Report: Hamas 'negative' on Israel's latest cease-fire proposal, but talks will continue

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Deir al Balah on Tuesday.Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana / AP

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with protesters outside his hotel in Tel Aviv, on Wednesday.Credit: Oded Balilty/AP

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Police use a special vehicle to enter Hamilton Hall which was occupied by protesters, as other officers enter the campus of Columbia University, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, on Tuesday.Credit: Caitlin Ochs / Reuters

Blinken to Netanyahu: Rafah offensive risks hostage deal and Israel-Saudi normalization ■ Erez crossing opens for humanitarian aid to Gaza for first time since Oct. 7 ■ Gallant tells Blinken Israel preparing for Rafah operation ■ Two homes damaged in Israel's north by fire from Lebanon ■ Israeli negotiating team reportedly arrives in Cairo, presented with Hamas' demands for a deal ■ Hamas sources: As condition for deal, need guarantees Israel won't continue fighting in coming months

Blinken to Netanyahu: Rafah offensive risks hostage deal and Israel-Saudi normalization ■ Erez crossing opens for humanitarian aid to Gaza for first time since Oct. 7 ■ Gallant tells Blinken Israel preparing for Rafah operation ■ Two homes damaged in Israel's north by fire from Lebanon ■ Israeli negotiating team reportedly arrives in Cairo, presented with Hamas' demands for a deal ■ Hamas sources: As condition for deal, need guarantees Israel won't continue fighting in coming months

Austin, Gallant discuss hostage negotiations, humanitarian aid efforts and Rafah

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discusses the ongoing hostage negotiations, humanitarian assistance efforts and Rafah, according to the Pentagon.

Austin "reaffirmed his commitment to the unconditional return of all hostages and conveyed the importance of increasing the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza to flood the zone, while ensuring the safety of civilians and aid workers. The Secretary also stressed the need for any potential Israeli military operation in Rafah to include a credible plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians and maintain the flow of humanitarian aid," the Pentagon said in a statement. "Austin [also] reiterated the United States' commitment to supporting Israel's defense."

Report: Hamas 'negative' on Israel's latest ceasefire proposal, but says negotiations will continue

A senior Hamas official in Lebanon said Wednesday night in an interview on Lebanese television that the organization's "position on the current negotiating paper is negative," according to the New York Times.

In his comments to Al-Manar, a Hezbollah-owned television network, Hamdan referred to the wording of the proposal as published yesterday in the Beirut-based newspaper Al-Akhbar. He added that his organization "insists that there be clear wording on ending the war." He also noted that the wording of the proposal regarding the withdrawal of IDF forces from the Gaza Strip remained vague and that there is a dispute between the sides regarding the "key" to releasing Palestinian prisoners in exchange for female soldiers held by Hamas.

"We forwarded all our comments on the document to Egypt," he added. "Our position on the current version of the document is negative. But if they take into account our comments - we will discuss it, formulate a position and present it. We want the war to stop immediately, but not at any price. There will be no situation in which we hand over the abductees, and then there will be a possibility that Israel will attack us again."

Hamas' press office later clarified Osama Hamdan's comments, saying that "while the group's would not accept the current Israeli proposals without changes, they were willing to keep negotiating," the Times reported.

"The negative position does not mean negotiations have stopped," the press office said. "There is a back-and-forth issue."

Blinken: Israeli settler attacks on Jordanian aid convoys are unacceptable

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Prince Rashid, Head of the Board of Trustees for JHCO visit a storage with humanitarian aid bound for Gaza at the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization in Amman, Jordan on Monday.Credit: REUTERS

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Tuesday that attacks by Israeli settlers on Jordanian aid convoys making their way to the Gaza Strip were "unacceptable."

The Jordanian state news agency said earlier in the day that Israeli settlers attacked two aid convoys.

"These attacks are unacceptable and we made that clear to the [Israeli] government," Blinken told NBC News' Andrea Mitchell. "My understanding is that the people who attacked this convoy were arrested today by the Israeli authorities. That sends a very strong message now. They need to continue to send a strong message, that this aid cannot be, must not be interfered with as it goes through Israel."

RECAP: Blinken to Netanyahu: Rafah offensive risks hostage deal and Israel-Saudi normalization

Here are the latest updates from day 208 of the war:

■ U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, visiting Israel, cautioned Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that an Israeli operation in Rafah at this time would diminish the chances of reaching a deal to release the hostages and impact U.S. efforts to promote normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

■ Saudi Arabia is currently promoting a security cooperation agreement with the United States that excludes normalizing ties with Israel, due to continued fighting in Gaza, according to a report by the Guardian.

■ In Tel Aviv, protesters, including relatives of the hostages, alternately blocked Begin Street, outside the army's headquarters, to call for a deal with Hamas to release the hostages. In Jerusalem, dozens of family members of people killed on Oct.7 and in the war in Gaza, set up camp in Paris Square, outside the Supreme Court, calling for military action in Rafah.

■ The IDF announced that the Erez border crossing was opened for the first time since the start of the war to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

■ Hamas' Information Ministry reported that direct damages as a result of the war in Gaza are estimated at approximately 33 billion dollars, and that roughly 90 percent of Gaza's residents are living below the poverty line.

■ Colombia's president, Gustavo Petro, announced that his country will sever ties with Israel due to its actions in Gaza.

■ Two houses in Shtula, on the border with Lebanon, were seriously damaged by launches into the area.

■ IDF Chief of General Staff Herzl Halevi told reservists the army is preparing for an attack on the northern front, during a tour of the Lebanon border.

■ Two relatives of hostages were brought in for police questioning in Tel Aviv on the suspicion of spraying graffiti and throwing a flare at police officers during protests.

■ Columbia University announced that it is temporarily banning media from campus, citing "safety" considerations.

■ Israel's state comptroller, Matanyahu Englman, sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu, demanding he instruct his office to hand over all relevant documents for his review of the circumstances of the Oct.7 attack and the war in Gaza. The Prime Minister's Office responded that it has been fully cooperative.

■ 30 people were arrested during clashes with IDF forces and Civil Administration personnel, as they cleared a West Bank outpost, known as Givat Or Meir, near the settlement of Ofra.

In first, Columbia blocks all media from campus, citing 'safety' considerations

Citing "safety" considerations, Columbia University announced it is banning all media from the campus on Wednesday.

In a statement, the university said that Hamilton Hall, which was cleared of protesters Tuesday night after hundreds of police stormed the campus, was still an active crime scene.

This would be the first time since the anti-Israel protests erupted on campus that the administration has shut out media entirely. In recent weeks, journalists have been allowed to access campus between 2 P.M. and 4 P.M., and if they prefer other hours, they are required to arrange so in advance through representatives of the Columbia Journalism School. On Wednesday, while Hamilton Hall was being occupied by protesters, media access was limited to pool coverage for a brief period of the day.

Meanwhile, in a letter to the Columbia community, Minouche Shafik, the university president, sought to explain her decision to call in the New York City Police Department on Tuesday night to clear Hamilton Hall and the "Gaza Solidarity" encampments on campus.

The occupation of Hamilton Hall, she wrote, with protesters barricaded inside, "pushed the university to the brink, creating a disruptive environment for everyone and raising safety risks to an intolerable level."

"I know I speak for many members of our community in saying that this turn of events has filled me with deep sadness," she added. "I am sorry we reached this point."

Shafik noted that the administration had been willing to make far-reaching concessions to the protesters, including considering new proposals on divestment from Israel, reviewing policies pertaining to its dual-degree program with Israel and launching educational and health programs in Gaza and the West Bank.

"Some other universities have achieved agreement on similar proposals," she wrote. "Our efforts to find a solution went into Tuesday evening, but regrettably, we were unable to come to resolution." One university that has already reached agreement with student representatives on the issue of divestment is Brown University.

The protesters at Columbia, Shafik wrote, "are also fighting for an important cause, for the rights of Palestinians and against the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza."

"But students and outside activists breaking Hamilton Hall doors, mistreating our public safety officers and maintenance staff, and damaging property are acts of destruction, not political speech."

Israeli army chief to reservists on Lebanese border: We're preparing for an attack in the north

Israeli army chief Herzl Halevi with reservists on the northern border with Lebanon, Wednesday.Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi said Wednesday that the army is preparing for an attack on the northern front.

During a tour of the Lebanese border with the head of the IDF's Northern Command, Halevi told reservists stationed in the Western Galilee that "The attack in Gaza will be strong, its goals include returning [Israeli residents of Gaza border communities home] safely and bringing the hostages back home.

"The offensive defense in the north - you are doing it excellently - and we are preparing an attack in the north," said Halevi. "[Since October 7] we have gone ahead strongly, and we are issuing here, to the region, a very clear statement about our presence going forward."

Colombian president says he will end diplomatic ties with Israel

Colombia will cut ties with Israel, starting Thursday, due to its actions in Gaza, the country's president, Gustavo Petro, announced at a rally in Bogota.

"States cannot stand by in the face of what is happening in the Gaza Strip," he said.

Petro has harshly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the past, and also asked to join South Africa's petition to the Court of Justice in its claim that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.