What we know
- Negotiations in Cairo are at an impasse as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Hamas’ demands “delusional” in a statement yesterday and said there was no point in further negotiations without a change in the group’s position. Hamas is seeking a permanent cease-fire and the release of 1,500 prisoners in exchange for hostages.
- Netanyahu also said yesterday that the military remains intent on continuing its offensive into Rafah, on the border with Egypt, where about 1.4 million Palestinians are seeking refuge.
- Israel’s plans are in defiance of the international community and the U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have publicly said the U.S. cannot support a ground invasion into Rafah without a credible and implementable plan to ensure the safety of the people sheltering there.
- The International Court of Justice will begin historic hearings tomorrow about the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
- The siege of Nasser Hospital by Israeli forces in Khan Younis enters its fourth day. More than 100 people have been detained, including staff members. About 10,000 people are sheltering at the hospital complex, which is struggling under heavy fire and dwindling supplies.
- Heavy construction on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza is stoking Palestinians’ fears of expulsion. Israel denies such plans, and Egypt’s president rejected the displacement of Palestinians, but its foreign minister said: “It is not our intention to provide any safe areas or facilities, but … we will provide the support to the innocent civilians, if that was to take place.”
Hamas calls Israel's decision to restrict Palestinians' entry to Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan 'a violation of freedom'
Hamas has called Israel's decision to restrict Palestinians from Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan "a violation of freedom of worship" at the mosque.
Israeli authorities plan to restrict access to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, ahead of Ramadan, war Cabinet minister Benny Gantz said earlier.
A statement from the militant group said the move "indicates the occupation’s intention to escalate its aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan" and called it "an intensification of the Zionist crime and religious war led by the group of extremist settlers in the terrorist occupation government."
It called on Palestinians living in "occupied territories," as well as Jerusalem and the West Bank, "to reject this criminal decision, to resist the arrogance of the occupation, and to mobilize and march and be present in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque."
The group also warned that restricting access to the mosque "will not pass without accountability."
Israel slams Brazilian president for comparing Gaza war to the Holocaust
Israel condemned Brazil’s president for comparing the war in Gaza to the Holocaust, accusing him of being antisemitic and trivializing the Nazi genocide of European Jews during World War II.
The outcry further strained relations between the countries, which have deteriorated since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to office last year. Lula has portrayed himself as a leader of the “Global South,” a loosely defined group of developing countries.
Speaking to reporters at the African Union summit in Ethiopia, Lula said that “what is happening in the Gaza Strip and to the Palestinian people hasn’t been seen in any other moment in history. Actually, it did when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
Such comments strike a raw nerve in Israel, a country established as a haven for Jews in the wake of the Holocaust. Israel rejects any comparisons of its conduct in the war in Gaza to the Holocaust.
Netanyahu said today that Lula’s comments “trivialized the Holocaust” and “crossed a red line.” He also accused Lula of being a “virulent antisemite.”
Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he had summoned Brazil’s ambassador in Israel for a reprimand. Katz called Lula’s comments “shameful and serious.”
Lula’s comments came after leaders at the AU summit on Saturday condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza and called for its immediate end.
Netanyahu: Hostage release possible through ‘strong military action’
Netanyahu said today that a hostage release "can be achieved through strong military action and tough negotiations."
The “tough position” involves pressuring Hamas and groups that can pressure Hamas, he said in an address at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organization at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem.
"That tough position has to involve the exertion of pressure. And the exertion of pressure is not merely on Hamas itself, but on those who can exert pressure on Hamas, beginning with Qatar," Netanyahu said, adding that Qatar "can press Hamas as no one else can" because "Hamas is dependent on them financially."
"I urge you to press Qatar to press Hamas, because we want our hostages released," Netanyahu said. "I hope that we can achieve a deal soon to release more of our hostages. But deal or no deal, we have to finish the job to get total victory."
14 patients evacuated from Nasser Hospital, but more than 100 trapped inside, Health Ministry says
Gaza's Health Ministry said today that 14 patients were evacuated from the inoperable Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis with assistance from the World Health Organization.
The ministry previously reported that 150 patients were inside the hospital with nowhere to go because of an Israeli raid on the facility. The people who were able to evacuate today included five dialysis patients and three intensive care patients, the health ministry said.
The World Health Organization said earlier that it was blocked from accessing Nasser hospital for two days, permitted by Israeli authorities only to deliver fuel but not allowed inside the facility.
Israeli government reaches agreement for residents to return to communities near Gaza border
Israel residents who have been displaced from their homes in Sderot and other communities in the western Negev area near the border with Gaza should be able to return as soon as March 1, Israeli officials said.
The Finance Ministry released a joint statement with the prime minister's office with details about an agreement that would also provide grants to those who are not ready to return. According to the statement, "acclimation grants" would be provided for those who wish to stay in hotels until early July.
"It was agreed that under the grant outline, the level would be determined according to the date of return and the needs stemming from the length of the acclimation period," the statement said.
Israel's government will still have to approve the plan.
More than 7,000 Palestinians arrested since start of war, Palestinian authorities say
About 7,075 Palestinians have been arrested since Oct. 7, the Commission for the Affairs of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners said.
They include 15 people who were arrested since last night in Ramallah, Jericho, Nablus, Bethlehem, Hebron and Tulkarm, the commission said in a statement. Israeli officials have said they are seeking out people with ties to Hamas in the occupied West Bank.
“It is noteworthy that the data related to arrest cases includes those who were kept in detention by the occupation, or those who were later released,” the statement said.
According to the commission, those detained were arrested in myriad ways, such as by being taken into custody in their homes or at checkpoints or by being pressured to surrender. The United Nations has described numerous “search and arrest operations” by Israeli forces over the last few months, including one last week in the Jenin refugee camp that led to violence.
Israeli authorities will restrict movement to Al-Aqsa ahead of Ramadan, Gantz announces
Israeli authorities plan to restrict access to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa mosque is located, ahead of Ramadan next month, war Cabinet minister Benny Gantz said on X.
“The security forces will finalise their recommendations in accordance with the latest situation assessments and will subsequently be presented to the political echelon for decision-making,” Gantz wrote.
That area of Jerusalem’s Old City is considered one of the world’s holiest sites because of its significance to all three Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Israelis call the area the Temple Mount, while in Arabic it’s often referred to as Haram Al-Sharif, which is often translated as “The Noble Sanctuary” in English.
It’s also home to the compound of Al-Aqsa, where thousands of Muslims congregate for prayer services during the holy month of Ramadan.
Violence has erupted at the mosque numerous times over recent years, including last April, when police raided the compound after authorities alleged some Palestinian kids threw firecrackers at them. There were reports Israeli officers beat Palestinians, and more than 50 people were injured. The Israeli military said one soldier was shot.
Gazans at risk of famine as 1 in 4 people face emergency levels of food insecurity
Gazans face a dire humanitarian crisis as more than a quarter of the enclave’s population faces famine.
“For God’s sake, every time we come we leave with nothing,” one Gazan said as thousands lined up for aid. “Please, I have 25 people at home.”
NBC News’ Molly Hunter reports on the aid agencies sounding the alarm on food insecurity in Gaza, as aid is not getting to the people who need it most. According to the World Food Programme, 1 in 4 Gazans face emergency levels of food insecurity.
Brazilian president compares treatment of Palestinians to Jews during the Holocaust
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke about the plight of Palestinians during the 37th African Union Summit, comparing the situation to that of Jews during World War II.
“What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments,” Lula told reporters. “In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
The comment drew ire from Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that Lula disgraced the memory of the estimated 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote on X accusing the Brazilian president of supporting “a genocidal” organization, in reference to Hamas.
“Accusing Israel of perpetrating a Holocaust is outrageous and abhorrent,” Gallant wrote.
Hamas released a statement today calling Lula’s remarks “an accurate description of what our people are exposed to” in the context of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. The group asked that the comment be taken into consideration at the international court where South Africa brought a case accusing Israel of genocide.
“We call on the International Court of Justice to take into account the statement of the Brazilian President regarding the violations and atrocities that our Palestinian people are suffering at the hands of the criminal occupation army and its terrorist settlers that have never been witnessed in modern history,” the statement said.
Israel’s attacks ‘will not bring security or stability to anyone,’ Palestinian Authority says
Israel’s war in Gaza as well as the aggression in the West Bank “will not bring security or stability to anyone,” according to a statement provided by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office.
A spokesperson for Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, called for “increased Arab action” in the face of what it described as a contradictory American position. The U.S. has said it supports an independent Palestinian state while also providing unrestricted aid to Israel, whose government rejects the concept.
“Everyone should know that Jerusalem and Palestine constitute the key to the solution and the future and stability of the region,” he said. “Without the State of Palestine obtaining its full membership in the United Nations, realizing its independence on Palestinian land with East Jerusalem as its capital … the region will remain in constant turmoil, enduring endless wars.”