KFAR SABA, Israel (AP) — Ohad Munder-Zichri’s 9th birthday is on Monday. But instead of celebrating at home with his family and friends, he is believed to be somewhere in Gaza, one of more than 200 hostages held by Hamas since the militants’ devastating Oct. 7 incursion. The fourth-grader from the central Israeli city of Kfar Saba was nabbed along … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Yaniv Zohar, a former Associated Press videojournalist and beloved colleague who covered conflicts and major news in his native country for three decades, was killed in his home during Hamas’ bloody cross-border rampage on Oct. 7 along with his wife and two daughters. He was 54. Zohar worked for the AP’s Israel bureau for 15 years, from … Read More
NIRIM, Israel (AP) — On the last day of last summer’s Israel-Hamas war, Gadi Yarkoni and two of his closest friends were fixing an electricity line next to the cowshed in their kibbutz in southern Israel that had been damaged by rocket fire from neighboring Gaza. On that Aug. 26, a final cease-fire was about to go into effect and … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — When Israel completes its damage assessment from its latest war with Hamas, it may conclude that one of the biggest casualties was its all-important relationship with the United States. A recent American decision to hold back on the delivery of advanced Hellfire missiles offered dramatic manifestation of a relationship that appears to be deteriorating in large part … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli military tactic that allows overwhelming fire to stop the capture of soldiers — even at the risk of killing them — is facing criticism after its use in the Gaza war killed some 100 Palestinians. The military used the “Hannibal Procedure” after soldiers feared militants had captured an officer, unleashing heavy shelling on the southern … Read More
NAHAL OZ, Israel (AP) — With a cease-fire taking hold, residents of southern Israel slowly began trickling back Wednesday to hometowns that largely emptied out during a monthlong war against Hamas militants in the neighboring Gaza Strip. But even with the military giving them the go-ahead to resume normal life many say they aren’t ready to come home — and … Read More
TIRA, Israel (AP) — Facing the threat of rocket fire along with the rest of Israel, residents in this central Israeli Arab town have found themselves caught in the middle between Jewish neighbors and their fellow Palestinians who are dying in growing numbers in the Gaza Strip. The people of Tira, a town of some 25,000 people known for their … Read More
NIR AM, Israel (AP) — With deadly fighting raging next door in the Gaza Strip, southern Israeli towns along the border have turned into mini army bases as most residents have fled. Those left behind say they are long inured to near-daily salvos of rocket fire from Gaza but newly discovered tunnels that have been dug by Islamic militants nearby … Read More
HOD HASHARON, Israel (AP) — A morning siren in this middle-class Israeli town sent some fleeing inside for shelter — but others ran outside, curious to catch a glimpse of the incoming rocket being shot down from the sky. Thanks to Israel’s “Iron Dome” defense system, Israelis seem to fear less for their lives than for their lifestyles as they … Read More
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says its punishing air assault on Hamas militants, their property and their weaponry has delivered a devastating blow to the Islamic militant group. Yet rocket fire at Israel has continued almost unabated. The military says that due to years of generous Iranian shipments, thousands of rockets remain in Gaza, and there is no quick … Read More
HADERA, Israel (AP) — Residents of this city in northern Israel have long known they were within range of rockets from Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. After being struck by a missile from Gaza, however, there is a new reality: They can be hit from both directions. The landing of rockets in Hadera, more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of … Read More
SDEROT, Israel (AP) — In this southern Israeli town, which has lived for nearly 13 years under the constant threat of rocket attacks from Gaza, there is little joy over a new cease-fire between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers: Schools remain closed, traffic is sparse and hope is hard to find. The working-class residents of Sderot have seen previous lulls … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) —Throughout his long political career, Israel’s prime minister has earned a reputation as a tough talker. An ardent hawk who wrote a book about how to defeat terrorism, Benjamin Netanyahu has previously threatened to attack Iran, topple Gaza’s Hamas leaders and strike hard at Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. But only now, after seven years in power, he has … Read More
BEERSHEBA, Israel (AP) _ After days of incessant rocket fire, the largest city in southern Israel has been turned into a ghost town. Schools are closed, stores are shuttered and normally bustling streets are empty. Aside from emergency errands, residents avoid the outdoors and hunker down in their homes around the clock. Yet they still insist the military should carry on … Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) _ With pinpoint airstrikes on militant targets in the Gaza Strip and Iranian-made rockets flying deep into Israel, the current conflagration between Israel and Hamas reflects the vast changes that have taken place on the battlefield in just four years. Israel, armed with precise intelligence and newly developed munitions, has carried out hundreds of surgical airstrikes in a campaign … Read More