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Defense &
National Security
Defense &
National Security
The Big Story
Israel sets date for potential Rafah invasion
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a date has been set for the invasion of the southern Gaza city.
© Hatem Ali, The Associated Press
Netanyahu offered few details about the Rafah military operation outside of confirming it would happen.
"It will happen, there is a date,” he said in a statement one day after Israel withdrew all but one brigade from southern Gaza to rest.
The Biden administration has tried to push Israel away from a major operation in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering from the war the Israeli military is waging against Hamas.
More than 33,000 Palestinians have died in the war and the Gaza strip is suffering from a major humanitarian crisis.
But Israel says it must move into the city to defeat Hamas in retaliation for the deadly Oct. 7 attacks when Palestinian militants invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 240 hostages, with around 100 still left alive.
The war is becoming divisive in the U.S. among Democrats, and Biden is facing protests and pressure to call for a ceasefire from his left.
Nearly one-third of Americans in a new poll said Israel has gone too far in the war, higher than the 27 percent who say Israel is justified.
Among Democrats, 51 percent say Israel has gone too far, compared to 11 percent of Republicans.
CIA Director Bill Burns is in Cairo, Egypt, amid ongoing negotiations to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said a proposal has been sent to Hamas and they are waiting for a response.
"We really want to come to closure on a hostage deal as soon as possible," he told reporters.
Biden and Netanyahu had a tense phone call last week after an Israeli strike killed seven aid workers, which Israel attributed to forces mistakenly referring to them as Hamas fighters.
After the call, Netanyahu's office also announced a new humanitarian aid corridor in the northern part of the strip.
More than 300 aid trucks got through into Gaza on Sunday, according to Kirby, who said he welcomed the action from Israel but stressed they would have to see positive steps over time.
"What it comes down to is sustainability," he said, "and a commitment to follow through."
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Brad Dress — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
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Essential Reads
How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:
Greene effort to oust Johnson wouldn’t go far, predicts ex-GOP lawmaker
Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) said he did not expect an effort by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to gain much momentum. In an interview Sunday on MSNBC, Curbelo said he does not think either party wants a repeat of the Speakership battle that for weeks left House business at a standstill as the slim Republican majority struggled to find a leader to replace former Speaker Kevin …
Full Story Kirby calls Israeli troop movement in southern Gaza ‘rest and refit,’ not withdrawal
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Sunday that reports have indicated to him that the Israeli troop movement in southern Gaza amounts more to a “rest and refit” than a full withdrawal of troops, as some reports have indicated. “The indications that we’ve been getting from them this morning is, this is really largely rest and refit for troops that have been on the ground consecutively …
Full Story NATO chief’s final battle: Protecting Ukraine from Trump, US
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is putting his legacy behind a final push to shore up international support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The secretary-general, who will step down later this year after a decade leading the alliance, is pitching to the 32 NATO member countries a plan to establish a five-year, 100 billion euro fund for Ukraine, and for NATO to assume leadership of the U.S.-led Ramstein group, …
Full Story Ukraine strikes at Russian oil as battlefield desperation mounts
Ukraine is ramping up attacks on Russian oil refineries in a campaign that has damaged Moscow’s most important source of revenue. Ukraine’s forces have struck oil refineries deep inside Russia at least 12 times during the war, disrupting at least 10 percent of Russian refining capacity, according to the British Defense Ministry. In March alone, Ukraine carried out five successful reported strikes on several oil refineries. …
Full Story On Our Radar
Upcoming things we're watching on our beat:
- Biden is also expected to meet with the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia'a Al-Sudani next Monday.
- The Senate Armed Services Committee holds a 9:30 a.m. ET hearing on Tuesday at the 2025 Defense Department budget request, with testimony from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
In Other News
Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
Speaker Johnson urges competing factions to back House’s FISA bill
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is pitching colleagues on the chamber’s latest proposal to extend the nation’s warrantless surveillance powers, warning of urgent deadlines and a risk of Senate intervention. The Reforming Intelligence and Surveillance Act unveiled Friday would extend Section 702 of the …
Full Story On Tap Tomorrow
Events in and around the defense world:
- The Hudson Institute will unpack China's interference efforts in the Taiwan elections for a 9:30 a.m. in-person event.
- The Wilson Center looks at the role of the private sector in geopolitics at a 9:30 a.m. hybrid event.
What We're Reading
News we've flagged from other outlets:
- Myanmar's army massacred Rohingyas. Now it wants their help (BBC)
- Inside Donald Trump’s secret, long-shot plan to end the war in Ukraine (Washington Post)
Trending Today
Two key stories on The Hill right now:
Trump sues NY judge overseeing hush money case in effort to delay trial
Former President Trump sued the New York judge overseeing his hush money case Monday over the gag order he imposed on the former president — an eleventh-hour … Read more
McCarthy calls Greene ‘serious legislator’ amid Johnson ouster threat
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) a “serious legislator” amid her threat to force a vote to oust … Read more
Opinions in The Hill
Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:
- Congress must act to support our allies Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel
- The Biden-Kishida summit should set the stage for a unified U.S.-Japanese military command
- Why Russia’s elites have tolerated Putin’s intolerable behavior
You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!
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