Israel Touts Military Success Against Hamas

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at claims of Israeli military gains in Gaza, Liberia’s presidential election runoff, and fears of volcanic activity in Iceland.

Last Hospital Standing

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Hamas had lost control of Gaza during an assessment of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) war operations on Monday. He reiterated that Israel’s fight is not over until hostages are freed and the group ceases all activity. Hamas militants “will either be eliminated, or they will surrender unconditionally,” Gallant said. “There is no third option.”

On Tuesday, the IDF said it had also seized control of several “institutions” in Gaza City “that Hamas utilized for military purposes,” including areas serving as a headquarters, interrogation and detention spaces, and training facilities.

Meanwhile, intense fighting continues near major medical centers in northern Gaza. There is only one hospital currently functioning there, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday, as the region’s two largest hospitals, Al-Shifa and Al-Quds, are under heavy bombardment, and Al-Shifa’s intensive care unit, maternity ward, and top surgical floor are damaged. Israeli forces have accused Hamas of operating a command center under Al-Shifa, which Hamas denies.

On Monday, the IDF said that abandoned AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, and suicide vests allegedly discovered in Al-Rantisi children’s hospital, as well as a tunnel entrance found nearby, proved that Hamas was working out of that facility as well. However, Mohammed Zaqout, the director of Gaza’s hospitals, told reporters that Al-Rantisi’s basement was used to shelter women and children, not to store weaponry.

Lack of fuel also remains a key humanitarian concern for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Following Hamas’s Oct. 7 strike, Israel blocked the delivery of fuel and cut electricity access across large swaths of the region, arguing that Hamas hoards the vital supplies for its attacks. However, rights activists have accused Israel of restricting lifesaving aid for civilians. According to Andrea De Domenico, the head of the OCHA for the Palestinian territories, the U.N. will not have enough fuel to operate forklifts or trucks that unload and distribute goods as early as Tuesday.

U.S. President Joe Biden urged Israel on Monday to protect Palestinians inside Al-Shifa. But the Center for Constitutional Rights, a U.S.-based civil liberties group, has argued that such statements are not enough. On Monday, the nonprofit filed a complaint in a California district court on behalf of numerous Palestinian groups and individuals, accusing Biden and other top U.S. officials of failing to prevent Israel from committing genocide under international law. The lawsuit asks the court to stop Washington from sending weapons and money to Israel.

Today’s Most Read

• The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy by Raphael S. Cohen
• This War Won’t Solve the Israel-Palestine Conflict by Steven A. Cook
• The Middle East Has Locked Itself in a Slaughterhouse by Hisham Melhem

What We’re Following

Presidential runoff. Liberians cast their ballots in a runoff election on Tuesday to decide who should be the country’s next president: incumbent soccer star George Weah or former Vice President Joseph Boakai. In 2017, Weah defeated Boakai with more than 61 percent of the vote, but this year’s election is expected to be a tighter race, with polling last month putting both candidates at around 43 percent. The results will be announced within the next two weeks.

This is Liberia’s first election without a U.N. mission in attendance. The agency left shortly after Weah came to power, marking the country’s first democratic win following devastating back-to-back civil wars. But Weah has since been accused of failing to uphold campaign promises to fight corruption and ensure justice for victims of the nation’s wars. Boakai, on the other hand, hopes his pledge to save Liberia from Weah’s poor leadership will be enough to secure him the simple majority needed to win.

On high alert. Iceland’s meteorological agency warned on Tuesday that the probability of a volcanic eruption in the country “remains high” after more than 700 minor earthquakes were reported in the span of a few hours near the town of Grindavik. Nearly 4,000 people have evacuated their homes in the island’s southwestern region since seismic activity was first reported late last week.

Reykjavik issued a state of emergency on Monday as experts worry that Iceland could see a “Hawaiian-style, lava-producing volcanic eruption,” said Matthew James Roberts of the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Popular tourist attractions near Grindavik, including the Blue Lagoon geothermal spas, have temporarily closed in anticipation of greater environmental unrest. But local meteorologists continue to urge Iceland’s residents to remain calm.

Bridging the divide. Biden met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday to announce a new strategic partnership that puts Washington on the same diplomatic footing as Beijing. The United States celebrated the decision as a strategic win over rising Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific just two days before Biden is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco.

But Biden’s face-to-face with Widodo was not without controversy. At the end of their meeting, Widodo urged Biden to “do more to stop the atrocities in Gaza.” Indonesia has been advocating for a cease-fire, and Widodo’s trip to Washington came directly after he condemned Israel’s war against Hamas during a summit in Saudi Arabia over the weekend. The United States continues to refuse to call for a total cease-fire, arguing that it would benefit Hamas.

Odds and Ends

New Zealand is battling foreign voter interference—but not for the contest you might expect. The nation delayed announcing the winner of its annual Bird of the Year competition on Sunday after HBO Last Week Tonight talk show host John Oliver discovered a loophole in the contest rules that allowed anybody with a valid email address to participate and proceeded to launch a humorous campaign encouraging people around the world to vote for his favorite candidate: the puteketeke, a black-and-white water bird. His campaign included a sign in Wellington for the “Lord of the Wings”; billboards and banners across Japan, the United Kingdom, India, and Brazil; and an oversized bird costume. “After all, this is what democracy is all about: America interfering in foreign elections,” Oliver said. And it looks like Oliver’s efforts paid off, with the puteketeke winning the contest on Tuesday.