Daily Kickoff
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we talk to Sens. Joe Manchin, Jon Tester and John Fetterman about how pressure from within the Democratic Party for Israel to alter its war strategy is affecting Hamas’ posturing in negotiations, and spotlight the college campuses where administrators are beginning to take a harder line against anti-Israel activity. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Evan Ryan, Sam Altman and Avi Wigderson.
Amid growing concerns of an Iranian strike against Israel, Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke on Wednesday afternoon about a possible escalation. Blinken, according to a State Department readout of the call, “reiterated the United States’ support for Israel’s security and made clear that the U.S. will stand with Israel against any threats by Iran and its proxies.”
CENTCOM head Gen. Erik Kurilla is slated to travel to Israel today to meet with Gallant and other top officials as Israel prepares for a potential Iranian retaliation to an attack in Damascus last week that killed a top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general and six additional officers. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Wednesday that Israel “will pay” for the strike.
Shortly before Gallant and Blinken spoke, the defense minister briefed journalists in Tel Aviv about Israel’s efforts to increase humanitarian aid going into Gaza, a week and a half after an IDF strike killed seven aid workers and hindered NGO efforts in the enclave, Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss reports.
In the briefing, Gallant unveiled the next phase of the military’s humanitarian efforts. Within the next week, he said, the Port of Ashdod will be open to increase the flow of aid into Gaza and provide security checks to aid convoys. Israel also approved a new crossing in northern Gaza, and is working with the Jordanian Air Force to move aid from Jordan. Gallant also noted the creation of the Coordination and Deconfliction Cell, which he visited with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew over the weekend. Lastly, he said, Israel is working with the U.S. on naval efforts to bring in aid by sea, and the Defense Ministry’s COGAT unit is working on infrastructure projects in Gaza.
In one of the first signals that Israel’s government is thinking longer-term about the administration of Gaza, Gallant said the government is taking into consideration the “planning for the day after Hamas.”
“There are three bad options for the day after: Hamas controlling Gaza, Israel controlling Gaza, and total anarchy,” Gallant said. “We need to create another option – to empower a local alternative.” He added that the humanitarian effort is “key in empowering a local alternative.”
One individual with knowledge of the aid efforts told JI that “Israel needs to think proactively about building the aid infrastructure and apparatus.”
“It’s positive to see the increase in trucks,” the individual said. “But the issue is not about 1 or 10 or 100 more trucks a day. Israel needs to shift its mindset from success being driven by the number of trucks to aiding in distribution of the apparatus.”
“Israel isn’t the be-all, end-all of the distribution issue,” the individual added, “but they need to be a part of the solution.”
President Joe Biden on Wednesday praised Israel’s efforts to increase the humanitarian assistance entering Gaza, but said Israeli authorities “need to do more.”
Even as Israel works to increase aid in Gaza, the IDF is continuing to carry out targeted operations. A strike on a vehicle in Gaza City killed three of Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh’s sons on Wednesday. The IDF said that all three men were active in Hamas, with two of them serving as military operatives and one as a cell commander, and that the men were traveling to central Gaza to conduct terror activity at the time of the strike. Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, said that the strike will not affect Hamas’ negotiating posture, and told Al Jazeera that he “thank[s] God for bestowing upon us the honor of their martyrdom.”
“Their pure blood is for the liberation of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, and we will continue to march on our road, and will not hesitate and will not falter,” Haniyeh said.
Meanwhile, talks to free the remaining hostages hit a stumbling block on Wednesday, as Hamas officials acknowledged that they are unable to produce 40 hostages who fit the description of those who would be released in a first round: women, children, the elderly and sick and injured.
And in Washington, the House Republican conference is once again in chaos, after conservatives blocked a procedural vote on reauthorizing federal spying powers. That vote could have implications for the path to passing aid for Israel and Ukraine, Jewish Insider senior congressional correspondent Marc Rod writes.
Republican leadership initially planned to bring up foreign aid for a vote next week — although, according to Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), they haven’t yet specified what that bill would entail. But the spying powers debate now threatens to spill into next week — the authorities are set to expire on April 19 — and the House will be out of Washington the week after, potentially pushing consideration of foreign aid close to the end of the month.
Coming out of an emergency Republican meeting on Wednesday afternoon, several Republicans told JI the issue of timing on foreign aid hadn’t come up, and that they had no clear picture of what the schedule for it might be. Meanwhile, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) continues to threaten House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) ouster if he allows a vote on Ukraine aid on the floor.
A resolution condemning the Biden administration’s decision not to veto a cease-fire resolution at the United Nations and criticizing its calls for an immediate cease-fire was also contingent on the procedural vote that was defeated yesterday, leaving it unclear when that resolution will come to the floor. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), a reliable supporter of Israel, said yesterday he plans to oppose the resolution, suggesting it will see little Democratic support when a vote arrives.
dem divides
Manchin, Fetterman push back against Democrats’ pressure on Israel

Some Senate Democrats are raising concerns that efforts by members in their party to publicly apply pressure to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to alter his war plan are impacting Israel’s negotiating position as it works to secure the release of remaining hostages, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs and Marc Rod report.
Diminished Israel fears: “It doesn’t help, it doesn’t help,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) told JI when asked on Wednesday if demands from Democrats and the Biden administration to take a more surgical approach to the war was hurting Israel’s negotiating position.
GOP worries: A number of Republicans echoed the concerns of their Democratic colleagues, which come as negotiators continue talks on a hostage deal in Cairo. Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) said the Democratic-led pressure campaign is “really concerning” to him, arguing that it “increases Hamas’ ability to be able to say, ‘The whole word against you, Israel, just stop,’ while they’ve got thousands of terrorists in Rafah and they still are holding hostages.”
Democratic defense: Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) said that Democrats have mostly directed their ire at Netanyahu. “I don’t think so. It’s not really criticisms of Israel, everybody strongly supports Israel. It’s a criticism of Netanyahu, the way he’s executing the war and concerns about his strategy. It’s not about Israel,” she said.
Bonus: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said pressure from Egypt and Qatar remains key to convincing Hamas to agree to a hostage deal. Kaine said that Qatar has “played valuable roles” in the past, including the November hostage deal, but suggested that patience with Qatar on Capitol Hill “is almost at an end.”