News Notes: Israel, Ukraine

WEDNESDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2024

News Notes: Israel: NYT

• Gazans are fleeing a major hospital in the Gaza Strip (Khan Younis) after Israelis ordered them to leave.  The forces threatened military action to stop what it said was Hamas activity at the hospital.
• Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, (a hard-right settler leader)
• said he had issued a directive not to transfer flour shipments to UNRWA. 
• Negotiations in Cairo are still going on.
• Israelis continue to warn (although some think this is saber rattling by Netanyahu) about a ground advance into Rafah.
• The New York Times has a section “Roots of the Conflict” that details the agreements and declarations in 1948 and after.

News Notes: Israel: Hareetz

• Hostage families slam Netanyahu for staying away from Cairo talks.
• Macron tells Netanyahu of his opposition to a possible Israeli offensive in Rafah
• Netanyahu says there is no new “hamas proposal” on hostages and orders delegation not to return to Cairo.
• Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Hamas to speedily reach an agreement over hostages for prisoners to avoid a further “catastrophe.”
• Abbas met on Monday with the Emir of Qatar to discuss post-war Gaza.
• Mossad head David Barnea was with the Israeli delegation participating in talks on Tuesday.
• Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s deputy, Khalil al-Hayya, was also in Cairo.
• A wave of thefts of off-road vehicles in Israel is leading authorities to suspect a fresh attack on Israelis.  This type of vehicle was used in the October 7 attack.
• Opinion, Netta Ahituv.  “No Israeli will ever feel safe in their land if all the hostages don’t return.”
• One of the hostages who was released said: “If the hostages aren’t returned, every mother and father will know that…the state is not committed to their security.”
• There appear to be “deliberate moves” by the government to remove this issue from the public agenda (author)

News Notes: Ukraine: Moscow Times

• Ukraine has evidently hit another large Russian ship.
• Inflation in Russia is being pushed higher by “soaring government spending on the military offensive.”
• Putin has signed a law allowing the confiscation of assets of individuals convicted under the new wartime censorship laws.”

Ukraine: Euromaidan Press

• Netherlands joins coalition o boost Ukraine’s drone capabilities.