Monday Briefing: Thousands protest in Israel

September 2, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering the death of six Israeli hostages and an AfD victory in Germany.

Plus, Cambodia celebrates the return of looted artifacts.

Several people crouching near a funereal wreath.

The family of Almog Sarusi, one of the six hostages found dead in Gaza, at his funeral on Sunday. Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times

Israelis protested after six hostages were found dead in Gaza

Six hostages were found dead in southern Gaza over the weekend, prompting a furious reaction among Israelis who blamed the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for failing to secure a deal that would have released those remaining in captivity.

The Israeli military said that an initial assessment showed that the hostages had been killed by Hamas “a short time before” their bodies were found. Hamas, without evidence, blamed Israel’s military. The hostages ranged in age from 23 to 40, and most had been captured at a dance music festival in southern Israel. One was an dual Israeli American citizen. Here’s what we know about them.

Four of the six hostages whose bodies were recovered were included on a list of those who Israel was demanding be released in the first phase of a three-phase agreement, according to an official Israeli document. More than 60 living hostages remain in Gaza, according to the Israeli authorities.

Yesterday evening, protests were being organized and held across the country. Israel’s largest labor union declared that a “complete strike” would begin today, a dramatic reflection of the anger that has been growing among advocates of the hostages and Netanyahu’s political opposition.

Polio: Health workers officially began a vaccination drive yesterday aimed at preventing an outbreak of the quick-spreading disease, which was recorded last month in Gaza for the first time in 25 years. Both Hamas and Israel agreed to pauses in the fighting to allow the vaccinations to take place.

Who are Harris and Trump’s biggest donors?

🇺🇸 U.S. ELECTION 2024

The presidential election is less than 70 days away. This is what we’re watching.

Four images, each with a man’s face in it.

Clockwise from top left, Timothy Mellon, Elon Musk, George Soros and Reid Hoffman. Clockwise from top left - Associated Press, Kenny Holston/The New York Times, Clara Mokri for The New York Times, Ronald Zak/Associated Press

The campaigns of Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, when combined with their super PACs, have raised at least $1.3 billion. And that’s just the beginning — donors write some of the biggest checks of the campaign season over its final two months.

Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon banking fortune, has spent the most on Trump this cycle, at more than $125 million. Elon Musk, who owns the social media platform X and is chief executive of Tesla, also has ambitions to spend as much as $180 million in support of the Republican Party.

Harris’s key donors include several powerful figures in Silicon Valley, including Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, and George Soros, the billionaire investor and philanthropist. Meet the biggest donors so far.

Some Harris’s donors from Silicon Valley and Wall Street, however, aren’t thrilled about her apparent support of a billionaire minimum tax, which would target America’s ultrawealthy, and are quietly pushing her to reconsider.

Here’s what else to know:

While the economy remains the top issue, a growing share of swing-state voters now say abortion is central to their decision.
After Trump used A.I.-generated images to falsely claim an endorsement from Taylor Swift, thousands of Swifties gathered in support of Harris’s campaign.

Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us and we’ll find the answers.

Stay up-to-date: Live coverage | Poll tracker | “The Run-Up” podcast | On Politics newsletter

Germany’s far-right AfD party is projected to win a state election

A long lines forms outside a building with the word “HopfenBerg” on it.

An Election Day gathering for the far-right AfD party on Sunday in Erfurt, Germany. Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters

The far-right Alternative for Germany party, known as the AfD, was projected to win in Thuringia, formerly part of East Germany. It would be the first time since the Nazi era that a far-right party won a state election in Germany. In a second state, Saxony, the party was running a close second to mainstream conservatives, according to projections.

The results were seen as a worrying indicator for German democracy: The regional branches of AfD in Thuringia and Saxony have been classified by regional domestic intelligence agencies as “confirmed extremist” groups. All other parties have said that they would shun the AfD. That may result in the Christian Democratic Union, the main opposition party nationally, running both state governments.

MORE TOP NEWS

People light white candles that are part of an outdoor memorial. The sky is getting dark.

A vigil for the murdered doctor in Kolkata last month. Amit Dave/Reuters

India: The rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata put a spotlight on the harrowing conditions in government hospitals.
Ukraine: Russia bombarded residential areas of Kharkiv yesterday, wounding more than 40 civilians.
Russia: A helicopter carrying tourists crashed near a volcano in Russia’s Far East on Saturday, killing at least 17 people, according to emergency officials.
Namibia: Facing drought and a hunger crisis, the country said it would cull more than 700 wild animals, including 83 elephants, to feed people.
Shanshan: The storm, weakened to a tropical depression, brought nearly three feet of rain to parts of the southernmost of Japan’s main islands and has killed six people.
Egypt: Power shortages and an economic crisis have shuttered Cairo’s night markets during the only time when it’s cool enough to shop.
Venezuela: Maracaibo, the country’s second-most populous city, has lost almost a quarter of its population. This is what the loss of 500,000 people looks like.
Paris: The city’s mayor said that the Eiffel Tower would keep the Olympic rings.

Sports

A male tennis player holds up his tennis racket.

Novak Djokovic against Alexei Popyrin at the U.S. Open on Friday. Julia Nikhinson/Associated Press

U.S. Open: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz were eliminated, opening up the men’s singles field to other contenders.
Paralympic Games: The athletes’ village is a utopia for participants. Paris is a lot less accessible.
Baseball: Shohei Ohtani made M.L.B. history with 43 home runs and 43 stolen bases in the same season.

MORNING READ

A woman stands on a dune above a beach, holding a bag.

Tracey Williams has been documenting Lego finds near Cornwall for years. Guy Martin for The New York Times

In what is known as the Great Lego Spill of 1997, a cargo ship carrying nearly five million Lego bricks was hit by a rogue wave and lost all of its shipping containers. Many of the pieces, which included dragons, colorful octopuses and sharks, are still washing up on European shores nearly three decades later, and a community has documented its finds.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Hen party: Some women are celebrating taking charge of their fertility by throwing “egg showers,” including one woman who throws a birthday party for her frozen eggs every year.
Death of a “spy” whale: A beluga whale that captured public intrigue when he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera was found dead in Norway.
Cost of living: A researcher found a home priced at $750,000 in Italy would cost you about $12 million for the same size in Manhattan. Greece, Portugal and Spain also offer bank for the buck.

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

ARTS AND IDEAS

A man in a suit kneels on a red rug, surrounded by stone statues. Two men kneel behind him.

Prime Minister Hun Manet at a repatriation ceremony at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh. Agence Kampuchea Presse

Cambodia welcomes home artifacts of its ancestors

In a lavish ceremony, Cambodian officials formally celebrated the return of dozens of centuries-old statues and artifacts that had been stolen from sites where the Khmer people had once honored their kings and deities. Stone sculptures of Hindu demons, mythological temple guardians and Buddhist divinities were displayed this month in at the prime minister’s office in Phnom Penh, the capital.

Many of the artifacts were looted in the 1970s during the chaotic reign of the Khmer Rouge. Over years of research and diplomacy, Cambodian officials convinced museums and collectors that they had been taken illegally, facilitating the return of more than 200 relics since 2012.

Read the article and view some of the recovered Khmer art here.

RECOMMENDATIONS

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Linda Xiao for The New York Times

Cook: The sweetness of whole roasted tomatoes pairs well with plush coconut milk and tempered spices in this South Asian inspired curry.

Read: This month, the Book Review Book Club will read and discuss “The Hypocrite” by Jo Hamya.

Shop: Obsessed with the U.S. Open? Fans of the sport will like these luxe accessories.

Travel: Here’s what to know about hotel strikes in the U.S. and how they might affect upcoming travel.

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

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

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