Netanyahu’s govt disregard for Washington’s policy objectives in terms of humanitarian crisis in Gaza & what Israel is doing more broadly in the occupied Palestinian territory.

[Tee tiong huat]

Three times also no solution?. Why is this last time, no last time?. Many years ago, how to stop....no laughing matter.

UN chief Guterres says it must be implemented with Fourteen countries voted in favour of the resolution; the US, Israel’s main ally, abstained. On 3-previous occasions, US used its veto power at council to scuttle attempts to stop the war.

UN Security Council first time passes a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Monday 25 March, US finally ended its stonewalling of UN Security Council resolutions designed to bring a ceasefire to war-torn Gaza.

Analysts: Fundamental rethink of Washington’s support for Israel is needed amid Netanyahu’s govt disregard for Washington’s policy, all is objectives of U.S.A., the big Bro in terms of humanitarian crisis in Gaza & ask Israel broadly to accep  their temporarily
resolution for Palestinian territory.

[Tee tiong huat]

Israel’s Gallant meets with U.S. officials; Netanyahu axes delegation to U.S. over U.N. vote.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon Tuesday. The meeting — one of a series of meetings with top U.S. officials this week — comes amid a diplomatic rift between the U.S. and Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abruptly canceling a visit by another high-level delegation to the United States after the U.S. abstained from voting on a cease-fire resolution before the U.N. Security Council, allowing it to pass.

At the top of their meeting, Austin told Gallant that the U.S. was working to make “Israel and the region safer.” Austin called the protection of Palestinian civilians a “moral necessity and a strategic imperative,” adding that “the number of civilian casualties is far too high and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/202...palestine/