Thursday Briefing: Aid Chaos Grows in Gaza
The U.N. condemned Israel's chaotic aid program
The U.N. yesterday criticized Israel's new aid operation in Gaza as the country faced mounting anger from Europe over the war and growing pressure from the U.S. to reach a truce.
A senior U.N. humanitarian official called the Israeli attempt to control the aid to the Palestinians part of 'an assault on their human dignity.' Scores were injured during a rush on a food site on Tuesday, when the program launched.
The U.N. World Food Program said that crowds 'of hungry people broke into' its warehouse in central Gaza yesterday, and that at least two people had died.
'The new U.N. criticism came as no surprise,' Patrick Kingsley, our Jerusalem bureau chief, told me. 'For weeks, the U.N. has warned that the new system — which replaces one run by U.N. agencies — may endanger Palestinians.'
'Israel says the new system makes it harder for Hamas to steal and hoard food,' Patrick added. 'The U.N. warns it will put civilians at risk by forcing them to walk for miles to a handful of sites in Israeli-controlled areas — and possibly contribute to an Israeli plan to displace the population of northern Gaza.'
E.U. anger: European diplomats criticized both the aid program and Israel's offensive. 'The disproportionate use of force and the deaths of civilians cannot be tolerated,' said Kaja Kallas, the E.U.'s top diplomat, adding that aid 'must never be politicized or militarized.'
Talks: President Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said that the White House was preparing a fresh proposal and that he 'had some very good feelings about getting to a long-term cease-fire.'
Germany promised to help arm Ukraine
Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany said yesterday that his country would increase funding for the production of weapons — including long-range ones — and send more military equipment to Kyiv. The announcement came during a visit by Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to Berlin.
The German Defense Ministry said the aid included cooperation in weapons construction, air-defense systems, hand-held and other weapons and financing of satellite communications. The value was roughly 5 billion euros.
After traveling the world in search of weapons for years, Zelensky said this week that Kyiv now needed some $30 billion in annual financing to fund its domestic arms production at full capacity.
In the U.S.: Trump yesterday again criticized President Vladimir Putin of Russia for attacks on Ukraine but declined to suggest any potential consequences.
The U.S. paused foreign student visa interviews
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an order to temporarily halt interviews abroad with foreign citizens applying for student and exchange visas as it expands scrutiny of applicants' social media posts. The order comes as Trump is trying to coerce Harvard University and other institutions to restrict what can be said on campuses, with a focus on anti-Israel speech.
Visiting professors from abroad will also be affected by the new restrictions. Foreign citizens with existing appointments should in theory still be able to attend them.
Business and Finance
In the U.S., re-enacting historical battles has long been a hobby. But recently, fake battles that echo an ongoing war have started to appear.
My colleague Thomas Gibbons-Neff reported from Oklahoma, where two teams, representing NATO and Russian forces, took part in a simulation, battling for nearly two days with plastic pellet guns, blank ammunition, night-vision goggles and explosions.
Read more here.
The world in 1,726 wondrous objects
A renovated wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with works from Africa, the Americas and Oceania, opens this weekend after four years.
The 1,726 objects — majestic wood figures from Africa; mythical beings from Mexico; a Sistine-worthy ceiling of the South Seas from New Guinea — aren't just beautiful. They represent the spiritual, political and emotional lives of people spread over five continents and eight millenniums. Take a look.
Bake: These pistachio halvah Rice Krispies treats come from a bakery in New York's East Village.
Read: Stephen King's new novel, 'Never Flinch,' asks a question: Is the world totally fine, or is it, in fact, on fire?
Watch: The comedy 'Adults' follows a crew of aimless 20-somethings living together in Queens.
Consider: A small new study offers insight into plasma exchange therapy as an anti-aging treatment. Here's what to know.
Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.
That's it for today. See you tomorrow. — Emmett
We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.
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