House Republicans are delivering a rebuke to President Joe Biden for putting a pause on a shipment of bombs to Israel that could be used in an assault on Rafah. They voted Thursday on a bill that has practically no chance of being enacted but puts pressure on Democrats as it mandates delivery of the weapons. The Biden administration is seeking to discourage Israel from its offensive on the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah. This month, it put on hold a weapons shipment of 3,500 bombs. Republicans were outraged at the move and argued it represented the abandonment of the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East.

The Pentagon says that humanitarian aid will soon begin flowing onto the Gaza shore through the new pier that was anchored to the beach overnight and will reach those in need almost immediately. Trucks will drive the aid into the Palestinian enclave, besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war. The United Nations, however, warns that fuel imports have all but stopped and this will make it extremely difficult to deliver the aid to the more than a million Palestinians in critical need of food and other supplies.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a full pardon to a former U.S. Army sergeant convicted of murder for fatally shooting an armed demonstrator in 2020 during nationwide protests against racial injustice. Abbott had previously ordered the board to review Daniel Perry’s case and said he would sign a pardon if recommended. The board announced its unanimous recommendation Thursday and the pardon followed soon after. Abbott’s demand for a review of Perry’s case followed pressure from former Fox News star Tucker Carlson, who on national television had urged the governor to intervene after Perry was convicted in 2023 of killing Garrett Foster.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping reaffirmed their “no-limits” partnership that has deepened as both countries face rising tensions with the West. They criticized U.S. military alliances in Asia and the Pacific region. Putin on Thursday thanked China’s proposals for ending the war in Ukraine. The plan has been rejected by Ukraine and its Western supporters as largely following the Kremlin’s line. Putin’s two-day visit to China comes as Russian forces are pressing an offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Israel’s defense minister says the military will send more troops into Rafah, a city along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, as fighting also rages in northern Gaza, where Hamas has regrouped. South Africa is seeking emergency measures at the U.N.’s top court to halt Israel’s escalating offensive in Rafah, calling the incursion “the last step in the destruction of Gaza.” Israel has portrayed Rafah as the last Hamas stronghold, brushing off warnings from the United States and other allies that any major operation there would be catastrophic for civilians. The United Nations says around 600,000 Palestinians have been driven out of Rafah since the beginning of last week.