📑 A White House National Security Council spokesperson tells Israeli journalist Barak Ravid that:

“We continue to believe that a hostage deal is the best way to preserve the lives of the hostages, and avoid an invasion of Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering. Those talks are ongoing now.”

🚫 However, during the Israeli attacks yesterday on Rafah and the threat of invasion, Hamas announced they halted their participation. Talks have collapsed for now.

The Israeli orders to evacuate serve two very important purposes:
1- A bluff to put pressure on Hamas to accept any deal to "buy time" for itself

2- Satisfy U.S. demands to minimise casualties when an operation takes place there.

Achieving the evacuation with or without an attack now serves a need.

🇺🇲🇮🇱 President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone for 30 minutes today, discussing hostage deal negotiations and Israel's preparations for a ground invasion of Rafah.

Biden is seeking to salvage the long-stalled Israel-Hamas hostage deal and avoid a massive Israeli military operation in Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians are taking shelter.

A U.S. official said Biden asked Netanyahu to immediately reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, which was shut down on Sunday after a Hamas attack that killed four soldiers. The target was an army staging ground.

Update: Possible rationing decision, not a rebuff of Israel

The Axios article doesn’t explicitly state that ammunition is being withheld due to frustration with Israel.

Actually, an Israeli official (cited by the Times of Israel) commented: “Even now, a continued series of defense shipments are being sent from the US to Israel. It’s possible that one shipment or another is delayed, but the flow continues and we’re not aware of a policy decision to stop it.”

Defense analyst Dan Caldwell writes that a “plausible reason” for the delay is that “the ammo is going to Ukraine instead”.

“By prioritizing Ukraine over Israel for the next shipment, the Biden administration kills two birds with one stone: First, it helps to prevent a Ukrainian collapse, [then] it can spin to its base what is really a rationing decision as ‘standing up to Netanyahu’, turning neocon lemons into progressive lemonade”, assesses the ex-COO of PayPal and Yammer founder David Sacks.

🇺🇸 🇮🇱 🇵🇸 Israel's War dependent on US Ammunition

🔶️ While Netanyahu's coalition government continues to belittle American aid, a report by the Ministry of Finance reveals the dramatic dependence of the US for the war in Gaza. The 2023 budget set a price tag of NIS 17 billion for the war in the fourth quarter, but the report reveals transactions for NIS 18 billion that were not included in the budget.

🔶️ The fact that most of the engagements that the Ministry of Defense carried out at the outbreak of the war were in the worlds of ammunition, confirms previous reports that the IDF was forced to manage an "arms economy" and limit the air and ground attacks in order to maintain a stock of ammunition both for the continuation of the fighting in Gaza and for a scenario in which a full-scale war breaks out on the northern front. The increased use of ammunition in the wars in Gaza and Ukraine has led the world to an unusual global shortage of ammunition of all types, which makes it difficult for the IDF and the Ministry of Defense to obtain additional stock immediately and raises prices.

https://www.ynet.co.il/economy/article/ryhhuj8zr

🔴 Hamas accepts ‘Qatari-Egyptian ceasefire proposal’

🔴 Al-Jazeera: The proposal includes 3 stages of 42 days:
1. Complete withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Netzarim corridor in the first stage and allowing the free return of the displaced.
2. In the second stage, it is assumed that the Israeli forces will withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip.
3. Agreeing to end the blockade on Gaza in the third stage.

🔴 Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya tells Al-Jazeera:

“The mediators told us that the U.S. President is clearly committed to ensuring the implementation of the agreement.”

“In the first stage, indirect negotiations will take place through Egyptian and Qatari mediation on the prisoner exchange ratios.”

“In its second stage, the proposal includes a direct announcement of the permanent cessation of military and hostile operations.”

🔴 Khalil al-Hayya says, in the first phase, 50 Palestinian prisoners would be released for each female captive held by Hamas.

In the second phase, Hamas would release the male captives for a number of Palestinian prisoners to be negotiated.

🚨 Israeli PM Netanyahu's office says the war cabinet:

“unanimously decided that Israel is continuing with the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas in order to advance the release of our hostages and the other goals of the war.”

The statement further says that Israel will send a delegation to continue hostage talks despite that “the Hamas proposal is far from Israel's necessary requirements”.

🚨 The occupation army has started the attack in Rafah. In a statement, it says troops are currently striking and operating against Hamas sites “in a targeted manner” in eastern Rafah.

Earlier today, a threatening letter dated April ⁠24 of U.S. Republican senators addressed to the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was leaked:

“Target Israel and we will target you. [...] You have been warned.”

It also says Xi Jinping is “genocidal”.

Signed by Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton etc.

(Zeteo; Al-Jazeera; Times of Israel)

Israeli tanks are shelling the Rafah crossing with Egypt (It is located about 3 ⁠km from the Israeli demarcation line)

https://t.me/moriahdoron/9981

What is Egypt's red line regarding the Philadelphi Corridor?

📹 Gaza: Overnight, the Israeli enemy started a wave of violent attacks on Rafah, the last remaining city of the Gaza strip that was not destroyed.

Dozens of locations were attacked, homes and residential buildings, murdering many innocent men, women, and children

📹 Violent clashes and attacks are heard on the Egyptian side, with reports of possible Israeli raid attempts on two axis.

The attack comes after an Egyptian and American greenlight.

📑 According to Israeli journalisy Barak Ravid, the IDF intends to take over the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza in the next few hours, two sources with direct knowledge told him.

However, two hours later and as reported by Al-Aqsa TV, the Egyptian side has officially notified the Palestinians that Israel has no plans to occupy the crossing and that the military vehicles are conducting a security operation nearby to search for military assets and are expected to withdraw from the area tomorrow morning.

The latter is reported by West Bank-based Younis Tirawi.

📑 Hezbollah daily brief 06/05/2024

- Eastern sector:

1- At 09:00, the headquarters of the Golan Division (210) at Nafah base was targeted with dozens of Katyusha rockets.

2- At 11:30, Israeli soldiers south of the Metula settlement, were targeted with drones, casualties confirmed.

- Western sector:

1- At 12:05, the surveillance equipment at the Hadab Yarin site was targeted with appropriate weapons.

Translated by TheCradleMedia

📹 Hezbullah released footage describing yesterday's target in Metulla settlement.

The description video showscases an Israeli army deployment of intelligence and artillery units (mortars) inside a parking lot near a forest behind the frontline and out of sight from Lebanon.

The footage includes how the resistance had a drone over it at one point, and was able to identify it as a military target.

The target was attacked with a couple of suicide drones yesterday. Two confirmed critical injuries.

⚠️ The Israeli army announce that two of its soldiers were killed in yesterday's suicide drone attack by Hezbullah on Metulla

☠️ Master Sgt. (res.) Dan Kamkagi, 31, of the 551st Brigade's 6551st Battalion, from Kfar Ha-Oranim.

☠️ Master Sgt. (res.) Nahman Natan Hertz, 31, of the 551st Brigade's 6551st Battalion, from Elazar
--------------------------------------------------------------
📝 Some important notes:
- This is the second suicide drone attack to cause casualties recently
- The attack was pinpoint against an unknown army staging ground
- So far 13 soldiers and 9 settlers were killed

📹 Footage released by Israeli soldiers shows them ramming into trees and Palestinian flags on the border crossing with Egypt.

That's not important, what's important is to look at the vehicle in red that was crushed by the tank too.

The war in Gaza showcased how Israeli soldiers were pleasured by their destruction of civilian property.

🇮🇱 Rafah: The Israeli flag was raised over the border crossing from the Palestinian side.

The IDF is currently mounting two main efforts in the Rafah area, aiming to:
- Controlling the eastern region
- Controlling the Rafah crossing

There were no casualties during the night operations, minimal resistance faced.