Tuesday briefing: Israel attacks Gaza to rescue hostages
Strikes and rescues in Rafah
The Israeli army said it had launched a wave of attacks to divert attention and provide cover for a raid by special operations forces that successfully rescued two hostages in Rafah, southern Gaza. Gaza's health ministry said dozens of Palestinians have died in the crowded city, where more than a million displaced people have sought shelter.
The two men who were rescued – Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70 – are dual citizens of Israel and Argentina. They were in good condition and were tested at a hospital in Tel Aviv, Israeli authorities said. It was only the second known rescue of prisoners in Gaza since the war began.
Palestinians described a “night full of horrorswhen Israel bombed the city. The director of a hospital there said it had received 100 wounded overnight, along with the bodies of 52 dead. The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 67 people had been killed in total, a number that could not be independently verified.
The rescue came when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that Israeli ground forces would soon enter Rafah, despite criticism and concerns from the US and other allies. The prospect of street fighting in the city, which is surrounded by a closed Egyptian border, has sparked worldwide alarm over the risks to civilians.
The story of an orphan: Dareen al-Bayaa, 11, lost dozens of family members in a single airstrike in Gaza. In a videoshe speaks to The Times about her grief and her recovery.
A big week for Trump's business
Two New York judges could ruin Donald Trump's week.
These two separate legal threats represent a turning point in Trump's courtroom odyssey, and they could reshape his personal and presidential fortunes as he moves toward the Republican nomination.
On Thursday, a judge may schedule the first criminal trial against a former US president as early as next month. That possibility raises the specter that Trump could end up behind bars, sending the country's already bitter politics into uncharted territory.
The next day, a second judge is expected to rule on a civil fraud case that would not threaten Trump's freedom but would take away his money and undermine his family business. The judge is considering a request to penalize Trump hundreds of millions of dollars and separate him from the company he led for decades.
What else: Trump's legal troubles don't stop in New York. He faces 91 felony counts in four criminal cases. He also has to contend on a civil level with the $83.3 million he owes from a recent defamation case.
The Chinese Tesla competitor
BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle company, has surpassed Tesla in electric cars sold worldwide after growing sales by a million cars each of the past two years.
The company has a walled city in Shenzhen, where a monorail transports workers from 18-story apartment towers, and builds the world's largest car carriers. BYD has also started setting up assembly lines around the world: more than 80 percent of sales are in China, but exports to Europe are expanding.
“I think that if trade barriers are not put in place, they will destroy virtually most other businesses in the world” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in January.
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The Super Bowl
Peter Wang was killed by a gunman at his school in Florida parents' Parkland in 2018. have spent six years grieving in isolation: They immigrated from China, do not speak fluent English, and feel isolated from the advocacy and community of the other victims' parents.
“All I want is to be able to do something for Peter,” his father, Kong Feng Wang, told The Times. “But how can we do that? We don't speak the language. We don't know the culture.”
Lives lived: Kelvin Kiptum, a Kenyan runner who broke the world marathon record in Chicago last year, died at age 24 in a car accident.
ARTS AND IDEAS
Stadiums have been a cornerstone of China's diplomatic outreach in Africa since the 1970s. Their numbers have increased since the early 2000s, as part of a Chinese strategy to build infrastructure in exchange for diplomatic influence or access to natural resources. The arenas are popular with African fans and are usually donated or financed through soft loans.
But the stadiums often lack the infrastructure to support them. Critics have questioned the value of the projects, noting that they provide questionable long-term economic benefits. Maintenance costs are significant and some have fallen into disrepair. Countries often have difficulty filling seats.
“China doesn't ask why you need a stadium,” said one researcher. “It finances and builds it.”