The so-called 'humanitarian zone' on Gaza's coast: 'New arrivals are met with sprawling, cramped encampments with no running water, a handful of inadequate field hospitals and the accelerating spread of disease, all under a baking Mediterranean sun.' ft.com/content/07202a…

Israel took over the Rafah crossing without a clear plan for who would operate it. Now it wants the PA to send people, but in disguise: they can't call themselves the PA (presumably so Netanyahu can pretend he hasn't done a very predictable about-face). axios.com/2024/05/13/isr…

'A ride from Rafah to the declared safety zone of al-Mawasi can be $270. It used to cost about $13. And those who are fleeing jam-packed Rafah find al-Mawasi itself overcrowded and squalid — and perhaps not even safe from fighting.' bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

The latest in Israel's long line of Wannabibis (but let's give credit where it's due, Qaddafi beat him to this stunt 15 years ago)

Netanyahu's penchant for softball interviews in English (and hiding from Israeli journalists) is legendary but this is a whole new level, honestly just embarrassing for a wartime prime minister to sit down for an hour with... Dr. Phil

Sums up the past few months of Israel's war: 'Every week, ranking figures in the defense establishment meet with foreign diplomats and generals. The repeated question is: What in blazes are you trying to achieve now? We don't have a real answer for them.' haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

'After the US confirmed that the arms shipment was delayed, Netanyahu came out with a gem: this decision will 'jeopardize negotiations to reach a hostage deal.' He may as well have said it will adversely affect global warming or the NBA playoffs.' haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

Netanyahu has honed indecision into an art form. For months he half-heartedly agreed to ceasefire talks and made empty promises about a Rafah offensive—pursuing both, while ensuring he achieved neither. But he may not be able to dither much longer. economist.com/middle-east-an…

Israel's national-security minister, ladies and gentlemen

Israel has not made any progress toward those objectives for months, and the majority of Israelis no longer believe their country will achieve those objectives, but the Netanyahu government will now go all-in blaming its failure on Biden