THE HUMANITARIAN QUESTION: An American woman and her teenage daughter taken hostage by Hamas militants into Gaza were released yesterday in the first turnover of people taken in the October 7th assault on Israel. The two are dual citizens.   They have been …

WIDER WAR: An American guided-missile destroyer in the northern Red Sea yesterday shot down three cruise missiles and several attack drones launched toward Israel by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, illustrating the potential for wider war in the Middle East.   It’s …

A PRESIDENTIAL CAUTION: With Israeli troops poised for a ground invasion of Gaza, President Biden in Tel Aviv yesterday issued Israel a caution about what it plans to do in response to the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks.   Biden is also expected …

LIFE IN WARTIME:  Authorities in Gaza blame Israel for a massive explosion that hit a hospital yesterday, killing as many as 500 people. Hamas militants called the hospital strike “a horrific massacre.”   It is the worst single incident of the war so …

WARTIME:  Dozens of people were killed and wounded today as Israeli bombing wiped out a residential area in Gaza.   As Israel continues to pound Gaza, the Rafah crossing into Egypt to the south remains closed, blocking refugees from getting out and humanitarian aid …

WORSE TO COME:  After a massive buildup of ground troops, The Israeli military says it is “in formation” to strike Gaza City and the heart of the Hamas militant organization. The world is holding its breath for the start of a battle that …

GET OUT: Israel has told nearly half the Palestinian population of Gaza to evacuate within 24 hours in advance of a likely bloody and devastating urban ground war. A spokesman for Hamas said, “We are telling the enemy, if you dare enter …

IT’S WAR: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday formed an emergency government, a ‘war cabinet” aligning with two opposition lawmakers who are former army chiefs, adding military expertise for decisions about how to pursue the war against Hamas, including whether to …

IT’S WAR: Israel’s defense minister said he has “released all restraints” on his forces in their fight against Hamas. “They will regret this moment. Gaza will never return to what it was,” Yoav Gallant said.    Even under that threat, Hamas militants …

IT’S WAR: Hamas militants in Gaza have threatened to kill a hostage every time an Israeli airstrike hits Gazans “in their homes without warning.” The militants took about 150 civilian hostages in their incursion in Israel on Saturday, including small children.   Israeli Prime Minister …