by Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch
President Biden is intent on freeing more hostages held by Hamas. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) claims to be “optimistic” he can pass U.S. aid to Israel and Ukraine. New York Rep. George Santos (R) thinks he’ll get booted from the House this week. And TV jousting between two governors, one of whom needs a boost in his 2024 bid for the White House, could be a ratings if not political winner Thursday night.
But first, this morning’s updates from the Middle East.
A temporary truce that had been set to end today between Israel and Hamas was extended another two days and appears to be holding today. Eleven Israeli hostages, women and children taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7 regained their freedom Monday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an extension of the pause in fighting, a lull originally set for four days, could be an opening to reunite Israeli family members taken captive by Hamas and now separated.
The terms of the truce — a one-day pause for every 10 hostages released by Hamas coupled with a swap of three Palestinian prisoners held by Israel for every Israeli hostage released — remains in place. On Monday, a Red Cross bus carrying Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel arrived in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
President Biden, in a Monday statement praising the prime minister and leaders in Qatar and Egypt who are involved in negotiations, said the U.S. stance is to prioritize the release of civilians held against their will in Gaza.
We will not stop until all of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists are released,” the president said.
Biden, who continues to oppose a formal cease-fire while defying domestic criticism, applauded additional humanitarian aid now entering Gaza because of the pause in fighting.
At least nine Americans, including seven men and two women, are still believed to be held by Hamas.
The New York Times and CBS News: Here is what’s known about the 11 Israeli hostages released Monday out of the estimated 240 people abducted Oct. 7. A spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the group included three French citizens, two German citizens and six Argentinian citizens. In exchange, Israel released 33 Palestinians — 30 minors and three women.
3 THINGS TO KNOW
- Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) organized a Monday briefing by senior Israel Defense Forces officials for Democratic senators who have been critical of Israel’s war in Gaza.
- Elon Musk, wearing a green blast-protective vest, met Monday with Netanyahu and toured the locale in Israel of a Hamas attack last month. His visit appeared to be aimed at calming the outcry over his endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X, formerly known as Twitter. His message cost his company advertising, and the White House denounced the billionaire for “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate.”
- Here’s what to know as Google prepares to delete inactive personal accounts (and all the data and photos those accounts contain) beginning Friday.
The potential release of another 20 hostages from Gaza by midweek, if the truce agreement holds, only postpones tough questions Biden and the U.S. face as Israel vows to resume its offensive to eradicate Hamas in a war that has already cost thousands of civilian lives in Gaza.
The Hill: U.S. warns Israel over the next phase of military operation into southern Gaza.
Biden last month lashed himself to Israel’s war aims while embracing an ultimate two-state solution that has gone nowhere for more than three decades. The mounting death toll and the risks of a wider war in the Middle East animate Biden’s conversations with Netanyahu. Those conditions also fuel clashes in U.S. cities, debate in Congress and erode support for the president among younger voters.
“Freeing hostages is one way to try and extend the truce, get aid into Gaza and hostages out,” Aaron David Miller, a longtime Middle East negotiator now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told The New York Times. “But there’s a moment of decision coming when Israel seeks to resume its ground campaign. Will he press Israel to stop or at least try to shape its operations in the south?
A report Monday in Israel said Netanyahu, bargaining for his political survival, told Likud lawmakers that only he can block a Palestinian state, a stance that clashes with U.S. policy.
The New York Times: Gazans hope for a permanent cease-fire.
The Hill