Israeli Strikes Across Gaza Hit Multiple Homes, Killing at Least 85 Palestinians, AP
“Israeli strikes killed at least 85 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Thursday, according to local health officials. Hours later, Hamas fired three rockets at Israel without causing casualties, in the first such attack since Israel ended their ceasefire with a surprise bombardment of Gaza on Tuesday.”
Israeli Troops Move Into Gaza; United Nations Staffer Killed in Blast, The Washington Post
“Israeli troops recaptured part of the Netzarim Corridor that bisects the Gaza Strip and deployed an infantry brigade along the enclave’s perimeter, the military said Wednesday in a statement. It described the moves as part of a targeted ground operation a day after launching a wave of deadly strikes, and as the United Nations said at least one of its staffers was killed in an explosion at a guesthouse in central Gaza.”
Israeli Security Cabinet to Discuss Firing of Shin Bet Chief Instead of Gaza Hostages, Haaretz
“The Israeli security cabinet meeting on the Gaza hostages issue has been postponed to Saturday night to allow for Thursday’s scheduled meeting to focus instead on the dismissal of Shin Bet security service chief Ronen Bar. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement saying that the families are outraged over the delay in discussing the fate of their loved ones, who, they said, ‘are facing the threat of death and disappearance in Hamas tunnels in Gaza.’”
A Pregnant Woman and Her Young Son Were Killed in Gaza by an Israeli Airstrike, AP
“Afnan al-Ghanam of Gaza had her first child during the war, 13 months ago, while the family was still living at home. She was about to give birth again in the spring — this time, while living in a squalid tent camp. But at least a tenuous ceasefire had brought a relative calm. Then, before dawn on Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike smashed into the family’s tent. Al-Ghanam, who was seven months pregnant, and Mohammed, her young son, were both killed. They were among more than 400 Palestinians, most of them women and children, killed when Israel launched a surprise bombardment across the Gaza Strip.”
Exchange Student at Georgetown University Detained Over ‘Hamas Propaganda,’ DHS Says, Haaretz
“Federal US authorities detained a Georgetown University researcher in the country on a student visa, according to court filings from his attorneys, first reported by Politico. The Department of Homeland Security said the Indian national was ‘actively spreading Hamas propaganda.’ The attorneys for Badar Khan Suri allege he was detained by masked agents outside his northern Virginia home in the Washington suburbs. They further filed that Suri was detained under the same law as Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, which grants Secretary of State Marco Rubio authority to deport non-citizens if he deems their continued presence a threat to US foreign policy.”
Trump’s Letter to Iran Included 2-Month Deadline for New Nuclear Deal, Axios
“The sources said Trump’s letter to Khamenei was ‘tough.’ On the one hand, it proposed negotiations on a new nuclear deal, but on the other hand warned of consequences if Iran rejects the offer and continues to push forward with its nuclear program. Trump said in the letter that he doesn’t want open-ended negotiations and mentioned a two-month period for getting a deal, two sources said.”
Israel Says It Intercepted Missile Launched From Yemen, Reuters
“Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early on Thursday as hostilities with the Houthis intensified, amid US President Donald Trump’s threats to punish Iran over its perceived support for the Yemeni militant group. Sirens sounded across several areas in Israel after the projectile was fired, the military said. The Israeli police said sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.”
Israeli Outposts Have Proliferated in the West Bank Since Oct. 7, Analysis Shows. Palestinians Fear Annexation Could Be Next., CNN
“The number of Israeli herding outposts has dramatically increased since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition took power in 2022 on a platform of settlement expansion. The government includes ministers who are themselves settlers and want to annex the occupied territory to Israel. […] Settlers established 49 new illegal shepherding outposts between October 7, 2023, and December 2024, seizing large swathes of surrounding land, according to the report which was corroborated by a CNN analysis of satellite imagery of the area.”
The Trump Right’s Pro-Israel Antisemitism, Vox
Zack Beauchamp writes, “The rise of anti-Semitism on campus since October 7, 2023, is real. But the Republican campaign to use it as a justification to extend political control over universities has nothing to do with protecting Jews, and everything to do with undermining liberal democracy.”
“Antisemitism” and Antisemitism, Substack
Timothy Snyder writes, “The abuse of the word ‘antisemitism’ is meant to generate a sense of plausibility, confuse opposition, and create more space for the actual phenomenon of antisemitism. And this misdirection is an integral part of the effort to replace a constitutional order with an authoritarian one.”