For today, links to reports from Reuters, the Associated Press, CNN, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Substack; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below.(UKRAINE entry for this date and a BEES entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM
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Israel strikes eastern Rafah as U.S. warns a major assault could halt arms, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Mohammad Salem and Jarrett Renshaw | Reuters CAIRO / RAFAH, Gaza Strip / WASHINGTON — Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded areas of Rafah today, Palestinian residents said, after U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to withhold weapons from Israel if its forces launch a major invasion of the southern Gaza city. As ceasefire talks continued in Cairo, Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad said . . . READ MORE . . .
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Biden says U.S. won’t supply weapons for Israel to attack Rafah, in warning to ally, by Zeke Miller and Aamer Madhani | AP WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said that he would not supply offensive weapons that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah. In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Biden said the U.S. was still committed . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for CNN report.
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Biden says he’ll stop sending offensive weapons to Israel if it invades Rafah. Reported by Leila Fadel and Jackie Northam | NPR The U.S. will stop shipments of bombs or artillery shells if Israel presses its offensive against Hamas into the crowded city of Rafah in southern Gaza, President Biden said. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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NEWER Aid ship sails for floating pier off Gaza, as more Palestinians flee Rafah. From AP. The first ship carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza was on its way today to a floating platform built by the U.S. military. The plan is for cargo to be transferred at the pier to smaller U.S. boats that will deliver it to shore. READ MORE . . .
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FROM MAY 8 The implications after President Biden put a hold on a shipment of bombs for Israel. Reported by Mara Liasson and Tom Bowman | NPR President Biden put a hold on a shipment of bombs for Israel. We look at the implications for the war in Gaza — and politics at home. Click HERE to listen and read.
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FROM MAY 8 Many Palestinians have fled Rafah, but many others have nowhere to go. Reported by Aya Batrawy | NPR Aid groups in the southern Gaza city of Rafah are trying to maintain services for people unable to leave amid an Israeli assault there. People who can leave Rafah are unsure where to go. Click HERE to listen and read.
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FROM MAY 8 Netanyahu weighs risks of Rafah assault as hostage dilemma divides Israelis, by James Mackenzie | Reuters JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces competing pressures at home and abroad when he weighs how far to push the operation to defeat Hamas in Rafah that complicates hopes of bringing Israeli hostages home. Street demonstrations . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM MAY 8 Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says Netanyahu has no strategy for the war. Leila Fadel of NPR talks with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert about Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza. Click HERE to listen and read.
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FROM MAY 8 The pattern of Bibi’s desperate proposals, by Seymour M. Hersh | SeymourHersh.Substack.com I thought of Dan Ellsberg after learning here in Washington that Israel’s—make that Benjamin Netanyahu’s—latest incursion into Rafah would be an all-out “go” unless the Hamas negotiating team, now in Cairo, provides proof . . . READ MORE . . .