Israel Hamas war

Gaza has lost communications in its third total outage of the Israel-Hamas war, and Israel’s military says it has encircled Gaza City and divided the besieged coastal strip into two.

From Washington to Milan to Paris, tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched Saturday, calling for a halt to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

Congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri called Israel’s invasion of Gaza an “ethnic cleansing campaign,” and was among 10 House members who did not back a resolution supporting the nation.

People demanding a ceasefire in Gaza protested Friday morning at the Port of Oakland around a US government ship that is reportedly headed to Israel.

Israel warned that it was on high alert for attacks on its border with Lebanon as fears grew that the conflict that began with a Hamas rampage in Israel could widen.

Israeli troops have encircled Gaza City in heavy fighting with Hamas militants, the military says, as the Palestinian death toll rises above 9,000. U.S. and Arab leaders are raising pressure on Israel to ease its siege and at least briefly halt its attacks in order to aid civilians.

The House has approved a $14.5 billion in military aid package for Israel, but without humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

After more than three weeks of siege, the first Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza. Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera television aired footage of devastation in the Jabaliya refugee camp.

“It is a time to be concerned. We are in a dangerous period," FBI Director Christopher Wray said this week. “We shouldn’t stop going out, but we should be vigilant."

Five hostages of Hamas are free, offering some hope to the families of more than 200 others snatched in southern Israel during the militants' deadly rampage on Oct. 7.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday that a person of interest in relation to threats of a mass shooting and antisemitic violence at Cornell University had been identified by law enforcement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called a meeting of top security and law enforcement officials after a mob stormed the airport in Dagestan shortly after a plane from Tel Aviv landed there.

The bombardment, described by Gaza residents as the most intense of the war, also knocked out most communications in Gaza.

The Israeli army says its ground forces are “expanding their activity” in the Gaza Strip, as it moves closer to a full-on ground invasion of the besieged territory.

The U.S. wants to hit Iranian-backed groups suspected of targeting the U.S. as strongly as possible to deter future aggression, while also working to avoid provoking a wider conflict.

The war, sparked by Hamas' bloody incursion into southern Israel on Oct. 7, is already the deadliest of five fought between Israel and Hamas in the last 15 years.