Latest Israel government News

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

May. 08, 2024 09:36 AM EDT

Gaza’s vital Rafah crossing remained closed Wednesday after Israeli forces 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 for humanitarian...

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

May. 08, 2024 09:14 AM EDT

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 says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the UN says no aid has entered

May. 08, 2024 08:14 AM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened its Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza after days of closure, but the U.N. said no humanitarian aid has yet entered and there is no one to receive it on the Palestinian side after workers fled during Israel's military...

CaesarStone: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

May. 08, 2024 07:46 AM EDT

MP MENASHE, Israel (AP) — MP MENASHE, Israel (AP) — CaesarStone Sdot-Yam Ltd. (CSTE) on Wednesday reported a loss of $5.1 million in its first quarter. The Mp Menashe, Israel-based company said it had a loss of 15 cents per share. Losses, adjusted for stock option expense and...

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

May. 08, 2024 04:31 AM EDT

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...

US paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says

May. 08, 2024 00:35 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S., a senior administration official said Tuesday. The...

Israeli tanks have rolled into Rafah. What does this mean for the Palestinians sheltering there?

May. 07, 2024 23:21 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli tanks that entered the periphery of Rafah early Tuesday stoked global fears that an offensive on Gaza's southernmost city could endanger the more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there. The ground assault dimmed hopes of an immediate...

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

May. 07, 2024 23:02 PM EDT

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...

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

May. 07, 2024 22:10 PM EDT

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

May. 07, 2024 16:22 PM EDT

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...