Israel deployed an armored brigade and an infantry brigade to be available for a possible ground incursion, and another infantry brigade was put on standby.

Context: In the last year, Israel and Gaza have been locked in a cycle of clashes followed by de-escalations, with Egyptian-brokered talks repeatedly achieving a temporary cooling off along the border. A November truce, which called for Israel to ease its blockade of Gaza and for Palestinians to cease attacks, has never fully taken hold.

Timing: Security, always focal in Israel, is now more so. The country celebrates Memorial Day and Independence Day this week, and a stream of international singers are arriving to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv later this month.

U.S., seeing trade deal near, raises pressure on China

Senior Chinese officials arrive in Washington this week for what could be the final round of talks between the world’s two largest economies.