The Evening: Israel advances on Gaza City
Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Monday.
Israeli forces move deeper into GazaThe Israeli military advanced on Gaza City from at least three sides today as it battered the enclave with airstrikes. The deepest reach, about three miles, paralleled the Mediterranean coast toward the Shati refugee camp on the northern flank of the city. Here's a map showing locations of Israeli troops in Gaza. Formations of troops and armored vehicles approached the city and neighboring population centers from the north, east and south, as shown by eyewitness photos and videos verified by The New York Times, as well as satellite imagery. At a news conference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forcefully rejected calls for a cease-fire as "calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism." It took hours for outside observers to understand that Israel was beginning a ground invasion on Friday, and it has been more incremental than anticipated. Under U.S. pressure to temper Israel's response to the Hamas killing of more than 1,400 people, Israel has avoided describing the operation as an invasion. American officials have grown more strident in reminding the Israelis that even if Hamas fighters are deliberately intermingling with civilians, operations must be tailored to avoid nonmilitary casualties. Administration officials said the shift in tone and substance was the result of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Hostages: Israel said that it had rescued a soldier, Ori Megidish, who was abducted on Oct. 7 by Hamas militants. Hamas's armed wing released a video claiming to show three women who were being held hostage. Blackout: For 34 hours this weekend, phone and internet connections in Gaza were severed. Two American officials said the U.S. believed Israel was responsible. Here's what the silence was like.
Autoworkers score big wins in new contractsGeneral Motors today became the last of the three large U.S. automakers to reach a tentative agreement on a new contract with the United Automobile Workers union, setting the stage for an end to the union's six-week wave of strikes. Like the contract it hammered out with Ford and Stellantis, the tentative deal with G.M. would lift the top U.A.W. wage from $32 an hour to more than $40 over four and a half years. That would allow employees working 40 hours a week to earn about $84,000 a year.
The battle for Avdiivka could be Russia's costliestOn Oct. 10, thousands of Russian troops began a major new offensive in eastern Ukraine to seize Avdiivka, a long-coveted prize that would extend Russia's control of the coal mining region of the Donbas. Nearly three weeks into the battle, the Russian army has failed to make the swift breakthrough it wanted. It has lost hundreds of soldiers and more than 100 armored vehicles and tanks, but it has barely advanced a mile.
Hernia surgeries took off online and disfigured patientsAn operation known as a component separation can successfully close large hernias. But many surgeons, including some who taught themselves the procedure by watching videos on social media, are endangering patients by attempting them, a New York Times investigation found. Dr. Michael Rosen, the Cleveland Clinic surgeon who helped develop and popularize the technique, counts that work among his biggest regrets because it encouraged inappropriate and unnecessary surgeries. Half of his operations these days, he said, are attempts to fix those doctors' mistakes. More top news
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Matthew Perry's best performancesAs Chandler Bing, Matthew Perry was the sharpest, funniest actor on the ensemble cast of "Friends," one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. But while his co-stars found other roles to showcase their talents, Perry, who died on Saturday at 54, struggled to move on — and with addictions he would later be candid about. But Perry did have a long and varied career, including a turn as another great sitcom character, the rumpled, irritable Oscar Madison in a reboot of "The Odd Couple" that lasted three seasons. Here are some of his most memorable performances and how to watch them.
Music can be mental health careMusic therapy, which helps people cope with ailments like stress, chronic pain, limited mobility and hypertension, has grown over the last decade. Research has shown that it can improve depressive symptoms, decrease anxiety levels and improve day-to-day functioning. Clients will often play instruments with their therapist or write lyrics together. But they don't have to be musically gifted or proficient at playing an instrument in order to participate. Others prefer to listen to music rather than create it. It's up to the patient to decide what feels right. Dinner table topics
Cook: This is the ultimate chocolate cake, courtesy of Claire Saffitz. Stan: TikTok's finest lobsterman has 2.5 million followers. Warm up: Here are 50(ish) apparel and accessory picks for fall and winter. Gawk: $3.5 million buys a gorgeous California home. Travel: There's a lot to L.A. along the back roads. Watch: "The War on Disco" explores the backlash against the genre. Cast: Find a witch online. Observe: Add richness to your life with a small ritual. Play: Today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. For more, find all our games here.
Where New Yorkers' homes lieWe asked New Yorkers to map their neighborhoods and tell us what they call them. The result is probably the most detailed map of the city's neighborhoods ever compiled. Our map reveals two kinds of divisions: sharp ones and fuzzy ones. The fuzzy ones often reflect areas where gentrification is rewriting boundaries. The sharp ones often reflect features of the landscape itself: wide avenues, highways, remnants of canals. Then there's Little Yemen. This neighborhood exists on the map partly because a Yemeni air traffic controller, Yahay Obeid, named it by putting it on Google Maps. Have a homey evening. Thanks for reading. Matthew Cullen will be back tomorrow. — Whet Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at evening@nytimes.com.
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