Israel approves new homes for West Bank settlements

JERUSALEM The Israeli government has approved plans to build nearly 5,300 new homes in settlements in the occupied West Bank, a monitoring group said Thursday, the latest in a campaign to accelerate settlement expansion, aimed at cementing Israeli control over the territory and preventing the establishment of a future Palestinian state.

- TIA GOLDENBERG AND KAREEM CHEHAYEB

A firefighter douses flames after a rocket strike fired from Lebanon on Thursday landed in northern Israel. Hezbollah fired more than 200 rockets and exploding drones to avenge the killing of a senior commander.

Word of the decision emerged as diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the nine-month war in Gaza appeared to be stirring back to life after a weeks-long hiatus. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had decided to send negotiators to resume talks. A day earlier, the militant Hamas group handed mediators its latest response to a U.S.-backed proposal for a deal.