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Israeli troops entered al-Shifa hospital in Gaza early this morning, conducting what it called a “precise and ‘targeted operation’ against Hamas in a specified area” of the medical complex.
The decision to send troops into the hospital marks an escalation of Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territory and will increase calls for a ceasefire that Israel has so far resisted.
Youssef Abu Rish, an official from the health ministry inside the hospital, said he could see tanks inside the complex and “dozens of soldiers and commandos inside the emergency and reception buildings”.
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said the body had lost touch with health personnel at the hospital. “We’re extremely worried for their and their patients’ safety,” said the WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu.
What has the Israeli military said about the operation? “IDF forces are operating at this time in a targeted manner at Shifa hospital,” the Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, said. “The activity takes place in a defined complex for which there is intelligence information indicating terrorist activity by the terrorist organisation Hamas and in accordance with an operational need.”
Is the White House going to call for a ceasefire? No, but the Biden administration is increasingly seeking ways to restrain the Israeli military in an effort to slow the civilian toll and limit the risk of a wider conflict, while it faces a rising level of internal dissent over its Middle East policy.
China and US pledge to fight climate crisis before Xi-Biden summit
China and the US have pledged to work together more closely to fight global warming, declaring the climate crisis “one of the greatest challenges of our time”, hours before a key meeting in San Francisco between Joe Biden and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping.
The announcement further increases hopes the two nations can mend relations after years of turmoil over issues including trade, human rights and the future of Taiwan.
In a joint statement following climate talks in the US, they pledged to make a success of a crucial UN climate summit starting at the end of this month in Dubai.
And they recommitted to the 2015 Paris climate accord goals of holding global warming to “well below” 2C, while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5C.
What did the statement say? “The United States and China recognise that the climate crisis has increasingly affected countries around the world,” the statement said. “They will work together … to rise up to one of the greatest challenges of our time for present and future generations of humankind.”
US house passes bill to avert government shutdown
The house yesterday approved a novel plan to prevent a government shutdown, with the recently installed Republican house speaker, Mike Johnson, relying on Democratic votes as the far-right flank of his caucus dissented.
A coalition of nearly every Democratic representative and more mainstream Republicans joined forces to advance the stopgap spending package by a vote of 336 to 95, easily clearing the two-thirds threshold needed for passage under an expedited process. Ninety-three Republicans and two Democrats opposed the bill, which would fund the federal government into early 2024.
The vote comes as federal agencies began preparing for a possible shutdown that would halt paychecks to millions of federal workers, including members of the military, days before the Thanksgiving holiday.
The bill next goes to the Senate, where the majority leader, Chuck Schumer, has said his chamber would vote on the measure “as soon as possible”. The Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell, has also endorsed the plan.
What else happened yesterday? An Oklahoma senator and a union boss squared off in a congressional hearing, each daring the other to “stand your butt up” and fight in an exchange the chair of the Senate labor committee, Bernie Sanders, struggled to contain. “Sit down!” Sanders shouted at Markwayne Mullin, the Republican on the dais beside him. “You’re a United States senator.”
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In other news …
The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff has acknowledged for the first time that Ukraine’s forces in the Kherson region have a foothold on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, potentially opening a new line of attack towards Crimea. “Russia is already losing men and equipment near Avdiivka faster and on a larger scale than, for example, near Bakhmut,” Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
The US army is overturning the convictions of 110 black soldiers – 19 of whom were executed – for a mutiny at a Houston military camp a century ago, an effort to atone for imposing harsh punishments linked to Jim Crow-era racism. The historic reversal was announced during a ceremony posthumously honoring the regiment known as the Buffalo Soldiers.
Fears were mounting for 40 constructions workers in India who have been stuck in a collapsed tunnel for more than 72 hours, as rescue efforts were hampered by fresh debris and those inside began reporting illness. The road tunnel, which had been under construction in the mountainous state of Uttarakhand, collapsed in the early hours of Sunday after a landslide.
The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak’s, key immigration policy has been dealt a blow after the highest court rejected the government’s plans to deport people seeking asylum to Rwanda. Five judges at the supreme court upheld unanimously an appeal court ruling today.
Stat of the day: rare 1918 ‘Inverted Jenny’ US stamp sells for record-setting $2m
Talk about a stamp of approval. A New York man bought a rare postage stamp at an auction on Wednesday for the record-setting price of $2m. Charles Hack, 76, now owns the unusual piece of US history that dates back to 1918 and is known as a “Jenny”, featuring a blue inverted airplane on a red and white background. It’s the “the holy grail of postage”, Hack told the Washington Post.
The Inverted Jenny dominates postage stamp culture, or “philately” lore. The stamp’s upside down Curtiss JN-4 airplane was printed in error so its production was stopped, making the stamp incredibly valuable.
Don’t miss this: Oh no! I’m sorry to report that cold plunges are great
Cold plunging, also known as cold therapy or cold-water immersion, is the act of fully submerging your body in cold water – be it in a lake, ocean, tank, pool or, in this case, a large rectangular tub that could comfortably fit two NFL linebackers sitting head to foot. The practice is not new: references to the benefits of cold therapy date as far back as 3500BC but recently there has been something of a plunging renaissance. Lizzo is doing it. Hailey Bieber claims it helps with her anxiety. Harry Styles posted a photo of himself submerged in an ice bath on tour last year. Joe Rogan is a seasoned and memed cold plunger. Writer Madeleine Aggeler gives it a go and finds herself a convert.
Climate check: Cop28 host UAE has world’s biggest climate-busting oil plans, data indicates
The state oil company of the United Arab Emirates, whose CEO will preside over imminent UN climate negotiations, has the largest net zero-busting expansion plans of any company in the world, according to new data. Sultan Al Jaber is the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and president of the Cop28 summit, which begins on 30 November. The researchers behind the new data said Adnoc’s huge planned expansion of oil and gas production was a clear conflict of interest and they said his position was “ridiculous”. At Cop28, nations will attempt to agree to cut fossil fuel use and triple renewable energy.
Last Thing: magicians less prone to mental disorders than other artists, finds research
Creative types – musicians, painters, writers – are often regarded as a tormented and difficult bunch but a study has revealed that at least one subsection of the artistic community may have grasped the trick of staying well balanced. A study of magicians around the world, led by a UK university, suggests that illusionists may be less prone to mental health difficulties than other creatives and the general population. The research, published on Wednesday in the journal BJPsych Open, measured psychopathological traits of almost 200 magicians and compared the results with data from other artistic groups and the general population.
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