By WAFAA SHURAFA, SAM METZ and FATMA KHALED, Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel began mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists and repeated evacuation warnings on Tuesday as part of its plan to widen its offensive in Gaza City, which has sparked opposition domestically and condemnation abroad.

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The call-up, which was announced last month, comes as ground and air forces press forward and pursue more targets in northern and central Gaza, striking parts of Zeitoun and Shijaiyah — two western Gaza City neighborhoods that Israeli forces have repeatedly invaded during the nearly two-year war against Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Zeitoun, once Gaza City’s largest neighborhood with markets, schools and clinics, has been transformed over the past month, with streets being emptied and buildings reduced to rubble as it becomes what Israel’s military last week called a “ dangerous combat zone.”

Israel says Gaza City is still a Hamas stronghold where the fighters have a vast tunnel network, despite multiple incursions throughout the war. It’s also one of the last refuges in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are sheltering, facing the twin threats of combat and famine.

Some reservists are refusing to serve again, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political purposes instead of reaching a hostage deal with Hamas. Netanyahu has said that the war will continue until all the hostages are returned and Hamas surrenders.

“We are facing the decisive stage,” Netanyahu said in a video statement addressed to the troops. “With God’s help, together we will win.”

Deadly strikes in Gaza City

Israel on Tuesday repeated earlier warnings to Palestinians who have remained in Gaza City, unconvinced that another displacement will keep them safe.

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned that combat operations would soon be expanding, and that services would be made available in Muwasi, a makeshift tent camp south of Gaza City.

At least 47 people have been killed across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Tuesday, according to hospitals.

A strike on a residential building in Gaza City’s Tel al-Hawa neighborhood killed 15 people, including at least three children, according to Shifa Hospital.

Rescue workers pulled a bloodied infant alive from beneath rubble, and then placed the dead under white sheets — a scene that captured the dangers facing Gaza City’s exhausted residents, uprooted time and again and uncertain if any place is secure.

“We were sleeping safe and sound in our home, and then we suddenly woke up to the sound of banging and rising smoke,” Sana Drimli, a resident of the building, told The Associated Press. “We woke up to see what happened to us and check in on our children and discovered that everyone around us is dead,” she said.

Further south, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said that they received 22 casualties killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunfire near distribution sites and in a corridor frequented by U.N. convoys.

In recent months, more than 2,300 aid seekers have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The toll includes Palestinians who have sought aid in areas where U.N. convoys have been overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds, and where people have been fatally shot while heading to sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, an Israeli-backed American contractor.

Israel’s military didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. GHF said that there were no such incidents linked to its sites or on dedicated routes leading to them.

Reservists protest in Tel Aviv

At least 60,000 reservists will be gradually called up, Israel’s military said last month. It will also extend the service of an additional 20,000 reservists already serving.

In Israel, with a population of less than 10 million, most Jewish men complete compulsory military service and remain in the reserves for at least a decade.

But criticism over the war in Gaza is growing. A number of movements are organizing to encourage reservists not to serve, though it’s unclear how many will refuse the latest call-up.

A recently formed group called Soldiers for the Hostages said that it includes more than 365 soldiers who served earlier in the war, but won’t report for duty if called up again.

“Netanyahu’s ongoing war of aggression needlessly puts our own hostages in danger and has wreaked havoc on the fabric of Israeli society, while at the same time killing, maiming and starving an entire population of Gazan civilians,” Max Kresch, a member of the group, told reporters.

Refusing to show up for reserve duty is an offense that can merit prison time, though only a handful of reserve soldiers who have refused to serve have been put in military imprisonment over the course of the war.

Malnutrition and combat tolls grow

Since the world’s leading authority on food crises declared last month that Gaza City was experiencing famine, malnutrition-related deaths have mounted. Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday that a total of 185 people died of malnutrition in August — marking the highest count in months.

A total of 63,633 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the ministry, which says another 160,914 people have been wounded as of Tuesday. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up around half of the dead.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government but staffed by medical professionals. U.N. agencies and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of war casualties. Israel disputes them, but hasn’t provided its own toll.

The war started when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people hostage. Forty-eight hostages are still inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.

Sam Metz reported from Jerusalem. Fatma Khaled in Cairo, and Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem, contributed to this report.

Follow AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

By SAFIYAH RIDDLE, Associated Press/Report For America

The Posse Comitatus Act is a nearly 150-year-old federal law that limits the U.S. military’s role in enforcing domestic laws. At its core, experts say the law reflects America’s long-standing belief that law enforcement should remain in civilian hands, separate from military power.

President Donald Trump has tested the law’s limits in the first few months of his second term, as he expands the footprint of the U.S. military on domestic soil.

Here’s what to know about the law.

Posse Comitatus Act stops military from enforcing US law

The criminal statute prohibits military enforcement of domestic law. It also prevents the military from investigating local crimes, overriding local law enforcement or compelling certain behavior.

There are key exceptions. Congress can vote to suspend the act, or the president can order it suspended in defense of the Constitution. The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows the president to deploy troops during invasions, rebellions or when local authorities can’t maintain order.

National Guard members are under state authority and commanded by governors, so they’re generally exempt. However, the Posse Comitatus Act applies to National Guard forces when they’re “federalized,” meaning the president puts them under his control. That’s what Trump did in California over the governor’s objections.

The military is allowed to share intelligence and certain resources if there’s an overlap with civilian law enforcement jurisdiction, according to the Library of Congress. There’s also an exception for the U.S. Coast Guard, which has some law enforcement responsibilities.

The US Capitol is seen past a member of the South Carolina National Guard standing at the Washington Monument, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

Law was enacted after the Reconstruction era

The law was enacted in 1878 following the post-Civil War era known as Reconstruction. At that time, segregationist lawmakers didn’t want the U.S. military from blocking Jim Crow laws that imposed racial segregation.

But the spirit of the law has roots going all the way back to the Revolutionary War, when the nation’s founders were scarred by the British monarchy’s absolute military control, said William C. Banks, a professor at the Syracuse University College of Law.

“We have a tradition in the United States — which is more a norm than a law — that we want law enforcement to be conducted by civilians, not the military,” Banks said.

Courts have rarely interpreted the Posse Comitatus Act, leaving much of its scope shaped by executive branch policy and military regulations rather than judicial precedent.

Steve Vladeck, a law professor at Georgetown University, notes that this lack of legal rulings makes the law unusual.

“There is no authoritative precedent on exactly where these lines are, and so that’s why over the years the military’s own interpretation has been so important,” Vladeck said.

New tests for the law

A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration violated federal law by sending troops to accompany federal agents on immigration raids in Los Angeles this summer. The ruling does not require the remaining troops to withdraw.

Trump administration attorneys argued the law doesn’t apply because the troops were protecting federal officers, not enforcing laws.

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Trump also sent 800 troops to Washington D.C., saying without substantiation that they were needed to reduce crime in the “lawless” city.

In Washington, a federal district, the president is already in charge of the National Guard and can legally deploy troops for 30 days without congressional approval.

Trump has since discussed sending the National Guard to other Democratic-led cities like Chicago, Baltimore and New York.

Riddle is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press.

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The military will begin sending groups of 150 attorneys — both military and civilians — to the Justice Department “as soon as practicable” and the military services should have the first round of people identified by next week, according to the memo, dated Aug. 27.

The effort comes as the Trump administration cracks down on immigration across the country, ramping up arrests and deportations. Immigration courts also already are dealing with a massive backlog of roughly 3.5 million cases that has ballooned in recent years.

However, numerous immigration judges have been fired or left voluntarily after taking deferred resignations offered by the administration, according to their union. The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, said in July that at least 17 immigration judges had been fired “without cause” in courts across the country.

That has left about 600 immigration judges, union figures show, meaning the Pentagon move will double their ranks.

The move is being done at the request of the Justice Department, and the memo noted that the details will initially last no more than 179 days but can be renewable.

When asked about the move, a DOJ spokesperson referred questions about the plan to the Defense Department. Pentagon officials directed questions to the White House.

A White House official said Tuesday that the administration is looking at a variety of options to help resolve the significant backlog of immigration cases, including hiring additional immigration judges. The official said the matter should be “a priority that everyone — including those waiting for adjudication — can rally around.”

Associated Press writers Will Weissert, Rebecca Santana and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

A Boundary Waters-scented candle, potato salad and high-performance water skis are just a few of the products vying for the title of “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota.”

The first head-to-head bracket of the second annual competition, which is hosted by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and BMO, was announced Tuesday and is now in the hands of the public until a winner is crowned.

The first bracket, which is made up of 64 products, was chosen by a council of industry peers from a list of all the nominations.

“This contest is a chance to shine a spotlight on the innovation, creativity and quality that set Minnesota apart,” said Doug Loon, president and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, in a news release.

Edible contestants include Kraft Heinz’s Velveeta cheese block, Dapper Barons’ Espresso Martini, a jalapeno cream ale from Jack Pine Brewery and, of course, SPAM from Hormel Foods.

Other products showcase the versatility of Minnesota’s landscapes like the Gunflint Canoe Paddle from Sanborn Canoe Company, a teardrop-shaped trailer from Vistabule and an all-terrain military vehicle from Polaris.

More than 40% of Minnesota’s Fortune 500 companies are in manufacturing and more than 320,000 Minnesotans work in the industry, according to the chamber.

Finalists for last year’s inaugural competition included an all-terrain wheelchair, floating wetland islands, a leather boot from Red Wing Shoe Co., and the winner, Scotch Magic Tape from 3M.

“From iconic consumer goods to cutting-edge technology, the variety of entries reflects the strength and diversity of our manufacturing sector,” said Loon. “Now it’s up to Minnesotans to vote for what they think is the coolest thing made in our state.”

Each week, the competition will be cut in half until one product is named the “Coolest Thing Made in Minnesota” at the 2025 Manufacturers’ Summit on Oct. 3.

To cast your vote, go to http://pipr.es/CcOxwe4.

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