Good morning. We’re covering the risks of receiving aid in Gaza and the fate of Iran’s uranium stockpile. Plus: How to avoid flight delays.
It’s dangerous to seek food in GazaSince a new, Israeli-backed aid system began a month ago, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed near distribution hubs in southern Gaza, according to local health officials. The new aid centers are “death traps,” according to Jens Laerke, a U.N. spokesman. “Gaza is the hungriest place on earth,” he said. “When we are able to bring anything in, it’s getting plundered immediately by the population. That’s the level of desperation.” Other relief efforts have also been engulfed in chaos. The U.N. and other international organizations have been delivering a trickle of aid in northern Gaza. Desperate crowds have been ransacking the trucks, which carry flour and other goods, minutes after they enter the enclave, according to witnesses. Background: The Israeli-backed system, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has only a few operational hubs, mainly in the south. It was put in place after Israel blocked aid deliveries to Gaza for nearly three months, accusing Hamas of looting donated food. The U.S. announced $30 million in funding for the foundation yesterday. Israel: A family of five Ukrainians was killed by an Iranian missile strike in Israel, in a tragic intersection of two wars.
Where is Iran’s enriched uranium?After days of debate over how severely U.S. strikes had damaged Iran’s nuclear facilities, the fate of the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium remains a bigger mystery, and American officials say the intelligence collected so far on its fate is contradictory. There is little doubt that Iran’s entire nuclear program was substantially diminished by U.S. and Israeli strikes, or that the country would struggle to quickly produce more nuclear fuel. Parts of the facility at Natanz where some of the uranium was believed to be held were damaged, but not destroyed, officials said. The U.N.’s top nuclear watchdog said the centrifuges at Fordo, one of the locations hit by the U.S., were “no longer operational.” Related: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke in greater detail yesterday about the U.S. strikes. Neither man gave a new assessment of the status of Iran’s nuclear capability. Iran: In a defiant video message, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, congratulated Iranians for what he called a victory over Israel and the U.S.
A rising death toll after protests across KenyaThe death toll climbed to 16 yesterday in Kenya after Wednesday’s nationwide protests over government corruption and police brutality. Irungu Houghton, the executive director of Amnesty Kenya, said most of those who died had been shot. Many demonstrators waved Kenyan flags and chanted that President William Ruto “must go.” The security forces clashed with demonstrators, firing live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas.
Europe
David Webb spent decades exposing shady financial dealings in Hong Kong and fighting for the rights of minority shareholders. Doctors say he has months to live, and he hasn’t found anyone willing to carry on his mission. Lives lived: Fred Espenak, an astrophysicist known as Mr. Eclipse, who helped other eclipse chasers find the best places to witness them, died this month at 73.
Summer travels, without the snarlsDelays and cancellations may be an inevitable reality for air travelers, but there are ways of minimizing the risks. Read more tips. Fly early in the day. Booking the earliest flight possible can help you avoid delays, skip the crowds and save money, a former flight attendant said. “The earlier the better,” she said. Skip the layover. Direct flights eliminate the possibility of missed connections. If you can’t avoid a stop, pick a flight with a layover of at least two hours. Consider a midweek flight. It’s cheaper — and usually calmer. We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.
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