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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is holding hearings today and tomorrow on South Africa’s request that the court order Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah and do more to protect civilians in Gaza. Emily Rauhala reports for the Washington Post; Molly Quell reports for AP News.
The Israeli military said yesterday that its forces were escalating military operations in parts of northern Gaza, where they have recently returned. Israeli forces were targeting Jabalia refugee camp, both the military and local residents have said. Hamas’s armed wing said on Telegram that its fighters were engaging Israeli troops in the camp. Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.
Five Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, Israel’s military said. Israeli media report that the troops were killed when they were mistakenly hit by Israeli tank fire yesterday in Jabalia, one of the deadliest incidents of its kind since the outset of the war. Raffi Berg reports for BBC News.
Israeli evacuation orders are further stressing Gaza’s healthcare system, the U.N. says. “Access to critical health services continues to shrink and displacement is on the rise as additional evacuation orders are issued and military operations intensify,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said, adding that the IDF has placed around 78% of the Strip under evacuation orders. Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders said this week it was forced to withdraw from Rafah due to the “intensification” of fighting by Israeli forces. Frances Vinall reports for the Washington Post.
The U.N. has responded to Israeli claims that one of its aid warehouses in Gaza was being used by Palestinian gunmen. The IDF released drone footage of what it said showed armed “terrorists roaming and shooting” next to U.N. vehicles at the facility in eastern Rafah on Saturday. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said the footage did likely show one of its warehouses, but that it had been earlier abandoned by its staff following evacuation orders by the IDF. Richard Irvine-Brown reports for BBC News; Jeremy Diamond reports for CNN.
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant warned Israel could slide toward establishing military rule over Gaza unless an alternative government is set up. Israel has yet to settle on an appropriate civilian alternative to Hamas’s administration, Gallant told reporters, adding that he has been raising “this issue consistently” since October, but has “received no response.” Paul Adams and Ali Abbas Ahmadi report for BBC News; the New York Times reports.
Israel will “significantly increase” its quota of foreign workers to address a labor shortage due to the Gaza war, Netanyahu’s office said yesterday. Over 300,000 workers, up to 3.3% of Israel’s population, will be allowed to work in the country under new measures, Netanyahu said.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
The U.S.-built floating pier that will allow the delivery of aid to Palestinian civilians has been anchored in Gaza, U.S. Central Command said today. Trucks are expected to begin moving the humanitarian aid ashore in the coming days, with the U.N. coordinating the distribution of aid within the enclave, CENTCOM said, adding that no U.S. troops had entered Gaza.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — REGIONAL RESPONSE
Egypt may consider downgrading relations with Israel if it presses ahead with a military operation in Rafah, an Egyptian official said. “Everything is possible and is on the table, including the downgrade of relations. But we are not there yet. We are talking to the Israelis, trying to explain and reach a consensus,” the official said. The official added that coordination between both countries over Rafah “didn’t go well. And that’s why we warned Israel of dire repercussions.” Nadeen Ebrahim reports for CNN; Peter Beaumont reports for The Guardian.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The E.U.’s top diplomat Josep Borrell yesterday urged Israel to “end its military operation in Rafah immediately.” In a statement, Borrell said, “Should Israel continue its military operation in Rafah, it would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU’s relationship with Israel.” Pierre Emmanuel Ngendakumana reports for POLITICO.
Britain has announced that its first shipment of humanitarian aid, including 8,400 temporary shelters, is traveling from Cyprus to Gaza. “The aid will be distributed within Gaza as soon as feasible,” the U.K. government said in a statement released yesterday.
IRAN-BACKED MILITANTS
Yemen’s Houthi fighters yesterday claimed an attack on a U.S. Navy destroyer and a commercial ship in the Red Sea. However, CENTCOM said the attack apparently happened nearly two days earlier, and that the vessel intercepted the missile targeting it. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
The United States is “rushing ammunition, armored vehicles, missiles [and] air defenses” to Ukraine’s front line, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday. During his trip to Kyiv, Blinken announced that $2 billion would be spent to expedite delivery. His comments come as Ukrainian forces retreat from several villages in the Kharkiv region following Russian advances. Tiffany Wertheimer reports for BBC News; Ivana Saric reports for Axios.
Russian forces are preparing to attempt to capture the village of Lyptsi, located about 19 miles north of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, according to a Russian-installed official quoted by Russia’s RIA state news agency. Russia last week opened a new front in the Ukraine war by pushing over the border into the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine. Reuters reports.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in a stable but serious condition after being shot several times yesterday. Fico, 59, was said to have been fighting for his life after being gravely attacked in the town of Handlová. Slovakia’s interior minister called the attack a politically motivated assassination attempt, and a suspect was detained at the scene of the shooting. Malu Cursino and Sarah Rainsford report for BBC News; Zoya Sheftalovich reports for POLITICO.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have vowed to deepen their strategic partnership. Putin is in Beijing today on a two-day state visit. A joint statement signed by the leaders released today said they would “inject strong momentum” in the development of their relations. Simone McCarthy reports for CNN; Emily Wang Fujiyama, Christopher Bodeen, and Huizhong Wu report for AP News.
Four right-wing parties in the Netherlands yesterday reached a deal to form a government. The breakthrough agreement comes after six months of negotiations, and would exclude populist politician Geert Wilders from becoming prime minister. Claire Moses reports for the New York Times; Paul Kirby reports for BBC News.
Switzerland’s top criminal court yesterday convicted a former interior minister of Gambia for crimes against humanity. The court sentenced Ousman Sonko to 20 years in prison over his role in murder, torture, and other repression committed by Gambia’s security forces under its longtime dictator, Yahya Jammeh. Jamey Keaten and Abdoulie John report for AP News; Nick Cumming-Bruce and Ruth Maclean report for the New York Times.
People in Sudan are “trapped in an inferno of brutal violence” as famine, disease, and fighting close in with no end in sight, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the U.N.’s top humanitarian official in the country, said yesterday. Edith M. Lederer reports for AP News.
France hopes to regain control of events in New Caledonia “in the coming hours,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said today. The semi-autonomous French island experienced a third night of riots over a contested electoral reform that have killed four people so far. Kirsty Needham and Augustin Turpin report for Reuters.
DOMESTIC U.S. DEVELOPMENTS
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez’s defense has sought to place blame for his alleged bribe-taking on his wife. In opening statements at his corruption trial, Menendez’s attorney told the jury his wife “kept him in the dark” on financial matters. Menendez is accused of accepting bribes in exchange for helping foreign governments, and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Brandon Drenon and Holly Honderich report for BBC News.
Blinken yesterday removed Cuba from the State Department’s list of countries it deems less than fully cooperative against violent groups. In a statement, Blinken said the State Department had found that Cuban and U.S. law enforcement have been working together on operations including counterterrorism. Ellen Knickmeyer reports for AP News.
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday temporarily allowed Louisiana to proceed with a congressional map that includes two majority-Black districts for the 2024 elections. It follows a lower court ruling that the map contained racial gerrymandering. A map change could result in the state sending a second Democrat to the House of Representatives. Sareen Habeshian reports for Axios.
TRUMP-LEGAL MATTERS
Court resumes today in former President Trump’s criminal hush money trial. Trump’s lawyers are expected to continue the cross-examination of star witness, Michael Cohen. Jody Godoy, Jack Queen, and Luc Cohen report for Reuters.