The Eurovision Song Contest kicked off with pop and protests as the war in Gaza casts a shadow

MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Competition in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest kicked off Tuesday in Sweden, with the war in Gaza casting a shadow over the sequin-spangled pop extravaganza. Performers representing countries across Europe and beyond took the stage in the first of two...

The Latest | Blasts, gunfire heard near Rafah crossing as it remains closed under Israeli control

Gaza’s vital Rafah crossing remained closed early Wednesday after an Israeli tank brigade seized it the day before. Associated Press journalists heard sporadic explosions and gunfire in the area overnight, including two large blasts early Wednesday. Rafah has been a vital conduit...

Israel reopens key crossing for aid to enter Gaza that was closed over weekend rocket attack

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby. An Israeli tank brigade...

Israel announces reopening of a key crossing for aid to enter Gaza that was closed after a weekend rocket attack

Has Israel followed the law in its war in Gaza? The US is due to render a first-of-its-kind verdict

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing heat over its military support for Israel's war, the Biden administration is due to deliver a first-of-its-kind formal verdict this week on whether the airstrikes on Gaza and restrictions on delivery of aid have violated international and U.S. laws designed to spare...

Israel seizes Gaza's vital Rafah crossing, but the US says it isn't the full invasion many fear

CAIRO (AP) — Israeli troops seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday in what the White House described as a limited operation, as fears mount of a full-scale invasion of the southern city and talks with Hamas over a cease-fire and hostage release remain on a knife’s...

In Holocaust remembrance, Biden condemns antisemitism sparked by college protests and Gaza war

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday decried a “ferocious surge” in antisemitism on college campuses and around the globe in the months since Hamas attacked Israel and triggered a war in Gaza, using a ceremony to remember victims of the Holocaust to also denounce new waves of...

The Latest | Israel forces block Gaza's Rafah border crossing. UN says it's running out of fuel

Israeli forces have seized the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, pressing their offensive into the southern city on Tuesday. The closed border means U.N. humanitarian teams in Gaza will run out of diesel fuel by Wednesday, a senior humanitarian official said, leaving them unable to...

Scenes from Israel and Gaza reflect dashed hopes as imminent cease-fire seems unlikely

JERUSALEM (AP) — An announcement by Hamas late Monday that it had accepted a cease-fire proposal sent people in the streets of Rafah into temporary jubilation, as Palestinian evacuees in the jam-packed town felt their first glimmer of hope the war could end. For families of Israeli...

Here's what's on the table for Israel and Hamas in the latest cease-fire plan

CAIRO (AP) — Hamas has formally accepted a cease-fire deal that could end the war in Gaza. Israel, however, insists that its core demands were not met in the proposal mediated by Egypt and Qatar. The Palestinian militant group says the cease-fire would unfold in three phases of six...