Israel announces completion of security barrier around Gaza
December 7, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Tuesday announced the completion of an enhanced security barrier around the Gaza Strip designed to prevent militants from sneaking into the country.
The 65-kilometer (40-mile) barrier includes radar systems, maritime sensors and a network of underground sensors to detect militant tunnels.
Israel tests massive inflatable missile detection system
November 4, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel said Wednesday it has begun testing a massive inflatable missile detection system designed to hover at high altitudes and detect long-range threats.
Israel already boasts an array of sophisticated missile defenses, which were used successfully during the 11-day Gaza war this year.
Israel hits Hamas targets as Gaza militants fire rockets
September 13, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli aircraft struck a series of targets in the Gaza Strip early Monday while Palestinian militants launched rockets into Israel in the third consecutive night of fighting between the sides.
Israel says it intercepts rocket launched from Gaza
September 12, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian militants launched a rocket into Israel from the Gaza Strip on Sunday night, the Israeli military said, adding that the rocket was intercepted.
The launch came at a time of heightened tensions following an escape by six Palestinian militants from an Israeli prison last week and lingering hostilities from an 11-day war last May.
Israel arrests 4 Palestinian fugitives who escaped prison
September 11, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police on Saturday said they have arrested four of the six Palestinians who broke out of a maximum-security prison this week — including a famed militant leader whose exploits over the years have made him a well-known figure in Israel.
Israel strikes Gaza as Palestinians celebrate prison break
September 7, 2021 GMTTEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel launched airstrikes on what it said was a militant site in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday after Palestinians sent incendiary balloons into Israel in support of six Palestinian prisoners who had escaped from an Israeli prison the day before.
The deepening costs of 4 Gaza wars in 13 years, in 4 charts
August 25, 2021 GMTThe latest war between Hamas and Israel followed a familiar – and troubling – pattern: Palestinian rocket fire, devastating Israeli airstrikes; a mounting loss of life and appeals for the “senseless cycle” to end.
Through four wars, toll mounts on a Gaza neighborhood
August 25, 2021 GMTBEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip (AP) — The electricity is out again tonight in what’s left of Zaki and Jawaher Nassir’s neighborhood. But from the shell of their sitting room, its wall blown open by Israeli missiles, twilight and a neighbor’s fire are enough to see by.
Gazans launch incendiary balloons into Israel after strikes
August 24, 2021 GMTGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas-backed Palestinian activists on Tuesday in the Gaza Strip launched a new wave of incendiary balloons into Israel, further raising tensions after a night of Israeli airstrikes on the seaside territory.
Rights group: Israeli strikes on Gaza apparently broke law
August 23, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli airstrikes that demolished four high-rise buildings in the Gaza Strip during the war in May apparently violated international laws of war, a leading international human rights group said Monday, calling on the Israeli military to produce evidence justifying the attacks.
Air raid sirens sound in Israel after rocket fired from Gaza
August 16, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Air raid sirens sounded in southern Israel on Monday after a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip, the first since the 11-day war between Israel and Palestinian militants in May.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket fire.
Rights group says Hamas rockets at Israel a clear war crime
August 12, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — A prominent international human rights group on Thursday accused Hamas of committing war crimes during a recent 11-day conflict with Israel by indiscriminately firing thousands of rockets toward Israeli population centers.
Israel investigating May barrage that killed 6 in Gaza
August 10, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — After initially finding no grounds for disciplinary action, the Israeli military later opened an investigation into an artillery bombardment that killed six Palestinian civilians, including an infant, in the Gaza Strip in May.
Hezbollah, Israel trade fire in dangerous Mideast escalation
August 6, 2021 GMTBEIRUT (AP) — The militant Hezbollah group fired a barrage of rockets toward Israel on Friday, and Israel hit back with artillery in a significant escalation between the two sides.
It was the third day of attacks along the volatile border with Lebanon, a major Middle East flashpoint where tensions between Israel and Iran, which backs Hezbollah, occasionally play out.
Israeli court’s compromise would avoid Palestinian evictions
August 3, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's Supreme Court has floated compromises that would block the evictions of dozens of Palestinians in the east Jerusalem of Sheikh Jarrah, where attempts by Jewish settlers to expel them from their homes helped spark an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza militants in May.
Human Rights Watch: Israeli war crimes apparent in Gaza war
July 27, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused the Israeli military of carrying out attacks that “apparently amount to war crimes” during an 11-day war in May against the Hamas militant group.
World Bank estimates cost of rebuilding Gaza at $485M
July 8, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Rebuilding Gaza after the latest devastating war between Israel and the territory's militant Hamas rulers will cost up to $485 million, the World Bank said.
The report says it will take up to $380 million to repair the physical damage alone, with more required for other recovery needs.
In UAE visit, Israeli minister builds ties after Gaza war
June 30, 2021 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israeli's foreign minister acknowledged Wednesday during his first state visit to the United Arab Emirates that when tensions flare in Jerusalem, it reverberates across the region.
UN urges Israel to halt building of settlements immediately
June 25, 2021 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations on Thursday accused Israel of flagrantly violating international law by expanding settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, saying settlements are illegal and urging the country’s new government to halt their enlargement immediately.
Israel strikes Gaza after Hamas fires incendiary balloons
June 17, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip late Thursday for a second time since a shaky cease-fire ended last month's 11-day war. The strikes came after activists mobilized by Gaza's militant Hamas rulers launched incendiary balloons into Israel for a third straight day.
Israeli airstrikes target Gaza sites, first since cease-fire
June 16, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli airstrikes hit militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, and Palestinians responded by sending a series of fire-carrying balloons back across the border for a second straight day — further testing the fragile cease-fire that ended last month’s war between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli airstrikes target Gaza sites, first since cease-fire
June 16, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli aircraft carried out a series of airstrikes at militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, the first such raids since a shaky cease-fire ended the war with Hamas last month.
Israel OKs contentious Jerusalem march, weeks after war
June 14, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's new government on Monday approved a contentious parade by Israeli nationalists through Palestinian areas around Jerusalem's Old City, setting the stage for possible renewed confrontations just weeks after an 11-day war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
No ‘provoking’: Israeli official vows quieter tone with US
June 4, 2021 GMTIsrael's visiting defense minister said Thursday that it will stay engaged as the U.S. tries to return to a nuclear deal with Iran, sidestepping what's long been an area of open disagreement between the United States and the now-jeopardized government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Gaza’s bereaved civilians fear justice will never come
June 2, 2021 GMTGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The al-Kawlaks, a family of four generations living next door to each other in downtown Gaza City, were utterly unprepared for the inferno.
Like others, they were terrified by the heavy bombing in Israel's fourth war with Gaza's Hamas rulers that began May 10.
Israeli official rolls back army chief comments on AP Gaza
June 1, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s defense minister on Monday distanced himself from comments made by his military chief after Israel bombed a Gaza Strip high-rise housing an Associated Press office and other news outlets, saying the remarks were not meant to be taken literally.
US Sen Cruz: Biden showed ‘weakness,’ emboldened Hamas
May 31, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on Monday accused President Joe Biden of being soft on Israel's foes and inviting further violence during a deadly 11-day war that left Israelis rattled and turned parts of the Gaza Strip to rubble.
After Gaza war, Hamas chief calls for Israel prisoner swap
May 31, 2021 GMTGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas's top leader in the Gaza Strip on Monday expressed optimism about reaching a prisoner exchange with Israel, while Egyptian mediators seek to hammer out a long-term cease-fire following an 11-day war in the Gaza Strip earlier this month.
UN rights chief: Israeli strikes in Gaza may be war crimes
May 27, 2021 GMTGENEVA (AP) — The top U.N. human rights body on Thursday passed a resolution aimed to intensify scrutiny of Israel's treatment of Palestinians, after the U.N. rights chief said Israeli forces may have committed war crimes and faulted the militant group Hamas for violations of international law in their 11-day war this month.
UAE and Israel press ahead with ties after Gaza cease-fire
May 27, 2021 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel's top diplomat to the United Arab Emirates attended a ceremony in Dubai on the grounds of the Arabian Peninsula's first permanent exhibition to commemorate the Holocaust.
Hamas leader says 80 fighters killed in war with Israel
May 26, 2021 GMTGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas’ leader in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday said 80 militants were killed during the 11-day war with Israel that ended last week, providing the group’s first official tally for losses sustained in the fighting.
Hezbollah leader: Breach of Jerusalem means regional war
May 25, 2021 GMTBEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s militant group Hezbollah said Tuesday any violations of Jerusalem and the sites holy to Muslims and Christians would lead to a regional war.
Speaking for the first time since the cease-fire ending the 11-day war between Hamas and Israel, Hassan Nasrallah said Gaza’s militant groups have proved that no one can sit idle when Israel attacks the holy sites or tries to undermine the Palestinians' right to the city.
American Jews take stock of internal divisions, antisemitism
May 25, 2021 GMTAs fighting between Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers raged before last week's cease-fire, U.S. rabbinical student Max Buchdahl wanted to be considerate of those in his community who are emotionally connected to Israel — but he also wanted to support Palestinians.
Blinken off to Mideast to secure Gaza truce, push for aid
May 24, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken took off for the Middle East on Monday to press the Israelis, Palestinians and regional players to build on and strengthen last week’s Gaza cease-fire, start an immediate flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and lay the groundwork for an eventual resumption in long-stalled peace talks.
Israeli soldier, civilian wounded in Jerusalem stabbing
May 24, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli soldier and a civilian were stabbed near a light rail station in east Jerusalem on Monday before the assailant was shot and killed by police, who described it as a terrorist attack.
Israeli police escort Jews to flashpoint Jerusalem site
May 23, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police escorted more than 250 Jewish visitors Sunday to a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem where clashes between police and Palestinian protesters helped trigger a war in Gaza, according to the Islamic authority overseeing the site.
Hamas defiant with military parade, appearance of top leader
May 22, 2021 GMTGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hundreds of masked Hamas fighters brandishing assault rifles paraded in Gaza City and the group’s top leader made his first public appearance on Saturday, in a defiant show of strength after the militants' 11-day war with Israel.
The Latest: UN Security Council urges aid for Palestinians
May 22, 2021 GMTUNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council is welcoming the cease-fire between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers and calls for full adherence to the cessation of hostilities.
Saturday's statement was approved by all 15 members of the council.
Palestinians see victory in Gaza truce as Israel warns Hamas
May 21, 2021 GMTGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinians rallied by the thousands Friday after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war, with many viewing it as a costly but clear victory for the Islamic militant group Hamas.
Hour-by-hour: Biden’s behind-the-scenes push for cease-fire
May 21, 2021 GMTThe diplomatic flurry was over and Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu was on the phone telling President Joe Biden that it appeared the furious fighting between Israel and Hamas was about to end.
But Biden remained wary even after the afternoon phone call with the prime minister.
EXPLAINER: What was the outcome of the latest Gaza war?
May 21, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — The cease-fire that took effect Friday appears to have halted 11 days of fighting between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers, without resolving any of the underlying issues in the decades-old Middle East conflict.
Indonesia Muslims protest at US Embassy over Israel strikes
May 21, 2021 GMTJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — More than a thousand Muslims rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia’s capital on Friday to denounce American support for Israel and demand an end to Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
On the sidelines, Hezbollah looms large over Gaza battle
May 21, 2021 GMTBEIRUT (AP) — Ever since their last war in 2006, Israel and Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militia have constantly warned that a new round between them is inevitable. Yet once again, a potential trigger has gone unpulled.
Violence tests Biden’s pullback from Middle East hotspots
May 21, 2021 GMTSurges in violence and scenes of civilian suffering are testing President Joe Biden’s resolve to wrench America’s foreign policy focus and troops away from the hotspots of the Middle East and Afghanistan, and giving ammunition to Biden’s political rivals at home.
Israel, Hamas agree to cease-fire to end bloody 11-day war
May 21, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire Thursday, halting a bruising 11-day war that caused widespread destruction in the Gaza Strip, brought life in much of Israel to a standstill and left more than 200 people dead.
The Latest: UN chief welcomes cease-fire, urges negotiations
May 21, 2021 GMTUNITED NATIONS — The United Nations chief is urging Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers to observe their cease-fire, and he says the international community must develop a reconstruction package “that supports the Palestinian people and strengthens their institutions.”
Violence tests Biden’s pullback from Middle East hotspots
May 21, 2021 GMTSurges in violence and scenes of civilian suffering are testing President Joe Biden’s resolve to wrench America’s foreign policy focus and troops away from the hotspots of the Middle East and Afghanistan, and giving ammunition to Biden’s political rivals at home.
Biden hails Israel-Hamas cease-fire, sees ‘opportunity’
May 21, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday hailed the cease-fire in the fighting between Israel and Hamas, saying he sees a “genuine opportunity” toward the larger goal of building a lasting peace in the Middle East.
Netanyahu’s prospects bolstered amid Israel-Hamas fighting
May 20, 2021 GMTJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has been at war with Hamas, Jewish-Arab mob violence has erupted inside Israel, and the West Bank is experiencing its deadliest unrest in years. Yet this may all bolster Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
AP Interview: Hamas official says ‘no shortage of missiles’
May 20, 2021 GMTBEIRUT (AP) — As the Gaza fighting wound down and expectations of a truce rose, a senior Hamas official said in an interview Thursday that the Palestinian militant group has “no shortage of missiles” and could continue bombarding Israel for months if it chose to do so.
EXPLAINER: How did Hamas grow its arsenal to strike Israel?
May 20, 2021 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — In this fourth war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers, the Islamic militant group has fired more than 4,000 rockets at Israel, some hitting deeper in Israeli territory and with greater accuracy than ever before.
DIARY: Fleeing bombs, trying to endure in a city under fire
May 20, 2021 GMTGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Are the Israeli airstrikes following us? If you're in Gaza City these days, no matter who you are, that's an easy thing to believe.
No one knows where the next explosion will be, or when.
Biden and Netanyahu face rough early test of relationship
May 20, 2021 GMTPresident Joe Biden's efforts to persuade Benjamin Netanyahu to halt military strikes against Hamas in Gaza are plunging the two leaders into a difficult early test of the U.S.-Israeli relationship.
Gaza’s health system buckling under repeated wars, blockade
May 20, 2021 GMTGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Gaza Strip’s already feeble health system is being brought to its knees by the fourth war in just over a decade.
Hospitals have been overwhelmed with waves of dead and wounded from Israel’s bombardment.
Biden and Netanyahu face rough early test of relationship
May 20, 2021 GMTPresident Joe Biden's efforts to persuade Benjamin Netanyahu to halt military strikes against Hamas in Gaza are plunging the two leaders into a difficult early test of the U.S.-Israeli relationship.
The Latest: US opposes UN resolution for Gaza cease-fire
May 19, 2021 GMTUNITED NATIONS — The United States opposes a draft U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers. The U.S. says it could interfere with the Biden administration’s efforts to end the hostilities.
Israel’s Netanyahu ‘determined’ to continue Gaza operation
May 19, 2021 GMTGAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Wednesday to press ahead with a fierce military offensive in the Gaza Strip, pushing back against calls from the United States to wind down the operation that has left hundreds dead.