Blinken: Don’t dehumanize Gazans * PM derides ’delusional’ Hamas demands * Victory is saving hostages, say 5 who were freed * Saudi ceasefire push * IDF early draft chaos

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Thursday, February 8, 2024 Presented by [Comedy for Koby]( [Israel cannot use Oct. 7 as ‘license to dehumanize others,’ Blinken warns in Tel Aviv]( By Lazar Berman After talks with Israeli leaders, US secretary issues harsh critique of IDF campaign in Gaza; also says Hamas hostage proposal has ‘nonstarters’ but ‘creates space for agreement’ [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Feb 8: Day 125 – ‘Dehumanization’ accusations and ‘delusional’ demands]( By ToI Staff [Don’t ‘dehumanize others’: Full text of Blinken’s presser on 7th wartime Israel visit]( By ToI Staff Live updates [LIVE: Anti-tank missile from Lebanon hits Metula home; reports of Israeli jets over Beirut]( By ToI Staff Eisenkot reportedly says PM’s lack of decisions on Gaza means 60% of aid in Hamas’s hands * In covert meet with PA, Israel promises West Bank economy relief ahead of Ramadan [PM: Absolute victory within reach; surrender to Hamas demands would bring disaster]( By Sam Sokol Netanyahu downplays disagreements in cabinet over ‘day after’ plans, says he is trying to recruit regional players to help with future civil governance, vows UNRWA will be replaced [Terminally ill mother of hostage held in Gaza hopes for final goodbye]( By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Cecile Mantovani [Amid war, doctors in Gaza hospital ‘prioritize’ patients most likely to survive]( By Reuters and ToI Staff Promoted Content [Comedy for Koby’s special event featuring Elon Gold to benefit Israel’s bereaved families]( Join Elon Gold for a night of laughter, with proceeds going to The Koby Mandell Foundation, helping families of terror [Released hostages tell PM: Only saving remaining captives will be ‘absolute victory’]( By Jessica Steinberg Families with loved ones still being held urge Netanyahu to do all he can to make a deal with Hamas after he claims that Israel is on cusp of victory by crushing terror group [Blinken pushes hopes for hostage deal in meetings with Gantz, Lapid]( By AFP and ToI Staff [In Jerusalem, Blinken says ‘a lot of work to be done’ to reach hostage deal]( By Lazar Berman [Officer seriously wounded, 2 troops lightly hurt in Hezbollah missile attack]( By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff Iran-backed Lebanese terror group fires anti-tank missile at military base near Kiryat Shmona, also strikes house in Metula; Israeli jets reportedly fly over Beirut [Lebanese officials say efforts intensify to bring calm to Lebanon-Israel border]( By AP and ToI Staff Exclusive Jacob Magid [Riyadh to host ministerial confab to advance united Arab stance for postwar Gaza]( 5 participating countries aim to raise pressure for ceasefire by leveraging their willingness to assist in Gaza revival and integrate Israel into region if Palestinian state advanced [Pre-army academies roiled by IDF early draft notices, bemoan ‘lack of transparency’]( By Gavriel Fiske Officials and students say enlistment orders were sent to more students than had been agreed upon; yeshivas not affected [Amid Gaza war, IDF plans to lengthen mandatory and reserve service]( By Emanuel Fabian Top Ops Yedidya Naveh [A painful answer to the wrenching question of hostages]( A deal that leaves Hamas able to take more hostages is not acceptable, but there is one scenario Israel could agree to Dan Illouz [A Saudi condition for peace that Israel can’t live with]( Agreeing to the establishment of a Palestinian state would be a setback that rewards decades of terrorism and violence [Report: Eisenkot slams Netanyahu for time-wasting, failure to make key war decisions]( By ToI Staff War cabinet observer’s comments add to growing tensions between members of Benny Gantz’s National Unity party and rest of coalition, threatening emergency government [Hillary Clinton pans Netanyahu as ‘untrustworthy,’ says he has to go]( By Jacob Magid [Family of Manny Godard told he was killed on Oct. 7, body being held in Gaza]( By ToI Staff Be’eri resident had been presumed dead after his wife Ayelet told her daughter he had been killed, before being murdered herself, but his body was never found [Knesset passes preliminary reading of bill banning denial of October 7 massacre]( By Sam Sokol [In Tel Aviv, a maestro revels in the ‘holy work’ of preserving Yiddish culture]( By Gavriel Fiske Yung Yiddish hosts conductor Zalmen Mlotek, the man behind the acclaimed mamaloshen stage version of ‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ for an evening of song and camaraderie [Amended wartime budget clears first of three Knesset plenum votes]( By ToI Staff and Sam Sokol Finance minister says ‘responsible’ NIS 582 billion spending package for 2024 will provide the resources to obtain ‘victory’ against Hamas [Jerusalem minister battles to save iconic Ammunition Hill war memorial]( By ToI Staff [Economy minister issues ultimatum to food companies that hiked prices in wartime]( By ToI Staff [Israel talks steps to help West Bank economy in covert meeting with PA officials]( By Jacob Magid Representatives convene in Tel Aviv to discuss easing tensions ahead of Ramadan; Abbas meets US top envoy Blinken, said planning summit with Hamas leaders in Qatar [IDF demolishes Hebron home of Hamas terrorist involved in deadly West Bank attack]( By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff [Senior terror suspect killed in West Bank shootout with security forces]( By Emanuel Fabian [American-Israeli rabbi-activist indicted for obstructing troops in West Bank]( By Eliyahu Freedman [Israel aid debate exposes fractures among American Jewish groups over immigration]( By Ron Kampeas Jewish organizations have historically pushed for increased rights for migrants, but JFNA, ADL and AJC are now embracing bill seeking to toughen the US asylum system [Senate Republicans defeat bipartisan border deal, but Ukraine, Israel aid may survive]( By STEPHEN GROVES and MARY CLARE JALONICK [US to restrict visas for those abusing spyware to target journalists, activists]( By AP and ToI Staff [Bedouin filmmaker mourns soldier brother killed in Gaza combat as movie premieres]( By Jessica Steinberg Kaid Abu Latif’s youngest sibling Ahmad fell while serving in the IDF weeks prior to film festival in their hometown Rahat [Critics cry ‘1984’ as police launch probe into X post flogging minister over joke]( By Jeremy Sharon Investigation of suspected ‘threats’ against Miri Regev — after cops denied okay for incitement probe — draws charges of politically motivated bid to chill speech [Those We Have Lost]( [Those We Have Lost]( [Civilians and soldiers who have fallen since Oct. 7]( [Read Here]( [Day 125 – ‘Dehumanization’ accusations and ‘delusional’ demands]( [listen to the podcast]( Interview [In dark times, is a dystopian Jewish novel just what we need?]( By Andrew Silow-Carroll Zachary Solomon’s ‘A Brutal Design’ joins a growing body of Jewish speculative fiction as it imagines an alternate world in which the Holocaust and antisemitism are all too real [Those We Are Missing]( [The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown]( [Read Here]( More Headlines [Biden sends aides to woo Michigan Arab and Muslim leaders amid anger over Gaza war]( By AP and ToI Staff [Students and followers struggle following the Art Green sexual misconduct revelations]( By Jackie Hajdenberg [Nina Gottlieb, Holocaust survivor featured in award-winning documentary, dies at 91]( By Andrew Silow-Carroll [US drone strike in Baghdad kills senior commander of Iran-backed militia]( By Agencies and ToI Staff [Australian lawmaker apologizes after remarks on Jewish and Zionist lobby ‘tentacles’]( By Stuart Winer [Stabbing of Palestinian American in Texas meets hate crime standard, police say]( By AP [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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