CIF-SS softball playoffs: Schedule and matchups for all 8 divisions

• May 12, 2025

The matchups and schedule for the first round of the CIF Southern Section baseball playoffs.

CIF-SS SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS

All games start at 3:15 p.m. unless noted.

DIVISION 1

First round, Thursday

Norco, bye

Camarillo at Oaks Christian

Mater Dei at Chino Hills

Huntington Beach at Charter Oak

Paraclete at La Mirada

Fullerton at Roosevelt

Riverside Poly at Murrieta Mesa

West Torrance at Ayala

Notre Dame/SO at Orange Lutheran

Cypress at El Segundo

Pacifica/GG at El Modena

Bonita at Rosary

Temescal Canyon at Canyon/Anaheim

ML King at Valley View

Upland at La Habra

Etiwanda, bye

DIVISION 2

First round, Thursday

Beckman at California

Capistrano Valley at Thousand Oaks

Torrance at Great Oak

Downey at Grand Terrace

Gahr at JSerra

Villa Park at Sonora

El Dorado at Palos Verdes

Los Altos at Linfield Christian

Ganesha at Agoura

Millikan at Moorpark

Santa Margarita at Saugus

Simi Valley at Vista Murrieta

Shadow Hills at Whittier Christian

South Hills at Los Alamitos

Yucaipa at Redondo

La Serna at Liberty

DIVISION 3

First round, Thursday

Valencia/V at Crescenta Valley

Yorba Linda at Brea Olinda

Don Lugo at Valley Christian/C

Woodbridge at Arlington

St. Paul at Bishop Amat

El Rancho at Alta Loma

Oxnard at San Clemente

Arcadia at Marina

Kennedy at Beaumont

Royal at Citrus Valley

Tesoro at Burroughs/B

Rio Mesa at Aquinas

Mission Viejo at La Quinta/LQ

Ramona at Orange Vista

Schurr at Westlake

Chaminade at Glendora

DIVISION 4

First round, Thursday

Santa Monica at Hillcrest

Heritage Chr. at Duarte

Edison at Long Beach Poly

South El Monte at Summit

Oak Hills at Harvard-Westlake

Foothill at Sierra Canyon

Dos Pueblos at Viewpoint

Colton at Sultana

Chino at Indio

Apple Valley at Northview

Quartz Hill at Ventura

Diamond Ranch at El Toro

Segerstrom at Mayfair

Long Beach Wilson at Hemet

Ontario Chr. at Elsinore

Lakewood at Warren

DIVISION 5

First round, Thursday

Muir, bye

Riverside Prep at St. Bonaventure

Santiago/GG at Kaiser

Buena Park at Patriot

Rowland at Highland

Flintridge Sacred Heart at Irvine

Alemany at Western Christian

Hart at JW North

Mira Costa at Cerritos

Valencia/P at Rancho Verde

University Prep at Grace

Sierra Vista at Canyon Springs

Providence/B at Bishop Montgomery

Anaheim at West Ranch

Mark Keppel at Lancaster

Wiseburn Da Vinci at La Canada

DIVISION 6

First round, Thursday

Archer School at South Pasadena

Eastside at Cantwell Sacred Heart

Faith Baptist at Coastal Christian

Monrovia at University

Flintridge Prep at Ramona Convent

Santa Rosa Acad. at Granite Hills

Leuzinger at Pasadena Poly

Oxford Academy at La Salle

Adelanto at Pioneer

Norwalk at Jurupa Valley

Eisenhower at Arroyo

Santa Clara at San Jacinto

Village Christian at Vasquez

Santa Paula at Katella

Knight at St. Monica Prep

Southlands Chr. at Rio Hondo Prep

DIVISION 7

First round, Thursday

El Monte, bye

Workman at Garey

Santa Ana at Fillmore

Westminster at Moreno Valley

Hamilton at Rancho Mirage

Hesperia Christian at Excelsior Charter

Arroyo Valley at Edgewood

San Jacinto Valley at Sacred Heart LA

AB Miller at Silverado

Santa Ana Valley at Rialto

Capistrano Valley Christian at Los Amigos

Citrus Hill at Culver City

Bellflower at Yucca Valley

Fontana at Lakeside

Mountain View at San Bernardino

Notre Dame/R at Bell Gardens

DIVISION 8

First round, Thursday

Packinghouse Chr. at Tustin

Orange at Brentwood

Santa Clarita Chr. at Bethel Chr./R

Century at Banning

United Chr. Acad. at Environmental Ch.

Loma Linda Acad. at Nuview Bridge

Valley Chr./SM at Lennox Acad.

Bolsa Grande at Hawthorne

Rancho Alamitos at Hoover

Desert Chr. Acad. at Calvary Baptist

Redlands Advent. at Acad. Career Exp.

Pomona Catholic at Hueneme

Avalon at Loara

Calvary Chapel/D at Compton Early College

Cal Lutheran at St. Genevieve

​ Orange County Register 

Menendez brothers could be released if re-sentencing hearing in Van Nuys goes their way

• May 12, 2025

Roughly two years after an effort began to have Erik and Lyle Menendez released from prison, a re-sentencing hearing in the San Fernando Valley will begin Tuesday for the brothers, who are serving life prison terms without the possibility of parole for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion.

The brothers have spent about 35 years behind bars for the Aug. 20, 1989, killings of Jose and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez. The Menendez brothers claim the killings were committed after years of abuse, including alleged sexual abuse by their father.

The hearing is expected to last two days at the Van Nuys Courthouse.

In a 2023 court petition, attorneys for the brothers pointed to two new pieces of evidence they contend corroborate the brothers’ allegations of long-term sexual abuse at the hands of their father — a letter allegedly written by Erik Menendez to his cousin Andy Cano in early 1989 or late 1988, and recent allegations by Roy Rosselló, a former member of the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo, that he too was sexually abused by Jose Menendez as a teenager.

Prosecutors allege the murders were carried out due to greed, to acquire their parents’ money.

Defense attorneys are hoping to win a reduced sentence for the brothers, possibly allowing them to either be released immediately or at least become eligible for parole consideration.

Meanwhile, state parole boards are set to conduct separate hearings June 13 for the brothers, then send their reports to Gov. Gavin Newsom to help him decide whether the two should receive clemency.

Interest in the Menendez case surged following the release of a recent Netflix documentary and dramatic series.

The governor said previously that with the exception of brief clips on social media, he has not watched dramatizations of the Menendez case or documentaries on it “because I don’t want to be influenced by them.”

“I just want to be influenced by the facts,” Newsom said.

In October, then-Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced he was in favor of the brothers being re-sentenced to make them eligible for parole. Since the brothers were under 26 at the time of the murders, they could be eligible for parole through the state’s youthful offender law.

Gascón pointed to the brothers’ work to help other inmates, and officials’ assessment that they present a low risk of re-offending. The former district attorney also cited the possible new evidence about the father’s alleged abusive behavior as additional factors in support of new sentences.

However, when he was elected, new District Attorney Nathan Hochman promised to re-examine the case, saying he did not support re-sentencing. Hochman contends the brothers have not shown “insight” into their crimes during their years of incarceration and continue to lie about the alleged abuse.

Last week, attorneys for Erik and Lyle Menendez withdrew a motion asking that the District Attorney’s Office be removed from the brothers’ case, saying they want to expeditiously move forward with their bid to have the pair re-sentenced.

The brothers watched Friday’s hearing before Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic via video from the San Diego prison where they are both are serving their life prison terms.

Attorneys for Erik Menendez, 54, and his older brother, Lyle, 57, had alleged in the motion that “absent recusal (of the District Attorney’s Office), a conflict of interest would render it likely that the defendants will receive neither a fair hearing nor fair treatment through all related proceedings.”

But in court Friday, the brothers’ defense team dropped its bid to have the D.A.’s office removed from the case, saying they did not want any more delays in the re-sentencing hearing.

“We have not wanted to waive time,” defense attorney Mark Geragos said, noting that Hochman was in the courtroom for the hearing.

Hochman again asked Jesic to withdraw the earlier prosecution motion in support of re-sentencing filed by Gascón. But the judge again denied the request, saying that “nothing’s really changed.”

Hochman — who spoke on behalf of the prosecution for the bulk of Friday’s hearing — reiterated his opposition to re-sentencing for the brothers, arguing they have not “accepted complete responsibility for their actions.” He maintained in court that his decision was not based on a “political whim.”

“… Right now, they are not in a position where we would advocate for re-sentencing,” Hochman told the judge.

Geragos argued that the district attorney presented information in court about a recently completed psychological assessment of the brothers “in violation of the rules and regulations.” He called Hochman’s courtroom presentation a “dog and pony show,” and cited what he called “extraordinary rehabilitation” by the brothers.

Geragos said outside court that Hochman’s decision to speak on behalf of the prosecution during the Friday court hearing “shows the degree of involvement and how personal it is.”

He said the defense has the “utmost faith in Judge Jesic to do the right thing.”

​ Orange County Register 

Harvard says it won’t abandon ‘core’ principles to meet Department of Education demands

• May 12, 2025

By MICHAEL CASEY and COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — Harvard University responded Monday to recent threats from the Education Department to halt its grant funding, highlighting reforms it was undertaking but warning it won’t budge on “its core, legally-protected principles” over fears of retaliation.

A letter from Harvard President Alan Garber detailed how the institution had made significant changes to its leadership and governance over the past year and a half. Among the reforms, Garber said, was a broad “strategy to combat antisemitism and other bigotry.”

Last week, the Department of Education threatened a grant freeze in a major escalation of Trump’s battle with the Ivy League school. The administration previously froze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard, and Trump is pushing to strip the school of its tax-exempt status.

Garber warned that its efforts to change were being “undermined and threatened by the federal government’s overreach into the constitutional freedoms of private universities and its continuing disregard of Harvard’s compliance with the law.”

“Consistent with the law and with our own values, we continue to pursue needed reforms, doing so in consultation with our stakeholders and always in compliance with the law,” Garber wrote. “But Harvard will not surrender its core, legally-protected principles out of fear of unfounded retaliation by the federal government.”

An Education Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In call with reporters last week, a Department of Education official accused Harvard of “serious failures.” The person, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said Harvard has allowed antisemitism and racial discrimination to perpetuate, it has abandoned rigorous academic standards, and it has failed to allow a range of views on its campus.

To become eligible for new grants, Harvard would need to enter negotiations with the federal government and prove it has satisfied the administration’s requirements.

The demands come amid a pressure campaign targeting several other high-profile universities. The administration has cut off money to colleges including Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University, seeking compliance with Trump’s agenda.

The White House says it’s targeting campus antisemitism after pro-Palestinian protests swept U.S. college campuses last year. It’s also focused on the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports. And the attacks on Harvard increasingly have called out the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, along with questions about freedom of speech and thought by conservatives on campus.

Harvard has filed a federal lawsuit over the administration’s demands, setting up a closely watched clash in Trump’s attempt to force change at universities that he says have become hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism.

In his letter Monday, Garber also attempted to rebut many of the allegations made by the Education Department. He insisted admission to Harvard was based on “academic excellence and promise” and there were no “quotas, whether based on race or ethnicity or any other characteristic” or an “ideological litmus tests” when it comes to hiring.

Garber also dismissed the suggestion that Harvard was a partisan institution and said he wasn’t aware of any evidence suggesting international students were “more prone to disruption, violence, or other misconduct than any other students.”

Collin Binkley has covered Harvard for nearly a decade – most of the time living half a mile from campus.

​ Orange County Register 

What to know about food poisoning illnesses caused by listeria

• May 12, 2025

A listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat sandwiches and snacks has sickened at least 10 people in the U.S., and a producer is voluntarily recalling dozens of products sold to retail stores, hospitals, hotels, airports and airlines, federal officials said.

The products were made by Fresh & Ready Foods LLC and were sold in Arizona, California, Nevada and Washington.

Those who fell ill and were hospitalized were in California and Nevada. The outbreak has been simmering for many months: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said cases date to December 2023.

Listeria poisoning is caused by a particularly resilient type of bacteria that can survive and grow even during refrigeration. About 1,600 people are infected with it — and 260 die — each year in the U.S., according to the CDC.

Here’s what you need to know:

What was recalled?

The voluntary recall covers more than 80 specific products distributed between April 18 and April 25. The products have “Use By” dates from April 22 to May 19.

Brand names include: Fresh & Ready Foods, City Point Market Fresh Food to Go and Fresh Take Crave Away.

Federal officials say anyone with the products should throw them away or return them. They also suggest cleaning any surfaces that touched the recalled foods.

Where does listeria come from?

Listeria bacteria thrive in moist environments, including soil and water and decaying vegetation and are carried by some animals.

The hardy germs are typically spread when food is harvested, processed, transported or stored in places that are contaminated with the bacteria.

When the bacteria get into a food processing plant, they can be tough to eradicate.

What are the symptoms of listeria?

Foods contaminated with the bacteria can make people sick. Symptoms can be mild and include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. More serious illness can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.

Listeria poisoning is tricky because symptoms can start quickly, within a few hours or days after eating contaminated food. But they also can take weeks or up to three months to show up.

Those most vulnerable to getting sick include the very young, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant.

Does cooking kill listeria?

Listeria can survive and grow in refrigerated food. It can be killed by heating foods to “steaming hot,” or 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius), the CDC says. But that’s not always possible — or palatable — for foods that are made to be eaten cold.

Because listeria can survive under refrigeration, it’s important to clean and sanitize any surfaces, including refrigerator drawers and shelves, that may have come in contact with the products.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange Lutheran softball earns No. 3 seed for CIF Division 1 playoffs

• May 12, 2025

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Orange Lutheran’s softball team on Monday received the No. 3 seed for the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs and will open against visiting Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks on Thursday.

The Lancers (22-5), ranked No. 2 in Orange County this week, are seeded behind No. 1 Norco and No. 2 Etiwanda in Division 1.

Last season, Orange Lutheran lost to Pacifica 3-0 in the Division 1 final.

In a sign of the power-ratings system used to construct the playoff brackets, El Modena (18-8) will play host to Crestview League rival Pacifica (15-11) in the first round on Thursday. The teams played three times in league and were part of a three-way tie for first place.

Pacifica is the two-time defending champion in Division 1.

More coverage of the playoff draw in softball to come.

​ Orange County Register 

Gov. Gavin Newsom urges cities and counties to ban homeless encampments

• May 12, 2025

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday urged California’s local governments to clear homeless encampments, escalating the state’s efforts to ban the growing number of makeshift camps on sidewalks and in parks that are the most visible signs of the crisis of people living on the streets.

The announcement of a new model ordinance for counties, cities and towns is coupled with the release of $3.3 billion in voter-approved funds the state will make available to communities to expand housing and treatment options for homeless residents, the governor’s office said in a news release.

The goal is is to help municipalities set “rules around encampments and establish effective enforcement procedures” that prioritize shelter and services.

“Encampments pose a serious public safety risk, and expose the people in encampments to increased risk of sexual violence, criminal activity, property damage and break-ins, and unsanitary conditions,” the news release said.

In 2024, voters approved a measure that imposes strict requirements on counties to spend on housing and drug treatment programs to tackle the homelessness crisis. It was a signature proposal for Newsom, who campaigned for the measure’s passage.

Under the measure, counties are required to spend about two-thirds of the money from a voter-approved tax enacted in 2004 on millionaires for mental health services on housing and programs for homeless people with serious mental illnesses or substance abuse problems.

The key provisions of the model ordinance announced Monday include prohibitions on “persistent camping” in one location, a ban on encampments that block sidewalks and a requirement that local officials provide notice and make every reasonable effort to identify and offer shelter prior to clearing an encampment.

The state accounts for nearly a third of the homeless population in the United States. More than 187,000 Californians are in need of housing.

With tents lining streets and disrupting businesses in cities and towns across the state, homelessness has become one of the most intractable issues in California and one sure to dog Newsom if he runs for national office.

The governor has also pushed for laws that make it easier to force people with behavioral health issues into treatment.

A state audit in 2024 found California spent $24 billion to tackle homelessness over the previous five years but did not consistently track whether the huge outlay of public money actually improved the situation.

Despite the roughly billions of dollars spent on more than 30 homeless and housing programs during the 2018-2023 fiscal years, California does not have reliable data needed to fully understand why the problem didn’t improve in many cities, according to state auditor’s report.

​ Orange County Register 

Who is Edan Alexander, the Israeli-American hostage released by Hamas?

• May 12, 2025

By JULIA FRANKEL and MELANIE LIDMAN

JERUSALEM (AP) — Edan Alexander was 19 when Hamas stormed the Israeli military base where the American-Israeli from New Jersey was a soldier and dragged him into the Gaza Strip.

Hamas released Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, on Monday ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the region this week. The group called it a goodwill gesture aimed at reviving mediated efforts to end the 19-month war. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Alexander was among 251 people taken hostage in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. Fifty-eight remain in Gaza. Around a third are believed to be alive. Most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.

After Hamas announced on Sunday he would be released, Alexander’s family said it “received the greatest gift imaginable — news that our beautiful son Edan is returning home after 583 days in captivity in Gaza.”

Alexander’s parents flew to Israel on Monday. Trump’s hostage negotiator, Adam Boehler, posted a picture on social media showing Alexander’s mother, Yael, aboard the flight.

A native of Tenafly, a suburb of New York City, Edan Alexander moved to Israel in 2022 after high school and enlisted in the military. Hamas terrorists seized him from his military base after he volunteered to stay there over the Jewish Sabbath.

In a video Hamas released of Alexander over Thanksgiving weekend in November 2024, he cried and pleaded for help. Though the video was difficult to watch, his family said, it came as a relief to see he was alive.

Hostages freed since then have given the family more news, his father said. Some said Alexander had lost a lot of weight. Others said he’d been an advocate for fellow hostages, standing up for captive Thai workers and telling their captors that the workers weren’t involved in the conflict and should be freed.

Alexander, like other male soldiers held in Gaza, was not included among hostages released during a ceasefire earlier this year. Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others in January and February in return for nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners. The sight of some emaciated hostages among those freed brought fresh despair to families whose loved ones remained in Gaza.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, along with the release of more Palestinian prisoners. Israel has rejected those terms, saying it will continue the war until all the hostages are freed and Hamas is defeated.

Hamas said in March it would release Alexander and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel recommitted to the stalled ceasefire agreement. Alexander’s father, Adi, said at the time he was speaking with Trump’s hostage negotiators almost daily, pressing for his son’s release.

Days later, Israel shattered the truce with a surprise bombardment that killed hundreds of Palestinians. Israel called the renewed bombardment a tactic to pressure Hamas to negotiate different ceasefire terms. Hamas said the offensive puts remaining hostages at risk.

In April, Hamas published another video of Alexander in which he spoke from a dark room. His family believes he has been held in Hamas’ vast tunnel network.

Days later, Hamas said it had lost contact with the group holding Alexander after an Israeli airstrike targeted their location. Israeli officials have not commented on the claim.

The Alexander family Monday urged the Israeli government to continue efforts to free all the hostages — a plea that other families have echoed since the Hamas announcement on Sunday.

“Please don’t stop,” Alexander’s family said. “We hope our son’s release begins negotiations for all 58 remaining hostages, ending this nightmare for them and their families.”

Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv contributed.

​ Orange County Register 

Israel’s blockade means Gaza’s hospitals cannot provide food to recovering patients

• May 12, 2025

By MOHAMMED JAHJOUH

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — It cost a fortune, she said, but Asmaa Fayez managed to buy a few zucchinis in a Gaza market. She cooked them with rice and brought it to her 4-year-old son, who has been in the hospital for the past week. The soup was his only meal of the day, and he asked for more.

“It’s all finished, darling,” Fayez replied softly. Still, it was an improvement from the canned beans and tuna she brings on other days, she said.

Hospital patients are among the most vulnerable as Palestinians across Gaza struggle to feed themselves, with Israel’s blockade on food and other supplies entering the territory now in its third month.

With hospitals unable to provide food, families must bring whatever they can find for loved ones.

“Most, if not all, wounded patients have lost weight, especially in the past two months,” Dr. Khaled Alserr, a general surgeon at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, told The Associated Press. Nutritional supplements for intensive care unit patients are lacking, he said.

“Our hands are tied when it comes to making the best choice for patients. Choices are limited,” he said.

Hunger worsens as supplies dwindle

Malnutrition is on the rise across Gaza, aid groups say. Thousands of children have been found with acute malnutrition in the past month, but adults as well are not getting proper nutrients, according to the U.N. It estimates that 16,000 pregnant women and new mothers this year face acute malnutrition.

Since Israel’s blockade began on March 2, food sources have been drying up. Aid groups have stopped food distribution. Bakeries have closed. Charity kitchens handing out bowls of pasta or lentils remain the last lifeline for most of the population, but they are rapidly closing for lack of supplies, the U.N. says.

Markets are empty of almost everything but canned goods and small amounts of vegetables, and prices have been rising. Local production of vegetables has plummeted because Israeli forces have damaged 80% of Gaza’s farmlands, the U.N. says, and much of the rest is inaccessible inside newly declared military zones.

Fayez’s son, Ali al-Dbary, was admitted to Nasser Hospital because of a blocked intestine, suffering from severe cramps and unable to use the bathroom. Fayez believes it’s because he has been eating little but canned goods. She splurged on the zucchini, which now costs around $10 a kilogram (2.2 pounds). Before the war it was less than a dollar.

Doctors said the hospital doesn’t have a functioning scanner to diagnose her son and decide whether he needs surgery.

Israel says it imposed the blockade and resumed its military campaign in March to pressure Hamas to release its remaining hostages and disarm.

Hamas ignited the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostage, most of whom have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel’s offensive has killed over 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants.

Concern over Israeli plans to control aid

Israeli officials have asserted that enough food entered Gaza during a two-month ceasefire earlier this year. Rights groups have disputed that and called the blockade a “starvation tactic” and a potential war crime.

Now Israeli plans to control aid distribution in Gaza, using private contractors to distribute supplies. The U.N. and aid groups have rejected the idea, saying it could restrict who is eligible to give and receive aid and could force large numbers of Palestinians to move — which would violate international law.

Those under care at hospitals, and their families who scrounge to feed them, would face further challenges under Israel’s proposal. Moving to reach aid could be out of the question.

Another patient at Nasser Hospital, 19-year-old Asmaa Faraj, had shrapnel in her chest from an airstrike that hit close to her tent and a nearby charity kitchen in camps for displaced people outside Khan Younis.

When the AP visited, the only food she had was a small bag of dates, a date cookie and some water bottles. Her sister brought her some pickles.

“People used to bring fruits as a gift when they visited sick people in hospitals,” said the sister, Salwa Faraj. “Today, we have bottles of water.”

She said her sister needs protein, fruits and vegetables but none are available.

Mohammed al-Bursh managed to find a few cans of tuna and beans to bring for his 30-year-old son, Sobhi, who was wounded in an airstrike three months ago. Sobhi’s left foot was amputated, and he has two shattered vertebrae in his neck.

Al-Bursh gently gave his son spoonfuls of beans as he lay still in the hospital bed, a brace on his neck.

“Everything is expensive,” Sobhi al-Bursh said, gritting with pain that he says is constant. He said he limits what he eats to help save his father money.

He believes that his body needs meat to heal. “It has been three months, and nothing heals,” he said.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

​ Orange County Register