Israeli military encircles Gaza City

An Israel Defense Forces spokesman said Sunday that troops had surrounded Gaza City and effectively split the Gaza Strip in two. The Israeli military has focused much of its anti-terrorism operations on the northern part of the region. It is still allowing civilians to leave and enter the southern portion of Gaza. The Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 people. Since then, Hamas has reported roughly 10,000 Palestinian deaths.

Could there be a cease-fire? U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday said a cease-fire in the region would only benefit Hamas. U.S. President Joe Biden said previously that he would support a humanitarian pause in the fighting, and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby clarified the United States wasn’t calling for a complete cease-fire. On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Washington, D.C., to accuse Israel of genocide and criticize Biden for supporting the military operations in Gaza.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about the House and Senate’s current disagreement about funding for Israel.