Saturday, May 17

The Israeli military has expanded their offensive in Gaza once again, which is the beginning of Operation Gideon's Chariots.

The operation, which was approved around two weeks ago, will see Israeli forces invade Gaza and take as much land as possible. Israel is already bringing tens of thousands of additional soldiers onboard to their military to allow them to complete this mission, which aims to capture as much territory as possible while taking out Hamas operatives and rescuing any hostages still being kept by the terrorist organization.

Now, after two more weeks of failed negotiations, Israel has put their plan into action. Operation Gideon's Chariots, as it is called, has begun, with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) initiating a preliminary incursion into Gaza. They are attempting to move the population once again, this time forcing Palestinians into the southern portion of the strip while the forces move through the rest of Gaza.

Operations in the area have already ramped up, and over 100 people have been killed within the last two days. Israel claims that their primary objective is rescuing all of the hostages, but they are also heavily focusing on wiping out Hamas.

Unfortunately, Palestinians have greatly suffered from this new operation, and it seems that their woes will just continue. Israel continues to block all aid from coming into Gaza, which many countries and the United Nations see as a violation of international law. However, Israel claims that the blockades are necessary to force Hamas to hand over the hostages, meaning that they are unlikely to end anytime soon.

Now, the death toll from the war has exceeded 53,000, and there does not seem to be any end in sight. Millions of Palestinians have been displaced, and most of them have no home to return to. Starvation is simply increasing, and Israel's latest operations are just expected to worsen the situation.

Fact of the Day (BBC): There’s no such thing as a straight line. Zoom in close enough to anything and you’ll spot irregularities. Even a laser light beam is slightly curved.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. (Charles Hoskinson)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Junket (noun, JUNK-ut) - Junket refers to a trip that is paid for by someone else, such as a promotional trip made at another's expense, or an official's trip made at public expense.

In a Sentence: The cast of the widely-acclaimed movie is making press junkets to major cities.