Friday Briefing: Israel says tanks briefly entered Gaza

By Justin Porter

Good morning. We’re covering Israel’s claim that it sent tanks briefly into Gaza and the U.S. economy sees a welcome surge.

Plus inspiration in the Rugby World Cup final.

Israel says its tanks briefly entered Gaza, as aid trickles in

The Israeli military said yesterday that it had briefly sent tanks into the northern Gaza Strip overnight as part of preparations for the next stage of fighting, after the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, indicated that the country was likely to carry out a ground invasion of the enclave.

Although details of the brief incursion remained scarce, a video released by Israel’s military showed Israeli tanks firing inside Gaza. The area is immediately next to Gaza’s northern border near the Mediterranean Sea, according to an examination of the footage by The New York Times.

“We brace for a ground incursion,” Netanyahu said. “I won’t detail when, how or how much. I also won’t specify the set of considerations we weigh. When we enter Gaza, we’ll make Hamas pay the price for its attack.”

Here’s the latest.

Delayed aid: As of yesterday morning, 74 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies had entered Gaza since Saturday, far short of the figure, at least 100 a day, that the U.N. said the enclave needs. U.N. officials and diplomats attribute the delay partly to Israel’s demands to inspect the trucks at a checkpoint about 25 miles from the entry point to Gaza from Egypt.

Israel informed the U.N. that it had the capacity to inspect 40 trucks a day at most, said a U.N. aid official, who was not authorized to speak publicly. Read more about the bottleneck.

Diplomacy: The U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote on a resolution calling for a cease-fire. The resolution would not be binding, but it would reflect a wider global view than that of the Security Council, which has been deeply divided on a response to the war.

Damage: Israel said it has struck more than 7,000 targets inside Gaza. Satellite images show the extent of the damage.

U.S. economy surges in third quarter

The U.S. economy surged in the third quarter, a far cry from the recession that most economists had forecast at this time last year. Spending by higher-income earners, who have piled up savings, fueled robust job growth in service industries like hotels and restaurants.

Gross domestic product, the primary measure of economic output, grew at a 4.9 percent annualized rate from July through September. The pace was the strongest showing since late 2021, made possible in part by slowing inflation, which lifted purchasing power even as wage growth weakened, and a job market that has shown renewed vigor over the past three months.

Denmark aims to demolish ‘non-Western’ neighborhoods

Denmark is using demolition and relocation to remake low-income, “non-Western” neighborhoods. Local officials describe these areas as segregated enclaves where immigrants do not participate in the wider society as they benefit from the welfare system.

Announced in 2018, the plan has started to take tangible form. More than 4,000 public housing units will be emptied or torn down. They will be sold to private investors or replaced with housing for wealthier, often nonimmigrant residents. Court cases contending that the plan amounts to ethnic discrimination have reached the E.U.’s Court of Justice.

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SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICA

Inspiration, again, in the Rugby World Cup final

Despite rolling electricity blackouts, high unemployment and rampant crime, South Africans are finding a renewed sense of optimism in sports.

South Africa’s national rugby team, the Springboks, has reached the final of the Rugby World Cup after a grueling tournament. They’ll face old rivals, the All Blacks of New Zealand, in France tomorrow.

For years, rugby was synonymous with white supremacy in South Africa. But during the 1995 World Cup, when the team returned to international play after years of exclusion, Nelson Mandela appeared in a green and gold Springbok jersey. It was an inspirational gesture of national unity, and the team went on to win the championship.

This year, the Springboks, led by their first Black captain, Siya Kolisi, and the country are very different, but South Africans of all races are proudly wearing the team’s colors.— Lynsey Chutel, Briefings writer based in Johannesburg.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Make these monster cookies, a delicious treat studded with colored candy.

Watch “Pain Hustlers” on Netflix, in which a single mother takes a job at a questionable pharmaceutical company.

Listen to one of these five classical music albums.

Heal from a romantic or platonic breakup with one of these closure rituals.

Play Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. See you Monday. — Justin

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

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