Israel bombs Gaza as disagreements with US simmer

News Snapshot:

Israel launched bombardment on southern Gaza on Friday following a public spat over the prospect of a Palestinian state, which Washington views as the only route to a sustainable peace, with its principal ally, the United States. Early on Friday, witnesses in Khan Yunis, the biggest city in the southern Gaza Strip, reported shooting and airstrikes. Israel claims that numerous leaders and members of the Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas, are sheltering in Khan Yunis. The health ministry in Gaza, which is operated by Hamas, stated that scores of people were injured and 77 people had died overnight, while the Palestinian...