What happened?
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began Monday with no cease-fire in Gaza. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparred over the weekend about the high death toll and humanitarian crisis and Israel's plans to attack Rafah, a last refuge for about half of Gaza's 2.2 million residents.
Who said what?
Netanyahu has a "right to defend Israel" and "pursue Hamas," but an attack that leaves "30,000 more Palestinians dead" is a "red line," Biden told MSNBC. "In my view, he's hurting Israel more than helping Israel." Netanyahu told Politico that whatever Biden meant, he is "wrong" if he thinks Netanyahu is "pursuing private policies" that go against the "wish of the majority of Israelis." He said Israel still plans to attack Rafah.
The commentary
The U.S. "lost faith in Netanyahu and it's not surprising," Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said. "Half of his Cabinet has lost faith in him as has the majority of Israel's citizens." Even a more moderate Israeli leader "wouldn't do things significantly differently" in Gaza, Eytan Gilboa, an expert on U.S.-Israel relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, told The Associated Press. Nobody "of sound mind here" is "willing to leave Hamas in Gaza."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Ramadan is typically a month of "dawn-to-dusk fasting," The New York Times said, but "that seems far away" in Gaza, where "people are so hungry that some have resorted to eating leaves and animal feed."
-
How coupling up became cringeTalking Point For some younger women, going out with a man – or worse, marrying one – is distinctly uncool
-
The rapid-fire brilliance of Tom StoppardIn the Spotlight The 88-year-old was a playwright of dazzling wit and complex ideas
-
How your household budget could look in 2026The Explainer The government is trying to balance the nation’s books but energy bills and the cost of food could impact your finances
-
GOP wins tight House race in red Tennessee districtSpeed Read Republicans maintained their advantage in the House
-
Trump targets ‘garbage’ Somalis ahead of ICE raidsSpeed Read The Department of Homeland Security will launch an immigration operation targeting Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
-
Hegseth blames ‘fog of war’ for potential war crimespeed read ‘I did not personally see survivors,’ Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting
-
Canada joins EU’s $170B SAFE defense fundspeed read This makes it the first non-European Union country in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative
-
Appeals court disqualifies US Attorney Alina HabbaSpeed Read The former personal attorney to President Donald Trump has been unlawfully serving as US attorney for New Jersey, the ruling says
-
White House says admiral ordered potential war crimeSpeed Read The Trump administration claims Navy Vice Adm. Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley ordered a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat, not Pete Hegseth
-
‘The choice isn’t between domestic and foreign talent; the nation was built on both’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Honduras votes amid Trump push, pardon vowspeed read President Trump said he will pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who is serving 45 years for drug trafficking
