What's happened
Amid escalating tensions, the US Senate has approved $13 billion in military aid for Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatens to send troops into Rafah, a major Hamas stronghold in Gaza. Israeli air strikes have been reported in Rafah and the Nuseirat refugee camp, while protests in the US have led to the arrest of hundreds of students.
Why it matters
The approval of military aid by the US Senate and Netanyahu's threats to send troops into Rafah highlight the intensifying conflict between Israel and Hamas. The air strikes and protests add to the growing tensions, with fears of a potential ground offensive and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
What the papers say
The South China Morning Post emphasizes the US approval of military aid for Israel and Netanyahu's gratitude, highlighting the strength of the alliance. The New York Times and The Japan Times focus on Netanyahu's threats to increase pressure on Hamas and potentially launch an assault on Rafah, the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza. The articles also mention the ongoing military operations in Gaza and the impact on civilians. Al Jazeera and The Times of Israel report on Israeli tanks pushing back into northern Gaza and conducting air strikes on Rafah, leading to casualties and displacements.
How we got here
The conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has been ongoing, with Israel aiming to eliminate Hamas and free hostages taken during previous attacks. The US has approved significant military aid for Israel, while Netanyahu's threats of a ground offensive in Rafah have raised concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Common question
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Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, that borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km border.
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Rafah is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. It is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate, located 30 kilometers south of Gaza City. Rafah's population of 152,950 is overwhelmingly made up of former Palestinian refugees.
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The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs, are an ethnonational group comprising the modern descendants of the peoples who have lived in Palestine continuously over the centuries and who today are largely culturally and
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Beit Hanoun or Beit Hanun is a city on the northeast edge of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 32,187 in mid-2006. It is administered by the Hamas administration.
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Benjamin Netanyahu is an Israeli politician serving as Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, and previously from 1996 to 1999. Netanyahu is also the Chairman of the Likud – National Liberal Movement.
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The world is the Earth and all life on it, including human civilization. In a philosophical context, the "world" is the whole of the physical Universe, or an ontological world.
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Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a