Thursday briefing
What awaits us in Gaza?
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, said yesterday that Gaza should be united with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority once the war is over, it will be the strongest signal yet of the Biden administration’s hopes for the future of the conflict. But what Israel will do in Gaza is largely unclear.
Patrick Kingsley, The Times’ Jerusalem bureau chief responsible for Israel and the occupied territories, explains what lies ahead.
What do you expect?
If Israel goes ahead as planned, the coming weeks could be the bloodiest of the war yet. About 1,400 Israelis and more than 10,000 Palestinians have already been killed in Gaza, according to Hamas-led health authorities in Gaza.
That death toll could rise once Israel begins serious fighting in the urban habitat of Gaza City, Hamas’ stronghold and the main target of the Israeli invasion. Once Israeli forces come in en masse, we will see very intense urban warfare, in part because this is the home base of Hamas. It is the place where they have built and dug hundreds of kilometers of underground tunnels from which they can emerge and launch ambushes that will hinder the Israeli army’s progress.
The biggest question is what the Israeli army will do once it reaches the hospitals in central Gaza City, which they claim is the headquarters of the Hamas military command. Although they have not said this clearly, the implication is that they will have to take over these hospitals to achieve their goal of removing Hamas from the Gaza Strip.
Doing so will result in fierce fighting in a location that would be off-limits during a war. And we could be about to witness some very disturbing scenes of violence in places that are supposedly sanctuaries.
What is Israel’s endgame in Gaza?
Israel’s plan is still quite vague. They have said they want to disband Hamas’s political leadership and military capabilities. They have also said they will maintain security control over Gaza “indefinitely.” But it’s not clear how long they plan to do that, or how much time the U.S. government will give them before withdrawing support.
It is also not clear how much time Israel has before regional repercussions – such as the entry of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, into the war – will force them to reconsider their strategy in Gaza.
How is the mood in Israel?
It is one of unrest, deep pain and sadness. According to Israeli officials, October 7 was the deadliest day for Jews since the end of the Holocaust, and the idea of families being burned alive by Hamas or its allies, and civilians shot dead in the streets and in their homes, has been extremely triggering.
There is also a deep sense of anger among the government and security services for allowing the October 7 attack. And according to recent polls, there is a lack of confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ability to lead Israel out of this crisis.
How do the Palestinians feel?
The mood among Palestinians is one of real terror and fear. They fear mass displacement from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. They are already mourning the largest number of civilians killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1982, when Israel invaded Lebanon. And they fear that much more bloodshed will follow.
As Israel’s bombing continues and Israel’s ground invasion moves closer to the heart of Gaza City, they also feel abandoned by the West and the US, which they believe has completely sided with Israel.
Other news from the war:
Ukraine accuses Russia of attacking a civilian ship
A Russian anti-radar missile hit a civilian ship while moored at a port in the Black Sea region of Odesa, Ukrainian authorities said, killing a port pilot on board and injuring three crew members and a dock worker. The claim could not immediately be verified. Russian authorities did not immediately comment on the strike.
If the attack is confirmed, it would be the first time Russian forces have hit a civilian ship sailing near the Odesa region since Moscow withdrew in July from a U.N.-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine to send its grain via to export to the Black Sea.
In other news: The EU executive has recommended this the bloc opens membership talks with Ukrainean encouraging step for Kiev in what remains a long process.
THE LAST NEWS
Around the world
Danny Taing’s 55,000 rare Kit Kats, valued at $250,000, began their long, twisted and sometimes obscure journey in Japan. Their destination was Carlstadt, NJ – and ultimately the hands of avid candy fans.
The Kit Kats reached the US. But days after a cross-country trip was supposed to be completed, they were nowhere to be found. Did they melt in the summer heat? Was a Kit Kat junkie indulging in chocolate plunder? What happened to the candy bars??
Lives lived
Oleg Protopopov, a Russian champion skater who lives with his wife Ludmila Belousova revolutionized pairs figure skating before defecting to the West, died at the age of 91.
SPORTS NEWS
‘Dollar-rumma’ rage: A hostile return to Milan for Gianluigi Donnarumma.
In memory of José Antonio Reyes: Seville’s son and Arsenal’s invincible.
Formula 1’s coldest race ever? Las Vegas will challenge drivers, teams and tires.
The next blockbuster from the Costume Institute
Despite the name – “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” – there is no Disney connection to the theme for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s next fashion bonanza.
Instead it was the show inspired by the ephemeral nature of natureand how fashion captures that literally, in the form of garments inspired by and adorned with flora and fauna, and conceptually, in its endless cycle of in and out, the potential to degrade.
“Think of it as a show dedicated to Ansustainable fashion,” writes Vanessa Friedman, our chief fashion critic, “one that could function as a requiem, a warning sign and a reminder of the fundamental importance of regeneration.”
Related: In an age of expediency, styles are inspired by gastropods such as snails seeps onto the runway.
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That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. – Natasha
PS The critic Alissa Wilkinson joins The Times from Vox to cover films.
You can reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.