Tuesday Briefing: Growing outrage in Israel

Netanyahu refused to budge despite outrage in Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, yesterday brushed aside pleas from allies and chants from Israeli protesters who demanded an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

After thousands of Israeli workers walked off the job, angry over the recent deaths of six Israeli hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu said at a news conference that the war would end only when Israel had eliminated Hamas.

In Washington, President Biden said Netanyahu wasn’t doing enough to bring the hostages home. Britain announced that it would suspend some arms sales to Israel, a significant hardening of its position.

Netanyahu defended his plans for a continued Israeli presence on a strip of land in Gaza along the border with Egypt that he said was essential to Israel’s security.

Strikes: Disruptions were widespread yesterday, with many schools and banks and some municipal offices closed or cutting services.

A video: Hamas released what it said was a video of one of the hostages, Eden Yerushalmi, taken before she was killed.

Emotional eulogies: Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a dual Israeli American citizen and one of six hostages found dead this weekend.

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Biden and Harris celebrate labor unions

On the Labor Day holiday, President Biden was set to join Vice President Kamala Harris for a campaign event in Pittsburgh yesterday attended by leaders of major unions, a crucial mobilizing force for Democrats. It would be their first joint campaign event since Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee in July.

Pope Francis embarks on a challenging tour of Asia

Pope Francis will arrive in Indonesia today for the start of an 11-day tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania, among the longest of his tenure. Francis, 87, who has been using a wheelchair and battling health problems, will be accompanied by his medical team during his travels.

The trip signals that he has no intention of slowing his outreach to faraway Catholics. From Indonesia, he will visit Papua New Guinea, then East Timor and Singapore.

MORE TOP NEWS

At the Paris Paralympics, athletes in 22 sports have been competing alongside guides or assistants, who offer support mainly to those with severe vision loss or mobile impairment. Since 2012, guides in most assisted Paralympic sports have received medals along with the winning athletes.

But the relationship between athlete and assistant can extend beyond a technical connection into something more personal, Elena Bergeron reports from Paris.

Lives lived: Antônio Meneses, one of his generation’s premier cellists and an important figure in the musical life of his native Brazil, died at age 66.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Have European hot spots reached a breaking point?

Tourists in popular destinations like Barcelona, Athens and Santorini have become the targets of a backlash. Residents have sprayed them with water and staged protests against tourism developments. Some places are imposing visitor caps.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Gaya

P.S. Nina Agrawal is joining Well as a reporter covering chronic illnesses, including cancer and diabetes, worldwide.

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