Israel vowed to keep fighting in Gaza until it crushes Hamas after one of the deadliest single battles of the war for its soldiers, even as it faces mounting international calls for a cease-fire and unease on the part of its closest ally, the United States.
The ambush in Gaza City, one of the hardest hit areas of the war, showed Hamas’ resilience and called into question whether Israel can defeat it without wiping out the entire territory. Support for Hamas has surged among Palestinians — in part because of the militant group’s stiff resistance to a far more powerful foe — while the U.S. has expressed growing discomfort over civilian deaths.
The year’s best meteor shower, the Geminids, peaks this week. Skygazers may see as many as one or even two a minute streaking across dark skies.
The meteors will reach their frenzy Thursday. But Wednesday night should provide a cosmic spectacle as well.
This week’s new moon will make for prime viewing anywhere in the world where skies are clear and in spots without light pollution.
NASA urged observers to look everywhere in the sky since meteors don’t come from any particular direction. Between 60 and 120 meteors are expected every hour at peak time, weather permitting.
Wall Street is ticking higher Thursday following its big rally the day before on excitement that several cuts to interest rates may indeed be coming next year.
The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher in morning trading and within 1.5% of its all-time high set early last year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 75 points, or 0.2%, and on track to set a record for a second straight day, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite was 0.3% higher.
Moderna jumped 13% after it reported encouraging data from a study of its treatment for high-risk melanoma that’s used with Merck’s Keytruda. That helped to offset a 6.3% slump for Adobe, which gave a forecast for 2024 revenue that fell short of analysts’ expectations.
Meeghan Olson can be reached at olso2522@stthomas.edu.