Israel focusing war efforts on northern Gaza

The Israeli military on Tuesday clashed with Hamas militants in northern Gaza in its effort to stomp out the terrorist group. Israeli forces have attacked hundreds of the group’s locations, said Israel Defense Force spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency said that they had freed Pvt. Ori Megidish, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas. She was said to be in good condition and had met with her family. Meanwhile, the United Nations has called for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

Is a ceasefire possible? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that his country would not cease its war against Hamas, saying that the United States would not have allowed a ceasefire after Pearl Harbor or 9/11. Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing roughly 1,400 people, most of whom were civilians. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has reported that the death toll in Gaza since the war started has surpassed 8,000.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Stew about how Israel’s war with Hamas has affected U.S. foreign policy.