Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he sees his country having security control over Gaza for an “indefinite period,” suggesting it will maintain that role even after fighting in the besieged territory ends. It’s unclear if he meant Israel would itself run Gaza.
His comments come as the Israel-Hamas war enters its second month, with Israel saying its troops are moving closer to the center of Gaza City, which they describe as the militant group’s main area of operations. The death toll within Gaza since the conflict began on Oct. 7 has surpassed 10,000, with around 40% of those being children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
In markets, the shekel’s recouped almost all its losses since the war started, thanks in part to central bank support. Many investors are also more optimistic the conflict will largely be contained to Gaza, rather than becoming a regional war drawing in many other countries.
For more on the war between Israel and Hamas, which is designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union, click here.
(All time stamps are Israeli time)
Shekel Recoups Most of Its Losses (11:33 a.m.)
Israel’s shekel has recouped the bulk of its losses since the war between Israel and Hamas began, with central bank support helping to tame volatility and discourage bets against it.
The currency is less than 1% away from erasing the depreciation seen since Oct. 7. It’s recovered about 5% of its value against the dollar since reaching an 11-year low late last month.
Later Tuesday, the central bank will publish its monthly report on foreign reserves, giving investors a first look at how much it spent to shore up the currency. At the onset of the conflict, the Bank of Israel pledged to sell as much as $30 billion from its roughly $200 billion in foreign-currency reserves — and to provide as much as $15 billion more via swaps — to support the shekel.
Israeli Military Says Nearing Center of Gaza City (10:30 a.m.)
“We have over the last two days completed the encirclement of Gaza City and are moving closer and closer to the center,” Peter Lerner, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, told Bloomberg Radio. “The idea of the operation is to dismantle and destroy Hamas as a governing authority and as a terrorist entity that can launch attacks against Israel.”
The Israeli government knows it will be a “very expensive goal and it will take time,” he said. “The war itself is an open-ended war and we don’t have any hourglass counting the minutes until we end.”
Germany Says G-7 to Discuss Two-State Solution (10 a.m.)
Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday will discuss “practical steps” toward a two-state solution as a means of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Germany’s top diplomat, Annalena Baerbock.
“Hamas must not be allowed to continue to determine the fate of the people in the Gaza Strip,” Baerbock said in an emailed statement. “Our consultations in Tokyo will therefore also be about thinking ahead.”
Israel Says It’s Taken Control of a Hamas Base in Northern Gaza (9:30 a.m.)
Israeli troops took control of a Hamas base in northern Gaza over the past day, while a fighter jet attacked a squad of about 10 Hamas fighters, according to Israel Defense Forces posts on X.
Israeli forces also attacked dozens of sites for launching mortars, the posts said. The IDF added it attacked Hamas fighters in a building near Al-Quds Hospital who’d planned an assault, resulting in significant secondary explosions. That indicated the presence of stored weapons, according to the IDF.
UN Reports Reopening of Crossing Between Gaza, Egypt (07:20 a.m.)
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the Rafah border crossing reopened on Monday, when some foreign nationals and dual citizens as well as “a handful of injured people” were allowed to enter Egypt from Gaza. There were no such exits the previous two days, according to the UN agency.
Gaza Death Toll Reported Above 10,000 as Conflict Escalates
On Monday, one Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza, bringing the number of Israeli troops who have lost their lives since the start of the ground operation to 30, the UN said, citing Israeli sources.
About 2,260 people are reported missing in the besieged territory, in addition to more than 10,000 people who have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war began, the UN said. Most of those missing people are presumed to be under the rubble of buildings that collapsed during airstrikes, it said.
US Attack Submarine Enters Persian Gulf in Message to Iran (5 a.m.)
The Pentagon deployed the nuclear-powered USS Florida attack submarine to the Persian Gulf region as the US makes a show of force to deter Iran, according to US defense officials.
The Florida’s arrival was confirmed by the officials after the US Central Command posted on X, formerly Twitter, about an “Ohio-class” submarine in the region without specifying whether it was of the type that carries nuclear-armed ballistic missiles.
The Florida, though nuclear powered, doesn’t carry nuclear weapons. It was converted from carrying sea-launched nuclear missiles to Tomahawk land-attack weapons and commandos.
Peace Talks With Palestinians Can Begin After Fight Against Hamas Ends, Says Israeli President (4:45 a.m.)
“We have to fight terror and then we can sit down and talk,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in an TV interview with UK journalist Piers Morgan. “There are many ideas on how to have peace between us and the Palestinians and how to move toward solutions such as the two-state solution. But it cannot happen if you support, or give any credit directly or indirectly, to terror.”
He said the south of Gaza remains safe for civilians.
“With all due respect, people in Gaza know: there is war but there is no humanitarian crisis that does not enable them to survive,” he said. “On the contrary, there is a safe zone in the south part of Gaza.”
Blinken’s Pitch for Pauses in Israel’s Gaza War Falls Flat (4:30 a.m.)
Antony Blinken’s second trip through the Middle East since Israel’s latest war with Hamas began failed to yield a pause in the fighting.
Blinken’s Pitch for Pauses in Israel’s Gaza War Falls Flat
Monday’s visit to another ally - Turkey - brought a snub by the Turkish president and a sense of US frustration at the lack of progress in talks with others, according to officials there who asked for anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Netanyahu Speaks of Post-Fighting Gaza in Interview (2:02 a.m.)
The Israeli prime minister, in an interview with ABC News, said “those who don’t want to continue the way of Hamas” should be the ones to govern Gaza when the conflict is over.
“Israel will for an indefinite period” have overall security responsibility, said Benjamin Netanyahu, “because we’ve seen what happens when we don’t have it.”
Iran’s President Raisi to Visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday (11:30 p.m.)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Riyadh on Sunday to attend an emergency summit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Israel-Gaza conflict.
The visit will mark the first time in more than a decade a sitting Iranian president have travels to Saudi Arabia. The two countries — long rivals for geopolitical dominance in the Middle East — surprised many governments in March when they announced an agreement to restore diplomatic relations. China helped broker the deal.
Biden Aid May Double Israel’s Iron Dome Arsenal (11:15 p.m.)
The Biden administration’s $14 billion aid request for Israel would significantly expand its missile defenses, including new Iron Dome launchers equivalent to more than twice the current deployment.
Biden’s Military Aid to Israel May Double Iron Dome Arsenal
The package includes funds to build up to 100 more Iron Dome launchers and at least 14,000 of its Tamir interceptors, according to US officials, who asked not to be identified as the details aren’t public. Currently, the 10 existing Iron Dome batteries each include three to four launchers, 20 Tamir missiles and a battlefield radar.
Biden, Netanyahu Discuss ‘Tactical Pauses’ (9:32 p.m.)
Joe Biden “discussed the possibility of tactical pauses” in Gaza during a call with Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the White House. The leaders also discussed “the need to hold extremist settlers accountable for violent acts” in the West Bank, where tensions have flared since the war started.
Biden’s administration has stepped up calls for temporary pauses in fighting to allow aid into Gaza and hostages and other civilians out. Netanyahu has rejected those calls, saying it won’t happen unless Hamas agrees to release some of the more than 200 hostages it took during its Oct. 7 assault on Israel.
Gaza Deaths Exceed 10,000, Health Ministry Says (3:15 p.m.)
More than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israeli airstrikes began on Oct. 7, the Hamas-run health ministry said. That includes over 4,100 children, while another 25,408 people have been wounded, it said.
Gaza Death Toll Reported Above 10,000 as Conflict Escalates