JERUSALEM — The International Criminal Court said Friday that its jurisdiction extends to territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, clearing the way for its chief prosecutor to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions. The decision was welcomed by the Palestinians and decried by Israel's...
Palestinians in Gaza Rally Against Israel-UAE Deal
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Hundreds of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday rallied against the U.S.-brokered deal to normalize ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Protesters burned Israeli and American flags, trampled on posters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, and chanted...
Palestinians in Bethlehem Look Beyond Religious Tourism
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — For decades, the people of Bethlehem have watched tour buses drive up to the Church of the Nativity, disgorge their passengers for a few hours at the traditional birthplace of Jesus, and then return to Israel. But in recent years a new form of tourism has...
Israel Hits Gaza Amid Rocket Fire, Palestinian Deaths Rise
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes pounded Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza on Wednesday and militants resumed rocket fire toward Israel after a brief overnight lull, as the death toll rose to 23 Palestinians, including a 7-year-old boy and two other minors, in the heaviest round of fighting in...
Qatar to Send Money for West Bank, Gaza After Israel Truce
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Qatar on Tuesday said it is sending $480 million to Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip after a cease-fire deal ended the deadliest fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants since a 2014 war. Qatar's Foreign Ministry said $300 million would support health...
Israel’s Gaza Blockade Under Scrutiny After Latest Violence
JERUSALEM — For 12 years, Israel has maintained a blockade over the Gaza Strip, seeking to weaken the territory's militant Hamas rulers. And for 12 years, Hamas has remained firmly in power, developing a thriving homegrown weapons industry along the way. This weekend's violence, the worst in a string of...
Israel Strikes Gaza Targets in Response to Heavy Rocket Fire
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired scores of rockets into southern Israel on Saturday, wounding at least two Israeli civilians and triggering retaliatory airstrikes and tank fire against militant targets in the Hamas-ruled enclave and shattering a month-long lull in violence. Israeli officials said...
Israel Bombs Targets in Gaza as Rocket Fire Resumes
JERUSALEM — The Israeli army on Tuesday bombed several targets in the Gaza Strip and bolstered its forces along the volatile frontier as a truce with the territory's Hamas rulers showed signs of unraveling. Palestinian militants responded with a new barrage of late-night rocket fire, setting the stage for a...
Palestinians Offer New Details of Israel’s Botched Gaza Raid
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The small town of Abassan in the Gaza Strip is a tough place to infiltrate — everyone knows everyone else and outsiders passing through quickly attract attention. So when strangers drove through town, suspicious Hamas security men stopped the van and questioned those inside. The...
Hamas, Israel Trade Heavy Fire After Deadly Incursion
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian militants bombarded Israel with dozens of rockets and mortar shells Monday while Israeli warplanes struck targets throughout the Gaza Strip in what appeared to be the most intense exchange of fire since the 2014 war. Palestinian officials said at least three people, including two...