Known as "the guest" for his habit of staying in a different house each night to evade Israeli attacks, Mohammed Deif, leader of Hamas' military wing, remains an enigmatic and shadowy figure.

The evacuation order from Israel affecting 1 million people faced immediate objections, including from the U.N., which warned such an evacuation would have "devastating humanitarian consequences."

In the Israeli town of Sderot, less than a mile from the Gaza Strip, there are remnants and recollections of carnage from Hamas' ongoing attack.

The highly sophisticated, multibillion-dollar defense system has been under constant redevelopment since its inception in the early 2000s. Here's how it works.

The move follows the deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel and Republican criticism of the White House deal with Iran, where $6 billion was unfrozen in exchange for the release of 5 detained Americans.

The surprise attack on Israel has brought the militant group back into the spotlight. A Hamas official tells NPR the attack was meant in part to lead to the release of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

"This is propaganda 101. You flood the gap, especially in those early hours, with content that suggests a certain narrative," said one observer.

Following the recent Hamas attacks on Israel, Georgia U.S. Sen Jon Ossoff, the state's first Jewish U.S. senator, has shared his support for Israel and provided resources for U.S. citizens currently there.

The small, quiet enclaves have long thrived on leftist ideas about collective living. Those located near Gaza suffered some of the worst of the Hamas attacks, with hundreds reported dead.

The conflict is expected to escalate even further in the coming days. But for now, Hamas sees itself with the upper hand.

Israel carried out a fifth day of bombardments across the Gaza Strip as the Palestinian territory lost electricity, following one of the deadliest attacks against Israel in history.

Many Israelis are frantically looking for clues about loved ones believed to be held in Gaza. Ido Dan keeps watching a video that appears to show Hamas militants kidnapping his 12-year-old nephew.

With high poverty and unemployment and severe restrictions on movement, life in the Gaza Strip was already difficult before Israel's retaliatory offensive began this week in response to Hamas attacks.

Analysts have long accused Iran of backing militant groups in the region to counter Israel.

"Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond — indeed has a duty to respond — to these vicious attacks," Biden said at the White House.