Egypt has offered to collaborate with the United States to construct a cutting-edge underground barrier to prevent the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, according to a report by Army Radio. This proposal is contingent upon Israel agreeing to a ceasefire and hostage deal. According to the report, Egypt is willing to commence work on the barrier as early as the first days of the potential truce. This offer comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a list of non-negotiable demands for an agreement, including the prevention of weapon smuggling from Egypt into Gaza. The Israeli military has discovered at least 25 cross-border smuggling tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, with some being previously known and others newly discovered upon entering the border area.

Two influential Democratic operatives, Rosa Brooks and Ted Dintersmith, are circulating a memo that outlines a plan for a “blitz primary” to replace President Biden if he can be convinced to withdraw from the race. The memo, distributed to party contributors, executive branch officials, and Biden’s campaign staff, proposes a rapid primary process before the Democratic National Convention in August.

Is there a future for French Jewry in France? It’s a question that’s been asked many times for many years but has taken on new urgency in the wake of the stunning results of the snap elections on Sunday, with a coalition of far-left parties, including an antisemitic party, winning the most seats. The leaders of the left-wing parties, despite many differences between them, successfully mobilized before the snap elections and formed a leftist alliance, the New Popular Front, against the far-right. The most prominent leader of the alliance is Jean-Luc Melenchon, the head of the antisemitic France Unbowed party.

A coalition of the French left that quickly banded together to beat a surging far right in legislative elections won the most seats in parliament but not a majority, according to polling projections Sunday, a stunning outcome that threatens to plunge the country into political and economic turmoil. The projections put President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance in second, no longer in control of parliament, and the bruised far right in third. With no bloc securing a clear majority, France faces uncertainty that could rattle markets and its economy, the European Union’s second-largest, and cast a shadow of political instability over the Paris Olympics opening in less than three weeks.

National Unity chairman Benny Gantz commented on the case of the three Israelis who were arrested for allegedly murdering a Hamas terrorist on October 7. “October 7th was the day of the greatest disaster in the history of the country,” Gantz said. “Many heroes arose on that day – soldiers, members of security squads, police officers and civilians – who fought bravely and many of them fell in battle.” Gantz then interjected, saying that he has not personally seen the evidence regarding the suspects but “at the same time, it is important to say as a matter of principle – all Gazans who crossed the border that day deserved death. All of them were a clear and immediate danger.

President Biden’s campaign is facing criticism for sending pre-approved questions to radio hosts ahead of interviews, after radio host Andrea Lawful-Sanders revealed on CNN that the president’s team provided a list of questions for approval prior to her interview with Biden on Wednesday. CNN host Victor Blackwell noted that the questions were “essentially the same” in both interviews, focusing on Biden’s accomplishments, debate performance, progress in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and what he would say to voters considering not voting in the presidential election. “The questions were sent to me for approval. I approved them,” Sanders said.

A 28-year-old man was seriously injured on the moshav of Kfar Zeitim after Hezbollah launched a heavy barrage of rockets and suicide drones at the Lower Galil on Sunday morning. The barrage is a response to the IDF’s elimination of a key Hezbollah commander over the weekend. Paramedics who arrived at the scene administered emergency medical aid and evacuated the victim to Poriya Medical Center near Tivereia. As a result of the barrage, a number of fires broke out in open areas near Tiveria and firefighting teams are currently fighting the flames. Hezbollah fire has expanded to areas of northern Israel that haven’t experienced rocket sirens since October. On Friday night, two IDF soldiers in Kiryat Shmona were lightly injured from Hezbollah rocket fire. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Hamas has given its initial approval of a U.S.-backed proposal for a phased cease-fire deal in Gaza, dropping a key demand that Israel commit up front to a complete end to the war, a Hamas official and an Egyptian official said Saturday. The two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, said Washington’s phased deal would start with a “full and complete” six-week cease-fire during which older, sick and female hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. During those 42 days, Israeli forces would withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow the return of displaced people to their homes in northern Gaza, the officials said.

In a candid admission during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday night, President Joe Biden told nearly two dozen Democratic governors that he needs to get more sleep and work fewer hours, even suggesting he should avoid events held after 8 p.m., the New York Times reported Thursday. The 81-year-old president’s remarks come amid previous reports that his most effective working hours are between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. During the gathering, Biden also responded to a health-related question from Hawaii Gov. Josh Green by humorously saying, “just my brain,” a comment that was not recognized as a joke by at least one governor present.

Liberal magazine The Economist published a scathing cover story on this week’s magazine cover criticizing President Biden’s age and fitness for office. The cover image, which featured an elderly person’s walker with a presidential seal next to the words “No way to run a country,” quickly went viral. The corresponding editorial board column pulled no punches, slamming Biden’s debate performance and stating that he is “unfit” to be president. The board criticized Biden’s “mental decline” and his inability to “finish a sentence about Medicare,” questioning whether he should be trusted with the nuclear codes.