Tuesday Briefing – The New York Times

A day after airstrikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed dozens of displaced Palestinians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deaths a “tragic accident” and accused Hamas of hiding among the civilian population.

“For us, every non-engaged civilian who is injured is a tragedy,” he said. “For Hamas, it’s a strategy. That’s the whole difference.”

The Israeli military said the attack targeted a Hamas compound and killed two Hamas officers. But an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial investigations concluded the attack or its shrapnel may have accidentally ignited flammable material at the site.

At least 45 people were killed, including 23 women, children and the elderly, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry said 249 people were injured. Witnesses and survivors described horrific scenes of burned victims and tents engulfed in flames.

The attack came two days after the International Court of Justice ruled by a 13-2 majority that Israel was ordered to stop its attack on Rafah. French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “outraged” by the airstrikes in Rafah, saying: “These operations must stop.”

Help: The flow of aid into Gaza has declined so much in May that humanitarian officials say the risk of widespread starvation is more serious than ever.



More than 2,000 people were buried alive when a landslide hit a village and work camp in Papua New Guinea’s remote northern mountainous region on Friday, officials told the United Nations. The figures, including those reported on Monday, could not be independently confirmed.

Located in Enga province, the area is densely populated and near the Porgera gold mine. It is a remote and difficult jungle area, and reaching survivors has proven to be a major challenge.


Western countries have long pursued green technology – in 1970, US President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House. But no country has matched China’s scale and tenacity.

In 2022, China will account for 85 percent of the world’s clean energy manufacturing investment, and will control more than 80 percent of every stage of solar panel manufacturing.

China’s unrivalled production of clean energy technology is based on the early cultivation of the chemical, steel, battery and electronics industries. That’s how it got there.

In the US, President Biden is trying to make Chinese electric vehicles prohibitively expensive to protect the domestic industry. But Donald Trump has promised to put the brakes on the EV transition if he is elected.

Lines for shows are long, with people waiting up to seven hours to buy tickets at a theater in the Ukrainian city of Kiev. There, theatergoers are flocking to see the gloomy play “The Witch of Konotop,” based on a classic 19th-century Ukrainian novel, to understand life during wartime.

The play dramatizes the story of a Cossack leader who seeks to root out witches who local townspeople believe are responsible for a drought. This takes place against the backdrop of a military threat from Tsarist Russia.

The play’s success underscores the renewed interest in Ukraine’s cultural heritage since Russia’s invasion, but also reflects people’s fears. “Tragedy comes and takes away everything from you, your love and your home,” said Mikhailo Matyukhin, an actor in the play.

That’s it for today’s briefing. Thanks for spending some of your morning with us, and see you tomorrow. — Justin

You can contact Justin and his team: briefing@nytimes.com,