Due to severe birth defects, two-year-old Alta Fixsler has been on a ventilator her entire life, and requires round-the-clock medical care. When her doctors at the Manchester children’s hospital determined that she has “no conscious awareness” and should be removed from life-support, her ḥasidic parents decided to take her either to the U.S. or to Israel, where doctors have offered to treat her. But Britain won’t allow it. Jon Levine writes:

The family has been fighting for Alta in British courts since 2019, and has faced a string of losses as the case slowly wound its way through the legal system. . . . So far, the British government has refused to allow Alta to leave. The issue is not one of red tape, but rather the wish of her current doctors not to see her life extended elsewhere, court papers show.

“It cannot be said to be in Alta’s best interests to be transferred to Israel for life-sustaining treatment to continue,” ruled the Court of Appeal’s Justice Alistair MacDonald in his June decision.

“There is no reason to kill my daughter like this,” [the girl’s father], Abraham Fixsler, told the New York Post. Fixsler, who holds American and Israeli citizenship and is a legal resident of England, said he was encouraged by doctors abroad, who said there may yet be superior treatment options not available to England’s price-conscious socialized healthcare system. The family is currently awaiting a hearing to determine if England’s highest court will hear their case. No date for the hearing has been set.

Senators Charles Schumer, Cory Booker, and Robert Mendendez—along with ten Republican senators and the former president Israeli president Reuven Rivlin—have all attempted to help the Fixslers.

Between December 27 and January 6, terrorists in Gaza fired rockets at Israel almost every night. On Monday, one rocket struck a home in the much-bombarded town of Sderot, although no one was injured. The rocket fire had largely halted last spring, and for some time barrages were often the result of Israeli forces closing in a Hamas unit or munitions depot. But the truth—which gives credence to Ran Baratz’s argument in his January essay that the IDF is struggling to accomplish its mission—is that Hamas has been able to rebuild. Yoni Ben Menachem writes that the jihadist group has been “producing hundreds of new rockets using lathes smuggled into tunnels that remain operational in Gaza.” Moreover, it has been replenishing its ranks:

According to Israeli security officials, Hamas has recruited approximately 4,000 new fighters over the past month. This rapid expansion bolsters its fighting capabilities and complicates Israel’s efforts to apply military pressure on Hamas to expedite a hostage deal. Hamas’s military recovery has allowed it to prolong its war of attrition against the IDF and adopt tougher stances in hostage negotiations. The funds for this recruitment effort are reportedly from the sale of humanitarian-aid packages, which Hamas forcibly seizes and resells in Gaza’s markets.

In fact, Ben Menachem writes, Hamas’s rocket fire is part of the same strategy:

By firing rockets, Hamas seeks to demonstrate its resilience and operational capability despite the IDF’s prolonged offensive. This message is aimed at both Gaza’s residents and the Israeli public, underscoring that Hamas remains a significant force even after enduring heavy losses [and] that Israel cannot easily occupy this region, currently a focal point of IDF operations.