Republican candidates confront Trump's enduring popularity in Iowa with 100 days to go until caucuses

On Saturday - 100 days before Iowa Republicans head to their caucasues - Iowa will once again become the focal point of the GOP presidential race as the ambitions of much of the field collide in the Hawkeye State.

It is likely to remain the center of attention for much of the foreseeable future.

Former President Donald Trump's enduring popularity in Iowa and across the early Republican presidential nominating map has forced much of the field to aggressively turn their attention to the state in hopes of stopping his march toward the nomination. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in particular has approached the state as a must-win, but others increasingly view it as a last stand to demonstrate that a viable alternative to Trump can emerge before it's too late.

Candidates' planned scripts were scrambled Saturday as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his country "at war" in the wake of a surprise attack by Palestinian militants in Gaza, who fired a deadly barrage of rockets and sent gunmen into Israeli territory.

DeSantis said Saturday that the US stands with Israel. "They have a responsibility to defend themselves with overwhelming force," he said at a meet and greet at a coffee shop in Ankeny, Iowa, adding that President Joe Biden needs to provide "moral clarity."

Meanwhile, Trump condemned the rocket attacks as an "act of savagery," at a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, and deemed the Biden administration as responsible, attempting to connect the attacks to perceptions of Biden's leadership abroad.

Seasoned Iowa operatives and observers say the stakes for the caucuses - which do not traditionally serve as a kingmaker - have rarely felt so acute.