Feb 11 Biden tells Israel not to send troops into Rafah without 'credible' plan to protect civilians By Najib Jobain, Associated Press Israel shouldn’t go ahead with a military operation in the densely populated Gaza border town of Rafah without a “credible” plan to protect civilians, President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, the White House said. Continue reading
Feb 10 Israeli drone attack kills 2 in Lebanon, one of the deepest hits inside the country in weeks By Bassem Mroue, Associated Press An Israeli drone strike hit a car near Lebanon’s southern port city of Sidon on Saturday, killing at least two people and wounding two others, security officials said. Continue reading
Feb 10 Israeli airstrikes in Rafah kill 44 Palestinians as ground invasion of southern city looms By Najib Jobain, Associated Press A hospital official says Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 44 Palestinians in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, hours after Israel's prime minister said he had asked the military to plan for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of… Continue reading
Feb 09 Watch 5:08 Netanyahu orders Israeli military to plan for evacuation of Rafah ahead of ground assault By Nick Schifrin, Dan Sagalyn, Ethan Dodd Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to develop plans to evacuate Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Its population before Oct. 7 was 100,000. Now, more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have fled to the… Continue watching
Feb 09 Netanyahu orders Palestinians in Gaza's crowded Rafah evacuated ahead of expected ground invasion By Josef Federman, Najib Jobain, Bassem Mroue, Associated Press Shortly after midnight Friday, a residential building was struck near Rafah’s Kuwaiti Hospital, killing five people from the al-Sayed family, including three children and a woman. A second Rafah strike killed three more people. Continue reading
Feb 08 Senate votes to begin last-ditch effort to approve funding for Ukraine and Israel By Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press A vote to begin work on the new package cleared on a 67-32 vote, but the legislation’s path remained uncertain. Senate leaders had not agreed to a process to limit the debate time for the bill. Continue reading
Feb 08 Blinken ends latest Middle East trip after Israel's rejection of proposed Gaza cease-fire plan By Matthew Lee, Associated Press U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the Middle East on Thursday after getting a virtual slap in the face from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the war would continue until Israel is completely victorious and appeared to reject… Continue reading
Feb 08 Israel kills 13 in Rafah, southern Gaza town where many Palestinians have fled By Najib Jobain, Wafaa Shurafa, Kareem Chehayeb, Associated Press More than half of Gaza's population has fled to Rafah, on the mostly sealed border with Egypt. It is also the main entry point for humanitarian aid. Continue reading
Feb 07 Watch 10:44 Experts discuss Gaza cease-fire negotiations as Netanyahu rejects Hamas' latest terms By Nick Schifrin Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a counterproposal from Hamas that would have paused the war in exchange for releasing Israeli hostages over the next few months. The U.S. has hoped a pause could spark broader regional diplomatic progress. Nick… Continue watching
Feb 07 Netanyahu rejects Hamas terms for cease-fire, vows to fight until 'absolute victory' By Matthew Lee, Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy, Associated Press Blinken said an agreement between the sides was still possible. But Netanyahu's remarks also underscored how wide the chasm between Israel and Hamas remains as the war enters its fifth month. Continue reading