By WAFAA SHURAFA and TIA GOLDENBERG

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 92 people, including women, children and a local journalist, officials said Wednesday, as Israel prepares to ramp up its campaign in the strip, with the devastating war now entering its 20th month.

Two Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday in central Gaza killed at least 33 people and wounded 86, including several children, though the actual death toll is likely higher, according to health officials.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the strikes.

The new bloodshed comes days after Israel approved a plan to intensify its operations in the Palestinian enclave, which would include seizing Gaza, holding on to captured territories, forcibly displacing Palestinians to southern Gaza and taking control of aid distribution along with private security companies.

Israel is also calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers to carry out the plan. Israel says the plan will be gradual and will not be implemented until after U.S. President Donald Trump wraps up his visit to the region later this month.

Any escalation of fighting would likely drive up the death toll. And with Israel already controlling some 50% of Gaza, increasing its hold on the territory, for an indefinite amount of time, could open up the potential for a military occupation, which would raise questions about how Israel plans to have the territory governed, especially at a time when it is considering how to implement Trump’s vision to take over Gaza.

The Israeli offensive has so far killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials who do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel blames Hamas for the death toll, saying it operates from civilian infrastructure, including schools. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Strikes target crowds in Gaza City

Wednesday’s strikes included two attacks on a crowded market area in Gaza City, health officials said.

Footage posted online reportedly showed the aftermath with men found dead, including one still seated in a chair inside a Thai restaurant, used by locals as a gathering spot, and several children lying motionless on the ground, covered in blood.

Journalist Yahya Sobeih, who freelanced for several local outlets, was among those killed, according to Gaza’s media office. He had shared a photo on Instagram of his newborn baby girl.

Victims of the blasts, some with severe injuries, were taken to nearby Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza health ministry spokesperson Zaher al-Wahidi told The Associated Press.

An attack Tuesday night on a school sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians killed 27 people, officials from the Al-Aqsa Hospital said, including nine women and three children. The school has been struck repeatedly since the war began. Earlier, a strike on another school turned shelter in Gaza City killed 16 people, according to officials at Al-Ahli Hospital, while strikes in other areas killed at least 16 others.

In Bureij, an urban refugee camp, paramedics and rescuers rushed to pull people out of a blaze after a large column of smoke and fires pierced the dark skies above the school shelter.

Trump jars Israelis with remark on hostage figures

The war began when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

Trump on Tuesday stunned many in Israel when he declared that only 21 of the 59 hostages remaining in Gaza are still alive. Israel insists the figure stands at 24, although an Israeli official said there was “serious concern” for the lives of three captives. The official said there has been no sign of life from those three, whom the official did not identify. He said that until there is evidence proving otherwise, the three are considered to be alive. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details related to the war, said the families of the captives were updated on those developments.

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The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing the families of the captives, demanded from Israel’s government that if there is “new information being kept from us, give it to us immediately.” It also called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the war in Gaza until all hostages are returned. “This is the most urgent and important national mission,” it said on a post on X.

Since Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas in mid-March, it has unleashed fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds and captured swaths of territory. Before the truce ended, Israel halted all humanitarian aid into the territory, including food, fuel and water, setting off what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis in 19 months of war.

Key interlocutors Qatar and Egypt said Wednesday that mediation efforts were “ongoing and consistent.” But Israel and Hamas remain far apart on how they see the war ending. Israel says it won’t end the war until Hamas’ governing and military capabilities are dismantled, something it has failed to do in 19 months of war.

Hamas says it is prepared to release all of the hostages for an end to the war and a long-term truce with Israel.

The US-Houthi deal does not appear to cover Israel

Against the backdrop of the plans to intensify the campaign in Gaza, fighting has also escalated between Israel and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The Houthis fired a ballistic missile earlier this week that landed on the grounds of Israel’s main international airport. Israel responded with a series of airstrikes over two days, whose targets included the airport in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

The Houthis have been striking Israel and targets in a main Red Sea shipping route since the war began in solidarity with the Palestinians. On Tuesday, Trump said the U.S. would halt a nearly two-monthlong campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, after the rebel group agreed not to target U.S. ships.

Israel does not appear to be covered by the U.S.-Houthi agreement.

The Israeli official said the deal came as a surprise to Israel and that it was concerned by it because of what it meant for the continuation of hostilities between it and the Houthis.

Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press reporter Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.

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

All-American forward Abbey Murphy is returning to the University of Minnesota women’s hockey program for her final season of eligibility, head coach Brad Frost announced on Wednesday.

“We are ecstatic that Murph has chosen to come back,” Frost said in a statement. “She is a staple within our Gopher program and women’s hockey worldwide. Our team and college hockey will be better with her in it.”

Murphy, a senior last season, finished with a career-high 65 points during the 2024-25 season, second in the nation in goals (33) and fourth in point. She has the opportunity to return because of an Olympic redshirt during the 2021-22 season and an extra year of eligibility that was granted in 2020 due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19.

“I’m beyond excited to announce I will be coming back for my final year of college hockey,” Murphy said in a statement. “I am pumped for another go around with this team. It’s been a great ride but we’re not done yet.”

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By REBECCA BOONE, Associated Press

It may feel like you have to attend law school to understand the American legal system. However, that is not the case. We broke down some of the most common legal terms used in the lawsuits surrounding the Trump administration.

What’s the general process for a lawsuit?

Lawsuits are sometimes called “complaints” for good reason: They tell a judge about something that allegedly caused you harm, and why you think someone else is to blame. Lawsuits also include a request for the kind of “relief” sought, like money or an order stopping the harmful actions.

The person being sued is always given a chance to respond. They might tell the judge the lawsuit is wrong, argue that someone else is to blame, or say the conduct wasn’t actually harmful. Often, the person being sued will file a “motion to dismiss,” asking the judge to reject the lawsuit entirely.

What’s a plaintiff?

The people who file a lawsuit are the “plaintiffs,” and the people being sued are the “defendants.” If a lawsuit is brought on behalf of a big group of people, it might become a “class action” lawsuit.

What’s a TRO? And what’s a PI?

Resolving a lawsuit can take months, so plaintiffs often ask the judge to temporarily stop the defendants from doing whatever allegedly caused the harm while the case is decided.

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A “temporary restraining order” or “TRO” is a short-term emergency order designed to stop immediate, irreparable harm.

A “preliminary injunction” or “PI” lasts until the lawsuit is resolved. A PI typically isn’t granted unless the plaintiff shows they are likely to “succeed on the merits,” or win the case.

What’s the difference between an appeal and a stay?

If one side thinks the judge made the wrong call, they can ”appeal” by asking a higher court to decide if the ruling was correct.

They can also ask for a “stay,” which puts a judge’s order on pause while a dispute or appeal is worked out.

What does contempt of court mean?

If someone disobeys a court order or disrespects the judicial process, the judge might hold them in “contempt of court.”

Contempt of court convictions can carry big penalties, including fines or imprisonment. The punishments are designed to pressure the troublesome party to comply, so they typically end once the disobedience stops.

What’s ‘discovery,’ and why is some ‘privileged?’

“Discovery” happens when both sides request information from each other as they search for facts supporting their side of the case. Discovery can include witness names, documents, or sworn statements from people.

If one side thinks something should be kept confidential, they might claim “privilege.” Attorney-client communications are generally privileged. “State secrets” privilege is invoked if the government thinks sharing the information would put national security at risk.

Why all the jargon?

Legal terms carry very specific definitions. The jargon can feel fussy, but it’s all meant to help lawyers and judges avoid any ambiguity.

For instance, the term “jurisdiction” refers to whether a court has the authority to decide a case. It might seem simpler to just use the word “venue,” but there are many different types of legal jurisdiction, and the word venue just doesn’t cover it all.

Jurisdiction can be based on a geographic area or on the subject matter of the lawsuit. It can even be based on timing, or which court gets first dibs on a case.

The U.S.-Mexico border is perhaps the most widely discussed and poorly understood region in the country.

MAGA influencers and nationalistic politicians have inaccurately portrayed border communities as dangerous crime hotspots akin to a warzone and overwhelmed by asylum-seekers. In reality, border communities—at least on the U.S. side—are some of the country’s safest.

Joe Frank Martinez is the sheriff of Val Verde County, home to the border city of Del Rio. He’s a conservative Democrat: He’s pro-gun and anti-abortion, and he supports Governor Greg Abbott’s multi-billion-dollar Operation Lone Star militarization mission, which has flooded South Texas with police and soldiers and new stretches of border wall.

In summer 2021, Del Rio was thrown into the national spotlight when nearly 20,000 Haitian migrants came to the city’s border to seek refuge.

In recent years, previously Democratic strongholds among the state’s border communities have shifted to the right politically as Trump has made significant gains among Latino Texans, including in 81-percent-Hispanic Val Verde County. In the 2016 presidential election, only 43 percent of voters in Val Verde went for Trump. In 2024, that number increased to almost 63 percent. 

A county top cop’s job is local policing, but even Martinez’s position has recently been politicized, and some of his community members expect him to take a tougher stance on immigration. In his most recent bid for sheriff, he was pressured to change parties, but he prevailed easily as a Democrat.

The Texas Observer spoke to Martinez about Operation Lone Star, South Texas voters’ rightward shift, and the realities of living on the border.

TO: Border crossings are at a historic low. Do you think Texas should cut back on Operation Lone Star funding?

I don’t, not at this time. I agree with the stance that the governor’s taking. We have a processing center [for Operation Lone Star] that was very instrumental in the arrests that DPS was making initially. In Val Verde County, there’s 443 charges pending on individuals that did not appear to court. I know that in Kinney County, there’s a little over 1,900. There’s 100-something in Dimmit [County]. All these individuals are gonna be arrested somewhere throughout the state—and they’re gonna be brought back to the county of arrest. So you can’t burden the local jails to house these individuals. My taxpayers shouldn’t be burdened with that financial loss. 

OLS funds need to be looked at different. How can they still continue to support what’s going on? At the front door, you were there to make all the arrests. But at the back door, you still have to wait for the prosecution. A lot of these individuals are coming back to those counties where they were arrested. So don’t pull the rug out from under us just yet.

Immigration enforcement has historically been the role of the federal government, but the push for an expansion of 287(g) agreements expands those duties to local beat cops and sheriff’s deputies. Do you view immigration enforcement as a job that should also be tasked to local law enforcement? 

I do not, not in our communities. We’re right at the front line, so we have plenty of Border Patrol agents to do their job. If we make a detention of an individual whose immigration status is questioned, we’re gonna call Border Patrol. I may have three to four deputies work in a single shift, patrolling 3,200 square miles. I’m not gonna deprive my citizens of calls for service because my deputies are tied up handling an immigration issue. It’d take anywhere from two to three minutes to get a Border Patrol agent on site. So we’ll just turn it over to Border Patrol.

What misconceptions do you think Americans have about life in border communities?

They don’t know what we experience—or don’t experience—on a day-to-day basis. Some of those people that are commenting or viewing from a million miles away don’t have a clue. I invite those people to come to the border and take a tour of the border at any time. Give me a call. Right now, they’re not gonna see anything, ’cause nothing’s happening. Governor Abbott has a border wall that is being constructed there in Val Verde County from Lake Amistad south along the river to Del Rio. And that’s gonna help protect my community. 

My disagreement with that is that it put some of my residents on the wrong side of that wall. About 87-88 residents. Those people that have lived out there, overall, their entire lives. Some of those are absentee owners. I visited … with a handful of them. They don’t like looking at the structure. But for safety, they know what they need to do to protect their property. They can’t leave anything laying out in their yard because it might get hauled off. Somebody swims across the river and loads it on a boat, takes it back or whatever. So there’s mixed feelings on that. But for the most part, that wall … is really going to help [with] moving the flow of traffic away from my community. 

In recent years, voters in many Texas border counties have moved to the right politically. Have you felt the impact of this shift in your community?

So at the local level, no. At the federal level, because of the previous administration, you could feel that shift, people going to the right. I might have lost some voters for my stance. I came out on top in that election, so that’s all that matters. I will continue to maintain my principles. I’m more conservative, more middle of the road. In our county government, we have five or six elected Republicans; everybody else is a Democrat.

You were pressured to change parties in this recent election, correct? What was that like and why did you choose to not change parties?

I want to stand on my morals and principles. I saw back in the ’60s and ’70s when my dad fought for the underprivileged in our communities. I helped as a young kid [to] dig post holes to put a mailbox on for the people that had no mail service, and that’s what that group was fighting for back in the day. This is a group of people that were Democrat back in the day. Friends of my dad. That’s what they fought for, to be equal. They had no mail service, some of our colonias. Just because I don’t agree with what they’re doing at the federal level, I’m not gonna abandon my beliefs just to go along with the flow. My beliefs and principles have remained steady and I’m not going to change. 

Have your community’s expectations of your job changed as a result of increased border crossings in recent years?

There’s a group on the far right that wishes I’d done things a little bit different. There’s a photo out there of me helping a lady and a child out of the river. They were already on U.S. soil. What kind of human would I be if I couldn’t help a fellow human? What that picture doesn’t show is that that lady and that child were turned over to Border Patrol immediately within 30 seconds. Throughout my community, there’s guys that won’t talk to me because I helped the lady out of the river. Technically, she was in the U.S. already. It was no different than if I’m with somebody that’s coming across private land somewhere and is dehydrated or whatever, with me helping them by giving them water. No different.

When you recently introduced Governor Abbott to give a speech at the Texas Border Sheriff’s Coalition conference, you spoke about a 2021 event in Del Rio that you referred to as “the Haitian invasion”, as if the migrants were trying to cross for a foreign army. Why did you use the term “invasion”? 

People have classified it as an invasion. That comes from the federal government, or comes from comments made by the public. There were masses of people. There [were] 19,000 people underneath that bridge, and they were just coming and going as they pleased. I guess that’s how I’ve referred to it. “Haitian invasion” just sounds right. People were coming and going, nothing was being done. It does ring like a military term, but I’m not a military person. My federal partners and my state partners and my deputies, they struggled over those 16 days trying to make sure that nobody died. There was … one baby born underneath that bridge. Things were out of control.

I was asking if you view that—to call it “invasion”—as dehumanizing language. I was wondering how you square that up with the fact that you also helped people out of the river.

I picked it up from comments being made at that time by either some of our federal or state representatives. I don’t know. … It’s a term that just stuck. To change it now to something else—you know, I’m not going to do that. The situation has kind of calmed down. So I have to think about that question, your questioning on the term of “invasion,” and evaluate it, see how I move forward. 

Is there anything else that you wish people knew about your job as a border sheriff? 

Before people start commenting on the border, come visit the border. Right now there’s nothing going on. I took a group … of about 12-14 people to the border. They thought it was a war zone. I took them on a border tour [during the Biden administration]. Their tone changed completely. They thought they had to wear helmets and vests and all that kind of stuff. It’s not a war zone. These [migrants] are people that try to come across to find a better way of life. At the same time, they see what I go through, so it kind of puts it into perspective. They’re not looking at it anymore from a million miles away. They’re right there. I invite you to go to the border.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The post ‘It’s Not a War Zone’: Val Verde County’s Conservative Democratic Sheriff on Misinformation, Immigration appeared first on The Texas Observer.