Monday Briefing: Israel plans for a daily pause in some fighting

June 17, 2024

	By Amelia Nierenberg

Good morning. We’re covering Israel’s plan for a daily pause in fighting near a border crossing and emerging plans to resist Donald Trump.

Plus, a Tony Awards primer.

Houses in the foreground, hills in the middle ground and a skyline in the background under hazy skies.

A view of the Gaza skyline from southern Israel. Associated Press

Israel announces a daily pause in some fighting

The Israeli military said yesterday that it would suspend daytime military operations near a border crossing in southern Gaza “until further notice.” The move is an effort to allow more humanitarian aid to enter the enclave, as aid groups make increasingly urgent warnings about the lack of food and other basic goods.

The announcement, made on the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, comes amid a flurry of negotiations, mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, to reach a cease-fire. One sticking point in those talks is a disagreement over the permanence of any cessation of hostilities.

Israel’s military stressed yesterday that the pause would be limited, that its offensive in Rafah would continue and that there would be “no cessation of fighting” in southern Gaza overall.

The government suggested that the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had learned of the pause only from news reports and signaled his disapproval. But analysts said it was likely that Netanyahu was aware of the plan and the messaging of its rollout, with each tailored to different audiences.

Gazans: As the war drags on, people are growing more willing to speak out against Hamas.

A triptych photo of three people, two women and one man, in suits.

Three key members of the loose coalition. From left, Lauren Petracca for The New York Times; Tom Jamieson for The New York Times; Vincent Tullo for The New York Times

A new Trump resistance emerges

A sprawling network of Democratic officials, progressive activists, watchdog groups and ex-Republicans has been taking extraordinary steps to prepare for a potential second Trump presidency. They view his agenda as a threat to democracy, and are laying the groundwork to push back if he wins the election in November.

The early timing and scale of the planning are without precedent. Some are drafting potential lawsuits in case he carries out mass deportations, as he has vowed. The A.C.L.U. hired a new auditor to withstand any attempt to unleash the Internal Revenue Service against it. At least five Democratic-run states have even stockpiled abortion medication.

If Trump wins: He is openly planning broad changes to the government, many with authoritarian overtones, such as using the Justice Department to exact revenge on his adversaries and sending federal troops into Democratic-run cities. Here’s our overview of his agenda.

A man greeting a woman in an airport hangar.

Saeed Azizi, who is a Swedish citizen, was greeted by relatives upon his return from Iran. Tom Samuelsson/TT News Agency, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

An Iran-Sweden prisoner swap

Iran and Sweden exchanged prisoners on Saturday, bringing relief to families but also raising concerns that the swap rewarded Iran for its hostage diplomacy. The country has systematically arrested foreign nationals on fabricated allegations in order to extract concessions from Western countries.

Iran released an E.U. diplomat and a dual Iranian-Swedish national. Sweden released the first Iranian official to be convicted of crimes against humanity. He had been sentenced to life in a Swedish court after being convicted of torture, war crimes and the 1988 mass execution of 5,000 dissidents. His conviction at the time was hailed by rights advocates as a landmark case of trans-border justice.

Reaction: Family members of victims and of others who remain in Iranian custody were outraged. Several of those still imprisoned, including Ahmadreza Djalali, a scientist on death row on murky charges of spying and aiding Israel, are Swedish citizens. He has denied the charges against him.

MORE TOP NEWS

Climate and Heat

An aerial view of thousands of Muslim pilgrims walking on highways near Mecca.

Hundreds of thousands of people poured into Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, for the holy trip. Fadel Senna/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Mecca: Fourteen Jordanian pilgrims died in intense heat as they performed rituals related to the hajj.
California: A fast-spreading wildfire has forced about 1,200 people to evacuate and burned more than 10,000 acres northwest of Los Angeles.
Australia: Some ski resorts are struggling to open because of sparse snow.

Russia-Ukraine

Police vehicles and personnel outside a building with barbed wire outside it.

The detention center yesterday. Arkady Budnitsky/EPA, via Shutterstock

Russia: Special forces quashed a short-lived mutiny at a provincial detention center yesterday, state media reported. They killed detainees, some charged with terrorism, who had broken out of their cells.
Diplomacy: At a conference in Switzerland more than 80 countries called for “dialogue between all parties.” But Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, refused negotiations that would cede territory.
Ukraine: In 2022, Moscow and Kyiv engaged in peace talks. Documents reviewed by The Times show why peace will be hard to reach.

Other News

Germany: Police shot a man wielding an ax on a street crowded with soccer fans in Hamburg hours before the city hosted a European Championship game.
Britain: Catherine, Princess of Wales, appeared in public for the first time since announcing her cancer diagnosis.
France: Tens of thousands of people rallied on Saturday against the far-right National Rally party.
China: Two prominent leaders in the country’s #MeToo movement were convicted of subversion, a vaguely worded charge long seen as a tool for muzzling dissent.
South Africa: A fragile coalition elected Cyril Ramaphosa for a second term as president on Friday.
G7: Fears of China’s rise loomed large over the meeting. Almost all of the 28 references to China in the final communiqué described Beijing as a malign force.
Italy: Pope Francis attended Rome’s Pride celebration, where attendees embraced the offensive slur for gay people that he was accused of using twice in recent weeks.

MORNING READ

Nazareth Hernández, left, and Corina Hernández at their restaurant. They have become symbols of defiance for Venezuelans. Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

After two sisters in Venezuela served breakfast to an opposition leader, the government shut down their restaurant. They shared a video on the encounter online and have since emerged as unlikely political folk heroes as the country heads into its most competitive election in years, rebranding their products as “freedom empanadas.”

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A bad-TikTok boost: Urban Tandoor, an Indian restaurant in England, is using terrible music video parodies made by its staff to bring in new guests.
Viktor Orban embraces a rapper: Azahriah, who has rapped about the joy of cannabis, has shot to fame in Hungary and been lauded by the conservative leader.

“Rodent Men”: The term describes a certain type of desirable Hollywood actor.

SPORTS NEWS

Three swimmers seen from underwater in a pool with red and blue dividers between lanes.

Chinese officials said that Wang Shun, center, was one of three top swimmers to test positive on multiple occasions. Oli Scarff/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Swimming: Three Chinese athletes who failed drug tests before the Olympics in 2021 had previously tested positive for a steroid. They were not suspended in either instance.
Euro 2024: Check out The Athletic’s updates from the tournament.
Olympics: Parisians are taking to TikTok to urge fans to skip the trip, venting their displeasure about the Games.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

A group of performers rumble in a scene with falling rain and a gravel-covered stage; they all wear sneakers and casual clothes like jeans. One actor is aloft; it’s a fight that looks like a dance.

A fight scene from “The Outsiders.” Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Broadway’s pop era

The Tony Awards — Broadway’s big night on television — will start in a few hours. Over half of the new musicals that opened this season had scores written by artists whose primary credentials are in the music business, like Alicia Keys, Barry Manilow and Britney Spears.

My colleague Michael Paulson writes that it’s part of a broader pattern: The wellspring of Broadway’s sound is shifting, with more musicals being written by artists who started in pop. Some top artists are excited by the cross-pollination; some theater fans are worried that pop songs don’t advance storytelling like musical theater tunes.

In some ways, this isn’t new: In the early 20th century, theater stars found success on the stage and the radio. There have also long been jukebox musicals. But it’s also a financial consideration. The theater industry has seen audiences shrink and costs rise since the pandemic-induced shutdowns, and familiarity sells tickets.

For more: We spoke with 43 of the nominees. Want a ballot? We’ve got you covered. And here’s who our chief critic thinks will and should win.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A slice of three-tier red cake with white frosting with a fork holding one bite of it.

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.

Bake: Red velvet cake is easier than you might think.

Read: “Traveling” examines the life and music of Joni Mitchell.

Listen: Julius Rodriguez, the 25-year-old jazz prodigy, hones a more audacious sound on his second album, “Evergreen.”

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

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Amelia

Email us at briefing@nytimes.com.

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