Gaza is running out of fuel
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepened yesterday as Israel said it had conducted “wide-scale” strikes and again warned residents in Gaza to flee south ahead of a possible invasion.
Fuel shortages in the enclave have grown so dire that UNRWA, the U.N. agency that helps Palestinians, said that it might have to start shutting down its operations. Israel has so far refused to allow in more fuel, arguing that it could fall into the hands of Hamas.
With shortages of fuel, medicine and other supplies, the World Health Organization said that 12 of Gaza’s 35 hospitals were not functioning, and that seven major hospitals were well over capacity.
E.U. leaders were to meet in Brussels today to call for a “humanitarian pause” that would allow more aid deliveries into Gaza. In Washington, President Biden said the U.S. was working with partners in the region to speed aid to those who need it most. The U.N. said Gaza needs at least 100 aid trucks a day. Sixty-two trucks have arrived since Saturday.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza raised the death toll from Israeli strikes since Oct. 7 to more than 6,500 people, a number that could not be independently verified.
Analysis: Palestinians accuse Israel of targeting civilians with its strikes. Israel believes that by degrading Gaza’s military infrastructure, often built near homes and civilian institutions, it will reduce loss of life once an invasion begins.
The hospital blast: U.S. intelligence officials said that they now had “high confidence” that the explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City last week was the result of a Palestinian rocket that broke up midflight, and that no Israeli weapon was involved in the explosion. A New York Times analysis found that a widely cited video does not shed light on what happened.
Johnson, 51, is the most junior lawmaker in decades to become speaker, an office which is second in line to the presidency. He may also be the most conservative: He opposes abortion rights and same-sex marriage, and is a leading denier that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. He played a pivotal role in Trump’s efforts to overturn the results.
Challenges: Johnson will lead a deeply divided House as Congress considers the Biden administration’s $105 billion funding request for Israel, Ukraine and the Mexico-U.S. border. Johnson has opposed continued funding for the war in Ukraine. He also faces a mid-November deadline to pass a measure to fund the government and avert a shutdown.
Read more about Mike Johnson, whose election represents a victory for the far right.
A ruling in Japan advances transgender rights
Japan’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously yesterday that requiring transgender people to undergo sterilization in order to legally change their gender identity was unconstitutional. Activists welcomed the ruling as a step forward for L.G.B.T.Q. rights in a nation that has been slow to recognize them.
Still, the court did not rule on a separate requirement that transgender people must undergo transition surgery in order to legally register as the gender with which they identify. In practice, that means many transgender people will still be unable to make the legal change. The top court said it would send the case back to the High Court for further discussion of the transition surgery clause.
THE LATEST NEWS
Asia Pacific
Vietnam has four of the longest cable cars in the world — all built in the last decade — underscoring the stunning transformation of its economy and tourism sector.
Much of the boom is being driven by the over-the-top projects of the Sun Group, one of the country’s biggest real estate and tourism developers, which feature giant Buddhas, ersatz European enclaves and selfie spots galore. You can even take a cable car to the Colosseum.
ARTS AND IDEAS
India’s festival of colors and ideas
Over five days, Kolkata comes alive with hundreds of elaborate, vividly colored pavilions during the Durga Puja festival. Part Mardi Gras, part Christmas, the festival, which ended on Tuesday, is the most important religious celebration for Hindus in this part of eastern India.
Even as the right-wing party under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tightened its grip, the festival has become more progressive over the years. This year, pavilions focused on the hardships faced by auto-rickshaw drivers; child labor and trafficking and the sexual abuse of young girls; and the suffering in the state of Manipur, where Modi has been accused of indifference amid deadly ethnic violence.
The festival’s message was unmistakable: India remains a nation of diverse beliefs, regardless of Modi’s push for Hindu homogeneity.
