Monday Briefing: Reflecting on a year of war

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October 7, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks and concerns about Donald Trump’s age.

Plus, Ukraine’s embrace of dogs.

A memorial near Re’im, Israel, in September. Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times

Since the Oct. 7 attacks, a year of war

It’s been a year since the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, when officials say 1,200 people were killed and roughly 250 more were kidnapped. Since then, health officials say more than 41,000 Palestinians, many of them civilians and children, have been killed in the subsequent war. The fighting has widened to three fronts, and the path to reaching a cease-fire seems uncertain. To reflect on the past year of war in the Middle East, I spoke to Isabel Kershner, who has been covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs for decades and is based in Jerusalem.

You wrote yesterday about fear overtaking memorial preparations in Israel. Can you describe the mood over the past few days?

The mood in Israel in the run-up to the one-year mark is grim, to say the least. Instead of some sense of closure, the expanding war augurs more difficult days ahead.

Reflecting on the past year, what do you recall?

Soon after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel, a seasoned colonel in the military reserves told me that Israel’s counteroffensive against Hamas in Gaza, a narrow coastal strip, would take at least a year, or two, or three.

At the time, I found that hard to believe. A year on, that long war has broadened and intensified on several other fronts, with no end in sight, only a bottomless pit of suffering.

Any distraction in life or work feels frivolous or inappropriate. In a region engulfed in so much grief, loss and yearning, there is no room for celebrations. Birthdays are marked, religious festivals observed. Any personal pain is relative, always measured against the vast scale of the anguish of others.

What have you learned over the past year of reporting on this conflict?

War tests a society’s limits. I have learned of the resilience of ordinary people, such as the relatives of hostages who were taken to Gaza. Parents, siblings and partners whose lives were upended in a moment and who have since crisscrossed the globe to meet with world leaders and tirelessly protested at home to advocate for their loved ones. And civilians in Gaza who by now have spent a wet winter, a burning hot summer and another fall in tents, displaced over and again.

I have also learned of the paucity of empathy for the other, on either side, at wartime.

The latest news:

Doug Mills/The New York Times

Trump’s speeches reignite the question of age

At 78, Donald Trump, is the oldest major party nominee for president in history, and he would also be the oldest president ever if he wins and finishes another term. He has always been discursive and often untethered to truth, but a review of his public appearances and statements found that with the passage of time, his speeches have grown darker, longer, angrier and less focused.

A recent example came earlier this month, when Trump said the crowd present during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris was on his side (there was no audience). But it was hardly the only time Trump has seemed confused, forgetful, incoherent or disconnected from reality lately. In fact, it happens so often these days that it no longer even generates much attention.

Details: According to a computer analysis by The Times, Trump’s rally speeches now last nearly twice as long as they did in 2016. He also uses more all-or-nothing terms like “always” and “never” than he did eight years ago, which some experts consider a sign of advancing age.

More on the U.S. election Americans head to the polls in less than 40 days. Trump returned to Butler, Pa., for a massive rally at the fairgrounds where he was struck in July by a would-be assassin’s bullet. Elon Musk, the billionaire head of Tesla and SpaceX, joined Trump at the rally in Butler and delivered a dark warning while urging people to vote: “If they don’t, this will be the last election,” he said. “That’s my prediction.” One polling decision has led to two stories of the election: is it more like 2020 or 2022? Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we’ll find the answers.

A tributary of the Amazon, the Parana do Manaquiri, last month. Raphael Alves/EPA, via Shutterstock

Climate change is scorching the Amazon River

The Amazon River, battered by back-to-back droughts fueled by climate change, is parched. Water levels along several sections of the river, which winds nearly 4,000 miles across South America, fell last month to their lowest on record.

The crisis has gridlocked the Amazon, which is practically the only way to connect forest communities and move commerce around some of the most remote stretches on the planet. Faced with a situation that shows no sign of abating, Brazil has resorted to an extraordinary measure that might have once been unthinkable: making the world’s largest river deeper.

Sue Gray last year. Oli Scarff/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Sports

Fabrice Coffrini/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Lesia Dytiuk’s dogs at the dog festival. Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times

In Kyiv, Yorkies, poodles and bichons frisés now rule the streets. Dog ownership has surged over the past two years of war in Ukraine, as people seek companionship and comfort during difficult times.

Lives lived: James Magee, an artist who created a mysterious desert monument that few have seen, died at 79.

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Coperni transported guests to Disneyland Paris, 40 minutes outside the city. Julien De Rosa/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Paris Fashion Week’s closing fantasia

For the last night of Paris Fashion Week, the French brand Coperni performed a feat of magic: It staged an after-hours fashion show at Disneyland Paris.

With more than 500 people in attendance, the production stretched the limits of even the most extravagant fashion shows. There was thunder, lightning and fireworks. The Sleeping Beauty Castle, in the heart of the park’s Fantasyland, went up in a fantasia of lights. And by the stroke of midnight, things were only just getting started. Read more about the extravagant fashion show.

Melina Hammer for The New York Times

Cook: You can make Mississippi Roast two ways: Follow the internet-famous version or make our recipe from scratch.

Watch: Whether you’re a casual moviegoer or an avid buff, our reviewers think these five films are worth knowing about.

Wirecutter: Spooky season is here. Revel in the cuteness of these cozy, high-quality skeleton- and pumpkin-themed pajamas.

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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