Wednesday briefing

Soldiers killed during the construction of a buffer zone

The Israeli army experienced its deadliest day of the ground invasion of Gaza on Monday. It was announced that 24 soldiers had been killed, about twenty of them in an explosion in the area near the Israeli border.

The blast occurred after Gaza militants shot at a tank guarding an Israeli unit that had planted explosives in Palestinian buildings on the border in central Gaza with the intention of destroying them, the Israeli military said. During the firefight, explosives went off, killing many of the soldiers inside, the military said.

Israel wants to demolish many Palestinian buildings close to the border to create a so-called “security zone” of up to about six-tenths of a mile on the border to make Hamas attacks less likely, officials said. That would effectively reduce the size of Gaza, a process the US opposes.

Criticism: For Palestinians, this practice is cruel and would deter Gazans from returning to their homes. Critics say the practice is part of a broader disregard for citizens' homes and property. According to UN estimates, the majority of Gaza's buildings have been damaged during the war and more than 25,000 Gazans have been killed, according to Gaza officials.

Other news from the war:

• More than half a million people in Gaza are facing “catastrophic hunger”, a UN aid agency said, calling for a critical increase in aid as the “risk of famine increases”.

• A UN agency said Israel's treatment of thousands of Palestinian prisoners, who were held in “horrific” conditions and in some cases released wearing only diapers, could amount to torture.

• A Lebanese-Australian journalist with the Australian Public Broadcasting Service shared a Human Rights Watch post critical of Israel. A day later she was forced to leave her role.

Turkey supports Sweden's NATO bid

Turkey's parliament voted to allow Sweden to join NATO, bringing the Nordic country a step closer to joining the military alliance and easing a diplomatic standoff that has clouded Turkey's relations with the US and has hampered Western efforts to isolate Russia over the war in Ukraine.

The move would make Hungary the only NATO member not to have approved Sweden's accession, depriving the alliance of the unanimity needed to add a member. The passage of the bill is a big moment for the alliance and paves the way for expanding deterrence against Russia.

Quotable: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement that he welcomed the news from Turkey. But, he said, “I also count on Hungary to complete its national ratification as soon as possible.”

The German Supreme Court has banned government funding for the neo-Nazi party

The Federal Constitutional Court in Germany deprived the neo-Nazi party Die Heimat, which means the Fatherland, of the right to government funding and tax benefits normally granted to political organizations. The decision could be a blueprint for the government's efforts to prevent a resurgence of the far right.

The party was already too small to receive public funding, but the case was closely watched because it could have implications for countering the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, a much more popular far-right party. Germany uses public party funding to reduce the power of private donations.

In France: A car crashed into a barrier set up by protesting French farmers yesterday, killing a woman and injuring her husband and daughter. The protests mirrored demonstrations in Germany driven by a sense of marginalization among farmers that the far right was quick to exploit.

The Times collected 121 menus from restaurants across the US. Together they offer a glimpse into the tastes and values ​​of today's diners, who love caviar, fried chicken and yuzu and appreciate a choice of non-alcoholic drinks.

SPORTS NEWS

The most watched football competition in the US: How has overtaken the Premier League Liga MX, the Mexican league.

Alexander Zverev: He continues to win at the Australian Open, however no one wants to talk about his upcoming trial for domestic violence.

Golf: Nick Dunlap became the first amateur in 33 years to win a PGA Tour tournament when he triumphed in La Quinta, California.

'Oppenheimer' leads the Oscar nominations

The Academy Awards yielded 13 nominations for Christopher Nolan's “Oppenheimer,” the most for any film, although it did not receive a best picture nomination. “Barbie” had eight nominations.

“Poor Things,” a twist on the Frankenstein story, received the second-highest number of nominations – 11 – including one for best picture. In the best pictures category, 'American Fiction', 'Anatomy of a Fall', 'Barbie', 'The Holdovers', 'Killers of the Flower Moon', 'Maestro', 'Past Lives' and 'The Zone' were added. of interest.”

Streaming companies dominated. Netflix received 18 nominations, including short film awards. Apple TV+ received 13 nods, with “Killers of the Flower Moon” getting 10 and “Napoleon” three. Amazon's MGM division received five. Here's a full overview.

For more: Cillian Murphy was at his parents' home in Cork, Ireland, when he learned he had been nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. Read how he felt.

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That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. – Natasha

You can reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.