The strikes came after

Netanyahu has rejected the notion of Gaza being run by the more moderate Palestinian Authority, but has offered no concrete alternative. He opposes statehood for Palestinians in Gaza or the West Bank.Opinion polls consistently show that only a minority of Palestinians support Hamas, and there have been

and the war. Still, many Palestinians see armed resistance as the only path to statehood because negotiations and forms of nonviolent resistance have largely failed.Founded in the late 1980s, the Islamic militant group —, with an armed wing, a political party, media and charities. Over 18 years of rule in Gaza, it built a network of underground tunnels, rocket launchers, and weapons caches — some of which remains intact despite Israel’s campaign.

People take part in a protest demanding the end of the war and immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, May 3, 2025.(AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)People take part in a protest demanding the end of the war and immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, May 3, 2025.(AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Two far-right parties who prop up Netanyahu’s governing coalition hold the key to his political survival. They have threatened to topple the government if the war ends with Hamas intact. One party briefly quit the coalition over a recent ceasefire deal, only to return when fighting resumed.

If both leave, it could bring down the government and trigger early elections. Public opinion polls throughout the war have consistently shown that Netanyahu would struggle to form a coalition government in new elections, endangering his nearly uninterrupted 16-year rule.A drone struck and ignited a fire at a petrol station in the center of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.

Following the attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia had ignored a U.S. proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire for more than 50 days now.“There were also our proposals — at the very least, to refrain from striking civilian infrastructure and to establish lasting silence in the sky, at sea, and on land,” he said. “Russia has responded to all this with new shelling and new assaults.”

The U.S. and Ukraine on Wednesdaygranting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources, finalizing a deal months in the making that could enable continued military aid to Kyiv amid concerns that President Donald Trump might scale back support in ongoing peace negotiations with Russia.