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SvennoJ on 18 January 2025
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As Israeli attacks, killings surge in Gaza, US ceasefire negotiator says ‘deal hasn’t started yet’

Brett McGurk, the Biden negotiator, just did an interview with US media, and he said that as far as he was concerned, every detail has now been locked down.

He expects the first of the Israeli captives to be released on Sunday, with more being released at seven-day intervals.

No mention, as ever, about the Palestinian captives – hundreds of Palestinian captives taken by Israel. Nor, of course, on US media, was he asked about the Palestinian captives.

He was asked … Israel has killed 117 people – 117 Palestinians since the ceasefire deal was reached – is this going to put things in jeopardy? And McGurk said, well, the deal hasn’t come into place yet.

So, even now, giving Israel the green light to bomb Gaza and kill civilians, even now saying … well, the deal hasn’t started yet. That’s his answer.



Advocacy group condemns removal of journalist from US State Department press briefing

Journalist advocacy group Reporters Without Borders says it was “shocked” at the forced removal of a reporter, Sam Husseini, from a State Department news conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

In a post to social media, the group said Husseini was “violently removed” from the news conference for “asking tough questions” related to US support for Israel’s war on Gaza.

“Such treatment of journalists is unacceptable for any administration and must not become precedent. Husseini must be allowed to do his job without further incident,” the journalism group said.






Families of Israeli captives accuse ADL head of self-promotion

The families of Israeli captives held in Gaza have accused the head of a US-based organisation that campaigns against anti-Semitism of using their suffering for self-promotion.

An online exchange took place on Friday evening when Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, posted a photo of himself holding a picture of a baby taken captive on October 7, and expressing support for a deal to release Israeli captives in Gaza.

Speaking through the We Are All Hostages social media account, the families accused Greenblatt of doing “photo-ops for publicity”, and called him a “coward” for failing to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire earlier.

“When the hostages are back, you will be the first to try and get more photo opportunities for yourself,” the group said.

The group also criticised Greenblatt on Thursday, in a separate online exchange, for failing to push Netanyahu to agree a deal that would have seen captives freed from Gaza sooner.

Last edited by SvennoJ - on 18 January 2025