Free Republic

The IDF on Sunday announced that it had concluded the active invasion stage of the war for now while leaving open the possibility of a future new invasion of Rafah in deep southern Gaza. Although a top IDF official said that this change had nothing to do with US pressure, the timing was unmistakable in coming right after the IDF’s disastrous mistaken killing of seven humanitarian aid workers last week. Critically, this means that Palestinians can, on one hand, move freely within southern Gaza and Khan Yunis and that there is a complete vacuum for preventing a return of Hamas...

President Joe Biden ticked through several things that he needed to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do immediately: open up the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and the port of Ashdod in southern Israel for humanitarian aid; significantly ramp up the supplies getting in through Kerem Shalom. A person familiar with the Thursday call paraphrased Netanyahu as responding: “Joe, we’re gonna do it.” But Biden wasn’t finished. The prime minister must announce the moves that evening, the president insisted. By Thursday night, the Israeli security cabinet had approved those three measures to increase humanitarian aid entering the besieged enclave....