Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. The Trump administration is replacing IRS

Commissioner Billy Long, just two months after the former Missouri Congressman took over at the agency.

And Pierre Scott Horsley reports it's the latest in a string of IRS management shakeups.

A White House spokesman confirmed Billy Longs ouster without offering any explanation.

The shakeup took IRS staffers by surprise.

For the time being, Treasury Secretary Scott Besson will serve as acting commissioner of the tax collection agency.

The IRS churned through four acting commissioners in the early months of the Trump administration before long was confirmed to the post in mid-June.

It's a tumultuous time at the agency, which has laid off thousands of staffers, including nearly a third of its auditors.

The IRS is currently gearing up to implement the sweeping changes to tax law in the recently passed GOP budget bill.

Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

Family members of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas say they feel angry at Israel's decision to

intensify the war in Gaza.

Emperor's Eleanor Beersley reports one group held a protest Sabbath dinner near Israel's defense

minister's house.

Under a tent in a small town south of Tel Aviv, 50 empty places were set at the table for

the hostages, alive and dead.

There were songs and raw feelings.

Gil Dickman is the cousin of hostage Carmel Gat, who was murdered by her

captors when Israel stormed Rafa last year. He says Israel is making the same mistake by going into Gaza

City. That's what they did in Raffach. They decided to go inside Raffach and to move with enormous power

of the IDF and hostages were killed. My cousin was killed because of this decision.

He says this war has to end for the hostages and for the civilians in Gaza.

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