Israel

Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to call a special legislative session to bolster state sanctions against Iran, as he and lawmakers continue taking steps to show support for Israel during the war with Hamas.

A group of 25 American rabbis, including two from Fort Myers, will head to Israel Sunday on a mission of comfort, prayer and relief.

President Biden has said he wants "unprecedented" aid for Israel and enough funding for Ukraine to continue its fight against Russia. But he faces hurdles in the Republican-controlled House.

The war between Israel and Hamas shows no signs of easing up. The ongoing war has impacted the lives of several students at Florida Gulf Coast University who have connections to the Israel-Hamas.

An explosion that rocked a Gaza hospital Tuesday was blamed by the Hamas militant group on an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military blamed a rocket misfired by other Palestinian militants. At least 500 people were killed, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said.

A massive blast rocked a Gaza City hospital packed with wounded and other Palestinians seeking shelter Tuesday, killing hundreds of people, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said. Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military said the hospital was hit by a rocket misfired by Palestinian militants.

With the state paying for the flights, a Tampa-based non-profit organization brought a group of Americans home from Israel on Sunday as part of carrying out an executive order issued last week by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

They came to mourn, they came for comfort, they came to see how they could help.About 500 people on Tuesday night crammed into the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center in Naples to show their solidarity for Israel.

Israeli soldiers battled Hamas fighters in the streets of southern Israel on Sunday and launched retaliation strikes that leveled buildings in Gaza, while in northern Israel a brief exchange of strikes with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group raised fears of a broader conflict.