Israel

World News

'Is there any safe place?' Residents say Gaza is under attack like never before

5:44pm October 12, 2023

In response to Hamas' surprise attack, Israel has put Gaza under siege and unleashed heavy bombardments. Gaza residents tell NPR there is no is no place to seek shelter, unlike in previous conflicts.

Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, left, welcomes U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken upon arrival at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, on Thursday.

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Blinken says U.S. will 'always be there' for Israel, urges safety for civilians

4:22pm October 12, 2023

The U.S. secretary of state's trip comes as a humanitarian crisis in Gaza mounts. Palestinian officials say at least 1,350 people have died in Israel's retaliation for the deadly Hamas attacks.

The Iron Dome intercepts rockets fired by Hamas in May 2021.

Here's how Israel's 'Iron Dome' stops rockets — and why Ukraine doesn't have it

2:43pm October 12, 2023

by Manuela López Restrepo

The highly sophisticated, multibillion-dollar defense system has been under constant redevelopment since its inception in the early 2000s. Here's how it works.

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Rockets are fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza toward Israel on Oct. 10.

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What did Hamas aim to gain by its brazen attack on Israel? Here's what to know

2:42pm October 12, 2023

The surprise attack on Israel has brought the militant group back into the spotlight. A Hamas official tells NPR the attack was meant in part to lead to the release of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

Children play at a kindergarten surrounded by decorated concrete blast walls designed to protect from rocket and mortar fire in 2015 in the southern Israeli Kibbutz of Nahal Oz near the border with the Gaza Strip.

What is a kibbutz? The roots of Israel's communal villages where violence raged

12:17pm October 12, 2023

by Becky Sullivan

The small, quiet enclaves have long thrived on leftist ideas about collective living. Those located near Gaza suffered some of the worst of the Hamas attacks, with hundreds reported dead.

Israeli forces strike a residential tower in Gaza City on Thursday.

World News

An overdue reunion became a nightmare for this American family now trapped in Gaza

12:10pm October 12, 2023

Wafaa Abuzayda, her husband and baby were visiting family in Gaza when the fighting broke out. Now they're trapped and running low on diapers and milk. She says the U.S. embassy isn't helping.

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Palestinians attend a rally in support of Hamas and the Gaza Strip in the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday.

Why Hamas and Israel reached this moment now — and what comes next

5:06pm October 11, 2023

by Fatma Tanis

The conflict is expected to escalate even further in the coming days. But for now, Hamas sees itself with the upper hand.

An Israeli army self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on Wednesday.

World News

Power goes out in Gaza, as Israel tightens siege and bombs the Palestinian territory

4:07pm October 11, 2023

by Daniel Estrin

Israel carried out a fifth day of bombardments across the Gaza Strip as the Palestinian territory lost electricity, following one of the deadliest attacks against Israel in history.

Ido Dan, an uncle to three children feared abducted by Hamas and taken to Gaza, stands for a portrait with his twin daughters. The remnants of their sixth birthday party, which took place the same day as the incursion, are still around the house.

Families of hostages taken by Hamas militants are desperate amid threats of execution

3:52pm October 11, 2023

Many Israelis are frantically looking for clues about loved ones believed to be held in Gaza. Ido Dan keeps watching a video that appears to show Hamas militants kidnapping his 12-year-old nephew.

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Smoke billows during Israeli strikes on Gaza City on Tuesday.

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What is the Gaza Strip? Here's what to know

8:43pm October 10, 2023

by Fatima Al-Kassab

With high poverty and unemployment and severe restrictions on movement, life in the Gaza Strip was already difficult before Israel's retaliatory offensive began this week in response to Hamas attacks.