Biden won’t back Rafah ground op; PM It’s essential * Blinken warns on Gaza hunger * Hostage talks resume * Aid worker’s delivery story * Hollywood blast at Glazer speech

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Presented by [Tel Aviv University – Lowy International School]( [Biden rules out support for major Rafah op, in first call with PM in over a month]( By Jacob Magid After long indicating US could back offensive if IDF ensures civilians’ safety, president says he wants a more targeted approach; White House says PM agreed to send team to discuss [Blinken set for fresh Mideast swing to push ‘lasting peace’ amid Gaza truce talks]( By Agencies and ToI Staff [Israel slams ‘repugnant’ South African ICJ request for more Gaza measures]( By Agencies and ToI Staff Live updates [LIVE - PM: I made it clear to Biden there’s no way to destroy Hamas without Rafah ground op]( By ToI Staff Soldier killed in north Gaza fighting, taking ground offensive death toll to 251 * Mossad chief leaves Doha, but teams remain for talks * Blinken: ‘100% of Gaza at severe levels of acute food insecurity’ [Blinken says 100 percent of Gaza population facing unprecedented food insecurity]( By AFP and ToI Staff In Manila on eve of Middle East trip, US secretary of state echoes UN-backed assessment that famine looms in war-wracked enclave [Israel rejects UN aid agency chief’s claim he was blocked from entering Gaza]( By Agencies and ToI Staff [Jordan, EU foreign policy chief accuse Israel of deliberately starving Gazans]( By Lazar Berman from our sponsor [Life (and Disease) in a TAU Lab]( Tel Aviv University researchers are revolutionizing how diseases and trial drugs can be studied, using human tissues and recreating organs via “organ-on-a-chip” technologies. [Qatar ‘cautiously optimistic’ as Gaza truce talks get down to brass tacks]( By Agencies and ToI Staff Mossad chief Barnea heads home after high-level meeting, leaving technical team to drill down on details of potential hostage deal, Doha spokesperson says [Israel pessimistic as hostage talks begin in Doha, expected to last at least 2 weeks]( By ToI Staff and Lazar Berman [Israeli delegation heads to Doha with clear ‘red lines’ for hostage release talks]( By ToI Staff and Agencies [Those We Have Lost]( [Those We Have Lost]( [Civilians and soldiers who have fallen since Oct. 7]( [Read Here]( [‘Credence to a blood libel’: Hundreds from Hollywood denounce Glazer’s Oscar speech]( By ToI Staff Signatories echo director’s own language in saying they ‘refute our Jewishness being hijacked’ by him to falsely claim ‘moral equivalence’ between Nazis and Israel An aid worker's story [Headed to north Gaza, aid trucks face gauntlet of armed looters and starving civilians]( By Gianluca Pacchiani Staff member of humanitarian organization who has escorted several convoys inside Gaza says despair and violence are rising, with relief often not making it to distribution points [White House confirms Israel killed Hamas No. 3 in strike last week]( By Jacob Magid and ToI Staff [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Mar. 19: Day 165 – How resettling Gaza is not a quixotic passing fancy]( By ToI Staff [CRM]( Top Ops Ayalon Eliach [A slightly different Purim for a very different year]( This holiday of ’feasting and merrymaking’ can be a chance to focus on the Esther story’s ethical and spiritual complexities Adam Gross [In the face of famine in Gaza, we must help our enemy]( Not to improve Israel’s global reputation, not to avoid the accusation of war crimes, but because the Torah commands it [Trump: Jews who vote Democratic ‘hate their religion, hate everything about Israel’]( By Jacob Magid Presumptive GOP nominee again lashes out at American Jews for overwhelmingly supporting Democrats, also takes shot at ‘crying’ Netanyahu’s failed 2015 bid against Iran nuke deal [Latin American delegation visits Israel amid surge in antisemitism at home]( By Gianluca Pacchiani Public diplomacy initiative brings local officials from Central and South America to witness aftermath of Oct. 7 first hand, in a bid to curb rise in anti-Jewish hate [Incoming PA prime minister lays out plan to end corruption, reconstruct Gaza]( By ToI Staff and Agencies Mohammad Mustafa presents wide-ranging blueprint for revitalization, including moves to rebuild trust, unify West Bank and Gaza and hold elections at some point [Evacuees from Lebanon border harbor few hopes they’ll return home anytime soon]( By Melanie Lidman As southern evacuees trickle back, some 80,000 residents still displaced from northern Israel grapple with rockets, tight living quarters and dispersed families [Alleged Israeli airstrikes said to hit Hezbollah arms depots in Syria]( By Agencies and ToI Staff [After protests, coalition refreezes bill hiking number of municipal rabbis]( By Canaan Lidor Likud members join National Unity and New Hope lawmakers in opposing legislation that would have given Chief Rabbinate control of cushy appointments and remove guardrails [Bill swelling ranks of city rabbis resurfaces, testing wartime coalition]( By Canaan Lidor [To evade anti-Israel protests, US Jewish and Israeli events keep their locations secret]( By Luke Tress As pro-Palestinian activists target institutions from delis to art galleries to a cancer hospital, event organizers prioritize attendees’ safety even at the cost of attendance [Those We Are Missing]( [The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown]( [Read Here]( [EU agrees in principle to impose sanctions on violent West Bank settlers]( By Reuters and ToI Staff Union’s 27 members also agree to add further sanctions against Hamas — and will act against Palestinian terror group first to avoid equating sides [Top judge’s querying of terror suspect’s detention prompts coalition calls for dismissal]( By Jeremy Sharon [Ben Gvir celebrates issuing 100,000 gun licenses since October 7]( By Sam Sokol Minister asserts women were raped and murdered on October 7 ‘because there were not enough weapons,’ saying his office has given out permits to tens of thousands of women [Ben Gvir wiretap law proposal said to shield politicians from police spyware]( By ToI Staff [Google engineer uses AI to identify previously anonymous faces in Holocaust-era photos]( By Matt Lebovic From Numbers to Names founder Daniel Patt says his software can provide users with 10 possible matches to any random photo in a matter of seconds [Day 165 – How resettling Gaza is not a quixotic passing fancy]( [listen to the podcast]( More Headlines [Israeli baseball enthusiasts launch US group to help sport’s growth at home]( By jacob gurvis [Government preps new Dead Sea minerals tender, with lake’s endangered future in focus]( By Sue Surkes [Kosher restaurant on NYC’s Upper West Side vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti]( By Jackie Hajdenberg [Citing wartime challenges, Liberman says Knesset recess should be canceled]( By Sam Sokol [Start-up aims to help renewable energy firms locate best sites — with one click]( By Sue Surkes [Suspect charged with arson, but not hate crime, over Florida Chabad center blaze]( By Andrew Lapin [UN fact finders deem Mahsa Amini’s death in Iranian custody ‘unlawful’]( By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Cecile Mantovani [Man with ‘kill rabbi’ tattoo gets 25 years to life for burning rabbi’s NY home in 2019]( By Luke Tress [The daily edition]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? 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