Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress in Washington on Wednesday as he sought to bolster the United States' support for his country's fight against Hamas and other Iran-backed armed groups.
Netanyahu signalled that a cease-fire deal could be taking shape after nine months of war, but during his fiery speech to Congress, he vowed to press forward with Israel's war until he achieves “total victory.” Meanwhile, thousands of protesters gathered near the U.S. Capitol to denounce the war. Some of the protests near the Capitol turned chaotic.
Israel-Hamas War | Latest Updates
Palestinians displaced: Palestinians displaced by the Israeli military's latest order to leave parts of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis say they are sleeping in the streets. The Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 39,100 Palestinians have been killed in the war.
Ceasefire talks delayed: Officials from Egypt, Israel, the United States and Qatar had been expected to meet in Doha on Thursday with the aim of resuming talks for a proposed three-phase cease-fire to end the war between Israel and Hamas and free the remaining hostages. But an Israeli official said Israel's negotiating team was delayed and would likely be dispatched next week.
Hostages' bodies recovered: The Israeli military said Thursday it has recovered the bodies of five Israeli hostages, in the area of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, who were abducted by Hamas militants on Oct. 7.
Australia sanctions Israelis: Australia is imposing financial sanctions and travel bans against seven Israeli citizens and financial sanctions against a West Bank-based youth group over their alleged involvement in settler violence in the occupied territory.
Families of Hostages disappointed: The families of the eight American hostages being held in Gaza say they're “profoundly disappointed” that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not guarantee in his speech to Congress that the hostages would be coming home.In a joint statement, the families said that Netanyahu on Wednesday “failed to present any new solutions or a new path forward” and “failed to commit to the hostage deal that is now on the table even though Israel's senior defence and intelligence officials have called on him to do so.”
Palestinians killed in 2 schools: The United Nations says two schools in southern Khan Younis were hit during military action, killing and injuring Palestinians sheltering inside. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that the U.N. World Health Organization and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society were able to evacuate six wounded people to the International Medical Corp field hospital along with the bodies of two people killed in the shelters.
Protesters Replace US Flags with Palestinian ones: Protesters climbed the flagpoles outside Washington's Union Station on Wednesday afternoon and replaced the American flags with Palestinian flags. Thousands of demonstrators had gathered in Washington to protest Israel's war in Gaza as Netanyahu spoke in front of Congress earlier Wednesday afternoon.
(With AP Inputs)
