Friday Briefing: Fighting escalates in Gaza

Plus, Russia and Ukraine traded strikes

View in browser|nytimes.com March 21, 2025 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering the latest from the war in Gaza and President Trump's widening interpretation of presidential power. Plus: Comic gold in the minds of toddlers. Palestinians fled northern Gaza after the Israeli military issued warnings to evacuate homes. Saher Alghorra for The New York Times Hamas fired rockets at Tel Aviv Hamas fired its first barrage of rockets in months into Israeli territory yesterday as Israeli troops expanded ground operations across Gaza, including a raid on part of Rafah in southern Gaza, the military said, as well as actions near Beit Lahiya in the north. After the collapse of a two-month cease-fire, the fighting now looks as if it is escalating back to full-scale war. Despite street protests in Israel, the Israeli government around midnight yesterday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ouster of the head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency. Patrick Kingsley, our Jerusalem bureau chief, shared more insight on the situation. Patrick: We are back in a familiar standoff. Israel's leadership wants both the safe return of Hamas's hostages, as well as Hamas's military defeat. But Hamas won't hand over the hostages without Israel's guaranteeing the group's survival in Gaza. And Israel can't defeat Hamas by force without harming many hostages. The cease-fire that collapsed this week was always likely to fall apart unless one of the sides softened its stance. But neither did. So Israel has returned to war in order to break Hamas's resolve by force. That leaves things roughly where they were before the cease-fire: in a deadlock. Do the protests in Israel feel more impactful this time? For now, Netanyahu doesn't seem swayed by the protesters calling for a new truce to save the hostages. His biggest domestic priority is to pass a state budget by the end of the month. To do that, he needs the support of right-wing lawmakers, many of whom support the return to war and could abandon him if there's another truce. Is President Trump's Gaza plan still on the table? After proposing the expulsion of Gaza's population in January, Trump has said that the idea was only a recommendation and that no Palestinians would be expelled. His aides also said that it was less a definitive plan of action than an attempt to provoke Arab leaders into suggesting a viable alternative. Several Arab leaders, led by Egypt, did later propose their own plan for postwar Gaza — in which the territory would be governed by an apolitical committee as part of a Palestinian state. But the plan was vague, didn't explain how Hamas would cede power and was swiftly rejected by the Israeli government, which seeks to avoid discussion of Palestinian statehood. Smoke rising from the attack on an airfield in Russia's Saratov region, yesterday. Reuters Russia and Ukraine traded strikes as talks are planned Ukraine attacked an airfield deep inside Russia, officials said yesterday, as the U.S. worked to iron out a partial cease-fire. In Ukraine, Russian drones killed at least five people and injured 26 others, according to local authorities. The Kremlin said yesterday that preparations were underway for a new round of Russia-U.S. talks to be held on Monday in Saudi Arabia. Ukraine will also send representatives there to meet with U.S. officials. U.S. proposal: President Trump has floated the idea in which the U.S. controls Ukraine's nuclear power plants. What would that mean for Ukraine? President Trump paused to view his official portrait hanging in the hallway at the Department of Justice last Friday. Eric Lee/The New York Times How Trump aims to consolidate power As President Trump aims to cement control over the courts, constitutional scholars and historians warn that it may be his most alarming power play to date. Just this week, Trump brushed off a judge's order to halt a deportation flight and then called for the judge to be impeached when he pushed back. Trump's widening interpretation of presidential power has become the defining characteristic of his second term. "The scale and the speed of what's going on is terrifying," one historian said. The latest: A federal judge in Washington edged closer to holding the Trump administration in contempt for possibly having violated his ruling pausing the deportation of scores of Venezuelans under a rarely invoked wartime statute. More on the Trump administration The Pentagon is scheduled to today brief Elon Musk on the U.S. military's plan for any war that might break out with China, U.S. officials said. Trump yesterday signed an executive order to begin dismantling the Education Department. Trump and Republicans are pushing new laws and policies that crack down on free speech at universities. Track Trump's actions since he took office. MORE TOP NEWS Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters Indonesia: Defying student protests, legislators moved to allocate more civilian posts for military officers, a move that harked back to the nation's authoritarian past. China: Four dual nationals of Canada and China were executed over drug-related convictions, drawing condemnation from Ottawa for killings "inconsistent with basic human dignity." France: A French scientist was prevented from entering the U.S. after border agents found messages on his phone about Trump's policies on academic research. Travel: London's Heathrow Airport was closed earlier today and will remain shut through the rest of the day after it lost power because of a nearby fire. India: A curfew was imposed in the state of Maharashtra after violence was set off by a Hindu group's call to remove the tomb of a 17th-century Muslim ruler. Iran: Olivier Grondeau, a French citizen who was detained in Tehran for over two years on spying charges, was released this week. Syria: The Assad dictatorship kept lists of millions of wanted people. Now, Syrians named on any of those lists are sharing the news proudly. Canada: Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, has earned the nickname Captain Canada for defending his country against Trump. Afghanistan: The Taliban released an American who was detained while visiting as a tourist in 2022. Philippines: Former President Rodrigo Duterte now sits in a cell in The Hague. Here's how the high-stakes arrest unfolded. Crime: A doctor who was cited in the murder convictions of Lucy Letby in Britain says his work has been misinterpreted. Climate: Satellites orbiting above Earth's surface show how solar and wind energy have taken off in recent years. Business & Economics Britain: The Bank of England held rates steady as it warned of higher inflation and rising economic uncertainty. Tariffs: The E.U. delayed the imposition of levies on U.S. whiskey and other goods to allow for more time to try to negotiate a deal. Tesla: The company is recalling nearly all of its Cybertrucks after it found that an exterior trim panel was prone to falling off. SPORTS NEWS Olympics: Kirsty Coventry, a gold-medal-winning former swimmer from Zimbabwe, will be the first woman and the first African to lead the International Olympic Committee. Basketball: This year's N.C.A.A. men's and women's tournaments are getting underway this week. Soccer: WhatsApp is the soccer industry's main communication tool. Now, it's delivering the latest A.I. technology to the sport. Tennis: Emma Raducanu has split with her new coach after only one match. MORNING READ Andrew Testa for The New York Times George Lewis is a British comedian who was once warned by fellow comics against talking about his children. Instead, his musings on the absurdities of millennial parenting have won him legions of fans online. In one video on the inner lives of 2-year-olds, a toddler describes his father's disturbing behavior. "He was behaving so erratically," he tells a fellow tot. "He just started shouting, 'Peek-a-boo.'" "'Peek-a-boo?'" his friend replies. "Is he OK, like, mentally?" Lives lived: Hugues Oyarzabal, a deeply accomplished surfer who was among the first to record spectacular feats from inside the curl of a wave using digital cameras, died last month at 39. CONVERSATION STARTERS My other car has teeth: New Zealand researchers saw a colorful blob on a shark's head. It turned out to be an octopus hitching a ride. Stranded in space: The two astronauts who spent an extra nine months in space won't be getting any overtime pay. But they do get $5 a day for "incidentals." Artists to watch: Meet Jensen McRae, the buzzy folk-pop songwriter, plus a noise band, a Dominican M.C., a new generation of SoundCloud rappers and more. Seven kajillion controversies: Is Disney's live-action remake of Snow White doomed by culture war skirmishes? ARTS AND IDEAS Channel 4 The enduring appeal of 'Peep Show' The British series "Peep Show" may not have won the same international renown as its cringe comedy contemporary "The Office," but it deserves its share of the credit for influencing a generation of mortifying shows. The show, which chronicled two spiraling roommates in a grotty London flat who invariably do exactly the wrong thing, is not for the faint of heart. Two decades on, their personal disasters and worse solutions continue to pick up fans. "Fortunately," one of the show's creators said, "self-loathing is pretty universal." We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Christopher Testani for The New York Times Cook: Skip the takeout and make a sizzling chicken jalfrezi at home. Watch: "The Alto Knights," a mob movie starring Robert De Niro, carries a lot of weight from its very beginning. Read: John Green's "Everything Is Tuberculosis" is a plea to readers to care about a disease that doesn't directly affect them. Rest: Here's a simple technique to help you fall asleep. Style: Poufy pants have found a wide appeal. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. Have a fabulous weekend. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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