{"id":34636,"date":"2024-04-24T21:33:22","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T21:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/24\/thursday-briefing-israel-seems-poised-to-invade-rafah\/"},"modified":"2024-04-24T21:33:22","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T21:33:22","slug":"thursday-briefing-israel-seems-poised-to-invade-rafah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/24\/thursday-briefing-israel-seems-poised-to-invade-rafah\/","title":{"rendered":"Thursday Briefing: Israel Seems Poised to Invade Rafah"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"549\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/24\/multimedia\/25am-briefing-asia-promo\/25am-briefing-asia-rafah-facebookJumbo.jpg?fit=1050,549&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Thursday Briefing: Israel Seems Poised to Invade Rafah\" title=\"Thursday Briefing: Israel Seems Poised to Invade Rafah\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-33c8aae6\">Israel seems poised to invade Rafah<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Israel\u2019s allies have pressed the country not to invade Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where a million displaced Palestinians are living. But this week, Israel appeared to hint that an <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/24\/world\/middleeast\/israel-hamas-rafah-invasion.html\" title=\"\">assault there was all but inevitable<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Monday, an Israeli military official said that if an invasion were to begin, civilians would be relocated to a safe zone along the coast. Israel has also bombed Rafah, leading some civilians to fear that a ground assault would follow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Israel says that a push into Rafah is necessary to eliminate the militants sheltering in a network of tunnels beneath the city, to capture or kill Hamas leaders presumed to be there and to ensure the release of the remaining hostages kidnapped during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the invasion would be devastating for civilians. The designated <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/world\/middleeast\/israel-gaza-rafah-evacuation-plans.html\" title=\"\">humanitarian zone<\/a> identified as a possible place for them to go is already overflowing with displaced people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">UNRWA: <\/strong>Germany said <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2024\/04\/24\/world\/israel-gaza-war-hamas#germany-un-aid-unrwa-gaza\" title=\"\">it would restore its funding<\/a> for the U.N. agency for Palestinians after a report undermined Israel\u2019s claims that terrorists were in the organization\u2019s ranks. Germany is the agency\u2019s second largest donor after the U.S.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Hostages:<\/strong> Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli American who lost part of his arm in the Oct. 7 attacks, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/live\/2024\/04\/24\/world\/israel-gaza-war-hamas\/hamas-hostage-video-hersh-goldberg-polin?smid=url-share\" title=\"\">appeared in a Hamas video<\/a>. He criticized Israel\u2019s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and said he had been held hostage for about 200 days.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0\"\/><\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-3e41ba2f\">U.S. weapons are coming to Ukraine<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">President Biden <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/24\/us\/politics\/biden-ukraine-israel-aid.html\" title=\"\">signed a foreign aid package<\/a> yesterday that included nearly $61 billion in assistance for Ukraine. He said the weapons shipments would begin \u201cwithin hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The aid includes munitions that could help Ukraine hit deep into territory held by Russia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Last week, the U.S. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/24\/us\/us-ukraine-russia-missiles.html\" title=\"\">secretly shipped a new long-range missile system<\/a> to Ukraine, known as ATACMS. Ukraine used the weapons to attack a Russian military airfield in Crimea and Russian troops in the port city of Berdiansk on the Sea of Azov, according to a senior U.S. official. Additional longer-range missiles were included in the new aid package.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Pentagon said it would rush a first batch of weapons, including Stinger surface-to-air missiles and other air defense munitions, 155-millimeter shells, Javelin anti-tank guided missiles, cluster munitions and battlefield vehicles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">NATO:<\/strong> About 90,000 troops from countries in the alliance have been training in Europe this spring. The show of force is meant to <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/24\/us\/politics\/nato-exercise-russia-ukraine.html\" title=\"\">send a sharp message to Russia<\/a> not to go past Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Kharkiv:<\/strong> Since March, Russia has been bombarding Ukraine\u2019s second-largest city with <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/24\/world\/europe\/ukraine-kharkiv-russia-glide-bombs.html\" title=\"\">one of the deadliest weapons in its arsenal<\/a>: powerful guided bombs known as glide bombs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-282122d3\">Myanmar\u2019s junta regained ground<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The military junta has <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/24\/world\/asia\/myanmar-junta-rebels-myawaddy.html\" title=\"\">recaptured the town of Myawaddy<\/a>, a key trading center on the Thai border, weeks after rebels had captured it. The seizure of the town had been the rebels\u2019 most significant victory since the 2021 military coup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">Recent context:<\/strong> In the past few months, resistance forces have seized dozens of towns and military outposts in Myanmar\u2019s border regions. Myawaddy was an especially big prize.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-55bd377a\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">MORE TOP NEWS<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mark Zuckerberg was once known for wearing a gray T-shirt every day. He has recently had a makeover, donning shearling coats and silver chains. His new look has somehow transformed him into a kinder, gentler face of technology at a time when it has been cast in a darker, more suspicious light.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Our chief fashion critic, Vanessa Friedman, wrote <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/24\/style\/mark-zuckerberg-new-look.html\" title=\"\">about Zuckerberg\u2019s new look<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-286d948a\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">CONVERSATION STARTERS<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul class=\"css-1le37cb ez3869y0\">\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">A lost Klimt:<\/strong> \u201cPortrait of Fr\u00e4ulein Lieser,\u201d an enigmatic, long-lost painting from 1917, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/24\/arts\/design\/gustav-klimt-painting-auction.html\" title=\"\">sold for 35 million euros<\/a> at auction.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"css-1le37cb ez3869y0\">\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\"><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">No, officer, he wasn\u2019t drinking:<\/strong> A man was acquitted of drunken driving after doctors confirmed he had a rare condition in which <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/world\/europe\/belgian-man-drunk-driving-alcohol.html\" title=\"\">his body brews beer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-61b76e56\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">ARTS AND IDEAS<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-4ac08a47\">Dissecting Taylor Swift\u2019s new album<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe Tortured Poets Department,\u201d is a 31-song excavation of Taylor Swift\u2019s recent relationships. Despite the hype, it has proved to be less universally loved than some of her previous work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Our music writers discussed the album, which is seemingly tailor-made for her most obsessive fans, and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/23\/arts\/music\/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-debate.html\" title=\"\">how her narrative continues to change<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI\u2019ve trained myself to view Taylor Swift\u2019s work through the eyes of her fans,\u201d my colleague Ben Sisario said. \u201cThat\u2019s crucial for understanding Swift, whose connection with her listeners is at the root of her success, and it\u2019s also become part of the art itself. The question is not just what is Swift saying, but what is she telling her fans, and how will they respond to it?\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"css-1uuxri4 e1gnsphs0\" id=\"link-705d9918\"><span><strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\">RECOMMENDATIONS<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/24\/world\/asia\/israel-rafah-us-ukraine-asia.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israel seems poised to invade Rafah Israel\u2019s allies have pressed the country not to invade Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where a million displaced Palestinians are living. But this week, Israel appeared to hint that an assault there was all but inevitable. On Monday, an Israeli military official said that if an invasion were [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34637,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/24\/multimedia\/25am-briefing-asia-promo\/25am-briefing-asia-rafah-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[235,38074,38,23004,4761,9086],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34636"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34636"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34638,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34636\/revisions\/34638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}