U.S. military planes conducted their first airdrop of humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza on Saturday afternoon local time, U.S. and Israeli officials say.
Why it matters: A U.S. official told Axios he expect more airdrops to take place in the coming days.
President Biden said on Friday that the U.S. will begin airdropping humanitarian aid into Gaza in the coming days and "insist" Israel allow more trucks and create more routes to get supplies into the enclave by land. "No excuses," he said.
Why it matters: The announcement underscores the growing concerns within the Biden administration about the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the difficulties of getting aid into the enclave, where the UN has warned "famine is almost inevitable" if nothing changes.
Israel made it clear to Egypt and Qatar that it will not hold another round of talks until Hamas presents a list of the hostages who are alive and provides a serious response to the number of Palestinian prisoners that the mediators proposed to be released as part of the deal, two Israeli senior officials said.
Why it matters: Calls for a hostage deal that includes a humanitarian ceasefire are growing worldwide, as conditions in Gaza continue to significantly deteriorate and as getting aid into the enclave becomes more difficult and dangerous.
A transcript of Hunter Biden's closed-door deposition before two Republican-led committees was publicly released on Thursday.
The big picture: He struck a defiant tone as he appeared before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees as part of their impeachment inquiry into his father, President Biden.
