Middle East conflict live updates: U.S.-built pier anchored in Gaza; ICJ due to hear arguments on Rafah
A temporary pier built by the United States to help distribute humanitarian aid delivered by sea was anchored at a beach in Gaza Thursday morning, U.S. Central Command said.
By Frances Vinall, Jennifer Hassan and Emily RauhalaSouth Africa asks U.N. court to order Israel to halt Rafah assault
At The Hague, South Africa’s legal team will argue that Israel’s offensive poses an “extreme risk” to “the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza as a group.”
By Emily Rauhala
600,000 people have fled Rafah, U.N. says, amid Israeli operation in the city
Biden is poised to advance the lethal aid to Israel, U.S. officials confirmed, after pausing a bomb shipment over concerns about Israel’s planned attack on Rafah.
By Kelsey Ables, Jennifer Hassan and Bryan Pietsch
As Hamas returns to the north, Israel’s Gaza endgame is nowhere in sight
American and Israeli officials are offering increasingly blunt assessments about Hamas’s resilience and Netanyahu’s failure to plan for postwar Gaza.
By Loveday Morris, Shira Rubin and Hazem Balousha
Jewish staffer resigns from Biden administration over Gaza
Lily Greenberg Call, a staffer at the Interior Department, cites Jewish heritage in accusing Biden of “disastrous” support for Israel’s military campaign.
By Yasmeen Abutaleb
This ‘indispensable’ Israeli leader has a proposal for ‘the day after’ in Gaza
U.S. officials see the Israeli defense minister as the key problem-solver for ending the war in Gaza.
By David Ignatius
The Conflict Explained
How many hostages are still in Gaza since Hamas attack on Israel? What to know.
Israel estimates some 112 hostages held by Hamas have been released or freed; 92 are believed still to be alive in Gaza. Here’s what we know.
By Victoria Bisset, Sammy Westfall and Helier Cheung
Visualizing what an attack on Rafah means for civilians
Over 1 million Palestinians displaced by war have sought refuge in Rafah. Now, about 100,000 civilians are being told to evacuate to an area with little infrastructure.
By Ruby Mellen, Laris Karklis and Samuel GranadosEnough mediating. America should deploy its might against Hamas.
The United States should exert maximum pressure on the terrorists to free its citizens.
By Roger Zakheim
For Netanyahu, Gaza’s ‘day after’ must wait
But to other leading U.S., Arab and Israeli officials, the Israeli leader’s resistance to a plan for postwar Gaza is an increasing irritant in the crisis.
By Ishaan Tharoor
Biden advances $1 billion in arms for Israel amid Rafah tensions
The decision underscores that President Biden remains intent on surging arms into Israel despite pausing a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs last week.
By John Hudson
United Nations believes Israeli tank fire killed staffer in Rafah
Cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas are “almost at a stalemate,” Qatar’s prime minister said Tuesday.
By Frances Vinall, Jennifer Hassan and Adela Suliman
Israeli forces push into Rafah city as nearly 450,000 flee fighting
Aid workers in Rafah said that streets in the eastern part of the city were deserted. Thousands of tents used to house the displaced had disappeared.
By Louisa Loveluck
Columbia ends year of protest with smaller commencement ceremonies
The commencement for Columbia University’s undergraduates comes after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests prompted the school to cancel its university-wide ceremony.
By Susan Svrluga and Richard Morgan
Why news outlets and the U.N. rely on Gaza Health Ministry for death tolls
The Washington Post, like other news organizations, cannot independently verify death tolls in the war between Israel and Hamas.
By Adam Taylor
Rafah border closure strands American doctors in Gaza hospital
“We are stuck in Gaza,” an Oregon-based nurse said after Israel closed the Rafah border. “No safe way to get out and no new help or supplies coming in.”
By Daniel Wu
Army officer resigns in protest of U.S. support for Israel in Gaza
Maj. Harrison Mann said he feels “incredible shame and guilt” to know his work at the Defense Intelligence Agency has contributed to Palestinians’ suffering.
By Alex Horton and John Hudson
Israeli forces advance in Rafah; Health Ministry says Gaza hospital system will collapse in hours
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israeli success in Rafah is “not sustainable” without a postwar plan for Gaza. It’s Memorial Day in Israel.
By Rachel Pannett, Leo Sands and Cate Brown
U.N. staff member killed in attack on car marked with U.N. flag in Rafah
The staff member who was killed Monday in Gaza was the first international U.N. casualty since the beginning of the conflict on Oct. 7, a U.N. spokesman said.
By Cate Brown and Karen DeYoung
How is any of this making Israel more secure?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is creating a state of total anarchy with his country’s war on Gaza.
By Eugene Robinson
A traumatized Israel remembers its fallen and eyes an uncertain future
In a nation where most 18-year-olds do some form of military service, Memorial Day is sacred and solemn. Even more so in the aftermath of Oct. 7.
By Shira Rubin
David Petraeus warns Israel’s ‘clear and leave’ strategy won’t work
U.S. military planners behind the “surge” in Iraq explain how to execute a successful counterinsurgency.
By Max Boot