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President Biden on Friday outlined a road map put forward by Israel that would begin with an immediate, temporary cease-fire and work toward a permanent end to the war and the reconstruction of Gaza. Israel would withdraw from major population centers in Gaza, and a number of hostages would be released, including women, the elderly and the wounded. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians would also be allowed to return to their homes in northern Gaza. During the first phase, Israel and Hamas would continue to negotiate to reach a permanent cease-fire. If the talks take more than six weeks, the first phase of the truce will continue until they reach a deal, Mr. Biden said.

Persons: Biden, Mr Organizations: Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.S

☆ Israel Pushes Into Central Rafah in Southern Gaza Offensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | Lauren Leatherby | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Credit... Jehad Alshrafi/Associated PressThe Israeli military said on Friday that its forces had advanced into central Rafah, pushing even deeper into the southern Gaza city despite an international backlash and pressure from allies to scale back the latest offensive. Israeli commandoes backed by tanks and artillery were operating in central Rafah, the Israeli military said in a statement, without specifying precise locations. GAZA STRIP Area of image Central Rafah GAZA Israeli military vehicles EGYPT GAZA STRIP Area of image Central Rafah GAZA Israeli military vehicles EGYPT Much of eastern Rafah has been devastated since the offensive began in early May, particularly around the border crossing with Egypt, according to satellite photos from May 22. Israel captured the Rafah crossing in an overnight operation on May 7 that marked the beginning of their assault on the area. May 5 RAFAH Rafah crossing 1 mile May 22 GAZA STRIP Area of image Area of most damage Rafah crossing Source: Satellite imagery from Planet Labs The Rafah crossing has served as a vital conduit for getting humanitarian aid into Gaza amid widespread deprivation and hunger.

Persons: Jehad, Israel Organizations: Associated Press, United Nations, International Court of Justice, Planet Labs, Labs Locations: Rafah, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, United States, GAZA, Rafah GAZA, EGYPT GAZA, EGYPT, RAFAH Rafah, Palestinian

☆ Egypt Faces Hard Choices After Israeli Seizure of Gaza’s Southern Border
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | Thomas Fuller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel announced plans late last year to occupy a sensitive corridor of land in the Gaza Strip, along the border with Egypt, the response from Cairo was public, explicit and ominous. Egypt said that an Israeli military presence there would violate the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries. This week, the Israeli military announced that it had seized “tactical control” of the corridor. Yet despite the Egyptian government facing domestic pressure to take a harsher stance on Israel following its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, there has been no public Egyptian comment on the seizure of the corridor. The silence may be a reflection of the dilemma Egypt finds itself in after nearly eight months of war in Gaza.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu Organizations: Israel Locations: Gaza, Egypt, Cairo, Israel, Rafah

The bombs used in the Israeli strike that killed dozens of Palestinians in a camp for displaced people near Rafah on Sunday were made in the United States, according to weapons experts and visual evidence reviewed by The New York Times. U.S. officials have been encouraging the Israeli military for months to increase the use of GBU-39 bombs in Gaza because they are generally more precise and better suited to urban environments than larger bombs, including U.S.-made 2,000-pound bombs that Israel routinely uses. “This is the smallest munition that our jets can use.”In response to questions from The Times, the Israeli military declined to specify the munition used. Image A fire raging after an Israeli strike on a camp for displaced people northwest of Rafah in southern Gaza on Sunday night. Credit... Reuters“The Israelis have said they used 37-pound bombs,” John Kirby, a White House spokesman said at a briefing on Tuesday.

Persons: Trevor Ball, Ball, Alam Sadeq, Woodward, Alam, Salam, Biden, ”, Daniel Hagari, Admiral Hagari, ” John Kirby, Larry Lewis, Mr, Lewis, “, Wes J, Bryant, —, ” Mr, ” Neil Collier, Eric Schmitt, Aaron Boxerman, Ainara Tiefenthäler, Shawn Paik Organizations: The New York Times, The Times, U.S . Army, U.S, Credit, New York Times, Kuwaiti Al, Israel, Reuters, Pentagon, State Department, American Air Force, Times Locations: Rafah, United States, U.S, Israel, Palestinian, Colorado, Kuwaiti, Gaza

Israel’s national security adviser said Wednesday that he expected military operations in Gaza to continue through at least the end of the year, appearing to dismiss the idea that the war could come to an end after the military offensive against Hamas in Rafah. “We expect another seven months of combat in order to shore up our achievement and realize what we define as the destruction of Hamas and Islamic Jihad’s military and governing capabilities,” Tzachi Hanegbi, the national security adviser, said in a radio interview with Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster. The Israeli military also said Wednesday that it had seized “operational control” over a buffer strip along the southern edge of Gaza to prevent cross-border smuggling with Egypt that would allow Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups to rearm. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said repeatedly that controlling the corridor is critical for Israeli security in postwar Gaza. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, said the zone was “Hamas’s oxygen tube” and had been used by the Palestinian armed group for “smuggling munitions into Gazan territory on a regular basis.” He said that Hamas had also built tunnels near the Egyptian border, calculating that Israel would not dare strike so close to Egyptian territory.

Persons: Tzachi Hanegbi, Kan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Daniel Hagari Organizations: Hamas, Islamic Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Palestinian, Israel

☆ Israel Says It Has ‘Tactical Control’ of Gaza Corridor Bordering Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Israeli military said on Wednesday night that it had taken “tactical control” over the Philadelphi Corridor — a sensitive strip of Gaza along its border with Egypt — in a move that could further tax Israel’s already strained ties with Cairo. “It must be in our hands; it must be closed,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel told reporters in December, after being asked whether Israel still intended to capture the zone. But in briefing reporters later on Wednesday night, Admiral Hagari stopped short of claiming that the tunnels crossed the border. “I can’t say now that all of these tunnels cross into Egypt,” he said. The tunnel shafts in Gaza “are located in proximity to the border with Egypt, including in buildings and homes,” he added.

Persons: Daniel Hagari, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Admiral Hagari, ”, “, “ We’ll Organizations: Hamas, ” Locations: Gaza, Egypt, Cairo, Palestinian, Israel, rearming

☆ Gaza Offensive Will Last at Least Through End of Year, Israeli Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

U.S. officials said on Tuesday that the Israeli strike that killed dozens of Palestinians in southern Gaza was a tragedy but that it did not violate President Biden’s red line for withholding weapons shipments to Israel. The United States is by far the biggest supplier of weapons to Israel, which raises questions about American responsibility as the death toll mounts. She did not answer a follow-up question about whether the strike crossed a red line for Mr. Biden. A State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, said the United States was watching Israel’s investigation of the incident closely. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 36,000 people, many of them women and children, according to health officials in Gaza.

Persons: John F, Kirby, —, they’re, Biden, Israel, ” Mr, “, Mr, Kamala Harris, Benjamin Netanyahu, Matthew Miller, Miller, ”, Daniel Hagari, Khan Younis, Khaled Elgindy, Elgindy, ” Erica L, Green, Michael Crowley Organizations: Mr, European Union, United, CNN, United Nations, State Department, Middle East Institute Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, United States, United Nations, Egypt, China, “, Hamas, Washington, New York

☆ Latest Israel, Gaza and Rafah News: 3 Countries to Formally Recognize Palestinian Statehood
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Top NewsThree European nations are formally recognizing an independent Palestinian state on Tuesday, drawing the ire of Israel as it continues to press its military offensive in Gaza. The previously announced moves by Spain, Norway and Ireland are largely symbolic, but serve as a rebuke to Israel in the face of mounting international frustration over the country’s military offensive in Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories over the years. Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, on Tuesday accused Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, of complicity in incitement against Jews for his role in recognizing a Palestinian state. Image Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain announcing Spain’s recognition of a Palestinian state, in a bar in Madrid on Tuesday. The White House has flatly rejected unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood, with Adrienne Watson, a National Security Council spokeswoman, saying that President Biden “believes a Palestinian state should be realized through direct negotiations between the parties.” Aaron Boxerman , Steven Erlanger and Emma Bubola contributed reporting.

Persons: Israel, Israel Katz, Spain’s, Pedro Sánchez, Sánchez, ”, Pedro Sanchez of Spain, Susana Vera, Jonas Gahr, Adrienne Watson, Biden “, ” Aaron Boxerman, Steven Erlanger, Emma Bubola Organizations: ., Reuters, Palestinian, Israel, National Security Council Locations: Gaza, Spain, Norway, Ireland, Israel, Rafah, Palestinian, Madrid, Palestine, United States, Europe

☆ Israeli Airstrike Kills Dozens in Tent Camp in Rafah, Gazan Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Anushka Patil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Top NewsAn Israeli airstrike on a makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, Gaza, killed at least 35 people on Sunday night, the Gaza Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said the strike was aimed at a Hamas compound. In a statement, the Israeli military said it was looking into reports that “several civilians in the area were harmed” by the airstrike and a subsequent fire. “What kind of a tent will protect us from missiles and shrapnel?” he said. “There was darkness and no electricity.”Doctors Without Borders said more than 15 dead people and dozens of wounded in the Rafah strike were brought to a trauma stabilization center that it supports in Tal as Sultan.

Persons: Tal, Israel, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bilal Al Sapti, Sapti, ”, Sultan, Dr, James Smith, Smith, I’ve, Patrick Kingsley, Johnatan Reiss, Iyad Abuheweila, Aaron Boxerman Organizations: Gaza Health Ministry, Palestine Red Crescent Society, The New York Times, International Court, Justice, Friday, United Nations Locations: Israeli, Rafah, Gaza, Palestine, Tal

☆ Israeli Airstrike in Rafah Kills Dozens in Tent Camp, Gazan Officials Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Anushka Patil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Video Authorities in Rafah, Gaza Strip, said that an Israeli strike had killed and wounded displaced Palestinians seeking shelter in the area. The Israeli military said that it had targeted two senior Hamas leaders. Credit Credit... ReutersAn Israeli airstrike on a makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians killed at least 35 people in Rafah on Sunday night, the Gaza Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said its operation was aimed at a Hamas compound. Doctors Without Borders said more than 15 dead people and dozens of wounded in the Rafah strike were brought to a trauma stabilization center that it supports in Tal as Sultan.

Persons: Tal, Sultan, Dr, James Smith, Smith, ”, I’ve, Patrick Kingsley, Johnatan Reiss, Aaron Boxerman Organizations: Authorities, Credit, Reuters, Israeli, Gaza Health Ministry, Palestine Red Crescent Society, The New York Times, Hamas, United Nations Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Palestine, Israel, Tel Aviv, Tal

The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Israel to “immediately” halt its military offensive in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, dealing another blow to the country as it faces increasing international isolation and a drumbeat of criticism over its conduct in the war. The court has few effective means of enforcing its order, and it stopped short of ordering a cease-fire in Gaza, with some of the court’s judges arguing that Israel could still conduct some military operations in Rafah under the terms of their decision. But the order added more pressure on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced domestic and external calls to reach a cease-fire deal with Hamas that would lead to the release of hostages held in Gaza. “The court considers that, in conformity with obligations under the Genocide Convention, Israel must immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part,” the court’s president, Nawaf Salam, said in reading the 13-2 ruling.

Persons: Israel, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, Nawaf Salam Organizations: Court, Justice, Friday, Hamas, Convention Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel

☆ Israeli Forces Recover Bodies of 3 More Hostages in Northern Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | Johnatan Reiss | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli forces retrieved the bodies of three Oct. 7 Hamas attack victims in an overnight operation in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said on Friday, further heightening fears for the fate of the remaining hostages held in Gaza. According to Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, all three were killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack, and Hamas militants brought their bodies back to Gaza. Over the past week, a total of seven bodies have been brought to back to Israel for burial after being retrieved by Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers. They included Shani Louk, Mr. Radoux’s partner, an Israeli-German dual citizen who became a symbol of the brutality of the Hamas attack. Most of the seven hostages brought back had not been publicly declared presumed dead by the Israeli authorities.

Persons: Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum, Orion Hernandez Radoux, Daniel Hagari, ’, ”, Shani Louk Organizations: Hamas, Families Locations: Gaza, France, Mexico, Israel, Rafah

☆ Israel-Hamas War and Gaza News: Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Family members first saw the footage a few weeks ago via the Israeli military, which formally handed them a copy on Tuesday night, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents families of hostages held captive in Gaza. But hopes for immediate progress appeared remote in the shadow of Israel’s ongoing military operation in Rafah, in southern Gaza, from which over 800,000 Palestinians have fled, according to the United Nations. Image A still image from a video released by the Israeli military showing Israeli soldiers, all young women, during their abduction amid the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7. Credit... Israeli forces operating in northern Gaza retrieved the bodies of four Israelis abducted on Oct. 7, heightening fears for the remaining captives. “The video is a damning testament to the nation’s failure to bring home the hostages, who have been forsaken for 229 days,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

Persons: “ I’m, ” Eli Albag, Liri, they’ve, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, “, Israel Katz, Nahal Oz, heightening, Naama Levy, Agam Berger, Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniela Gilboa, Yoav Gallant, Benny Gantz, Gantz, Yair Lapid, Dmitriy Khavin, Alexander Cardia, Riley Mellen Organizations: Israel’s, United Nations, Families, Reuters, The New York Times Locations: Gaza, “, Rafah, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Palestinian, Nahal, Palestine, Israel

☆ Middle East Crisis Spain, Norway and Ireland Recognize a Palestinian State, Adding to Israel’s Isolation Over War
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Spain, Norway and Ireland said on Wednesday that they would recognize an independent Palestinian state, a rebuke to Israel over its war in Gaza and its decades of occupation of Palestinian territories. More than 140 countries and the Holy See have recognized a Palestinian state, but most Western European countries and the United States have not. Israel strongly opposes international attempts to recognize a Palestinian state and maintains that Israel needs to negotiate directly with Palestinian leaders on a permanent solution. Mr. Netanyahu has said that establishing a Palestinian state would be an “existential danger” to Israel. Countries that are moving toward recognizing Palestinian statehood argue that doing so would preserve the possibility of a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.

Persons: ” Jonas Gahr, Spain’s, Pedro Sánchez, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Mr, Sanchez, Simon Harris of, Netanyahu, Israel, ”, Israel Katz, ” Ziad Abu Amr, Aaron Boxerman, Henrik Pryser Libell, Adam Rasgon, Victoria Kim Organizations: Palestinian, West Bank Locations: Spain, Norway, Ireland, Israel, Gaza, Oslo, Palestine, Palestinian, United States

☆ New footage is released of Hamas militants taking female soldiers hostage.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The families of several Israeli female soldiers taken hostage during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 released video of their abduction in an attempt to pressure the Israeli government to revive apparently stalled cease-fire talks that could pave the way for the captives’ release. Family members first saw the footage a few weeks ago via the Israeli military, which formally handed them a copy on Tuesday night, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents families of hostages held captive in Gaza. “I’m asking you, please show this clip every day, open your broadcasts with it,” Eli Albag, whose daughter Liri Albag can be seen in the video, said in a television interview with Israel’s Channel 12. “Until somebody wakes up, the nation wakes up, and realizes that they’ve been abandoned there for 229 days.”Some Israeli politicians immediately seized on the images to try to rebuff the decision by Ireland, Norway, and Spain to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. Israel Katz, the foreign minister, said he would screen the footage during a “severe reprimand” of the countries’ ambassadors.

Persons: “ I’m, ” Eli Albag, Liri, they’ve, Israel Katz, ” Organizations: Israel’s Locations: Gaza, “, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Palestinian

Spain, Norway and Ireland said on Wednesday that they would recognize an independent Palestinian state, delivering a diplomatic blow to Israel that showed the country’s growing isolation on the world stage more than seven months into its devastating military offensive in the Gaza Strip. In closely coordinated announcements, the leaders of the three countries said that Palestinian independence cannot wait for a negotiated peace deal with Israel’s right-wing government, which largely opposes a two-state solution, has been expanding settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and is continuing to bombard Gaza without either toppling Hamas or bringing home all its hostages. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has also frustrated world leaders — and two members of his war cabinet — with his refusal to establish a postwar plan to govern Gaza, where the health authorities say that more than 35,000 people have been killed. Simon Harris, the Irish prime minister, linked his government’s decision to Ireland’s quest for independence from Britain. “From our own history, we know what it means: Recognition is an act of powerful political and symbolic value,” he said at a news briefing.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, —, Simon Harris, ” Organizations: West Bank Locations: Spain, Norway, Ireland, Israel, Gaza, Britain

☆ Israel Responds to Move to Recognize Palestinian State by Withholding Funds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel will not transfer much-needed funds to the Palestinian Authority in the wake of the decision by three European countries to recognize a Palestinian state, the country’s finance minister said on Wednesday, as its foreign minister denounced the European moves as giving “a gold medal to Hamas terrorists.”The decision by the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right leader who opposes Palestinian sovereignty, threatened to push the Palestinian government into a deeper fiscal crisis. He said in a statement that he had informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would no longer send tax revenues to the authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank in close cooperation with Israel. Mr. Smotrich’s office signaled that the decision was at least partly a response to Spain, Norway and Ireland recognizing Palestinian statehood, and that the Palestinian leadership bore responsibility for campaigning for the move. “They are acting against Israel legally, diplomatically and for unilateral recognition,” said Eytan Fuld, a spokesman for Mr. Smotrich, referring to the authority. “When they act against the state of Israel, there must be a response.”

Persons: Bezalel Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ”, Eytan Fuld Organizations: Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Palestinian Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Spain, Norway, Ireland

Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s war cabinet, presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an ultimatum on Saturday, saying he would leave the government if it did not soon develop a plan for the future of the war in Gaza. While Mr. Gantz’s departure would not topple the country’s emergency wartime government, the move would further strain a fragile coalition that has provided Mr. Netanyahu’s far-right government with a boost of international legitimacy, and it would make the prime minister even more reliant on his hard-line partners. “If you choose the path of zealots, dragging the country into the abyss, we will be forced to leave the government,” Mr. Gantz said in a televised news conference. “We will turn to the people and build a government that will earn the people’s trust.”Mr. Gantz, who leads the National Unity party, said he would give Mr. Netanyahu until June 8 — three weeks’ time — to develop a plan that would aim to secure the release of hostages taken to Gaza by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, address the future governance of the territory, return displaced Israelis to their homes and advance normalization with Saudi Arabia, among other issues.

Persons: Benny Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz’s, Netanyahu’s, ” Mr, Gantz, “, Netanyahu Organizations: National Unity Locations: Gaza, Hamas, Saudi Arabia

Trucks of humanitarian aid began moving ashore into Gaza early Friday via a temporary pier built by the U.S. military, the first supplies of aid to be sent into the enclave by sea in two months. But the new shipments of food and other supplies fall far short of what humanitarian groups say is needed to meet the staggering levels of hunger and deprivation in Gaza. U.S. officials and international aid groups have said that sea shipments can only supplement deliveries through land crossings, not replace them. The war-torn territory of 2.2 million civilians is more reliant than ever on humanitarian aid. The devastation after seven months of Israeli bombardment, strict Israeli inspections and restrictions on crossing points had already severely limited what could enter.

Organizations: U.S ., U.S, Pentagon Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned on Wednesday that recent gains in getting desperately needed humanitarian aid to people in the Gaza Strip risked being undone by the fighting in southern Gaza. The border crossing in the southern city of Rafah has been closed since Israel began what it describes as a limited military operation against Hamas fighters in the town, on the border with Egypt. The United Nations said on Wednesday that 600,000 people had fled Rafah since Israel’s ground assault started there. “At the very time when Israel was taking important and much needed steps to improve the provision of humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Blinken said to reporters in Kyiv, Ukraine, “we’ve seen a negative impact on the fact that we have this active, very active conflict in the Rafah area.”Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s top diplomat, said in a statement that Israel needed to end its Rafah operation “immediately,” warning that extending it “would inevitably put a heavy strain on the E.U.’s relationship with Israel.”

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Israel, ” Mr, “ we’ve, ” Josep Borrell Fontelles, ” Organizations: Israel, Hamas, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Kyiv, Ukraine, “, Israel

☆ Middle East Crisis Israel Observes a Solemn Memorial Day
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Israel is observing Memorial Day, a somber annual commemoration that has taken on added significance this year in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack and the war it ignited. Roughly 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage on Oct. 7, according to the Israeli authorities. “Memorial Day is always special in Israel, but this year will be even more intense.”For Israelis whose loved ones are still in Gaza, the day is particularly painful. On Monday evening, the Memorial Day observances will end and Israel will shift to celebrating the country’s 76th Independence Day. Her two children, Yagil and Or, were taken hostage on Oct. 7 and held in Gaza for weeks.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s, Mount, Herzi Halevi, ”, Eyal Brandeis, Brandeis, “, Goren’s, Avner, Nir Oz, Goren, Renana Gome, Gome’s, Yair, ” Ms, Gome, ” Johnatan Reiss Organizations: Monday, Palestinian Locations: Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, Israel, Gaza, Sufa, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv

As the Israeli military stepped up pressure on what it calls Hamas’s last stronghold in Gaza, fighting elsewhere in the Palestinian enclave on Sunday led to warnings that the militants might remain a force for a long time to come. Close-quarters ground combat between Hamas fighters and Israeli troops raged in parts of northern Gaza over the weekend, both sides said on Sunday, even as the world’s attention was largely focused on the southern city of Rafah, where Israel escalated military operations last week. It has become a familiar scenario in the Gaza Strip over the course of the seven-month war: After pitched battles, Israel declares an area clear of Hamas, only to return after the militants reconstitute their forces. On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said he was concerned that Israel’s failure to lay down a template for the governance of Gaza meant that its victories might not be “sustainable” and would be followed by “chaos, by anarchy and ultimately by Hamas again.”

Persons: Hamas’s, Antony J, Blinken, ” Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Israel

Around 300,000 Palestinians in southern and northern Gaza are being forced to flee once again, the United Nations says, as Israel issued new and expanded evacuation orders on Saturday. But many are unsure where to find secure shelter in a place devastated by war. The expanded evacuation orders apply to the city of Rafah at Gaza’s southernmost tip, where more than a million Gazans have gathered after fleeing Israeli bombardment elsewhere over the past seven months. Some 150,000 people have already fled Rafah over the past six days, according to UNRWA, the United Nations agency that aids Palestinians. “Fear, confusion, oppression, anxiety is eating away at people.”

Persons: “, ”, Mohammad al, Masri Organizations: Nations, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah

On Today’s Episode:White House Aide Warns Israel Against ‘Smashing Into Rafah’, by Erica L. GreenFormer White House Aide Returns to Stand in Trump’s Criminal Trial, by Matthew HaagFor Columbia and a Powerful Donor, Months of Talks and Millions at Risk, by Alan Blinder10 Big Biden Environmental Rules, and What They Mean, by Coral Davenport

Persons: Erica L, Matthew Haag, Alan Blinder, Coral Davenport Organizations: Former White, Columbia, Big

☆ Hamas’s announcement adds to the uncertainty of the cease-fire talks.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The announcement by Hamas on Monday that it had accepted terms of a cease-fire added to the uncertainty that began over the weekend, when officials said that the armed group and Israel had reached an impasse after months of talks. As if to underscore that the fighting would continue, Hamas militants on Sunday launched rockets from Rafah, their last stronghold in Gaza, killing four Israeli soldiers. The terms Hamas had agreed to were not immediately clear, but a senior Israeli official quickly said that the terms were not those that Israel had agreed to. Hamas wants a permanent cease-fire. Israel wants a temporary truce.

Persons: Israel, Ismail Haniyeh Organizations: Sunday, Hamas Locations: Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Egypt, Qatar, Israeli, United States

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