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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli strikes on a hospital compound in central Gaza today killed at least four people and injured 40 after tents housing displaced civilians caught fire, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Women and children were among the casualties. The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas command center embedded inside the hospital. The Washington Post reports.
An Israeli attack on a school-turned-shelter killed at least 15 people in central Gaza yesterday, according to Hamas-run Gaza Civil Defense. The IDF said it was investigating the reports. Earlier, five children were reportedly killed by a drone strike in northern Gaza. Adam Durbin and Wyre Davies report for BBC News.
A New York Times investigation found that Israeli troops in Gaza have regularly forced captured Palestinians to act as human shields. Natan Odenheimer, Bilal Shbair, and Patrick Kingsley report.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is examining a plan to seal off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an attempt to starve out Hamas, sources say. Julia Frankel reports for AP News.
Hamas tried to persuade Iran to join the Oct. 7 attacks, secret documents reviewed by the Israeli military show. The documents also show a potential Hamas plan far bigger than the Oct. 7, including a Sept. 11-style toppling of a Tel Aviv skyscraper. Ronen Bergman, Adam Rasgon, and Patrick Kingsley report for the New York Times; Joby Warrick, Souad Mekhennet, and Loveday Morris report for the Washington Post.
The second round of a U.N.-led polio vaccination campaign in Gaza is set to begin today. CNN reports.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT
A Hezbollah drone strike on a military base in northern Israel killed four soldiers and wounded dozens, the Israeli military said yesterday, adding that it would investigate how the drone entered Israel without triggering an alert. Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Aaron Boxerman, Johnatan Reiss, and Thomas Fuller report for the New York Times.
The U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said two Israeli tanks forced their way into one of its positions early yesterday. In a statement, UNIFIL said the IDF had requested that it turn out its lights, and two hours later, fired rounds nearby the camp, wounding 15 peacekeepers. The IDF claimed it encroached on a UNIFIL position to evacuate soldiers who had been “seriously injured” in a missile attack. Aleks Phillips reports for BBC News.
The IDF brought journalists into southwestern Lebanon yesterday to show what commanders described as extensive Hezbollah militant infrastructure, including allegedly near a U.N. observation post. Steve Hendrix reports for the Washington Post.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT — U.S. RESPONSE
The U.S. military will deploy a sophisticated missile defense system and about 100 troops to operate it in Israel, ahead of another potential ballistic missile attack from Iran, the Pentagon said yesterday. The new deployment means U.S. soldiers could actively engage in fighting between Israel and Iran on Israeli soil. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Israel’s military actions in Lebanon have undermined the U.N. peacekeeping and humanitarian mission in the country, New Zealand’s foreign minister said today. Separately, the European Union condemned attacks on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon and rejected Israeli allegations that the U.N. was keeping them there to obstruct military operations against Hezbollah. Lucas Lilieholm reports for CNN; AP News reports.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
A Nevada man carrying a loaded gun and several fake passports was arrested near former President Trump’s Saturday rally in southern California, authorities said yesterday. In a joint statement with the FBI and Department of Justice, the Secret Service said Trump “was not in any danger.” AP News reports; Mitchelle Watson, Rashard Rose and Holmes Lybrand report for CNN.
The Justice Department sued Virginia on Friday over a state program that prosecutors said systematically sought to remove voters too close to the election. David Nakamura reports for the Washington Post.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Hurricane recovery officials working in Rutherford County, N.C. had to relocate on Saturday amid reports of “armed militia” threatening government workers in the region, according to an email sent to federal agencies. Brianna Sacks reports for the Washington Post.
A former U.S. soldier was sentenced on Friday to fourteen years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to provide the self-styled Islamic State group with sensitive information and attempting to murder U.S. military service members. Emmett Linder reports for the New York Times.
The Biden administration has formed a multi-agency team to deal with a growing crisis of Chinese cyberattacks on U.S. telecommunications companies, now believed to affect about 10 or 12 companies. Ellen Nakashima reports for the Washington Post.
U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS
A relative of an Afghan national accused of planning an Election Day attack in Oklahoma was arrested in France on Saturday and has been charged with planning an attack in France, authorities said. It is not clear whether the attacks were intended to be coordinated. Nancy Ing and Tom Winter report for NBC News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday announced a €1.4 billion ($1.53 bn) military aid package for Ukraine by the end of 2024. The aid will be given jointly by Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and Norway. Andreas Rinke and Matthias Williams report for Reuters.
Russia has escalated its assaults on Black Sea port infrastructure and civilian shipping in recent days, in what Ukraine says is an attempt to damage its economy. Maria Varenikova reports for the New York Times.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
China is holding large-scale military exercises in waters surrounding Taiwan today, in what China’s Defense Ministry said is a response to the Taiwanese president’s refusal to acknowledge Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China. Johnson Lai and Huizhong Wu report for AP News.
North Korea is preparing to destroy the northern parts of inter-Korean roads, the South Korean military said today. The development follows a weekend standoff over alleged South Korean drone propaganda leafleting in Pyongyang. Kim Tong-Hyung reports for AP News.
Pakistan is set to host a major security summit in Islamabad attended by senior leaders from China and India this week. It comes amid ongoing violence from insurgent groups and government crackdowns on protest. Riazat Butt reports for AP News.
The European Union will impose sanctions today on fourteen individuals and organizations linked to Iranian transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia, EU officials said Friday. Andrew Gray and Lili Bayer report for Reuters.
Sudanese army strikes targeting a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) camp killed at least 23 people and injured over 40 in the south of Khartoum on Saturday. Richard Kagoe reports for BBC News.
A senior Mumbai politician was shot dead on Saturday night, weeks before a key state election. AP News reports.
Iceland appears to be headed for a snap parliamentary election after its governing coalition collapsed. The prime minister is expected to ask the president to formally dissolve Iceland’s parliament today. AP News reports.
An inquiry into the 2018 death of a British woman poisoned by Novichok nerve agent is set to open today. AP News reports.