TV News LIES

The Biden administration halted a shipment of ammunition bound for Israel last week, Axios first reported, as pressure rises over the Israeli military’s promised invasion of Rafah in Gaza.

Israeli officials were left scrambling as to why the shipment was withheld, Axios reported, while  CNN reported that the decision was unrelated to U.S. opposition to an invasion of Rafah.

The Biden administration has committed to strongly backing Israel in its war against Hamas, signing $26 billion in military and humanitarian aid for the war last week, but officials have repeatedly warned against moving into Rafah, where over a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering from the war.

The National Security Council said in a statement to The Hill that the Biden administration’s backing of Israel has not changed.

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"This is a direct escalation of tension around the Ukrainian conflict, which would potentially pose a threat to European security," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Some Hamas officials are signaling that the militant group could give up armed struggle against Israel if the Palestinians get an independent state in territories captured by Israel in the 1967 war.

The messaging suggests a softening of Hamas’ position as its fate hangs in the balance with Israel’s pummeling of the Gaza Strip, which Hamas ruled before the war. The Palestinian militant group has long called for the Jewish state to be destroyed.

Basem Naim, an Istanbul-based member of Hamas’ political bureau, told CNN on Thursday that the group would agree to disarm if an independent Palestinian state was established.

Two recent virtual meetings between U.S. and Israeli officials had a lot of "back and forth" on how to proceed in Rafah, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday.

"We've expressed our concerns with a major ground invasion in Rafah. We've been very clear about that," Jean-Pierre said, adding that the U.S. has presented "an alternative course for Israel to dismantle Hamas."

"We believe Israel will take our concerns on board. They will take into account our consideration as they plan their their next operations," she said.

TVNL Comment:  Netanyahu clearly said that he was going two invade Rafah, whether or not there was an agreement.

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The soldiers manning a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer close to the front in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region have seen the enemy advance in recent weeks, slowly but surely, and wish they could do more to stop it.

Turkey has halted all trade with Israel, citing the “worsening humanitarian tragedy” in the Palestinian territories, which prompted strong criticism from the Israeli foreign minister.

“Export and import transactions related to Israel have been stopped, covering all products,” Turkey’s trade ministry said late on Thursday.

“Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli government allows an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”