Wednesday Briefing – The New York Times

Soldiers killed during construction of buffer zone

The Israeli military suffered its deadliest day of the Gaza ground invasion on Monday, announcing that 24 soldiers had been killed, about 20 of them in an explosion inside the territory near the Israeli border.

The blast occurred after Gazan militants fired toward a tank guarding an Israeli unit that had been setting explosives inside Palestinian buildings on the border in central Gaza with the intention of demolishing them, the Israeli military said. In the firefight, the explosives went off, killing many of the soldiers inside, the military said.

Israel wants to demolish many Palestinian buildings close to the border to create what it describes as a border-long “security zone” of up to roughly six-tenths of a mile to make attacks by Hamas less likely, according to officials. That would effectively reduce the size of Gaza, a process the U.S. opposes.

Criticism: To Palestinians, the practice is cruel and would keep Gazans from being able to return to their homes. Critics say the practice is part of a wider disregard for civilian housing and property. The majority of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged during the war, according to U.N. estimates, and more than 25,000 Gazans have been killed, according to Gazan officials.

In other news from the war:

More than half a million people in Gaza face “catastrophic hunger,” a U.N. aid agency said, and it called for a critical increase in aid as the “risk of famine grows.”
A U.N. office said Israel’s treatment of thousands of Palestinian detainees, who were held in “horrific” conditions and in some cases freed wearing only diapers, might amount to torture.
A Lebanese Australian journalist at Australia’s public broadcaster shared a Human Rights Watch post that was critical of Israel. A day later, she was forced to leave her role.

Turkey backs Sweden’s NATO bid

Turkey’s Parliament voted to allow Sweden to join NATO, putting the Nordic country one step closer to entering the military alliance and easing a diplomatic stalemate that has clouded Turkey’s relations with the U.S. and hampered Western efforts to isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine.

The measure would make Hungary the only NATO member that has not approved Sweden’s accession, depriving the alliance of the unanimity required to add a member. The bill’s passage is a big moment for the alliance, paving the way for expanding its deterrence against Russia.

Quotable: NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said in a statement that he welcomed the news from Turkey. But, he said, “I also count on Hungary to complete its national ratification as soon as possible.”

Germany’s top court banned public funding for neo-Nazi party

The Federal Constitutional Court in Germany stripped the neo-Nazi party Die Heimat, which means the Homeland, of the right to public financing and the tax advantages normally extended to political organizations. The decision could provide a blueprint for government efforts to head off a resurgence of the far right.

The party was already too small to receive public funding, but the case was closely watched because it could have implications for countering the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, a far more popular far-right party. Germany uses public financing of parties to diminish the power of private donations.

In France: A car plowed into a barrier set up by protesting French farmers yesterday, killing one woman and injuring her husband and daughter. The protests mirrored demonstrations in Germany, driven by a sense of marginalization among farmers that the extreme right has been quick to exploit.

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The Times gathered 121 menus from restaurants all over the U.S. Together, they offer a glimpse into the tastes and values of today’s diners, who like caviar, fried chicken and yuzu and appreciate a choice of nonalcoholic beverages.

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‘Oppenheimer’ leads the Oscar nominations

The Academy Awards bestowed 13 nominations on Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” the most for any movie, though it did not pick up a nomination for best picture. “Barbie” had eight nominations.

“Poor Things,” a twist on the Frankenstein story, received the second-highest number of nominations — 11 — including one for best picture. Joining it in the best picture category were “American Fiction,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “Past Lives,” and “The Zone of Interest.”

Streaming companies dominated. Netflix received 18 nominations, including honors for short films. Apple TV+ received 13 nods, with “Killers of the Flower Moon” receiving 10 and “Napoleon” earning three. Amazon’s MGM division received five. Here’s a full rundown.

For more: Cillian Murphy was at his parents’ home in Cork, Ireland, when he learned he had been nominated for the best actor Oscar. Read how he felt.