What happened
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis joined a rally in Tel Aviv Sunday evening following a day of nationwide strikes and protests calling for an end to the war in Gaza and a return of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. In the U.S., the Trump administration said it was suspending all visitor visas from Gaza, a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer criticized medical visas for injured Gazan children as a "national security threat."
Who said what
Sunday's Tel Aviv rally was "one of the largest and fiercest" in 22 months of war, The Associated Press said. At least one protester "carried a photo of an emaciated Palestinian child from Gaza," a "once rare" sight in Israel that is increasingly common as "outrage grows over conditions in the territory after more than 250 malnutrition-related deaths."
Loomer "wields extraordinary power in shaping Trump administration decisions over personnel and policy despite not having an official role in government," said The New York Times. She told the paper she spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday night about her concerns with the Gaza visas and an "Islamic invasion."
What next?
Rubio told CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday that he halted the Gaza medical-humanitarian visas after "outreach from multiple congressional offices" about the visas and the groups bringing the injured kids to the U.S. for treatment. "There was just a small number of them issued to children," he said, "but they come with adults accompanying them."
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.
-
October 19 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's editorial cartoons include Pete Hegseth and the press, an absence of government, and George Washington crossing the Delaware
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelagoThe Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
Gaza’s reconstruction: the steps to rebuildingIn The Spotlight Even the initial rubble clearing in Gaza is likely to be fraught with difficulty and very slow
-
Madagascar president in hiding, refuses to resignSpeed Read Andry Rajoelina fled the country amid Gen Z protests and unrest
-
‘Extraordinary asymmetry’: the history of Israeli prisoner swapsIn The Spotlight Exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian detainees is the latest in a series of trades in which Israeli lives appear to count for more
-
Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace planSpeed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
-
Israel intercepts 2nd Gaza aid flotilla in a weekSpeed Read The Israeli military intercepted a flotilla of nine boats with 145 activists aboard along with medical and food aid
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime ministerSpeed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sitesSpeed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
