An Israeli official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed a close confidant to lead negotiations for the second stage of the ceasefire with Hamas.

The U.S.-born Ron Dermer is a Cabinet minister who’s widely seen as Netanyahu’s closest adviser. He previously served as Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. and is a former Republican activist with strong ties to the Trump White House.

Israel and Hamas have yet to negotiate a second and more difficult phase of the ceasefire, and the first ends in early March. Palestinians and Arab countries have universally rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to remove the Palestinian population from Gaza and take over the territory.

Since the war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023, more than 50,000 people have died in Gaza and Lebanon and nearly 70% of the buildings in Gaza have been devastated, according to health ministries in Gaza and Lebanon. Around 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7 attack.

Egypt’s Leader Reiterates Opposition to Trump’s Gaza Plan

Egypt’s leader has reiterated his opposition to any transfer of the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip, as suggested by U.S. President Donald Trump.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi on Wednesday called on the international community to support a reconstruction plan that would allow Palestinians to stay in their homeland. He said the reconstruction of Gaza must be implemented “without the transfer of the Palestinian people from their land to which they cling.”

Egypt and Jordan have rejected Trump’s suggestion that they take in large numbers of Palestinian refugees.

El-Sissi spoke in Madrid at a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who also condemned Trump’s proposal, saying it would be “immoral and contrary to international law and United Nations resolutions,” and have a destabilizing effect on the region.

The two leaders also called for the revival of a peace process leading to a two-state solution to the conflict.

UN Will Launch Another Polio Vaccination Drive in Gaza Strip

The United Nations health chief says another polio vaccination campaign will be launched in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said Wednesday on X that the campaign aims to vaccinate more than 591,000 children under 10 years old.

It comes after the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples, signaling circulation.

Last year, Gaza reported its first polio case in 25 years — a 10-month-old boy, now paralyzed in a leg. At the time, the WHO said the presence of a paralysis case indicated there could be hundreds more who have been infected but aren’t showing symptoms.

Related Story: Israel’s Top General Resigns over Oct. 7 Failures, Adding to Pressure on Netanyahu

Israeli Drone Strike in Southern Lebanon Kills 1

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says an Israeli drone strike on car in a border village has killed one person.

Wednesday’s strike in the village of Aita al-Shaab was the first since Israeli troops withdrew from southern border areas a day earlier as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The agency also said that Israeli troops opened fire on the Lebanese side of the border, wounding two people.

Israel’s military said the strike targeted a Hezbollah member allegedly handling weaponry.

Oxfam says 80% of Gaza’s water infrastructure is damaged

The international charity Oxfam says 80% of water and sanitation networks in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed in the Israel-Hamas war.

The damaged networks, including all six major wastewater treatment plants, have accelerated the spread of water-borne disease as hundreds of thousands of people shelter in tent camps, Oxfam said.

In a report this week, the World Bank estimated it would cost over $50 billion to rebuild Gaza. That’s well over twice the total Palestinian economic output in 2022.

With the future of the ceasefire in doubt, and Israel and Egypt maintaining a blockade of Gaza, it is unclear when or how anything will be rebuilt.

5 Israeli Soldiers Charged With Assault on a Palestinian Detainee

Israeli military prosecutors have charge five soldiers with assault over an attack on a Palestinian detainee in which they sodomized him with a knife.

The military said the July 5, 2024, attack in the Sde Teiman facility “caused severe physical injury to the detainee, including cracked ribs, a punctured lung and an inner rectal tear.”

It said the soldiers took the detainee to a separate area, blindfolded and handcuffed, before assaulting him. It said the evidence for the attack was “extensive” and included footage from a security camera.

The five were among nine Israeli reservists arrested last July over the attack. A defense lawyer at the time denied the allegations, saying the soldiers responded with force when the detainee attacked them.

Their arrest triggered angry protests by supporters demanding their release, including members of parliament and at least two government ministers. Hard-liners in Israel have called for harsh treatment of suspected Hamas fighters.

Netanyahu appoints close adviser with Trump ties to lead ceasefire negotiations

An Israeli official said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed a close confidant to lead negotiations for the second stage of the ceasefire with Hamas.

The official says that Cabinet Minister Ron Dermer will head the Israeli team. Previous talks have been led by the heads of the Mossad and Shin Bet security agencies.

Talks have not yet started on the second stage, which is meant to include an end to the war, return of all hostages and Israeli pullout from Gaza.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the appointment has not been officially announced.

The U.S.-born Dermer is widely seen as Netanyahu’s closest adviser. He previously served as Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. and is a former Republican activist with strong ties to the Trump White House.

Dermer currently serves as Israel’s strategic affairs minister, where he has been a key player in relations with the U.S. as well as Gulf Arab countries.