Israel-Hamas war: What happened on day 174?

Cabinet Minister Gadi Eisenkot presented his vision for the State of Israel for after the war in Gaza during a meeting of the war cabinet on Wednesday, Ynet reported early Friday morning.

The outline, put together by former IDF intelligence chief Amos Yadlin and the MIND Israel consultant group, includes goals for the immediate future, for an intermediate period after the war, and for the long term.

For the near future, the outline stresses the need to dismantle Hamas and to get a hostage release deal. The outline also includes a call for an American-Israeli-Arab coalition to transfer civil matters in Gaza local leaders in the Strip, to prevent the strengthening of Hamas in both Gaza and the West Bank, to end the conflict with Hezbollah, to promote relations with Saudi Arabia and other Arab and Muslim countries, and to work together to confront the threat posed by Iran.

Negotiations to release the Israeli hostages held by Hamas are set to resume in Cairo next week after talks in Qatar fell apart earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday night.

No official announcement had been made as of Thursday night concerning such talks.

Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY) introduced a resolution on Tuesday which would require Israel to be in full support of any changes to American foreign policy as it relates to the war against Hamas, a statement from his office said. 

“Now more than ever, it is vital that the United States stands shoulder to shoulder with our Israeli allies in their fight against Hamas terrorists and other antisemitic forces,” D’Esposito said. “Passing this critical piece of legislation will go a long way towards preserving Israel’s security and ensuring that America is able to best support our greatest ally.” 

D'Esposito said the resolution came on the heels of the US abstaining from the United Nations Security Council ceasefire resolution on Monday. 

"Following Biden and Thomas-Greenfield's abject failure of leadership, the vast majority of Israel's parliament voted to reject the push for a unilateral recognition of a 'Palestinian state,'" D'Esposito said. "The United States must stand with Israel and ensure that any negotiations, including those for a 'ceasefire' or 'Palestinian state,' have the full cooperation and approval of Israel before proceeding forward."

Officials at the Pentagon are in early talks to fund a peacekeeping mission to Gaza with the aim of stabilizing the Strip post-war, according to a report by POLITICO on Thursday.

All options currently being considered would not include US troops on the ground, but it would most likely be a multinational or Palestinian majority force, according to the officials who spoke to POLITICO.

The US Department of Defence would provide the majority of the funds that would support the arrival of troops from other countries.

Initial plans were for the funding of a security force that would stabilize the situation on the ground while allowing for an influx of aid that could be used for reconstruction, infrastructure, humanitarian assistance, and other needs.

The United States' top general said on Thursday that Israel had not received every weapon that it had asked for, in part because US President Joe Biden's administration was not willing to provide at least some of them.

Washington gives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to Israel, its longtime ally. The United States has been rushing air defenses and munitions to Israel, but some Democrats and Arab American groups have criticized the Biden administration's steadfast support of Israel, which they say provides it with a sense of impunity.

"Although we've been supporting them with capability, they've not received everything they've asked for," said General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"We do not support a war in Lebanon,"  White House National Security spokesman John Kiby said on Thursday, addressing rising tensions in Israel's north. "We don't want to see that happen. We've been crystal clear about that since the very beginning of this."

"Restoring calm along that border remains a top priority for President Biden and from the administration, and it has to be of the utmost importance, we believe as well, for both Lebanon and Israel," he added.

The White House also said it is still working to reschedule its meeting with the Israeli delegation who Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pulled from meeting with the US following its abstention in the United Nations Security Council ceasefire resolution vote.