Palestinians began a mass exodus from northern Gaza today after Israel’s military told some 1 million people to evacuate toward the southern part of the besieged territory, an unprecedented order ahead of an expected ground invasion against the ruling Hamas militant group.  

The U.N. warned that so many people fleeing en masse – almost half the Gaza population – would be calamitous. Hamas, which staged a shocking and brutal attack on Israel nearly a week ago and has fired thousands of rockets since, dismissed the evacuation order as a ploy and called on people to stay in their homes. 

SpaceX launched a NASA spacecraft toward a mysterious and rare metal-covered asteroid this morning. It is scheduled to arrive at the asteroid in 2029.  

Most asteroids tend to be rocky or icy, and this is the first exploration of a metal world. Scientists believe it may be the battered remains of an early planet’s core and could shine light on the inaccessible centers of Earth and other rocky planets.  

St. Thomas hosted Reverend Jim Bear Jacobs on Wednesday for the first event of their Indigenous Stories series. Dr. Yohuru Williams of the history department spoke with Rev. Jacobs on the role of Christianity in the assimilation, forced removal, and genocide of indigenous peoples in Mni Sota Makoce. 

Rev. Jacobs is a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation. He is the Director of Community Engagement and Racial Justice for the Minnesota Council of Churches and the creator of “Healing Minnesota Stories,” a program of the Minnesota Council of Churches dedicated to ensuring that the Native American voice is heard in areas where it has long been ignored.  

The next event of the series takes place tomorrow. Rev. Jacobs is leading a group on his Sacred Sites tour, which offers an opportunity to learn about Minnesota’s history from a Native perspective through storytelling and

experiencing the sites in silence/meditation.  

Errol Mickelson can be reached at mick9345@stthomas.edu.