Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met earlier today with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the Kerem Shalom Crossing with the Gaza Strip, saying that Israel is "committed to the return of the hostages, and prepared to carry out any mission in the Rafah area." Gallant and… pic.twitter.com/MmfHonIuuh

Chief of General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi: "The offensive operation in Gaza will continue with strength; its objectives are both to restore security to the communities near the Gaza Strip and to bring the hostages back home securely. You are doing an excellent job of operational… pic.twitter.com/Ap6Bo5uvHi

I've closely tracked every Hamas-Israel conflict since 2014. Unlike previous conflicts, Hamas has deliberately not published Gaza figures of dead fighters, commanders, and affiliates (except in a handful of cases). This strategy is aimed at obscuring the actual count of…

New: Israel-Hamas hostage deal is only hope for Biden's Middle East strategy. My story on @axios www.axios.com/2024/05/01/israel-hamas-ceasefire-hostage-deal-biden