5 Minutes.

End-stage capitalism.

“It’s the first thing I read every morning.” — David Barboza, founder of WireScreen and former Shanghai Bureau Chief for The New York Times.

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1. Israel carried out 'extensive strikes on Hamas terror targets' in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, about two months after the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas took effect. Hamas' Health Ministry reported that at least 310 people were killed in the wave of strikes, including 107 in southern Gaza. According to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, the decision to strike Gaza was made jointly with Defense Minister Israel Katz, "after Hamas repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all the proposals it received from the U.S. president's envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators." The statement from Netanyahu's office also said that the goal of the strikes in Gaza is "to achieve the war objectives set by the political leadership, including the release of all the hostages – both the living and the dead." (Source: haaretz.com)

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2. The U.S. military will continue attacks on Houthi militants in Yemen, officials said Monday, as the Trump administration launches a new, open-ended attempt to prevent the group’s assaults on commercial shipping or U.S. and allied targets. The Pentagon said U.S. forces had struck more than 30 Houthi targets since Saturday, including command-and-control and training sites, drone infrastructure, and weapons production and storage facilities, in what officials have said would be an intensified campaign against the militants. “Today, the operation continues, and it will continue in the coming days until we achieve the president’s objectives,” Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, a senior official on the Joint Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon. (Source: washingtonpost.com)

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3. Gold rose to a record high above $3,017 an ounce as an escalation in Middle East tensions underscored its haven appeal, and investors weighed data that fueled concern the US economy is slowing down. Bullion climbed 0.6% as Israel said it launched military strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza, a move that threatens to undermine a shaky truce. Palestinian residents reported multiple airstrikes in several parts of the Gaza Strip. Traders were also digesting US retail sales data released Monday, which rose less than forecast in February. While the figures pointed to weak spending on goods, there was no sign of a severe pullback and the data did little to alter traders’ bets on expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts. Still, companies, investors and economists remain cautious as consumer sentiment sours and signs of financial stress mount, amid risks of escalating trade wars sparked by President Trump. (Source: bloomberg.com)

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