December 26, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

A close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with Biden administration officials on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the plans, after the Israeli leader vowed a “long fight” ahead in the war in Gaza.

Ron Dermer, considered one of Netanyahu’s closest allies, is expected to meet with officials from the White House and the State Department to discuss the next phase of the war in Gaza, the source told CNN.

Dermer is a member of Israel's war cabinet who previously served as ambassador to the United States.

He is expected to meet with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and members of Congress, according to Axios, which first reported the meetings.

The National Security Council told CNN they do not have any meetings to announce “at this time.”

The expected meetings come as the White House has looked for Israel to move away from the high intensity war it has waged for nearly three months in Gaza that has resulted in approximately 20,000 people killed, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Healthy in Ramallah, which draws its data from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Last week, the White House told reporters that Israel has assured the United States that it would transition to operations of lower intensity, though the administration would not put a specific timeline on the transition. US officials previously told CNN they expect Israel could shift its tactics to more localized operations by January.

Netanyahu vowed Monday that the war in Gaza was still a “long fight and it is not close to ending.” After his second visit to Gaza since the war began on October 7, Netanyahu said in a statement that Israel would “deepen the fighting.”

Iran and several of its armed proxies on Monday vowed to retaliate against Israel following the alleged assassination of a senior Islamic Revolution Guards Corps commander in Syria. 

IRGC commander Seyyed Razi Mousavi was killed Monday in an Israeli airstrike that targeted him a Damascus suburb, Iran's state-run IRNA reported, citing a statement from IRGC public relations.

The IDF declined to comment on the report when asked by CNN.

The IRGC vowed to avenge his killing, saying "the Israeli regime would undoubtedly pay the price for this crime."

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also warned Israel of repercussions, saying: "Tel Aviv should expect a tough countdown.”

Israel has for years targeted what it calls Iran-linked positions in Syria, where the IRGC, an elite wing of the Iranian military, has a significant presence.

According to IRNA, Mousavi was serving as a military adviser in Syria. His alleged assassination comes at a time of heightened regional tensions over Israel's ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, which has led to fears of a wider conflict.

Iran's warnings of retaliation were echoed Monday by Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the Iran-linked al-Nujaba Resistance Movement in Iraq.

In a statement Monday, Palestinian Islamic Jihad condemned Mousavi's killing and said he “had a fundamental and pivotal role in supporting the resistance forces in the region, and supporting the Palestinian people, their resistance and their cause.”

Egypt on Sunday proposed a three-phase plan to end the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, according to various media reports, but it is unclear how the warring parties will receive it.

Israel’s war cabinet convened Monday, and among other topics, they were expected to discuss ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages, an Israeli official told CNN. The source would not acknowledge the reported Egyptian proposal.

Egypt’s three-phase deal would “secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza,” CNN Political and Foreign Policy Analyst Barak Ravid reports, citing two Israeli sources. CNN has not independently obtained a copy of the plan.

Last week, Hamas said Palestinian factions would not agree to any talks about prisoner swaps until after Israel ends its military operation in Gaza.

The three-phase plan is also outlined by Israeli and other international news outlets, citing various officials and diplomatic sources.

CNN has reached out to Egyptian officials for comment on the reported plan.

Tamar Michaelis contributed to this report.

As deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas continues, so too does a dire humanitarian crisis in the area.

At least 1,200 people have been killed in Israel and, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 20,000 people have been killed in Gaza after Hamas launched unprecedented attacks on Israel October 7. Subsequent airstrikes have overwhelmed local hospitals and internally displaced an estimated one million people in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is calling for the protection of aid workers, civilians, and critical infrastructure. Calling the situation “horrific,” Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is urging restraint after medical facilities have been destroyed in the fighting.

Impact Your World has gathered a list of vetted organizations that are on the ground responding. You can support their work by clicking HERE.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was interrupted by shouts from family members of hostages as he spoke during a special session of parliament Monday.

The families held posters and signs with the photos and names of their loved ones.

Netanyahu, who had just returned from a trip to Gaza, said a brigade commander on the ground told the prime minister that troops needed more time on location to complete their operation.

At this time, the families began vocalizing their dissent, saying “There is no time.”

As Netanyahu resumed his comments, families could be heard chanting loudly: “Now! Now! Now!”

Citing previous interactions with families of fallen Israeli soldiers, Netanyahu said he was told: “Our sons did not die in vain. We must not stop the war until we secure the complete victory over those who wish us dead.”

At this point, the family members in the gallery of the Knesset reiterated their chants, saying: “Everyone — now! Everyone — now!”

Signs the family members held up said, “We trust you to bring them home,” and “80 days, each minute is like hell.”

Another sign asked, “What if this were your daughter,” and rotated between “daughter,” “father,” and “brother.”

Key context: There are 129 hostages still in Gaza, according to the prime minister’s office. Of those, 22 are known to be dead.

Israel’s war in Gaza is far from ending, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, after he returned from a trip to the besieged enclave.

It was his second visit to the strip since October 7.

Netanyahu told his fellow party members that he just returned from a trip to Gaza and met with Israeli soldiers there. They told him to continue the military operation.

“We don't stop, we keep fighting and we deepen the fighting in the coming day,” he said in the statement.