Wednesday briefing

Israel says it is in Gaza hospital

The Israeli army said early this morning that its forces raided Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital, a complex of buildings that have sheltered thousands of people and where conditions for patients have become increasingly dire as supplies have dwindled. Fighting has been going on in the area for days and the hospital was hit at least four times this weekend.

In a statement on social media, the Israeli military said it had launched “a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specific area in Shifa Hospital.” It remained unclear how many troops were involved in the attack and what their immediate objective was.

Israeli commanders say Hamas fighters have built an underground operational hub and tunnels under the hospital. They have accused Hamas, the armed group that controls Gaza, of using patients, doctors and hospital staff as human shields for command centers and safe houses. Hamas and hospital officials deny the allegations.

Mass graves: Al-Shifa workers buried dozens of bodies at the complex because the bodies were beginning to decompose and posed a health risk, Gaza medical authorities said.

Ukraine charges officials linked to Russian espionage

Ukrainian police officials and prosecutors have accused two politicians and a former prosecutor of conspiring with a Russian intelligence agency in aiding an effort by Rudolph Giuliani several years ago to link the Biden family to corruption in Ukraine.

Kostyantyn Kulyk, a former Ukrainian deputy attorney general; Oleksandr Dubinsky, a current member of the Ukrainian parliament; and Andriy Derkach, a former member, were indicted on charges of treason and membership of a criminal organization. The charges relate to ‘information subversive activities’ and focus on actions in 2019. It is not stated if and when the activity stopped.

A high-profile postponement: Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, has pardoned one of the convicted organizers of the murder of acclaimed human rights journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Putin’s move was in return for the man’s services in Ukraine, a lawyer for the man said.

Rishi Sunak’s gamble

A centrist pivot by Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, has led some to say his recent cabinet reshuffle could break the coalition that delivered a landslide victory for the Conservative Party in 2019 and risk driving voters out of power. would alienate the working class from the voters who once flocked to the Conservative Party. Tory slogan ‘Get Brexit done’.

“Ending up with three moderates in the top four will not be good for his party politics,” said Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair’s chief of staff. “A centrist cabinet in a right-wing party is a dangerous combination for a prime minister.”

Sunak’s third makeover: When he replaced Liz Truss as Prime Minister 13 months ago, Sunak initially cast himself as a pragmatic technocrat before adopting divisive policies on climate change, immigration and crime in a bid to put the opposition Labor Party on the defensive .

A treasure trove of dozens of historical maps, some dating back to the 15th century, have been digitized as Oculi Mundi (The Eyes of the World), an online archive.

The maps are artifacts of people’s attempts to determine where they were and where they were going next, in the era before the advent of GPS and phones that could tell us exactly where we are. And each has its own story.

SPORTS NEWS

Why football is afraid of tramadol: The World Anti-Doping Agency’s decision to… painkiller on the banned list can have serious consequences for players.

Women’s football: Emma Hayes has been confirmed as the new head coach of the U.S. team, in a deal that makes her the highest-paid coach in the sport.

David Cameron’s return: Social media announcements about the Conservative Party’s cabinet reshuffle appeared to hint at one celebrity in sports media.

Success in Formula 1’s glitziest race: As the paddock travels to Nevada for the debut of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, many questions remain.

ARTS AND IDEAS

Staging the unthinkable

Manuel Oliver’s son Joaquin was one of seventeen people killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day 2018. Known to his friends as Guac, he was a 17-year-old who liked bacon. , buttery popcorn, Guns N’ Roses and the Miami Heat.

Since Joaquin was murdered, Oliver, a painter, has used art and activism to push for stricter gun regulation. He recently performed ‘Guac: The One Man Show’ in the US, a 90-minute show about his son’s life. He hopes to stage it again in New York in 2024 and bring the show to Europe. “It makes me feel very connected to my son,” he says.

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

PS Do you know the fictional places in these popular novels? Take our quiz.

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