The Evening: Israel strikes a dense area in Gaza

Also, some Maine officials reconsider the state's gun laws.
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The Evening

October 31, 2023

Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Tuesday.

  • Israeli troops push deeper into Gaza
  • Maine officials reconsider gun laws
  • Plus, trouble at apple orchards
People stand in the rubble created by an airstrike in Jabaliya in Gaza. Some search for victims.
Israeli airstrikes in Jabaliya, in Gaza, caused major damage. Reuters

Israel struck a dense area in Gaza, saying it killed Hamas militants

Airstrikes that Israel said were aimed at Hamas militants hit the densely populated area of Jabaliya in Gaza today, leaving a large crater and causing widespread damage.

The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said the strikes killed or wounded "hundreds" of people. A doctor at a nearby hospital said the facility was receiving hundreds of injured and that dozens were dead.

The Israeli military said its strike had killed Hamas militants, including Ibrahim Biari, a commander who it said had helped plan the massacres in Israel on Oct. 7. It also said that the "underground terror infrastructure" beneath the buildings in Jabaliya had collapsed following the strike.

Photographs showed shattered apartment blocks and piles of rubble around at least one large crater in the area. Another photograph, published by Reuters, showed white sheets wrapped around what appeared to be more than 30 bodies laid on the ground.

Israeli ground troops and tanks continued to push deeper into Gaza today, edging closer to Gaza City, the local authorities said. See a detailed satellite view of the invasion.

On the ground: Humanitarian officials warned that two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza faced a growing catastrophe. Access to water is dwindling.

In the U.S., the F.B.I. director warned senators that several foreign terrorist organizations have called for attacks against Americans since the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel.

Law enforcement officers stand on a road at a police barrier in the evening, near two police cars.
Maine is reeling from the deadliest mass shooting in its history. Sophie Park for The New York Times

As Maine grieves, officials reconsider the state's gun laws

The police in Maine received explicit warnings about five months ago that a military reservist had grown increasingly paranoid and said that he would go on a shooting spree. But there was no indication in public documents that any law enforcement officers had ever made contact with the man before he killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, last week.

Now the state's laws dictating who can purchase a gun and when those guns can be taken away are receiving intense scrutiny. One of Maine's representatives in Congress called for a ban on assault weapons, and the governor, Janet Mills, said "action is needed."

But many Mainers are still skeptical. Gun rights, both for recreation and self-defense, are deeply embedded in the state's laws and culture. "It's one of the most permissive states in the country," a sociologist at Bates College in Lewiston said.

Speaker Mike Johnson touches his head. He is wearing a dark suit and tie. Reporters are in the foreground holding their phones.
Speaker Mike Johnson at the Capitol last week. Kenny Holston/The New York Times

The new speaker sets up a clash over military aid

Speaker Mike Johnson, who was elevated to the House's top leadership position just last week, said that he planned to force a stand-alone vote on aid for Israel, rejecting a request by the Biden administration for Congress to approve aid simultaneously for Israel and Ukraine. The move sets the House on a collision course with the Democratic-held Senate.

Johnson, who has voted against sending military aid to Kyiv, released a $14 billion aid bill for Israel yesterday. It included a provision that would rescind the same amount of money earmarked for the I.R.S., a popular idea among conservatives that would add to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Kami Jones sits in a hospital bed in the foreground and adjusts a cannula under her nose for oxygen as her mother, Dana, sits in the background on a couch in a hospital room. The couch has been fitted with sheets for a long stay, and a suitcase and other belongings are on a set of drawers and a chair next to Dana.
Kami Jones was admitted to a hospital in San Antonio in 2020 to ease her pain from sickle cell disease. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times

F.D.A. experts said an innovative sickle cell cure is safe

An independent panel of experts said today that a groundbreaking new medical treatment for sickle cell disease — which would be the first treatment in humans to use the revolutionary gene editing tool CRISPR — is safe enough for clinical use. The panel's decision sets the stage for the Food and Drug Administration's likely approval later this year of a powerful potential cure for the disease, which more than 100,000 Americans have.

More top news

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TIME TO UNWIND

An illustration of a woman looking at a man's severed head on a plate.
Illustration by Julia Moburg/The New York Times; Photo by Bob Olsen, via Toronto Star, via Getty Images

The scariest things we know

For Halloween, seven writers and editors from around The Times shared the pieces of art or culture that they turn to when they need a good scare, like an episode of "The X-Files" so horrifying that executives felt compelled to pull it from syndication.

The result is a collection of stories that might send a chill down your spine. Have a listen.

An apple tree in an orchard with very little fruit left on its branches. There are many dozens of red apples on the ground underneath it.
"This is the roughest fall I've ever seen," said one farmer. Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

An apple-picking apocalypse

For many families, a day at the apple orchard is a must-do activity at this time of year. But in upstate New York, there have been vanishingly few good opportunities to do so: The Hudson Valley has been rained on every single weekend since Labor Day.

The uncharacteristically wet stretch has strained several of the region's pick-your-own apple farms, which lost a quarter to half of their typical fall revenue. Some have sought new ways to make up for lost sales, such as hauling in spotlights and opening the orchards to apple picking and hayrides on weeknights.

Tieghan Gerard poses outside her remote hilltop studio in Colorado, with mountains in the background.
Tieghan Gerard's food blog, Half Baked Harvest, has been popular for more than a decade. Theo Stroomer for The New York Times

Dinner table topics

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WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

A blue plate containing fish, scallions and lemon wedges.
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Cook: In less than 30 minutes, you can make this restaurant-quality fish dinner.

Watch: Here are three great documentaries to stream right now.

Clean: My colleague found joy in picking up other people's trash.

Heed: Most supplements probably aren't worth taking. Here's when to consider them.

Level up: Rather than just an air fryer, consider one of these air fryer toaster ovens.

Ogle: Here are six of the best space images from this month.

Compete: Take this week's Flashback history quiz.

Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.

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ONE LAST THING

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

How well do you know Halloween candy?

Halloween is not just a day for costumes, ghost stories and spooky decorations. It's a holiday for sweets. Kids around the country will indulge tonight — and for days to come — in their trick-or-treating candy haul. And many adults will grab a handful as well.

But how much do you know about the chocolates, gummies, caramels and other assorted treats that make this week so sweet? Take our quiz and test your candy I.Q.

Have an enticing evening.

Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew

We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.

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Evening Briefing Newsletter Logo

Writer: Matthew Cullen

Editorial Director: Adam Pasick

Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe

Photo Editor: Brent Lewis

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