US Preps Mass Evacuation of Americans From Mideast

Israel has significantly ramped up its airstrikes on Gaza in anticipation of a ground invasion, with the military saying it has hit more than 720 targets in the last two days, reports the New York Times. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, meanwhile, said it logged more than 700 Palestinian deaths in the last 24 hours, the highest one-day total of the war, though the figure couldn't be independently verified. Related:

• Evacuation: The US is preparing for the reality that hundreds of thousands of Americans might need evacuation from the Mideast in the very near future, reports the Washington Post. An estimated 600,000 US citizens are in Israel alone, along with another 86,000 in Lebanon. While an evacuation of that scale is seen as a worst-case scenario, it "would be irresponsible not to have a plan for everything," one US official tell the Post.

• A delay? Axios reports that Israel is willing to hold off on a ground invasion for a "few days" so more hostages might be released. More than 200 hostages, including several Americans, are still believed to be in Gaza from the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The report, which quotes unnamed Israeli officials, adds that Israel is leery about giving in to Hamas demands for ceasefires in exchange for hostage releases. (Two more were released Monday.)
• Reward: The Jerusalem Post reports that captured Hamas fighters have said their commanders offered big rewards for bringing back hostages to Gaza. One said commanders told them, "Whoever brings a hostage back gets $10,000 and an apartment." Israel's Shin Bet security service released clips from the interrogations.

(More Israel-Hamas war stories.)