Chaos in Rafah

Going into Rafah: "The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it had sent tanks into Rafah and established control over the Gaza side of the border crossing with Egypt, in what it called a limited operation aimed at destroying Hamas targets it says were used to attack Israeli soldiers," reports The New York Times. 

The day prior, Israeli authorities had warned Palestinians sheltering in Rafah to move elsewhere, saying an invasion was imminent after Hamas had launched rockets from Rafah that killed four Israeli soldiers. "A sense of panic coursed through Rafah, in southern Gaza, on Monday after Israel issued an evacuation order for parts of the city, which has become home to more than a million Palestinians seeking refuge from seven months of war," reports the Times.

"People dismantled their tents in the pouring rain. Prices for fuel and food skyrocketed. And some weighed the potential risk of staying against the dangers of travel through a war zone."

30 for 1: Right before the invasion started, Hamas claims it agreed to a ceasefire, which was brokered by Egypt and Qatar. But an Israeli official claims that the ceasefire agreed to by Hamas did not include terms that Israel had also agreed to. One major sticking point: "Israel insists on a temporary cease-fire, saying it will keep fighting afterward with the eventual aim of toppling Hamas's rule in Gaza," reports the Times. "Hamas demands a permanent cease-fire and vows to remain in power there."

There are also important basics missing from the ceasefire agreement. "The proposed agreement would also ensure the release of Israeli captives in Gaza as well as an unspecified number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails," reports Al Jazeera. Throughout the proposed deal, Hamas wants a massively imbalanced number of prisoners released back to Gaza. For example: "Hamas shall release all living Israeli captives, including civilian women and children (under the age of 19 who are not soldiers). In return, Israel shall release 30 children and women for every Israeli detainee released, based on lists provided by Hamas, in order of detention." (Emphasis mine.)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that negotiations can continue, but that the ceasefire agreed to by Hamas is "far from Israel's basic requirements." The ground offensive in Rafah is less extensive than the Israeli military had initially advertised. Hamas still called it a "dangerous escalation."

Trump is down: Former President Donald Trump has been threatened by the judge presiding over his criminal hush-money trial with jail time if he violates a gag order that was put in place. But Trump wouldn't necessarily mind jail too much, he claims.

"Frankly our Constitution is much more important than jail," Trump said to the press assembled in the courthouse, per Politico. "It's not even close. I'll do that sacrifice any day."

The gag order means Trump can't comment on witnesses and jurors; he already violated the gag order and received $10,000 in fines (add it to his tab). Now, Trump—who believes the New York case is quite a legal stretch (which isn't totally off base, as Jacob Sullum writes)—and a nasty form of political persecution (again, not totally wrong), seems pretty fine with being the martyr.

"The liberal judge in New York just threatened to THROW ME IN JAIL," Team Trump wrote in a fundraising email. "They want me in HANDCUFFS."

Scenes from New York: As I previously reported, Airbnb was essentially banned in the city (and the city has contracted with lower-priced hotels to serve as migrant shelters, at taxpayers' expense). Look what happened to hotel prices (I believe the poster filtered for Marriott):

For more background on NYC and Airbnb:

QUICK HITS

• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) just announced that he is running for reelection. Note that he is 82 years old, so if he gets elected this time around, he may be serving until he's 88.

• About 10 years ago, NASA gave Boeing $4.2 billion to work on a "commercial crew" transportation system; SpaceX got $2.6 billion. "With Boeing's Starliner spacecraft finally due to take flight this week with astronauts on board, we know the extent of the loss, both in time and money," reports Ars Technica. "[SpaceX's] Crew Dragon vehicle has flown thirteen public and private missions to orbit. Because of this success, Dragon will end up flying 14 operational missions to the station for NASA, earning a tidy fee each time, compared to just six for Starliner. Through last year, Boeing has taken $1.5 billion in charges due to delays and overruns with its spacecraft development."

• This feels like the darkest future:

• "Millennials and Gen Z have been bred like human veal by their Boomer and Gen X parents who made sure their kids were constantly being surveilled and optimized for success in SATs, sports and entry into the Establishment pipeline," Reason's Nick Gillespie told Politico's Jack Shafer for a piece on whether the media industry is losing its swagger. "Can we be surprised that such a system has produced generations of journalists who endlessly describe anything they disagree with as misinformation and want to control and regulate everything like the room temperature in an after-school enrichment program?"

• Stunning press dishonesty:

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