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Biden faces divisions over his support of IsraelPresident Biden is facing deep anger over his solidarity with Israel among his supporters and even from some staff members, particularly those with Arab or Muslim backgrounds, who have said they feel disenchanted with the president. And for many in the Arab community, his words and actions after the Oct. 7 attacks have left them feeling like an afterthought in the war between Israel and Hamas.Biden administration officials say the president’s support for Israel’s right to defend itself after Hamas’s deadly assault is only part of the story, and that Biden’s stance has allowed him to wield influence with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on issues like humanitarian aid and to make more forceful calls for the protection of Palestinian civilians...

Hamas released a group of 12 hostages on Tuesday, most of them Israelis or dual nationals but also including two Thai nationals, all of whom had been kidnapped during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.It was the fifth group to be released since Friday, when a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas went into effect.Here’s what we know about the Israeli hostages released on Tuesday.Clara Marman, 63; Mia Leimberg, 17; Gabriela Leimberg, 59Clara Marman, Mia Leimberg and Gabriela Leimberg.Credit...Hostages and Missing Families ForumMs. Marman, 63, a member of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, was taken hostage on Oct. 7, along with her partner, Luis Norberto Har, and three visiting family members: a brother, Fernando Marman, 60; a sister, Gabriela Leimberg, 59; and Ms. Leimberg’s 17-ye...

On a cool Saturday morning, in a hotel basement in Beijing, throngs of young Chinese gathered to do what millions had done before them: dream of an American education.At a college fair organized by the United States Embassy, the students and their parents hovered over rows of booths advertising American universities. As a mascot of a bald eagle worked the crowd, they posed eagerly for photos.But beneath the festive atmosphere thrummed a note of anxiety. Did America still want Chinese students? And were Chinese students sure they wanted to go to America?“We see the negative news, so it’s better to be careful,” said Zhuang Tao, the father of a college senior considering graduate school in the United States, Australia and Britain. He had read the frequent headlines about gun violence, anti-As...

In response to the devastating Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, the group that controls the Gaza Strip, Israel imposed what it called a complete siege — cutting off almost all water, food, electricity and fuel for the more than two million Palestinians living in Gaza. It also launched thousands of airstrikes on the enclave and sent in ground forces to try to root out Hamas.A brief cease-fire, the first since the war began seven weeks ago, began to take hold on Friday, and as part of a hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas, dozens of trucks with water and other vital humanitarian aid crossed into Gaza.Still, it was far less than what typically came into the territory before the war, and there was no indication that the freer flow of aid would last beyond the four-day agreed truce.Befo...

The deal came after an Israeli offer to continue the cease-fire by one day for every additional 10 hostages released, who would be exchanged for 30 Palestinians in Israeli prisons.The Israeli hostages released on Monday were three women and eight children, all of them kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7, when more than 200 people were seized and taken to Gaza.They included Sharon Alony Cunio, 34, and her twin 3-year-old daughters, Emma and Yuli Cunio, three of the six members of their family who were taken hostage. David Cunio, the twins’ father and Ms. Cunio’s husband, is believed to still be in Gaza. Her sister and niece were released on Friday.The French government said three of those released on Monday were dual Israeli-French citizens. A numb...

The five gunmen who attacked a chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday and were later captured by the U.S. Navy were Somali pirates, American officials said Monday.The five were in the custody of the U.S. Navy and were being questioned, U.S. officials said. The officials said the Somali pirates had no apparent connection to Iran or to Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are supported by Tehran.More than 16 hours after the attempted takeover of the tanker, two ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen toward the site of the attempted hijacking, though the missiles landed 10 nautical miles away from the U.S.S. Mason, the ship that responded to the attempted piracy and captured the gunmen.A U.S. official said that episode was still being investigated to see if it was a...

Here’s what we know about the Israeli citizens released on Sunday.Avigail Idan, 4Avigail IdanCredit...Hostages and Missing Families ForumAvigail’s parents, Roy Idan, 43, and Smadar Idan, 38, were killed in Kfar Aza during the Oct. 7 attack. Her two siblings Michael, 9, and Amelia, 6, both survived.Avigail, who is a dual Israeli and U.S. citizen, turned 4 years old while in captivity. Her name has also been spelled “Abigail” in the U.S. media. President Biden has discussed Avigail in his public remarks and expressed particular gratitude for her release when he spoke to reporters on Sunday before leaving for Washington from Nantucket, Mass., where he marked the Thanksgiving holiday.Avigail’s uncle and aunt, Amit and Tal Idan, have been taking care of her siblings since the attack.On the morn...

The NewsThe union representing teachers, counselors and other school employees in Portland, Ore., reached a tentative deal with the city's public school district on Sunday, ending a strike that has kept nearly 45,000 students out of classes for more than three weeks in Oregon’s largest district.Background: The fight was over pay, class sizes and moreThe union, which represents about 3,700 teachers and other school employees, and the district were at odds over pay, class sizes and the amount of time that teachers get to plan, among other issues.The tentative deal includes a 6.25 percent raise for employees in the first year of the contract, followed by 4.5 percent and 3 percent raises in subsequent years, the union announced. That is about in the middle of what the district had offered and ...

On Oct. 7, she witnessed her parents’ murder, before being abducted. On Friday, nearly seven weeks later, she spent her fourth birthday while under captivity. And on Sunday, she was finally freed, as one of the hostages Hamas released under a deal with Israel.Her name is Avigail Idan. Avigail, whose name has also been spelled “Abigail” in U.S. media reports, is a dual citizen of Israel and the United States, and was among the roughly 240 people, including around 10 American citizens, taken as hostages by Hamas on Oct. 7.After Avigail’s release, several members of her family reacted with relief. “We are blessed to give her lots of love and care and to help her build her life again,” Tal Idan, her aunt, wrote in a text message. “Feels like a miracle that came true,” she added.Liz Hirsh Nafta...

Hamas released a second group of 13 Israeli hostages on Saturday as part of a cease-fire deal, a day after it released another 13.Saturday’s group of Israelis — all women and children — included six members of an extended family from the ravaged Israeli border village of Be’eri, all of whom were kidnapped during Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attack in Israel.Here’s what we know about the Israelis released on Saturday. (Read about the Israeli hostages who have already been released here.)Shoshan Haran, 67Shoshan HaranCredit...Rachel Gur, via Associated PressShoshan Haran was taken hostage from Kibbutz Be’eri along with another six members of her extended family. Her husband, Avshalom Haran, was killed in the Oct. 7 assault, as was her sister, Lilach Kipnis, a psychologist and peace activist, and he...