Israel At War Monday May 19

 Israel at war day 591

- Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee denied in a conversation with ynet the Washington Post report claiming that figures close to Trump warned Israel that Washington would abandon Jerusalem if it doesn't end the war. 'Consider the source - Washington Post,' Huckabee said

- Netanyahu responds to, France, and Canada: 

By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hams terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottawa, and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities. 

The war began on October 7 when Palestinian terrorists stormed our borders, murdered 1,200 innocent people and abducted over 250 more innocents to the dungeons of Gaza.

Israel accepts President Trump's vision and urges all European leaders to do the same. The war can end tomorrow if the remaining hostages are released, Hamas lays down its arms, its murderous leaders are exiled, and Gaza is demilitarized. No nation can be expected to accept anything less, and Israel certainly won't.

This is a war of civilization over barbarism. Israel will continue to defend itself by just means until total victory is achieved.

- Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarie: We decided to impose a naval blockade on the port of Haifa and put it in the target bank - in response to the Israeli escalation in Gaza

- Another IDF soldier killed in Gaza from a friendly fire incident.Yosef Yehuda Chirak HYD, 22, from Charsha,just git married 7 months ago. He is the 9th death since renewed fighting.

-France, Britain and Canada have threatened to take steps against Israel if it doesn’t stop the operation in Gaza and the construction of settlements.

- White House: Trump made it clear to Hamas that he wants all hostages released. The president wants the conflict in the region to end.

-Washington Post report: Trump's people threatened Netanyahu with 'abandoning Israel' if he did not end the war.

A person involved in discussions surrounding the renewal of aid said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the idea to the cabinet as a technicality, but stressed that pressure from the Trump administration has increased in recent days. “Trump’s people told Israel: ‘We will abandon you if you don’t end the war,’” the source told the newspaper.

As part of the understanding between the United States and Hams regarding the release of captive survivor Idan Alexander, senior American officials pledged to apply pressure on Israel to allow food and medicine to enter the Gaza Strip. Although no amounts of aid were determined between the parties, seeing that humanitarian aid did not enter the Gaza Strip immediately after Alexander's release, the United States and Qatar increased the pressure on Israel, sources involved in the negotiations process regarding a ceasefire in Gaza told the newspaper.

-At least 9 trucks with humanitarian aid are expected to enter Gaza today.

- Israeli special forces eliminated a senior Gazan terrorist this morning, Ahmad Sarhan, a senior figure in the Popular Resistance Committees’ military wing, the third-largest terror group in Gaza behind Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

- IDF Spokesperson in response to the reports about Khan Yunis: "The IDF is in the midst of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ and is operating throughout the Gaza Strip. Following the publications [in the press], there is no change in the situation."

-Update: Amit Segal reports: "There was *not* a hostage rescue operation conducted this morning."

-Al Arabiya  reports about a IDF hostage rescue operation in Gaza from Khan Younis area

 - Barak Ravid from Axios just posted, "A senior Israeli official [just] told me that the IDF carried out a special operation in Khan Yunis. There were no injuries.

 There are numerous reports of heavy IDF airstrikes in Khan Yunis (much more intense and rapid than usual) and that the phone and internet has been cut in the area.