3:21 PM
On the fifth day of hostilities, Israel has escalated its assault on Gaza, as Palestinian militants continue to fire rockets into Israel. According to Israel’s military, air and ground forces were involved in Friday’s attacks but had not entered Gaza city. The night sky was lit up by explosions from Israeli artillery and airstrikes, according to a video from Gaza City.
Since the fighting began on Monday, 119 people have died in Gaza, and eight have died in Israel. Meanwhile, Jewish and Israeli-Arab groups have been fighting within Israel, prompting the country’s president to issue a warning about civil war. Defence Minister Benny Gantz has ordered a “massive reinforcement” of security forces to quell the internal unrest, which has resulted in the arrest of over 400 people.
The new challenges are testing the resolve and abilities of the president and his team as they approach the four-month mark of his administration.
The latest is the cyberattack against Colonial Pipeline that’s shaken Americans and prompted fuel hoarding and gas shortages along the East Coast of the United States.
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Biden’s national security team is simultaneously trying to ease escalating hostilities between Israel and Hamas while domestic policy officials work to get coronavirus relief out the door as quickly as possible following a disappointing April jobs report.
The lower-than-expected employment gains coupled with a new report showing accelerating inflation is testing Biden’s economic agenda and his plans for spending $4 trillion on infrastructure and social safety net programs. With an eye toward the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans are seeking to weaponize some of the new developments against Biden, having already seized on the increase in migrants at
Palestinian health officials say 10 people have been killed in violence in the West Bank. The Israeli military says it has carried out airstrikes on a tunnel network in Gaza. Follow DW for the latest.