Tom Steyer

Businessman
Jump to  stances on the issues
Tom Steyer dropped out of the presidential race on February 29, 2020. This page is no longer being updated.
Steyer has been a funding force in Democratic politics in recent years, bankrolling candidates and organizations that promote a liberal agenda. He jumped into the race in July after funding an effort to pressure Congress into impeaching Trump.
Yale University, B.A., 1979; Stanford Business School, MBA, 1983
June 27, 1957
Kat Taylor
Episcopalian
Samuel, Charles, Evelyn and Henry
Founder, Farallon Capital Management, 1986-2012;
Partner, Hellman and Friedman, 1985-1986;
Associate, Goldman Sachs, 1983-1985;
Financial analyst, Morgan Stanley, 1979-1981

STEYER IN THE NEWS

Tom Steyer ends 2020 presidential campaign
Updated 10:17 PM ET, Sat Feb 29, 2020
Tom Steyer ended his presidential campaign on Saturday night after the billionaire businessman failed to gain traction in a large field of Democratic candidates. Steyer exited the race after he failed to claim victory in South Carolina, a state he invested heavily in, hoping it would turn around his sputtering run. "I said if I didn't see a path to winning that I'd suspend my campaign," he said. "And honestly, I can't see a path where I can win the presidency." The businessman's decision comes after disappointing showings in the race's first three contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. In Nevada, Steyer outspent the rest of the Democratic field on advertisements by more than $13 million. Visit CNN's Election Center for full coverage of the 2020 race Steyer spent more than $200 million on advertising for his presidential campaign, and contributed about $155 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. But the power of Steyer's money was partially blunted late in his campaign by the entrance of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has spent more than $500 million on ads in a few short months, effectively watering down Steyer's omnipresence. Steyer spent considerable time and money in South Carolina, and there were signs his investment was paying off. The billionaire businessman spent more than $22 million on television and radio ads in the state, hoping that direct and persistent outreach to black voters could cut into former Vice President Joe Biden's strength with the powerful voting bloc. A recent Monmouth University poll found Steyer at 15% in the state, neck-and-neck with the race's front-runner Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and behind Biden. Steyer said he supports reparations for African Americans, and pledged he would, if elected, establish a commission on race led by African Americans aimed at coming up with solutions. Before officially launching his campaign in July, Steyer operated as a funding force in Democratic politics. He spent millions bankrolling candidates and organizations that promoted liberal causes and the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Steyer starred in self-funded television commercials calling for Congress to remove Trump from office. Those ads were powerful in the early states, where voters who backed Steyer said they liked the fact that he spearheaded the impeachment effort. The longtime Democratic donor, whose net worth reached $1.6 billion this year according to Forbes, said he would make tackling the global climate crisis a top priority of his administration and vowed to combat what he called the "undue influence" of corporate power on the US economy. He called for a $15 minimum wage, congressional term limits and the repeal of Citizens United, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that eased restrictions on corporate campaign spending. Steyer said he would repeal the Trump tax cuts and install a 1% wealth tax on those whose net worth is above $32 million. Steyer broke with progressive leaders on "Medicare for All," and said he would prefer to build on the current system, as it exists under the Affordable Care Act, and push for a public option, or a government-backed insurance plan. In the end, though, Steyer's campaign became a case study of how even hundreds of millions in personal spending cannot directly lead to success in a presidential election. Steyer did get a burst of attention in the final days of his campaign, turning in his most aggressive debate performance on Tuesday. And on the eve of the South Carolina primary, a video of Steyer dancing onstage with rapper Juvenile at an event in South Carolina went viral.
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STANCES ON THE ISSUES

climate crisis
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Steyer, a longtime Democratic donor, established himself as a leading force on climate change with a $100 million campaign in the 2014 midterm elections through the advocacy group NextGen Climate, which was positioned as a foil to the oil and gas industry – specifically to the donor network established by billionaire conservative brothers Charles and David Koch. As a presidential candidate, Steyer says he would declare a national emergency on his first day in office over the climate crisis and use executive action to achieve his goals, including a clean-energy system with net-zero “global warming pollution” by 2045. Steyer would also stop the issuance of new leases for mining and drilling and would wind down existing production on federal land and offshore. Like other candidates, Steyer ties his climate plans to job creation, promising 1 million jobs. He calls for $2 trillion in federal funding over 10 years for infrastructure, which includes transportation as well as “water, operational systems, the energy grid, farms and rural development, building retrofits, maintenance, affordable housing, universal broadband, and more.” He also calls for issuing $250 billion in “climate bonds” over 10 years and investing $50 billion in programs to support miners and other “fossil fuel workers.” Steyer says he would keep the US in the Paris climate agreement, a landmark 2015 deal on global warming targets that Trump has pledged to abandon, as well as other international alliances and United Nations agreements aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change. More on Steyer’s climate crisis policy
economy
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Steyer’s initial focus was his $2 trillion energy infrastructure investment plan, which he says would in turn unleash “trillions” more in private capital investment. He would also create what he calls “Green New Deal investment zones.” In October 2019, he released a new economic agenda aimed at “ensuring that economic power rests with the American people, not big corporations.” To address what Steyer calls the “undue influence” of corporate power on the US economy, his plan calls for a $15 minimum wage, along with congressional term limits and the overturning of Citizens United, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that eased restrictions on corporate campaign spending. Steyer says he would repeal the Trump tax cuts and install a 1% wealth tax on those whose net worth is above $32 million. But he said he favors regulation over moving to greater government control over parts of the economy. “I’m a progressive and a capitalist, but unchecked capitalism produces market failures and economic inequities,” Steyer said in a news release outlining the plan. “The people must be in charge of our economy — but socialism isn’t the answer.” Steyer has declared a right to a living wage as part of his “5 Rights” platform. He pledges in his climate plan to reward companies that follow fair labor practices and hire union workers. More on Steyer’s economic policy
education
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Steyer calls on his website for providing “free, quality, public education” from preschool through college “and on to skills training.” More on Steyer’s education policy
gun violence
Open Accordion Pane
After the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting, Steyer pledged $1 million for a voter registration drive in cooperation with two gun-control advocacy groups – Everytown for Gun Safety and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords’ organization. At the time, Steyer accused the Republican Party and Trump of “putting NRA money ahead of the lives of Americans.” In August 2019, after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, Steyer again expressed opposition to the National Rifle Association and called for “mandatory background checks” in an interview with PBS.
healthcare
Open Accordion Pane
Steyer supports universal health care, including it as one of his “5 Rights.” That includes coverage for undocumented immigrants, he said in an interview with CBS in July 2019. He tweeted in late July 2019 that “universal health care must be a right—not a privilege—so everyone has the chance to live a healthy life, and our government needs to act to protect the foundations of our health.” More on Steyer’s health care policy
immigration
Open Accordion Pane
Steyer has spent millions supporting legal aid for immigrants facing deportation, including a $1 million pledge made during a speech in 2018 to the American Immigration Lawyers Association just as the Trump administration escalated its border enforcement against families and children. He has called for comprehensive immigration revisions and said in a July 2019 interview with CBS that he supports providing a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently in the US.

LATEST POLITICAL NEWS

Devastation in Gaza as Israel wages war on Hamas
Updated 10:42 PM ET, Mon Mar 18, 2024
The Biden administration will meet with Israeli officials “soon” in Washington to “discuss alternative approaches that would target key elements of Hamas and secure the Egypt-Gaza border without a major ground operation in Rafah,” the White House said on Monday. US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday — their first known phone conversation in over a month as a rift deepens between the leaders. Biden “reiterated his deep concerns about the prospect of Israel conducting a major ground operation in Rafah, where more than one million displaced civilians are currently seeking shelter after fleeing fighting in the north,” a White House statement said. The leaders also discussed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and hostage negotiations in Qatar. "The President affirmed the need to defeat Hamas in Gaza while also protecting the civilian population and facilitating the safe and unhindered delivery of assistance throughout Gaza," the White House said. Emphasis on northern Gaza: The leaders discussed “the urgent need” to increase the flow of aid to Gaza, especially in the north of the enclave. “The President stressed the urgent need to significantly increase the flow of lifesaving aid reaching those in need throughout Gaza, with special emphasis on the north,” the White House said. US forces destroyed seven anti-ship missiles, three drones, and three weapons storage containers in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Monday, according to US Central Command. The strike took place between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Sanaa time), CENTCOM said in a statement, calling it an act of "self-defense." "It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region," CENTCOM said. US forces have been conducting similar strikes in the area where tensions have heightened amid the Iran-backed militant groups' attack on commercial vessels passing through the key waterway. Earlier this month, a ballistic missile by the Houthis struck a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, killing three crew members in its first fatal attack since October. The top US humanitarian aid official called a report warning that famine is set to break out in northern Gaza sometime between now and May “a horrific milestone” and urged Israel to open more land routes to deliver aid into the enclave. “We continue to call on Israel to open more land routes into Gaza and reduce bottlenecks and inspection delays to get land crossings operating at full capacity, even as we pursue air and maritime options to supplement these land routes,” US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power said in a statement. The report, published by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), said that the sustained fighting and lack of humanitarian aid means famine is now "imminent in the northern governates" of Gaza and "projected to occur anytime between mid-March and May 2024."  Power said the "catastrophic levels of hunger and malnutrition" detailed in the report "should be unimaginable in the current era, but for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, this is the reality." “With just two previous Famine declarations in the twenty-first century, this is a horrific milestone," she added. US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday — their first known phone conversation in over a month as the rift deepens between the two leaders.  It came as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) surrounded the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, where the Ministry of Health in Gaza said about 30,000 people are sheltering. Israel has been waiting for the "right time to act" at the Gaza City hospital, according to IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. Here's what to know: US and Israel leaders talk: During the phone call, Biden voiced "deep concerns" over Israel's plans for a major operation in Rafah, according to a top national security official, explaining that it could be catastrophic for Palestinian civilians and slow the flow of aid. Netanyahu reiterated Israel's commitment to achieving its goals in the war, including eliminating Hamas and releasing hostages, a readout from the prime minister's office said. Both leaders called for more aid to enter the enclave. More concern about Rafah: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his concern about Israel’s plans in Rafah while speaking to Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, according to a readout from Trudeau’s office. The Canadian leader also stressed the need for humanitarian aid to reach civilians “without delay.” Fighting around Gaza's largest hospital: Hamas' military wing said its fighters engaged in “fierce clashes” with Israeli forces around the Al-Shifa Medical Complex. The IDF said it launched an operation there based on intelligence that the hospital was being used by “senior Hamas terrorists." The Palestinian health ministry said there were multiple casualties. CNN cannot independently verify either claim.  Journalist arrest: Hagari also said that the IDF arrested over 200 "terror suspects" at Al-Shifa Hospital. One was Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Ismail Al-Ghoul, the network said. The United Nations said it stands "against any harassment of journalists anywhere in the world," a spokesperson said. The US is aware of the arrest and has asked Israel for more information, a State Department official said. Hamas commander killed: Israel killed a senior Hamas commander in an airstrike last week, according to the White House. Marwan Issa was one of the planners of the October 7 attack against Israel, an IDF spokesperson said last week. Hagari did not confirm the information today but said that Israeli forces attacked an underground compound used by senior Hamas officials on March 9. The IDF was not able to verify if Issa was killed, he said. Humanitarian crisis: A report published by the World Food Programme's Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that the sustained fighting and lack of humanitarian aid means famine is now "imminent in the northern governates" of Gaza sometime between now and May. A growing number of children are dying of starvation and dehydration, according to the World Health Organization and Palestinian officials, and doctors say malnutrition is complicating the recovery of children from their injuries. ##Catch Up## Doctors Without Borders recounted reports from its staff of heavy fighting around Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza as Israeli forces announced a military operation inside and around the facility on Monday. A staff member of the organization, also called Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), reported hearing “drones, tanks, and shelling” near the hospital in the early hours of Monday, witnessing a fire rising from Al-Shifa's main building.  Clashes were also reported around the organization's clinic and office in Gaza City where some staff and their families are sheltering. "We call on all warring parties to respect the grounds and perimeter of Al-Shifa Hospital and ensure the safety of medical personnel, patients, and civilians," MSF said in a statement. According to MSF staff, Israeli forces conducted “mass arrests in the area surrounding Al-Shifa,” and one of the organization’s staff members is currently unreachable. Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Monday that Israel has been waiting for the “right time to act” at Al-Shifa Hospital, in comments addressing Israel’s military operation there. Hagari said that the IDF arrested over 200 “terror suspects” who are “now under investigation.”  ##Hospital Raid## Malnutrition is complicating the recovery of children from their injuries in war-torn Gaza’s collapsing health care system, doctors say. A growing number of children are dying of starvation and dehydration, according to the World Health Organization and Palestinian officials. Acute malnutrition doubled within one month among children in northern Gaza, according to UNICEF. Project Hope is a US-based health and humanitarian aid organization that operates in regions facing health crises. Its emergency teams report that 5%-15% of the children arriving at its two clinics in Deir Al-Balah and Rafah are malnourished. “Malnutrition amplifies the fragility of the situation,” Rondi Anderson of Project Hope said. “If you’re malnourished, you’re weak. A child’s immune system is weak, it gets infected, then the healing can’t happen, and it gets prolonged.” CNN spoke to multiple doctors who have been to Gaza since the war began. They reported seeing a lot of orthopedic injuries like limb injuries as well as burns, which present multiple layers of treatment. In these situations, a patient needs good pain management, nutrition, antibiotic care and fluid management. In Gaza, “all those four pillars are gone,” said Dr. Amber Alayyan from Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Adding a malnourished state to that means the healing is complicated, she added. “People who have really huge injuries are dying on the spot,” she said. “At the beginning, we were seeing people with really big abdominal injuries and thoracic injuries and things like that. And now, I think that I truly think that they’re dying on the spot, because we’re seeing fewer and fewer. You do see them, but they don’t necessarily make it to the ICU very quickly.” Israel has been waiting for the "right time to act" at Al-Shifa Hospital in central Gaza, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Monday.  Speaking at his daily news conference, Hagari alleged that Hamas individuals had "fled to the area of the hospital, hid in it, and turned it into a headquarters." He said the IDF has been "following this compound for some time and have been waiting for the right time to act." Israeli forces surrounded the Al-Shifa Medical Complex early Monday, where the Ministry of Health in Gaza said about 30,000 people are sheltering. Hagari said an "exchange of fire ensued" after alleging that "surprised terrorists barricaded themselves in a number of buildings in the hospital and opened fire at our forces." Israeli forces returned fire and killed more than 20 people described as "terrorists" inside the hospital. He said that an IDF soldier was killed in the operation.  Hagari also said that the IDF also arrested over 200 "terror suspects." Israel also released an edited video of the operation at Al-Shifa Hospital. In the footage, soldiers can be seen moving through what appears to be the hospital building and firing their weapons.  Some of the IDF's handout footage was blurred. One of the images appears to be a dead body, which the IDF labeled as an "eliminated terrorist."  CNN cannot independently verify the claims in the video. It is unclear if the video was filmed in one location as it appears to show multiple places. In parts of the edited IDF video, the audio has been removed.  CNN’s Celine Alkhaldi contributed to this report. ##Hospital Raid## Israel killed a senior Hamas commander in an airstrike last week, the White House said Monday. “Israel has made significant progress against Hamas. They have broken a significant number of Hamas battalions. Killed thousands of Hamas fighters, including senior commanders. Hamas’ number three, Marwan Issa, was killed in an Israeli operation last week,” said White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Asked to confirm the White House's statement, the Israel Defense Forces told CNN it would not comment. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesperson, said on March 9 that Israeli forces had attacked an underground compound used by Issa and other senior Hamas officials in the Nazirat area of central Gaza. Because the compound was underground, the IDF was not able to verify whether Issa was killed, Hagari said.  An Israeli military spokesperson said last week that Issa is the deputy of Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas' military division, and was one of the planners of the October 7 attack against Israel. Sullivan was describing President Joe Biden’s call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier Monday when he said the senior commander was killed. He said Biden stressed the importance of a “coherent and sustainable strategy” to defeat Hamas.  This post has been updated with comments from the Israel Defense Forces. Al Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, said its fighters have been engaged in “fierce clashes” with Israeli forces since dawn in the area surrounding the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City. Al Qassam Brigades said it targeted "Zionist vehicles, causing death and destruction among their ranks." Hamas said Israel assassinated Gaza’s Police Service Commander, Brigadier General Fayek al-Mabhouh, during its attack on Al-Shifa Hospital. "We affirm that our people and the security forces will continue to strike the enemy’s malicious plans. The criminal enemy will not succeed in its effort to spread chaos," Hamas said in a statement on Telegram. Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Monday that "20 terrorists" had been killed in the area of the hospital, including Al-Mabhouh, who the IDF said served as head of the Special Operations Directorate of Hamas Internal Security.   More on the Al-Shifa raid: The Israel Defense Forces said it launched an operation at Al-Shifa Hospital in central Gaza based on intelligence that the hospital was being used by “senior Hamas terrorists." The Palestinian health ministry said there were multiple casualties. CNN cannot independently verify either claim.  ##Hospital Raid## US President Joe Biden voiced "deep concerns" over Israel's plans for a major operation going after Hamas in Rafah during his phone conversation with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, according to a top national security official. While he affirmed support for Israel's right to defend itself, Biden sought to explain why the plan for Rafah could prove catastrophic for Palestinian civilians and hamper the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. Biden asked Netanyahu to send a senior delegation of military leaders to Washington to discuss the issue further and to lay out an alternative approach to go after Hamas in Rafah. Netanyahu agreed to dispatch such a group, and Sullivan said the meeting would occur at the end of this week or early next week. "A military plan cannot succeed without an integrated humanitarian plan and political plan. And the president has repeatedly made the point that continuing military operations need to be connected to a clear strategic end game," Sullivan said at the White House, noting that more civilians had died in Gaza than any previous conflict in the enclave.   Speaking with Netanyahu, Biden "explained why he is so deeply concerned about the prospect of Israel conducting major military operations in Rafah." He said those concerns fell within three areas: Civilians sheltering in Rafah have nowhere safe to go Rafah is an entry point for critical humanitarian assistance Neighboring Egypt has voiced serious concerns about a potential military operation there. Sullivan described the call as "businesslike” and said it “did not end abruptly." The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) surrounded the Al-Shifa medical complex early Monday, where the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said about 30,000 people were sheltering. The IDF claimed that its operation on Gaza's largest hospital was based on intelligence that the hospital was being used by "senior Hamas terrorists." Israeli forces shared video footage of what they said showed "terrorist fire" coming from buildings inside Al-Shifa hospital toward Israeli troops on Monday, according to a joint statement from the IDF and Israel Security Agency Shin Bet (ISA). The Palestinian health ministry said there were multiple casualties. CNN cannot independently verify either claim.  Here's what we know: On the ground at Al-Shifa: Hamada Abdelhadi, a displaced Palestinian at Al-Shifa, told CNN "military vehicles are firing at the hospital buildings’ windows, and at anyone who is caught moving between the hallways." While talking to him over the phone, incoming strikes could be heard. According to Abdelhadi, the Israeli military operation started at around 2 a.m. local time. Journalist arrested at hospital: Israeli forces have "arrested" Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Ismail Al-Ghoul at the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera. Al-Ghoul and his crew were “severely beaten” before being taken to an undisclosed location, Al Jazeera said in a statement. CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment on the matter, but has not heard back. The US is aware of the arrest and has asked Israel for more information, according to a State Department official. WHO chief voices concern over raid: The World Health Organization's head expressed concern about the situation in the Al-Shifa Hospital. The organization's chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the situation in a post on X, saying: "Hospitals should never be battlegrounds."  Aid program warns of famine: The World Food Programme released a statement Monday on their Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report about food security in the Gaza Strip that found 88% of the region’s entire population faces "emergency or worse" food insecurity and warns that famine in northern Gaza is "imminent." Biden and Netanyahu: US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday — their first known phone conversation in more than a month as the rift deepens between the two men. According to a White House readout, the two leaders discussed Rafah and humanitarian assistance to Gaza. ##Catch Up## ##Hospital Raid## President Joe Biden and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the latest developments in Gaza during their phone conversation Monday, the White House said. "President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including the situation in Rafah and efforts to surge humanitarian assistance to Gaza," the White House said in a short statement after the call concluded. They said a fuller readout of their conversation would come later. In addition to providing more aid to the enclave, the prime minister also reiterated to Biden his country's commitment to achieving its goals in the war which include "the elimination of Hamas, the release of all our hostages, and the promise that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," according to a readout from Netanyahu's office. Some background: Netanyahu told CNN in an interview on Sunday that his country’s policy is to let as much humanitarian aid into Gaza as is necessary, a claim that has been disputed by aid agencies and even contradicts his own statements. In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Netanyahu sought to shift the blame for aid not getting into Gaza from his government and onto Hamas, accusing the group of looting relief supplies. This post has been updated with information from Netanyahu's office. Israeli forces have shared video footage of what they say shows “terrorist fire” coming from buildings inside Al-Shifa hospital toward Israeli troops on Monday, according to a joint statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency Shin Bet (ISA). CNN cannot independently verify these claims. Israeli forces say they are conducting a “precise operational activity” in the area of Al-Shifa hospital and over the past few hours, “the troops identified terrorist fire toward them from a number of hospital buildings. The forces engaged the terrorists and identified several hits,” according to the joint statement. Israeli forces surrounded the Al-Shifa Medical Complex early Monday, where the Ministry of Health in Gaza said about 30,000 people are sheltering. ##Hospital Raid## The World Food Programme released a statement Monday on their Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report about food security in the Gaza Strip that found 88% of the region’s entire population faces “emergency or worse” food insecurity and warns that famine in northern Gaza is “imminent.” “People in Gaza are starving to death right now,” said WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain. “The speed at which this man-made hunger and malnutrition crisis has ripped through Gaza is terrifying.”  The IPC report, which was written by a group of NGOs, governments and UN agencies warned that "between mid-March and mid-July, in the most likely scenario and under the assumption of an escalation of the conflict including a ground offensive in Rafah, half of the population of the Gaza Strip (1.11 million people) is expected to face catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5)." Here's what else we know: According to the report, for the 300,000 people that remain trapped in Northern Gaza, "famine is expected to arrive between now and May,” and one in three children in Gaza below the age of two are “acutely malnourished.”    Southern Gaza is also slowly nearing famine, according to the report, which found that the region may reach famine conditions by July.  The report goes on to say that the nearing famine could be halted if aid organizations are allowed full access to the Gaza Strip to bring food, water and other nutritional products to the civilian population, and that “a humanitarian ceasefire is necessary,” for this to occur. US President Joe Biden will speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday morning Eastern time, a source familiar with the matter said. The call is their first known phone conversation in more than a month as the rift between the two men deepens and comes days after one of Biden's top allies in Washington, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, called for new Israeli elections that would result in Netanyahu's ouster. Biden called the speech "good" and said it reflected the concerns of many Americans, though did not explicitly endorse nor condemn the call for new elections in Israel. Netanyahu on Sunday forcefully pushed back on Schumer's speech during an interview with CNN's Dana Bash. “It’s inappropriate to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership there. That’s something that Israel, the Israeli public does on its own, and we’re not a banana republic,” Netanyahu said on “State of the Union.” Why this matters: The Biden-Netanyahu relationship has devolved over the past several months as frustration inside the White House mounts over what American officials regard as Netanyahu's rejection of US advice on the war in Gaza. That includes allowing more humanitarian aid to enter the strip, steps to protect civilian casualties and the future of an eventual Palestinian state. The call also comes as Israel says it's preparing for a major operation in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinian civilians have been sheltering. The White House has said such an operation should not move ahead without a credible plan to protect those civilians. As of Sunday, officials said they had not seen such a plan. The World Health Organization's head expressed concern about the situation in the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza where an Israeli military operation is still ongoing.  The organization's chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the concerning situation in a post on X, saying: "Hospitals should never be battlegrounds."  "We are terribly worried about the situation at Al-Shifa Hospital in northern #Gaza, which is endangering health workers, patients and civilians," he continued.  A displaced Palestinian, Hamada Abdelhadi told CNN that Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers have been “demolishing and excavating the outer edges of the hospital yards” as part of the operation which began during the early hours of Monday morning.  According to Ghebreyesus, the hospital had only recently managed to restore "minimal health services," warning that fighting there or "militarization of the facility jeopardize health services, access for ambulances, and delivery of life-saving supplies."  ##Hospital Raid##   Israeli forces have "arrested" Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Ismail Al-Ghoul at the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera.  Al-Ghoul and his crew were “severely beaten” before being taken to an undisclosed location, Al Jazeera said in a statement on Monday. Al Jazeera's satellite broadcasting vehicles and cameras were destroyed, the statement added. "The Network emphasises that this targeting serves as an intimidation tactic against journalists to deter them from reporting the horrific crimes committed by the occupation forces against innocent civilians in Gaza," the Al Jazeera statement says. CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on the matter, but so far has not heard back. ##Hospital Raid## The Israeli military operation at Al-Shifa Hospital in central Gaza is still ongoing, after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it started an operation in the early hours of Monday morning. Approximately 30,000 people are sheltering at the hospital, the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said. Hamada Abdelhadi, a displaced Palestinian at Al-Shifa, told CNN Israeli military vehicles and bulldozers are “demolishing and excavating the outer edges of the hospital yards." “Military vehicles are firing at the hospital buildings’ windows, and at anyone who is caught moving between the hallways,” Abdelhadi said. “We are being ordered to stay inside the hospital until further notice,” he added, saying that most people in the hospital are displaced and injured, and consist of women and children. “The screams of women and children have not stopped. With every artillery shell that’s fired, there’s more screaming,” he said. “There are no words to describe the fear they are feeling now,” he said. While talking to him over the phone, incoming strikes could be heard. According to Abdelhadi, the Israeli military operation started at around 2 a.m. local time. “It happened suddenly. People who were on the hospital grounds were fired at. Some people were killed, and others injured. And dead bodies were pulled away by Israeli forces,” he said, adding that “several people were arrested.” On Monday morning, the IDF announced it had launched a military operation in the area of Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital based on intelligence that the hospital is being used by “senior Hamas terrorists," according to a statement on Monday morning. CNN cannot independently verify the claim.  ##Hospital Raid## Talks between Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Israel’s Mossad chief David Barnea and Egyptian officials are expected to commence on Monday on a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages held by Hamas, a source with knowledge of the talks told CNN.  Hamas submitted a new set of demands on Thursday, including calls for a large number of Palestinian prisoners to be released and an eventual agreement on a permanent ceasefire. On Friday, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Hamas is continuing to hold to unrealistic demands” but announced that an Israeli team would soon be traveling to Doha to further talks. The Israeli delegation was authorized to travel to Doha after Israel’s war and security cabinets approved the delegation’s mandate for negotiations, an Israeli diplomatic source told CNN on Monday.  The mandate, described by the source as “red lines” sets the boundaries and scope for the negotiation aimed to release Israeli hostages held in Gaza. CNN's Amir Tal in Jerusalem contributed to this report. Deborah Droll had just performed the evening Isha prayer when she felt the ceiling of her flat in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, collapse down on her. The Palestinian American teacher, 75, found herself crushed under the debris of her four-story building, which was hit by an Israeli air strike on March 13. Hours later, she was rescued by other civilians. “This is not my first war. It's the second, or third, or fourth, or fifth. I've lost count ... But this is the worst war ever,” she told CNN, while receiving treatment in the local Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on Wednesday. She sustained numerous injuries, including 60 stitches and a fractured rib. “I could go back to America, but I would feel like it was not right to do that. I should stand beside them (Palestinians in Gaza).” Droll, who has lived in the enclave for 35 years, called on US President Joe Biden to: “Please make it stop." "I'm not throwing bombs. I'm not shooting anyone. Why did they come and target me? ... Joe Biden. I need an answer. Why are you letting them target Americans in Gaza?” she added. “The world is just sitting silently, closing their eyes. Someone has to stand up,” reflected Droll. “Every street has been suffering from houses being bombed, children dying in the streets ... If they're going to kill me, they will kill me here in Gaza.” The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has accused Israel of using “starvation as a weapon of war” and “provoking famine” in Gaza. Borrell on Monday said Gaza was “no longer on the brink of famine” but “in a state of famine affecting thousands of people," adding that it was not a natural disaster but directly caused by Israel “preventing humanitarian support entering into Gaza.” Speaking at the opening ceremony of the European Humanitarian Forum, an international aid and cooperation conference in Brussels, Borrell alleged that hundreds of trucks were waiting at the border and being prevented entry into Gaza by Israel. The support is there waiting. Trucks are stopped, people are dying,” Borrell said. Aid delivery by sea and air was only necessary because the “natural” way of delivering aid by land was “artificially closed” by Israel, he added. Israeli officials have repeatedly said that issues in delivering aid were not because of Israel blocking trucks’ access to Gaza. On Thursday, Col. Elad Goren of Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the issue was distributing aid to people in Gaza, adding that international aid organizations “do not have the capacity and have yet to take real steps to improve on distribution of aid across Gaza.” Speaking after Borrell, the UN aid chief Martin Griffith said that the UN in Gaza was being "prevented from doing its job and then criticized for not doing enough” as “humanitarian access is treated as optional” or used as “a weapon of war.” The Israeli military has ordered all people near the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City’s Al-Rimal neighborhood to evacuate southwards. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) surrounded the medical complex early Monday, where the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said about 30,000 people were sheltering. A crowded building is on fire at the hospital, a doctor said, and there are multiple casualties, according to the ministry. The ministry said anyone attempting to leave the hospital “is targeted by sniper bullets and quadcopters." People in the area are being told to move to the Al-Mawasi "humanitarian zone," said IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee. “A call to all those present and displaced in the Al-Rimal neighborhood and in Al-Shifa Hospital and its surroundings: In order to maintain your security, you must immediately evacuate the area to the west and then cross Al-Rashid (Al-Bahr) Street to the south to the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi,” Adraee said in a post on X. The IDF said it was carrying out the operation based on intelligence that the hospital was being used by “senior Hamas terrorists to conduct and promote terrorist activity.” CNN cannot independently verify this claim.  The Israeli military also raided Al-Shifa, Gaza's largest medical complex, in November. The IDF has frequently targeted Gaza’s hospitals since October 7, accusing Hamas of using medical facilities as a front for its operations — which the group denies. ##Hospital Raid## A surgical building is on fire in northern Gaza's Al-Shifa Medical Complex, according to a doctor at the scene, after the Israel Defense Forces said early on Monday that it was carrying out a military operation in the area of the hospital.  The building is “crowded with wounded people," according to Dr. Abdullah Mohammed, who said in a series of social media posts that it was hit four times by Israeli missile strikes. “This building contains all the operating rooms for all departments. Everyone inside this building has undergone major operations and cannot move from the place,” Mohammed wrote. The IDF said that the operation was based on intelligence that the hospital was being used by “senior Hamas terrorists to conduct and promote terrorist activity.” CNN cannot independently verify this claim. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said there were multiple casualties and people wounded, including cases of suffocation among displaced women and children sheltering inside the complex. Rescuers had been unable to save many of the wounded or reach those trapped, due to the intensity of the fire and Israeli attacks, the ministry said. An eyewitness who lives in the Al Rimal neighborhood near the medical complex told CNN he had seen “a big invasion of tanks,” particularly in that neighborhood and “around Al Shifa hospital.” Hospitals targeted: The Israeli military also raided Al-Shifa, Gaza's largest medical complex, in November. The IDF has frequently targeted Gaza’s hospitals since October 7, accusing Hamas of using medical facilities as a front for its operations. Israel's attacks on medical facilities have drawn global condemnation and calls to protect healthcare workers, infrastructure, and patients from fighting. This post has been updated with the latest information. ##Hospital Raid## Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is refusing to bow to calls by the top US senator for a new election and is pushing back against White House warnings about a potential new offensive in Gaza, widening a rift with top Democrats in Washington. An extraordinary turn in US-Israel relations in recent days is coinciding with intense diplomacy aimed at securing a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas and the release of hostages as the conflict deepens bitter divides in US politics. But the gulf in trust and goals between Israel and Hamas has thwarted hopes for a breakthrough for weeks. Netanyahu’s defiance shone through an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday, three days after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer – the highest-ranking Jewish American in the US government – said that a new Israeli government was needed to reset war strategy and that Netanyahu was an obstacle to peace. “It’s inappropriate to go to a sister democracy and try to replace the elected leadership there. That’s something that Israel, the Israeli public does on its own, and we’re not a banana republic,” Netanyahu said. Despite the Israeli prime minister’s stand, there is increasing criticism of his approach in the US and overseas, at a time when his position among some Israeli voters is fragile, five months after terror attacks that besmirched his brand as the country’s ultimate security guarantor. Thousands of protesters filled the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Saturday night, in two separate groups, one calling for the government to resign and others demanding the release of the hostages in Gaza. Read the full analysis. The World Health Organization chief said he is "gravely concerned" after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved plans for a military ground offensive in Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Netanyahu's office said the military is preparing to evacuate the estimated 1.4 million people stranded there — many after being displaced from other parts of the enclave. Aid agencies warn civilians have nowhere left to go. The operation will take "several weeks," Netanyahu said Sunday. "I reiterate: We will operate in Rafah. This will take several weeks, and it will happen," Netanyahu said before an interview on CNN's State of the Union. The White House said it still has not seen a "credible" plan from the Israeli government on how it would protect the civilians. CNN has previously reported on Gazans who heeded evacuation warnings being killed by Israeli strikes in areas deemed safe by the Israel Defense Forces. Here are the latest headlines: Reaction to Schumer's speech: US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s warning that Israel risks becoming a “pariah” for its war in Gaza, and his call for new elections in the country, sent shockwaves from Washington to Jerusalem. Netanyahu slammed the address as "totally inappropriate" in his interview with CNN. That has been echoed by Republican critics, while prominent Democrats defended Schumer. Hostage and ceasefire negotiations: Netanyahu told CNN that Israel will keep trying to secure a deal that would see the release of hostages in exchange for a six-week pause in fighting — despite what he called "outlandish" Hamas demands. A Hamas official said the group's latest proposal for a ceasefire was "logical." Mossad Director David Barnea is expected to travel to Doha for further ceasefire talks with mediators beginning as early as Monday, according to a diplomat familiar with the talks. Protests in Israel: Thousands of protesters filled the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Saturday night, calling for the return of hostages in Gaza and for the resignation of the Israeli government. Some called for elections near one of Netanyahu's homes. Humanitarian aid in Gaza: The first aid ship to Gaza carrying 200 tons of much-needed food has been offloaded in new efforts to ease a dire humanitarian crisis. A second boat with about 240 tons of food aid is being prepared, according to nonprofit World Central Kitchen. But shipments and airdops, which the US made again on Sunday, cannot stop what aid agencies warn is a looming famine in Gaza. Israel's siege has kept ground deliveries from reaching starving Gazans. West Bank arrests: Israeli forces arrested at least 25 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society. The IDF denied claims by the group that the prisoners were beaten and otherwise mistreated and said only six people were arrested. ##Catch Up## The Israel Defense Forces announced Sunday the death of Daniel Perez, who was abducted by Hamas on October 7. Perez, 22, had served as a platoon commander, according to the IDF. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum said that Perez had immigrated to Israel 10 years ago.  According to CNN's count, 33 of the 130 people still held captive in Gaza after being taken hostage on October 7 are now believed to be dead. The war in Gaza was top of mind for both US President Joe Biden and Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as the two men celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at the White House on Sunday. Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has loomed large while the taoiseach, Ireland's prime minister, visits Washington. Ireland’s leaders face domestic pressure to make a strong case for a ceasefire in meetings with their US counterparts. A shared history: Support for the Palestinian cause runs deep in Ireland, with many pointing to what they believe is a shared history — one the taoiseach addressed directly Sunday. “We see our history in their eyes. A story of displacement, of dispossession, a national identity questioned and denied. Forced immigration, discrimination, and now hunger,” Varadkar said. “Mr. President, we also see Israel’s history reflected in our eyes. A diaspora whose heart never left home no matter how many generations passed. A nation state that was reborn. And a language revived. I believe it’s possible be for Israel and for Palestine. And I believe you do, too,” he said. Biden's comments: “The Taoiseach and I agree about the urgent need to increase humanitarian aid in Gaza, and get this ceasefire deal that brings the hostages home and moves toward a two-state solution — which is the only path, the only path — to lasting peace and security,” Biden told guests on Sunday. Hamas official Ghazi Hamad said the latest proposal submitted for a ceasefire by the group to mediators is "logical." "Our demands have become clear. We have spent a long time in talks and meetings with our brothers in Qatar and Egypt, and proposed our vision in a detailed and written way, and I think the mediators are convinced that Hamas has proposed a logical proposal that can achieve a reasonable agreement," Hamad, who is a senior figure in the political bureau of Hamas, told Al-Arabiya channel on Sunday. He said that the proposal could bring about a "breakthrough" in the negotiations, but blamed Israel for "insisting" on continuing the war.  "We know (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu would say our demands are unrealistic. The judges on this are the mediators, and we believe the mediators are convinced that Hamas offered a proposal that can make a breakthrough and achieve an agreement," Hamad said. Ceasefire talks have progressed slowly. Netanyahu told CNN on Sunday that Israel will keep trying to secure a deal that would see the release of hostages in exchange for a six-week pause in fighting, despite what he described as "outlandish" demands by Hamas. Hamas submitted a new set of demands on Thursday, including calls for a large number of Palestinian prisoners to be released and an eventual agreement on a permanent ceasefire. Israel and Hamas have at turns accused one another of not negotiating in good faith, while US officials have spoken with more cautious optimism about the talks. The White House said on Sunday that it still has not seen a "credible" plan from the Israeli government on how it would protect the hundreds of thousands of civilians in southern Gaza if it moves forward with an extensive military operation in the city of Rafah.   "We will not support, cannot support, an operation in Rafah that doesn't have an executable, verifiable, achievable plan to take care of the 1.5 million people that are trying to find refuge in Rafah,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on "Fox News Sunday." Kirby said the Israeli government has said they have an evacuation plan called "humanitarian islands," but the US is only open "any credible plan plan to take care of them. But we haven't seen it yet." The comments come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier on Sunday the operational plans for Rafah had been approved.   International concern: The head of the World Health Organization and other aid agencies have raised alarm about a potential Rafah incursion, saying the Palestinians sheltering there have already been displaced from elsewhere in the enclave and do not have anywhere safe to move to. CNN has previously reported on Gazans who followed evacuation orders being killed by Israeli strikes, underscoring the reality that evacuation zones and warnings from the Israeli military haven’t guaranteed safety for civilians. US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s warning that Israel risks becoming a “pariah” for its war in Gaza, and his call for new elections in the country, sent shockwaves from Washington to Jerusalem. President Joe Biden called it a "good speech" and said Schumer had expressed a "serious concern" shared by many Americans. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, slammed the address as "totally inappropriate" in an interview with CNN. Here's some of the latest reaction to the comments by Washington's highest-ranking Jewish official: Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has defended Schumer’s recent comments on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday. “Senator Schumer’s speech came from his heart — what he believes is necessary for peace,” Cardin said. The Maryland senator said Schumer was simply calling for Israelis to be able to vote for who they want as leader, and that this will only happen once Israel has gotten "past Hamas." Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Schumer's remarks as an "act of courage" and an "act of love for Israel" in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union." “The prime minister’s presentation proved the necessity of Chuck Schumer’s speech,” Pelosi said. The California Democrat added that Netanyahu must “be unaware or ill-informed” of the humanitarian situation in Gaza after the prime minister claimed Israel was letting in enough aid to Gaza. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, slammed Schumer's comments as "inappropriate" and "embarrassing" Sunday. “There’s a way to talk about your differences – not to topple a democratic country,” the Texas Republican said on “Fox News Sunday.” McCaul characterized the speech as indicative of a "split in the Democratic party" between what he called a "pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel faction" and those who support Israel. McCaul said a Rafah offensive would allow Israel to take out "high-value targets" in Hamas. On the campaign trail: Former President Donald Trump has criticized Schumer, suggesting Israel is loyal to the Democratic Party "to a fault." Asked on Fox News if the majority leader's words amounted to the US telling a sovereign ally how to run its government, Trump answered, "100%. There's no question about it and they don't know where to go. They're very bad for Israel." Trump has repeatedly been criticized for parroting the antisemitic trope that US Jews, a population that historically has voted for Democrats by wide margins, have dual loyalties to the US and Israel. ##Catch Up## The first aid ship to Gaza carrying 200 tons of much-needed food has been offloaded in new efforts to ease a dire humanitarian crisis. A second boat of 240 tonnes of humanitarian food aid is being prepared, according to nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK). But aid shipments cannot stop what aid agencies warn is a looming famine in Gaza on their own. Here's why: There are no functioning ports left in Gaza, with UN Special Rapporteur for food Michael Fakhr saying last week that Israel has decimated the enclave's main port. For the ship that arrived Friday, workers had to assemble a jetty to which the vessel could be connected before being offloaded. President Joe Biden has announced plans to establish a separate port in Gaza to receive large aid shipments, that floating pier could take up to two months to complete, according to the Pentagon. Ships carrying aid are subject to the same Israeli inspections that have been accused by aid agencies of denying access for arbitrary reasons, or no reason at all. A 200-ton shipment does not match up to the daily average of about 94.5 trucks crossing into Gaza via land as of last month. Each carries about 20 tons of aid — and even that’s far below the estimated 500 trucks the UN says are needed daily to alleviate the suffering of Gazans. Read more about the challenges aid deliveries in Gaza are facing.
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