Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
President Joe Biden met Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House on Tuesday, as a 30-day deadline set by the US for Israel to get more aid into Gaza expired.
Iran and its proxies in the region were a major focus of their discussions, with Mr Herzog describing Iran as “the empire of evil”.
“Tehran, with its proxies, they are doing whatever they can to derail stability and security and peace, calling for the annihilation of the state of Israel and seeking nuclear weapons,” said Mr Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial.
He also called for the release of the more than 100 hostages still held in Gaza. Mr Herzog noted that two Israelis had been killed in the city of Nahariya, in northern Israel, by rockets fired from Lebanon, and that a teacher for children with special needs had rescued toddlers from a drone attack.
Mr Biden reiterated Washington's “iron-clad” commitment to Israel and the two nations' deep friendship. As Mr Herzog's motorcade arrived at the White House, a small group of protesters gathered there waved a large Palestinian flag and shouted “war criminal”.
The visit comes as international aid organisations said Israel has failed to meet US requirements for more humanitarian aid being allowed into the Gaza Strip. Experts have said conditions in the enclave are worse than at any point in the war and that the north may already be experiencing famine.
Pentagon press secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder said Israel had taken several steps to address some of the measures laid out in that letter, including a commitment to reopen the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza and approve new aid delivery routes.
"But as Secretary Austin and others have said, we also believe that more needs to be done," he told reporters.
Mr Biden met Mr Herzog in October 2023 in Tel Aviv shortly after the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and triggered the war, which has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians and reduced much of the Gaza Strip to rubble. With only a couple of months left in his term, and as president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take over at the White House, Mr Biden is hoping to make progress on ceasefire talks for Gaza and Lebanon before he leaves office.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
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6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Indika
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
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