Last look: Is a prisoner the key to who should govern Gaza?
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NBC News
7 minutes ago
- NBC News
Sen. Lindsey Graham says there's no way to for Israel to negotiate an end to the war with Hamas
WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in an interview on NBC News' 'Meet the Press' on Sunday that he believes there is no way for Israel to safely negotiate an end to the war with Hamas and that Israel would take over Gaza, comparing the move to U.S. actions at the end of World War II. Graham said he believed Israel has concluded 'that they can't achieve a goal of ending the war with Hamas that would be satisfactory to the safety of Israel.' 'I think President Trump has come to believe, and I certainly have come to believe, there's no way you're going to negotiate an end of this war with Hamas,' Graham said. 'They're going to do in Gaza what we did in Tokyo and Berlin, take the place by force and start over again, presenting a better future for the Palestinians, hopefully having the Arabs take over the West Bank and Gaza,' he later added. His comments come as Israel is facing mounting international pressure over a growing hunger crisis in Gaza, where at least 133 people have died by starvation, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. On Sunday, Israel announced a pause in fighting in parts of Gaza to facilitate aid delivery. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said that Israel was 'moving toward full control' of Gaza. Ceasefire discussions have stalled in recent days, and the White House's special envoy Steve Witkoff last week brought home the U.S. negotiating team, which had been participating in talks in Qatar. Asked whether a takeover of Gaza would mean hostages would not come home alive, Graham said, 'I hope not.' 'I think there are people maybe in the Hamas organization that would accept safe passage if they release the hostages,' Graham said. 'If I were Israel, I'd make that offer to Hamas fighters: 'You can leave safely. We want our hostages back.'' Graham continues advocating for special counsel to investigate Obama claims Graham on Sunday advocated for a special counsel to investigate Republicans' claims that President Barack Obama tried to influence an intelligence assessment about Russian interference in the 2016 election. These claims came to the fore last week when Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard alleged during a press briefing that the former president participated in a 'treasonous conspiracy' to harm Trump's campaign. Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush has said that the 'bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' NBC News has also reported that former CIA officer Susan Miller, who helped lead the team that produced a report on Russia's actions during the 2016 election, defended the report and said the White House was 'lying' about it. Graham said Sunday that 'the best way to handle this is if there is evidence of a crime being committed, or suspected evidence of a crime being committed, create a special counsel to look at it.' A special counsel had previously been appointed during the first Trump administration to examine the origins of the Russia probe, and in 2023, then- special counsel John Durham argued that certain FBI personnel 'displayed a serious lack of analytical rigor toward the information they received.' A 2020 Senate report backed up the assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, with the then-chair of the Senate intelligence committee, a Republican, saying: 'The Committee found no reason to dispute the Intelligence Community's conclusions.' In recent days, critics have accused Republicans of trying to turn the spotlight on Obama to distract from mounting criticism of the White House's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Asked whether he was trying to rewrite history to distract from the Epstein news, Graham said: 'At the end of the day, I'm not calling for prosecution against President Obama for treason, but I am calling for an investigation.'
The Hill
36 minutes ago
- The Hill
Johnson on Gaza hunger crisis: ‘Hamas has stolen the food‘
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called the images of people, including children, starving in Gaza 'disturbing and heartbreaking,' but insisted that Hamas 'has stolen the food,' despite reports from the Israeli military that there is no proof that the Palestinian militant group had systematically stolen aid. Johnson, during an interview on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' was shown images emerging out of Gaza of children starving and was asked about Israel's decision to enact a 'tactical pause' on the fighting amid mass starvation concerns. He noted that Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., and other Israeli officials told him that Hamas has stolen 'a huge amount' of food since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7, 2023. 'The images are disturbing and heartbreaking,' he said. 'We all want peace there in that region.' 'I will tell you that I have spoken to my Ambassador Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and to other Israeli officials,' Johnson added. 'This is important to note: Israel, since this war began, has supplied over 94,000 truckloads full of food. It's enough food to feed 2 million people for two years trying to get that into Gaza. But Hamas has stolen the food, a huge amount.' He also criticized 'the system,' calling it 'broken,' adding that beginning tomorrow, the IDF will open 'new channels of distribution to get it [food] to those people who are desperately in need.' 'The UN needs to work with Israel to make sure that the food is getting to the people that need it most,' he said. 'Meet the Press' Host Kristen Welker pushed back on Johnson's claim, citing a New York Times article that reported that the Israeli military never found proof that Hamas systematically stole aid from the United Nations, which is the largest supplier of emergency assistance to Gaza. Over the weekend, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) criticized President Trump over his handling of Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire, more aid to the territory and the freedom of all hostages held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. 'The starvation and death of Palestinian children and civilians in an ongoing war zone is unacceptable,' he said.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Israel announces 'tactical pause' in Gaza to allow aid to starving
1 of 2 | Hundreds of Palestinians seized trucks carrying flour as they entered in Khan Yunis the southern Gaza Strip near aid centers on Thursday. The Israel Defense Force said Sunday that it will begin a "tactical pause" in fighting to allow aid to people in Gaza. Photo by Mohammed Al-Amour/UPI. | License Photo July 27 (UPI) -- Israel announced Sunday it would take a "tactical pause" in fighting to allow aid delivery to Gaza after 25 countries issued a joint statement saying the war "must end now." The Israel Defense Forces said it would implement "humanitarian corridors" for safe movement of United Nations aid trucks and "humanitarian pauses." The pause would affect densely populated areas in Gaza. The pause is to be in effect from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City. The IDF said it would continue daily until further notice. More routes will be in place between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. for the trucks. The IDF is "prepared to expand the scale of this activity as required." The tactical pause is to allow more aid to starving people. Many non-governmental organizations have stopped delivering aid because they were unable to get through. The IDF said the pause in fighting would "refute the false claim of deliberate starvation in the Gaza Strip." The Egyptian Red Crescent said the convoy from Egypt had more than 100 aid trucks with more than 1,200 tons of food, NBC reported. A dozen people trying to reach the aid were killed in attacks by the IDF Sunday. A hospital in Gaza said Sunday that it had received 12 bodies, CNN reported. Four of them were children, and one was a woman. There were 100 injured when the IDF fired near an aid point operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. It's unclear if it happened before or after the tactical pause began at 10 a.m. local time or if the area was included in the pause. Nearly 90 children have recently died of starvation in the region. The uncle of 10-year-old Noor Ashraf Abu Selaa who died of starvation, spoke out against the Israeli aid blockade. Noor had been "a lively girl and she became like this because of hunger, thirst and the siege - the siege imposed on us by the Israelis," her uncle Ghazi Abu Selaa told CNN. "Doctors are here, but there is no medicine. No milk. No food," he said.
