Israel is determined to launch a ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town, a plan that has raised global alarm because of the potential for harm to more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there. Israel has approved military plans for its offensive and has moved troops and tanks to southern Israel in apparent preparation — though it's still unknown when or if it will happen.
Harold Wayne Nichols declared he was “ready to go home” as he was administered a lethal injection of pentobarbital at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on Thursday....