Focus on Israel-Hamas war: Get the latest developments from The Washington Times
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military has “only started” its massive counterattack against the Hamas militants who rampaged through his country. As the Israeli-Hamas clash intensifies get the latest developments from the newsroom of The Washington Times.
Israeli incursion into Gaza could be opening act for the war to come
In what may be a foretaste of the bigger operation to come, Israel launched its heaviest raid yet into the northern Gaza Strip late Wednesday, sending tanks and other armored vehicles across the border ahead of what is expected to be a full-scale invasion of the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave.
U.S. ships ‘vulnerable’ to attack in eastern Mediterranean, contends Iran’s foreign minister
Iran’s foreign minister says Washington’s deployment of aircraft carrier groups to the eastern Mediterranean to defend Israel makes the U.S. military assets “more vulnerable” to attacks by the Tehran-backed terror group Hezbollah based in Lebanon.
An army versed in urban warfare confronts its toughest battle
Backed up by weeks of intense air strikes and heavy artillery barrages, Israeli armored columns are now pushing into Gaza City in what is expected to be the most difficult stage of its war against Hamas: a pitched battle against a determined enemy in a densely populated urban labyrinth.
Border strikes fuel Hezbollah-Israel tensions as Gaza incursion deepens
The Shiite militant group Hezbollah threatened Israel on Monday with a “firm and strong” response and said the Jewish state “will pay the price” after an Israeli airstrike reportedly killed three children in Lebanon, stoking fears of a two-front war that could plunge the Middle East into chaos.
Gaza City encircled by Israeli troops as IDF cuts the Hamas enclave in half
The Israel Defense Forces said its troops have fully encircled Gaza City and split the entire Gaza Strip in two. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, told reporters that soldiers from the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit “reached the coastline and are holding it.”
What happens next? Questions mount about Gaza’s future as Israel-Hamas war rages
Rooting out Hamas and its network of militant fighters from the densely packed Gaza Strip is one of the most complex challenges the Israeli military has ever faced.
Israel expands ground campaign in Gaza, as fears of widening regional war rise
Israeli troops and tanks pushed deeper into the Gaza Strip on Monday, closing in on the besieged Palestinian territory’s main city as their retaliatory ground offensive against Hamas rumbled violently through a fourth consecutive day.
White House outlines help for colleges grappling with antisemitic chants, protests
The White House said Monday it is trying to combat an “alarming rise” of antisemitic incidents at colleges as President Biden faces pressure to push back on protests viewed as attacks on Jews per se or on Israel’s existence.
Israel raids northern Gaza ahead of expected invasion
Israel launched a limited armored raid into the northern Gaza Strip overnight ahead of what is expected to be a full-scale invasion of the Hamas-controlled enclave, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed Thursday.
Biden says Israel has a ‘responsibility’ to defend itself, but urges restraint
President Biden on Wednesday reiterated firm U.S. support for Israel in its war with the terrorist organization Hamas, but also warned the Jewish state to operate within the rules of war to avoid civilian casualties in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
U.S. ammo supplies feel the pinch as Ukraine and Israel draw down depleted inventory
Countries around the world who are fighting and asking for help from Washington are starting to question whether the Pentagon has the ability to meet their requests.
U.S. sending Israel the Iron Dome to thwart Hamas rocket attacks
The Defense Department is sending Israel the Iron Dome air defense system to help fend off daily missile attacks launched by Hamas terrorists operating inside the Gaza Strip, Pentagon officials said.
U.S. government’s Voice of America orders reporters not to call Hamas ‘terrorists’
Voice of America, the government’s taxpayer-funded news media operation, instructed its reporters last week to stop calling Hamas terrorists.
Ramaswamy wary of Israeli ground invasion of Gaza, calls for ‘revival of realism’ in foreign policy
GOP presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy said Tuesday he is worried that an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza will trigger a series of events that will pull the U.S. into a larger conflict.
Israel faces backlash as it weighs campaign against Hamas
Israel faced a fierce backlash from its critics and public admonitions from its friends Tuesday as the strong global support for its military mission to crush Hamas splintered amid the rising civilian death toll and human suffering in the Gaza Strip.
‘Enough is enough’: Israel faces backlash as death toll in Gaza mounts
Israel faced fierce criticism Tuesday from the Arab world and public admonitions from European leaders about its war against the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas, as Palestinian casualties mount in the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem acknowledges that “strategic considerations” have forced a delay of its long-awaited ground invasion.
Israel’s top general tells waiting troops they are ready for Gaza invasion
Israel’s top general has told soldiers they are “well prepared” for any military operations as the Jewish state continues massing troops and firepower near the Gaza Strip for an expected ground invasion.
Ilhan Omar rebuked for saying fellow Democratic lawmaker is ‘happy’ about dead Palestinians
Rep. Ritchie Torres has called out fellow Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar for saying he was “happy” that Palestinians are being killed.
Israel losing its window for ground attack on Gaza
Israel’s window of opportunity to launch a decisive ground assault on Hamas Palestinian militants seemed to narrow Monday amid reports of growing impatience in Jerusalem over the long-awaited offensive, while the Biden administration privately advised Israel that waiting a bit longer could result in the safe return of more hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
Biden says he and the Pope are ‘on the same page’ about Israel
President Biden said Monday that he and Pope Francis agree on the administration’s plan for addressing the ongoing conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas, after their conversation over the weekend.
History As It Happens: 1948 and the Jewish-Arab conflict
The Israel-Hamas war is the latest iteration of a decades-long conflict that began in 1948. As then, today’s war is fundamentally about land.
‘Uptick’ in rocket attacks against U.S. forces in Middle East, says White House
The White House said Monday it has seen an “uptick” in drone and rocket attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East by Iranian proxy groups.
Larry Hogan pulls out of Harvard fellowships amid backlash over university response to Israel attack
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan added to the denunciation of Harvard University as he announced Monday he is withdrawing his offer to participate in two fellowships, amid the Ivy League school facing backlash for its response to the Hamas attacks on Israel.
AOC says cease-fire with Hamas in charge is needed to save civilian lives
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she would accept a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war that would leave the militant group in charge of Gaza in order to save civilian lives.
Escalation of Middle East war appears inevitable; more U.S. troops get ‘prepare to deploy’ orders
A wider Middle East war grew more likely Sunday as Israel pounded Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip and struck alleged militants in the West Bank and Syria.
Pence: U.S. boots should be on the ground in Gaza to free American hostages
Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence said he would send troops into the Gaza Strip to free American hostages from the grips of Hamas if he were in the White House.
U.S. sends carrier strike group, missile defense system to Middle East
The Pentagon will send a carrier strike group and missile defense battery to the Middle East and put more troops on “prepare to deploy” orders, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said late Saturday.
In killing Israelis, Hamas may have also targeted Saudi diplomatic deal
President Biden has said a goal of Hamas’ terrorist assault against Israel was to derail a historic normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia that was in the works, an assessment that fits with analysis promoted by many regional experts in the wake of the Palestinian militant group’s Oct. 7 rampage that killed over 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals.
Aid trucks enter Gaza as Arab leaders decry ‘injustice’ of Israeli strikes
The first wave of aid trucks carrying food, water and medicine entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday, international officials said, while key Arab world leaders blasted the perceived “injustice” of Israel’s growing war against the Gaza-based militant group Hamas.
Hamas releases first two U.S. hostages taken in Oct. 7 rampage in Israel
Hamas captors on Friday released a Chicago-area woman and her daughter held as hostages since the Palestinian militant group’s murderous Oct. 7 rampage in Israel, the first Americans known to be released from an operation that killed more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
Biden expects humanitarian aid to Gaza to flow within two days
President Biden said Friday he expects to see truckloads of aid cross into the Gaza Strip from Egypt within two days.
Biden declares Putin, Hamas threats to democracy in prime-time speech
President Biden laid out his case to the country and Congress that the U.S. must send $100 billion of taxpayer-funded aid to Israel and Ukraine, arguing that two wars in other parts of the globe threaten to undermine democratic stability around the world and to damage U.S. national security.
Politically Unstable: Is Middle East peace possible?
Would this war in Israel be happening if Donald Trump were still president? Retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, former national security adviser in the Trump administration and the current co-chairman of the America First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security, unequivocally says no.
Nail in the coffin? Hamas attack could finally doom Biden’s diplomatic dance with Iran
The Biden administration’s dream of cutting a nuclear deal with Iran was already on life support. This month’s deadly Hamas terrorist assault on Israel may have been the death blow.
U.S. warship takes out missiles, drones from Yemen possibly heading to Israel
A U.S. Navy destroyer operating in the northern Red Sea intercepted three cruise missiles and “several” drones that had been launched from Yemen and were possibly heading toward Israel, Pentagon officials said Thursday.
Fetterman says Hamas must be ‘neutralized’ before any cease-fire talks
Sen. John Fetterman said he backs Israel and that “now is not the time to talk about a ceasefire,” unlike some of his Democratic colleagues who have been pushing for one.
State Department tells U.S. citizens overseas: Look out while Mideast flares
The U.S. government is warning Americans worldwide to be on alert following violent protests in the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas war.
GOP race sharpens: DeSantis, Haley fighting over opening U.S. to Palestinians fleeing Gaza
Looking for a way to slow Nikki Haley’s rise in the GOP presidential race, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is warning voters that she is soft on Palestinian resettlement in the U.S. and more interested in political correctness than sound policy plans.
Mayhem across regional tinderbox obscures direction for U.S., Israel
The string of incidents underscored the tinderbox nature of the region and sparked a retaliation campaign in Gaza that could soon lead to a ground war in the Palestinian enclave.
Navy sends 6th Fleet flagship to eastern Mediterranean as Gaza war rages
The Navy is sending the USS Mount Whitney, the command-and-control ship for the U.S. 6th Fleet, to the eastern Mediterranean as part of a growing U.S. military presence amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Biden walks diplomatic tightrope with sympathy, cautions for Israel
President Biden walked a diplomatic tightrope Wednesday on a high-stakes trip to Israel, firmly expressing U.S. support for the Jewish state but also warning the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint.
Greene rips liberal ‘Squad’ as the ‘Hamas Caucus’
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has come up with a new nickname for Congress’ Democratic “Squad,” calling them the “Hamas Caucus” after the progressive lawmakers called for an “immediate deescalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.”
U.K. defense chief, Austin coordinate military support for Israel, Ukraine
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hosted his British counterpart at the Pentagon on Wednesday as the U.S. and Great Britain work to balance supporting Israel in its war against Hamas and continuing to assist Ukraine as it beats back a Russian invasion.
DeSantis challenges GOP White House rivals to say no to Biden’s $100 million aid package for Gaza
Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling on his rivals for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination to join him in opposing President Biden’s plan for humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Biden administration sanctions 10 Hamas members, financial network in response to terror attack
The Biden administration on Wednesday sanctioned 10 Hamas members and the militant terrorist organization’s financial network in response to the surprise attack on Israel that left roughly 1,400 people dead and hundreds more kidnapped.
Biden putting together a $100 billion aid package for Israel and Ukraine
The Biden administration is drafting a $100 billion aid package that includes money for Ukraine and the war in Israel along with domestic issues such as border protection.
Biden warns Israelis ‘not to be consumed by rage’
President Biden expressed solidarity with the Jewish people in his remarks Wednesday from Israel but also pressed them to ask “hard questions” about their objectives in their war with the terrorist organization Hamas.
U.S. sending war supplies to Israel on ‘near-daily’ basis, Pentagon says
The U.S. has provided Israel with enough military firepower to fill five C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes since the start of its war with Hamas barely more than a week ago, and Pentagon officials say additional assistance is on the way.
Biden says U.S. intelligence supports Israel’s claim it didn’t bomb Gaza hospital
President Biden said Wednesday that U.S. intelligence corroborates Israel’s claim that it was not to blame for the deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital that killed 500 people and sparked mass protests in Arab nations.
Biden reiterates support for Israel in meeting with first responders
President Biden on Wednesday met with Israeli first responders who rushed to save lives after the deadly Hamas terror attack.
Biden tells Israel the U.S. has its back: ‘You are not alone’
President Biden on Wednesday vowed to provide Israel with full support to defend its citizens in the wake of the deadly terror attack on the Jewish state by Hamas.
Biden says Israel is not to blame for Gaza hospital attack that left 500 dead
President Biden said Wednesday he was “deeply saddened” by the deadly hospital explosion in Gaza, but insisted that Israel was not to blame for the rocket attack, which left 500 dead.
DeSantis touts launch of supplies from Florida to Israel, blasts Biden’s plan for Gaza aid
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to run his own Israeli rescue mission from the Sunshine State.
Biden meets with Netanyahu in Israel, looks for ‘defining moment’ of presidency in wartime visit
The eyes of the world were on President Biden on Wednesday when he arrived in Israel to show America’s support for its closest Middle Eastern ally and seek to prevent the region from spiraling into more conflict and bloodshed.
