Israel Foreign Ministry to boycott event focused on spitting attacks against Christians

1 big scoop: Israeli Foreign Ministry to boycott event focused on spitting attacks

Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Archbishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, led the feast held at the site. (Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Scoop: U.S. ambassador to Israel sent Bibi letter urging him to suspend NGO bill

2. Scoop: Nides sent Bibi letter urging him to suspend NGO legislation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

3. Scoop: Harris to attend Israeli Embassy's 75th independence day reception 

4. Normalization watch: Iran courts Eygpt

4. Normalization watch: Iran courts Egypt

Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq (L) meets with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (R) in Tehran, Iran on May 29, 2023.

What to expect from Erdoğan's third term as Turkey's economic woes worsen

5. What to expect from Erdoğan's third term as economic woes worsen

This week's edition (1,994 words, 7½ minutes) brings you two scoops from Israel and one from D.C. 

ICYMI: Senior Biden adviser Brett McGurk took a low-profile trip to Oman for talks with Omani officials on possible diplomatic outreach to Iran regarding its nuclear program. Go deeper.

👀 First look: A bipartisan group of senators is introducing a new bill aimed at boosting cybersecurity cooperation between the U.S. and Abraham Accords countries. Read more. 

📅 Situational awareness: Axios from Tel Aviv will be off next week, but it'll return to your inbox on June 14.

Tel Aviv

A set of building blocks, each decorated with a flag of a country in the Middle East.

darkTeal

Go behind the scenes with Israel's most plugged-in reporter, Barak Ravid, on the events and decisions impacting the region.

Axios from Tel Aviv

Standard

1 big scoop: Senior Israeli officials expected in D.C. for White House talks

2. Scoop: Israel tells U.S. it won't turn Homesh into new settlement

Israeli right-wing activists and settlers take part in a protest march at the West Bank outpost of Homesh in Dec. 2021. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images

U.S., Israeli officials optimistic that Negev Forum will meet in Morocco on June 25

3. U.S. and Israeli officials aim for June 25 Negev Forum in Morocco

Flags are set up during the Negev Summit in the southern Negev desert on March 28, 2022. Photo: Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Inside Hezbollah's wargames near the Israeli border

4. Inside Hezbollah's rare military drills near the Israeli border

 Pro-Iranian Hezbollah fighters take part in a staged military exercise in a camp in the Lebanese southern village of Aramta. Marwan Naamani/picture alliance via Getty Images

5. What I'm reading: Joel Rosenberg's "The Libyan Diversion"

This week's edition (1,973 words, 7½ minutes) starts with a scoop out of Washington, where senior Israeli officials are expected to meet with their American counterparts next week for talks on Iran and Saudi Arabia. 

It also brings you the latest on the Homesh outpost in the occupied West Bank and takes you inside Hezbollah's rare military exercises near Lebanon's border with Israel.

Editor's note: Item 4 of this newsletter was corrected to reflect that Hezbollah's military drills took place just outside the area where militias are not allowed to operate under a UN Security Council resolution, not inside the area.

Israel conducts rare drone strike in West Bank, escalating already high tensions

1 big thing: Dramatic West Bank escalation

An Israeli Air Force AH-64 Apache attack helicopter releases flares during an Israeli army raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on June 19, 2023. Violent clashes erupted in Jenin on June 19 during an Israeli raid on the West B

Part II: U.S. tells Israel escalation makes normalization efforts harder

People stand by a torched vehicle, reportedly set ablaze by Israeli settlers, in the village of Turmus Aya near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on June 21, 2023. 

3. Israeli diaspora minister tells Jewish Dem lawmakers he's "not woke"

Israel Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli speaks during The Israeli American Council (IAC) 8th Annual National Summit on January 19, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Shahar Azran/Getty Images)

4. Biden adviser in Saudi Arabia as part of normalization push

Senior Biden adviser Amos Hochstein listens to President Biden at the White House in October 2022.

5. TBZ's visit to Washington eased U.S.-UAE tensions

Welcome back to Axios from Tel Aviv, where I have some exciting news: I'll be joining Axios full time in Washington, D.C., to cover the 2024 elections, foreign policy and national security.

That means Axios from Tel Aviv will be ending next week, but you can still follow my reporting on axios.com and in Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up here.

Before then, we still have a lot to get through. Let's hop in.

Today's edition (2,049 words, 8 minutes) starts with the escalation in the occupied West Bank. 

🇮🇷 Situational awareness: Iran held a "serious and constructive" meeting with a senior EU official involved in nuclear negotiations, Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani tweeted today. The meeting took place amid indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran over possible “understandings” around Tehran’s nuclear program and regional de-escalation.

Big thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy editing this newsletter. 

Scoop: White House expressed concern that Israel is leaking info on indirect Iran talks

1 big scoop: Sullivan's tough call with his Israeli counterpart

Scoop: Netanyahu sees upside to China's growing involvement in Middle East

2. Scoop: Netanyahu sees upside to China's involvement in region

Scoop: Saudi Arabia not committing to allowing Israeli reps to attend UNESCO meeting

3. Scoop: Saudi Arabia not committing to Israeli reps for UNESCO meeting

A general view of the UNESCO meeting in November 2019 in Paris. Photo: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Scoop: Somalia and Comoros agree to attend Negev Forum meeting

4. Scoop: Somalia and Comoros agree to attend Negev Forum meeting

5. 🙏 1 big moment of gratitude

Illustration of a typewriter with the Axios "A" logo on the paper. 

Welcome to my last edition of Axios from Tel Aviv.

I want to thank you, my readers, for spending Wednesdays with me every week. It's been a fun and rewarding 2½ years.

What's next: I'll still be writing and reporting for Axios, but from Washington, D.C., where I'll cover the 2024 elections, foreign policy and national security.

You can continue to follow my scoops, other reporting and analysis on axios.com and in Axios Sneak Peek — an insider's guide to the most powerful people shaping Washington. Sign up here.

Before we say goodbye, today's edition (1,871 words, 7 minutes) starts with a scoop that highlights the tensions between the U.S. and Israel on Iran. 

Don't forget to subscribe to Sneak Peek. 

Netanyahu's coalition suffers embarrassing defeat in Israel

1 big thing: Bibi coalition's embarrassing defeat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing next to a lawmaker in the Knesset

Abbas visits China as Beijing seeks to grow influence in the Middle East

2. Abbas visits China as Beijing seeks to grow influence in the Middle East

Scoop: Bibi says Israel protested Russia's cooperation with Iran

3. Scoop: Bibi says Israel protested Russia's cooperation with Iran

Netanyahu with Putin in 2019. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AFP via Getty

Scoop: Morocco Negev Forum ministerial meeting postponed — again

4. Scoop: Morocco Negev Forum postponed — again

Secretary of State Tony Blinken (center) and the foreign ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Morocco and the UAE hold a press conference at the Negev summit in Israel in March. Photo: Handout/Israeli Foreign Ministry/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Scoop: Austin and Israel's Gallant to discuss Iran on sidelines of NATO meeting

5. Scoop: Austin and Gallant to discuss Iran in Brussels

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu give a statement after their meeting in Jerusalem on April 12, 2021. Photo:

This week's edition (2,049 words, 8 minutes) starts with the political drama unfolding in Israel after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition suffered an unexpected defeat. 

Three Israeli officials tell me that senior State Department official Barbara Leaf will travel to the region next week as part of an effort to organize another meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on West Bank de-escalation. The State Department said it had no travel plans to announce at this time. 

The Lebanese parliament today failed for the 12th time to elect a new president to lead the country.

Many thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy-editing this newsletter. 

FetchError

National

The U.S. vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza on Friday.

Why it matters: This is the second time the U.S. has been the only opposing vote on such a resolution — indicating its ongoing support for Israel, which is under international pressure as its military campaign continues.

In Friday's vote, 13 of the 15 Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution, with the U.K. abstaining.

The draft resolution was co-sponsored by 97 UN member states.

Driving the news: The vote took place two days after UN Secretary-General António Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter to push for a ceasefire.

It was the first time Guterres invoked Article 99 — used to alert the Security Council of a severe international security threat — since he was appointed in 2017.

More than 17,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza.

What they're saying: Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood called the resolution "imbalanced and detached from reality" and said it wouldn't have created positive change on the ground.

Wood said the member states who drafted the resolution rejected proposed amendments and refused to include a condemnation of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel or condolences for the victims, which he called "unfathomable."

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN representative, said the U.S. veto "gives more time to the war criminal to commit more crimes" and accused the U.S. of "double standards."

What to watch: A senior Israeli defense official told Axios the high intensity phase of Israel's operations in Gaza would likely last another three or four weeks.

Go deeper: Israel now willing to discuss post-war Gaza, U.S. officials say

Editor's note: This story is developing and will be updated.

Israel now willing to discuss post-war Gaza, U.S. officials say

US vetoes UN Security Council demand for ceasefire in Gaza

The U.S. was the only vote against the resolution.

A general view shows the United Nations Security Council after the vote about a ceasefire in Gaza at UN headquarters in New York on December 8, 2023. 

A general view shows the United Nations Security Council after the vote about a ceasefire in Gaza at UN headquarters in New York on December 8, 2023. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

Israel

World

A senior Israeli defense official told Axios Israel expects to end its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis in three to four weeks. The high-intensity phase of the war would likely last another three to four weeks, the official said.  

Why it matters: The Biden administration has backed the Israeli operation in Gaza and says it supports Israel's stated goal of ousting Hamas in Gaza but the White House is under mounting international and domestic pressure to tell Israel to end the war.

More than 17,400 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the ministry of health in Hamas-run Gaza. 

Driving the news: A senior Israeli official said Israeli Defense Forces "have made significant progress" in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, but that the operation in the southern city of Khan Younis, where Israel believes Hamas leadership is located, "has just started." 

President Biden spoke on Thursday to Prime Minister Netanyahu about the Israeli military plans and the operation in Khan Younis. A similar call was held last night between U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant.

Behind the scenes: The senior Israeli official said the U.S. isn't "pulling the brakes" or giving Israel a firm deadline to stop the operation but pointing to the fact that time is running out. 

The gap between the Biden administration and the Israeli government is about the one-month timetable Israel is giving for ending the high-intensity phase of the Gaza war, the official said.

White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told the Aspen Security Forum in Washington on Thursday that the U.S. hasn't given a firm deadline to Israel.

"This is their conflict. That said, we do have influence, even if we don't have ultimate control over what happens on the ground in Gaza," Finer said.

What they're saying: The Israeli defense official said the U.S. would be satisfied if Israel ended the high intensity phase of the operation by the end of December, while Israel is aiming for the end of January.

"The U.S. message is that they would want us to finish faster, with less civilian casualties and more humanitarian aid to Gaza. We want the same thing, but there is another player here and this is the enemy that doesn't agree," the official said. "The U.S. understands this. We are working together. We need them and they need us." 

A spokesperson for the National Security Council said: "These are Israeli military operations, and the Israelis will decide their course. We will continue to support Israel's efforts to defend itself from Hamas terrorists."

The Israeli Ministry of Defense declined to comment.

Israel's operation in Gaza's Khan Younis expected to last 3 to 4 weeks more

The high-intensity phase of the war would then likely last another three to four weeks, a senior Israeli defense official said.

 KHAN YUNIS, GAZA - DECEMBER 08: Injured Palestinians, including children, are brought to Nasser Hospital to receive medical treatment following Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis, Gaza on December 08, 2023. (Photo by Belal Khaled/Anadolu via Getty Images)

 Injured Palestinians, including children, are brought to Nasser Hospital to receive medical treatment following Israeli attacks in Khan Yunis, Gaza on Dec. 08, 2023. Photo: Belal Khaled/Anadolu via Getty Images

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Axios Explains: Israel-Hamas war

A senior Israeli defense official told Axios Israel expects to end its military operation in the southern Gaza city of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Khan Younis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/05/israel-ground-offensive-southern-gaza-khan-younis" data-vars-content-id="85f26f77-ac1d-4924-8a67-ed48b96e0fff" data-vars-headline="Israel&#x27;s operation in Gaza&#x27;s Khan Younis expected to last 3 to 4 weeks more" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/05/israel-ground-offensive-southern-gaza-khan-younis" target="_self">Khan Younis</a> in three to four weeks. The high-intensity phase of the war would likely last another three to four weeks, the official said. Why it matters: The Biden administration has backed the Israeli operation in Gaza and says it supports Israel&#x27;s stated goal of ousting Hamas in Gaza but the White House is under <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="mounting" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/30/blinken-israel-gaza-war-warning-hamas" data-vars-content-id="85f26f77-ac1d-4924-8a67-ed48b96e0fff" data-vars-headline="Israel&#x27;s operation in Gaza&#x27;s Khan Younis expected to last 3 to 4 weeks more" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/30/blinken-israel-gaza-war-warning-hamas" target="_self">mounting</a> international and domestic pressure to tell Israel to end the war.

The Israeli security cabinet approved increasing the amount of fuel that Israel allows into Gaza, the Israeli Prime Minister's office said on Wednesday. 

Why it matters: The decision comes as Israeli Defense Forces push into southern Gaza and fighting intensifies around the city of Khan Younis. The UN humanitarian office warned this week that the dire humanitarian crisis is deepening in Gaza.

Israeli officials said the decision was made after strong pressure from the Biden administration.

Details: Israel will allow in "the minimal amount of fuel that is needed to prevent a humanitarian collapse and breakout of disease in southern Gaza," according to the cabinet decision.

An Israeli official said Israel will increase the amount of fuel that enters Gaza from 60,000 liters per day to 120,000 liters — the amount that entered Gaza during the 7-day ceasefire that ended on Dec. 1.

The cabinet decision said this "minimal amount" will be periodically re-assessed by the war cabinet according to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Israeli minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer said in the cabinet meeting that "it is critical" to approve the decision on the fuel supply "in order for the Biden administration to continue giving backing to Israel's military operation in southern Gaza," an Israeli official who attended the meeting told Axios.

The U.S. had called for Israel to allow 180,000 liters of fuel into Gaza. 

How it happened: Israel's war cabinet met on Monday to consider an increase in fuel but pushed the decision to the larger security cabinet. 

All security cabinet ministers voted in favor of the resolution except for ultranationalist ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich who opposed it.

Between the lines: The decision effectively moves the authority for making decisions regarding the amount of fuel away from the security cabinet to the smaller war cabinet and as a result neutralizes the ability of Gvir and Smotrichto influence the issue.

The big picture: More than 16,2000 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the war in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health in Hamas-run enclave.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who has been calling for a "humanitarian ceasefire," on Wednesday invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, which allows the Secretary-General to bring to the UN Security Council any matter deemed a threat to "international peace and security." 

The council is expected to meet on Friday.

Israeli cabinet approves increasing amount of fuel allowed into Gaza

The decision comes as Israeli Defense Forces push into southern Gaza and fighting intensifies around the city of Khan Younis.

A fuel truck enters the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing with Egypt, hours after the start of a four-day truce in battles between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants, on November 24, 2023.

A fuel truck enters the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing with Egypt on Nov. 24, 2023. Photo: Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images

The Israeli security cabinet approved <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="increasing" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/04/israel-gaza-humanitarian-aid-fuel-increase" data-vars-content-id="9d3da8e3-8338-4a13-84b6-a7baf37ed366" data-vars-headline="Israeli cabinet approves increasing amount of fuel allowed into Gaza" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/04/israel-gaza-humanitarian-aid-fuel-increase" target="_self">increasing</a> the amount of fuel that Israel allows into Gaza, the Israeli Prime Minister&#x27;s office said on Wednesday. Why it matters: The decision comes as Israeli Defense Forces push into southern Gaza and fighting <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="intensifies" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/05/israel-ground-offensive-southern-gaza-khan-younis" data-vars-content-id="9d3da8e3-8338-4a13-84b6-a7baf37ed366" data-vars-headline="Israeli cabinet approves increasing amount of fuel allowed into Gaza" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/05/israel-ground-offensive-southern-gaza-khan-younis" target="_self">intensifies</a> around the city of Khan Younis. The UN humanitarian office warned this week that the dire humanitarian crisis is deepening in Gaza.

Israel's military operation against Hamas is now focused on capturing or killing the most wanted person in Gaza: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Israeli officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: After more than two months of battering the terror group's positions, Israeli officials believe that eliminating Sinwar and his close associates would accelerate Hamas' military collapse and an end to the war that began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

State of play: During the past week, the Israeli Defense Forces expanded its ground operation into the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, while continuing attacks on several areas in northern Gaza.

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the IDF's chief of staff, said Saturday that many Hamas militants are surrendering in northern Gaza, which he described as a sign of the group's military collapse.

Also Saturday, a video aired on Israeli television channels purporting to show dozens of Palestinian men surrendering to IDF soldiers in northern Gaza. IDF officials claimed some of the men were Hamas militants, while others were civilians. Axios could not independently verify the video's authenticity. 

Driving the news: Israeli intelligence believes Sinwar escaped from Gaza City early in the war and has been hiding in Hamas tunnels under the southern city of Khan Younis.

Last Wednesday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF surrounded Sinwar's house in Khan Younis but the Hamas leader wasn't there. "He can run and hide but we will get him," Netanyahu said.

A senior Israeli defense official said the goal of the operation in Khan Younis is to capture Sinwar — dead or alive.

"We need to take him out of the game. This is the goal and it is possible. Hamas battalions' morale is weakening. We will break them with or without eliminating Sinwar, but if we kill him it will happen much faster," the official said.

Behind the scenes: Israeli officials said Sinwar, 61, planned the deadly Oct. 7 attack with a small group of close associates, including Mohammed Deif, who is the commander of Hamas' military wing, and Marwan Issa, Deif's deputy.

Israeli and Arab officials said Sinwar has been in control of Hamas' operations — including its recent hostage negotiations — from the group's tunnels in Gaza.

IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Saturday that Hamas commanders who were captured and interrogated in recent weeks claimed that "Hamas leadership, including Sinwar, is detached from reality and in denial" about the group's situation in Gaza. 

More than 15,000 people have been killed in the fighting, Palestinian health officials say. The IDF estimates that about 6,000 of them were Hamas militants.

Hamas militants captured in the past several days have told Israeli interrogators that "the terror group's leadership that is hiding underground seems to disregard the situation of the Palestinian population above the ground," Hagari added.

In recent days, the Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera TV networks aired interviews with several Palestinians in Gaza who criticized Hamas — and Sinwar specifically — over the dire situation in Gaza. 

Some accused Hamas of stealing humanitarian aid sent to the enclave.

Flashback: Sinwar was born and raised in Khan Younis, has been a member of Hamas' military wing since its founding in 1987, and has led its counterintelligence arm.

In 1989 he was convicted by an Israeli court of murdering four Palestinians who were accused of being spies for Israel inside the terror group. He was sentenced to life in an Israeli prison.

Sinwar became a leader among Hamas' prisoners in Israel, learned Hebrew and studied Israeli society and politics.

In 2011, Sinwar was released along with a thousand other Palestinian prisoners in return for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who'd been taken hostage by Hamas five years earlier.

Israeli and Arab officials say Sinwar's 22 years in prison were the most formative period in his life and molded his thinking and worldview.

"First and foremost he is a prisoner leader," one Arab official said.

When he returned to Gaza, Sinwar resumed his activity in Hamas' political and military apparatus, and in 2017 he was elected the organization's leader in Gaza.

He quickly became the most influential person in Hamas and pushed for changes within the group that made Gaza the group's main power center.

In March 2021, Sinwar needed four rounds of voting in Hamas' secret internal elections to be re-elected the terror group's leader in Gaza, amid reports that he'd been defeated by his rival, Nizar Awadallah, but refused to accept the results.

Sinwar's re-election strengthened his hold on Hamas' leadership and weakened its leadership in Qatar and Lebanon.

What to watch: Israeli officials won't say it publicly, but they believe eliminating Sinwar not only could help end the war — it could help restore confidence in Netanyahu, whom many Israelis blame for the nation not being prepared for the Oct. 7 attack.

And "if Sinwar is eliminated," the Arab official said, "it will make it easier to reach a deal on ending the war."

Israel's hunt for the most-wanted person in Gaza

Israeli officials believe eliminating Hamas' leader could accelerate the end of the war.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar speaks behind microphone with one arm raised.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar speaks in Gaza City in 2021. He's now Israel's most-wanted person in Gaza. Photo: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Israel&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="military operation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/08/biden-israel-gaza-city-war-operation-update" data-vars-content-id="a271e8dc-d800-467d-a4c1-8984d551da81" data-vars-headline="Israel&#x27;s hunt for the most-wanted person in Gaza" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/12/08/biden-israel-gaza-city-war-operation-update" target="_self">military operation</a> against Hamas is now focused on capturing or killing the most wanted person in Gaza: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Israeli officials tell Axios.Why it matters: After more than two months of battering the terror group&#x27;s positions, Israeli officials believe that eliminating Sinwar and his close associates would accelerate Hamas&#x27; military collapse and an end to<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" the war" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/world/israel" data-vars-content-id="a271e8dc-d800-467d-a4c1-8984d551da81" data-vars-headline="Israel&#x27;s hunt for the most-wanted person in Gaza" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/world/israel" target="_self"> the war</a> that began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

Egypt warned the U.S. and Israel that if Palestinian refugees flee into the Sinai as a result of the Israeli military operation in southern Gaza, it could create "a rupture" in relations between Egypt and Israel, according to four U.S. and Israeli officials.

Why it matters: The close relations between Egypt and Israel, especially between the military and intelligence services, have been critically important at several points in the war, including around the release of hostages.

Egypt sees the war in Gaza as a threat to its national security and wants to prevent Palestinian refugees from crossing the border into its territory.

As of 3 December, according to UNRWA, almost 1.9 million people in Gaza, or nearly 85 per cent of the population, were estimated to be internally displaced.

Nearly 1.9 million Palestinians or roughly 85% of the population have already been displaced inside Gaza as of Dec. 3, according to the United Nations. At least 17,700 Palestinians — mostly women and children — have been killed, per the Ministry of Health in Hamas-run Gaza.

Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have been concerned since the early days of the war that Israel would push Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt — and not allow them to return after the war. 

Israeli officials denied this both in private and in public and gave assurances to Egypt that any wounded Palestinian permitted to leave Gaza for medical treatment would be allowed to return to the enclave.

Driving the news: Earlier this week, the Israeli military expanded its military operation into the southern Gaza strip, focusing on the city of Khan Younis where Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) believe Hamas leaders are hiding.

Since the fighting in Khan Younis started many Palestinian civilians have fled to the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt.

On Thursday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry at the Aspen Security forum in Washington, D.C. said it would be "inappropriate and in contradiction of international law" if Palestinian civilians from Gaza were displaced to Egypt.

"It is not the way to deal with the conflict. Palestinian civilians should not be penalized and should not leave their territory," he said.

Shoukry is in Washington on Thursday together with several other Arab foreign ministers to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken about the war in Gaza.

Diaa Rashwan, head of the Egyptian State Information Service, said on Thursday that displacement of Palestinians from Gaza to the Sinai "is a red line" for Egypt and it won't allow it no matter what the implications are.

Egyptian officials declined to comment for this story.

Behind the scenes: Israeli officials say that over the last few weeks Egyptian officials, including in the military and in the intelligence service, told their counterparts in the IDF and the Shin Bet that they are highly concerned about the implications of an operation in southern Gaza for Egypt.

The Egyptians expressed anxiety that a crisis on their border with Gaza would result in thousands of Palestinian refugees crossing the border barrier and trying to find shelter in the Sinai, according to three Israeli officials.

One Israeli official said Egyptian officials told their Israeli counterparts they are concerned that militants from Gaza could also then escape into Egypt.

Scoop: Egypt warned Israel of "a rupture" in relations if Palestinians flee to Sinai

Egyptian officials said they are highly concerned about the implications of the operation in southern Gaza for Egypt.

Egypt warned the U.S. and Israel that if <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Palestinian refugees" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/01/foreigners-americans-palestinians-gaza-rafah-israel-hamas-war" data-vars-content-id="c57ea5b8-0335-49a2-92d4-66fc059d3a0d" data-vars-headline="Scoop: Egypt warned Israel of &quot;a rupture&quot; in relations if Palestinians flee to Sinai" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/01/foreigners-americans-palestinians-gaza-rafah-israel-hamas-war" target="_self">Palestinian refugees</a> flee into the Sinai as a result of the Israeli military operation in southern Gaza, it could create &quot;a rupture&quot; in relations between Egypt and Israel, according to four U.S. and Israeli officials.Why it matters: The close relations between Egypt and Israel, especially between the military and intelligence services, have been critically important at several points in the war, including around the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="release of hostages" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/21/israel-hamas-hostage-ceasefire-deal-imminent" data-vars-content-id="c57ea5b8-0335-49a2-92d4-66fc059d3a0d" data-vars-headline="Scoop: Egypt warned Israel of &quot;a rupture&quot; in relations if Palestinians flee to Sinai" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/21/israel-hamas-hostage-ceasefire-deal-imminent" target="_self">release of hostages</a>.

Barak Ravid

Stories

Israel's hunt for the most-wanted person in Gaza

US vetoes UN Security Council demand for ceasefire in Gaza

Israel's operation in Gaza's Khan Younis expected to last 3 to 4 weeks more

Scoop: Egypt warned Israel of "a rupture" in relations if Palestinians flee to Sinai

Israeli cabinet approves increasing amount of fuel allowed into Gaza

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Axios from Tel Aviv: U.S.-Israel Iran tensions

Axios from Tel Aviv: 🚨Chaos in West Bank

Axios from Tel Aviv: Drama on top of drama

Axios from Tel Aviv: Spitting attacks on the rise

Axios from Tel Aviv: Inside Hezbollah's wargames