Axios

The Treasury Department is preparing to announce new sanctions against several Hamas leaders this week as part of the U.S. response to the militant group's attack on Israel, U.S. officials said.

Why it matters: Hamas relies on global financial networks to fund its operations, which are based out of the Gaza Strip. The sanctions aim to disrupt that flow of money.

President Biden's arrival in Israel on Wednesday comes against the backdrop of a dramatic escalation of the war in Gaza, raising the stakes of an unprecedented wartime visit that the world will be closely watching.

Why it matters: The visit — intended as a show of solidarity with Israel and a warning to Iran and Hezbollah — will be clouded by the bombing of a hospital in Gaza Tuesday, which the Hamas-run Health Ministry says killed at least 500 people.

Progressive members of Congress are calling on President Biden to facilitate an end to the violence in the Hamas-Israel war.

Driving the news: After hundreds of people were killed in a blast on the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) called on Biden "to push for an immediate ceasefire to end this slaughter."

The White House has been discussing the possibility of using military force if Hezbollah joins the war in Gaza and attacks Israel with its huge arsenal of rockets, three U.S. officials and one Israeli official with knowledge of the situation tell Axios.

Why it matters: Lebanon-based Hezbollah joining the war would dramatically escalate the Middle East's worst conflict in decades — raising the likelihood of mass civilian casualties in Israel and Lebanon and possibly drawing in the U.S.

• The Israeli military — now focused mostly on Gaza — would have a significantly more difficult time fighting on two fronts simultaneously while missiles rain down on its bases and Israel's population centers.

State of play: Since the Gaza war began Oct. 7, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have been increasing, with daily skirmishes between the parties along the Israel-Lebanon border.

• Iran-backed Hezbollah has fired rockets and anti-tank missiles at Israeli outposts and forces on the border in recent days, while Israeli airstrikes have hit Hezbollah positions. Several Hezbollah operatives and several IDF soldiers have been killed.
• At the same time, both sides have managed to keep the exchange of fire on a relatively low level, avoiding all-out fighting.
• Hezbollah so far has refrained from sending its operatives for a ground assault or from firing its long-range, accurate missiles at Israeli targets.

Driving the news: Since the Gaza war began, the Biden administration has sent public and private messages to Hezbollah and Iran through third parties, warning them not to intervene in the war.

• One of the U.S. officials said the response the Biden administration received from Iran and Hezbollah through intermediaries was that while they don't want an escalation, they might have to intervene if Israel continues its military operation in Gaza.
• The Biden administration followed these messages by sending two aircraft carriers and several other war ships to the eastern Mediterranean, and put more forces on alert for a possible deployment to the region.
• Biden's trip to Israel this week is designed partly to show U.S. support for Israel — and reflect the administration's concern about Hezbollah opening a second front in the Gaza war.

Two U.S. officials said Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Arab leaders in the region, with whom he'd met in recent days, that the U.S. "is not fooling around" by sending so many military assets to the region in support of Israel.

• The scenario of using U.S. military force if Hezbollah were to join the war has come up in several White House meetings in recent days, the officials said. They added that any decision to use force would be made according to the scope of a Hezbollah attack and Israel's ability to respond.
• The two U.S. officials stressed the administration is doing all it can to keep Hezbollah out of the war — but also is preparing for the opposite scenario.
• The White House declined to comment.

Behind the scenes: In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, President Biden expressed concern about the war expanding along the Israeli-Lebanese border, U.S. and Israeli officials said.

• The officials said Biden asked Netanyahu to keep the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) operations in Lebanon as restraint as possible and warned of a possible miscalculation that could lead to a serious escalation with Hezbollah.

What they're saying: "President Biden — with his public messages, with his private messages to Iran and Hezbollah and with the practical steps he took — made it clear to our enemies that if they think of joining the attack against Israel there will be American involvement and Israel will not be on its own," Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said at a news conference Tuesday.

Between the lines: One of the legal justifications for the U.S. using force in case of a Hezbollah attack would be to protect tens of thousands of American citizens who live in Israel, said Jonathan Lord of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

• "Under commonly held understandings of Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution, the president can enter U.S. forces into hostilities to protect Americans abroad," Lord said.
• He added that if Biden were to make that decision, he'd need to notify Congress within 48 hours under the War Powers Resolution of 1973. That would give Biden 60 days to act before Congress' approval to use military force would be required.

A majority of young American Latinos say they feel represented in mainstream English-language U.S. media, according to a new survey shared first with Axios.

The big picture: Around one in four of members of Gen Z in the U.S. are Latino, according to the Pew Research Center, and their growing influence could transform media consumption and production.

As the Biden administration grapples with the soaring number of migrants and asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border, conservative pundits and politicians have upped accusations that some Democrats support "open border" policies.

The big picture: By using the term "open border," conservatives — including Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who is seeking the role of House speaker — are suggesting that anyone can get into the U.S. without much hassle. But the reality is that the southern border is more fortified than it's ever been.

Ecuadorian President-elect Daniel Noboa's plans to tackle the nation's growing security and inflation crises could be stifled by a potentially uncooperative Congress and the short length of his term, experts say.

Driving the news: Noboa, a 35-year-old businessman from a center-right party, won with 51.9% of the votes in Sunday's runoff, becoming the youngest person elected president in Ecuador's history.

Ukraine on Monday marked 600 days since the start of Russia's invasion, as the bloodshed stretches on with no clear end in sight.

The big picture: Ukraine's counteroffensive, launched roughly four months ago, has made some headway — but it's had limited success against Russia's larger military, AP reports.

As President Biden leaves for Israel on Tuesday to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Russian President Vladimir Putin is starting a visit in Beijing.

Why it matters: The crucial meetings involving global superpowers this week come amid the ongoing Russian attack on Ukraine, as well as the escalating war between Israel and Hamas.

As Israel's military prepares for a massive, unprecedented ground war in Gaza that carries huge risks for the Middle East and beyond, it's important to understand why: Israelis haven't felt this threatened since their war of independence in 1948.

Why it matters: Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel killed more Jews in one day — more than 1,300 — than any other day since the Holocaust. For a country that vowed "never again," the brutal killings and video-documented kidnappings were a shock to the national psyche — and a stunning breach of a trusted security system.

A multifaith coalition of U.S. colleges and universities has issued a public statement supporting Israel and opposing Hamas, it tells Axios exclusively.

Why it matters: Several top schools have been criticized for how they've communicated about last week's terrorist attacks.

Dozens of Jewish demonstrators calling for President Biden to press for an Israel-Hamas war cease-fire were arrested outside the White House on Monday.

Driving the news: USSS officers arrested 49 protesters at the demonstration for allegedly crossing safety barriers or blocking entrances during the demonstration at the White House complex, per a statement from Special Agent Steve Kopek, an agency spokesperson, on Monday night.

President Biden will visit Tel Aviv on Wednesday in a show of support as Israel prepares for a ground offensive in Gaza, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said on Monday.

Why it matters: The unprecedented visit, the first by a U.S. president while Israel is actively at war, will also be aimed at discouraging Iran and Hezbollah from joining the fighting.