Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war
A barrage of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip today crushed multiple residential buildings and buried families under rubble. The Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 704 people over the past day, mostly women and children. The Associated Press could not independently verify the death tolls cited by Hamas, which says it tallies daily figures from hospital directors. Israel said today it had launched 400 airstrikes over the past day, killing Hamas commanders and militants. Follow our live coverage.
Meanwhile, the United Nations said no aid trucks entered Gaza today and the UN Relief and Works Agency warned of halting operations in Gaza because of a lack of fuel. Since limited aid deliveries began Saturday, 54 trucks have crossed into Gaza carrying food, medicine and water, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as “a drop of aid in an ocean of need.”
- In photos: Israel says strikes will dismantle Hamas as Palestinian death toll rises
Released hostage speaks out
Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was held hostage in Gaza after being abducted during Hamas' bloody Oct. 7 attack on Israel. She spoke to the press Tuesday, a day after being released by Hamas militants.Ariel Schalit/The Associated Press
Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, an Israeli grandmother who was held hostage in Gaza, spoke of a “hell that we never knew before and never thought we would experience” as she described the Oct. 7 assault on her kibbutz by Hamas militants. “Masses swarmed our houses, beat people, and some were taken hostage,” she told reporters at a hospital in Tel Aviv. Lifshitz added captives were treated well, received medical care and ate the same meal as their captors.
Four hostages have been released so far and Lifshitz is the first to speak of their experience from the initial attack through the more than two weeks of captivity. More than 1,400 people were killed in the attack and more than 200 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage. The subsequent war on Gaza has killed more than 5,000 people, according to the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry.
Meanwhile in Canada:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today that Canada supports the idea of a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war so aid can reach Palestinian civilians in Gaza. “There are a lot of conversations going on now about the need for humanitarian pauses and I think that’s something Canada supports,” he told reporters.
Defence Minister Bill Blair said Canada does not believe Hamas would respect a ceasefire in its conflict with Israel, as he provided the most clarity to date on why the Liberal government has not called for one. “I have no expectation that a terrorist organization would respect international law or any call for a ceasefire,” Blair told reporters in Ottawa.
- Student union that backed Palestinians says it won’t be silenced by political ‘bullying’
China urges Israel to avoid further Gaza escalation
China dialled up its diplomatic engagement in the Middle East amid calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as the conflict in Gaza rapidly worsens. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke yesterday with his counterparts from Israel and the Palestinian Authority, urging a de-escalation of the crisis and emphasizing Beijing’s support for the Palestinian cause and a two-state solution.
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Five dead after shootings in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., police say
Five people – including three children and a shooter – were found dead in the northern Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie after shootings at two homes, police said today, calling what happened a tragic case of intimate partner violence.
Sault Ste. Marie police said the shootings that took place Monday night had left the community in deep mourning, adding the shootings were not random acts of violence and there was no ongoing risk to public safety. They also said they would not be releasing the names of the victims or the accused because it was an intimate partner violence case.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
National security: A parliamentary committee probing foreign interference by China is calling on Ottawa to empower Canada’s spy service to speak more plainly and precisely to Canadians about foreign interference threats.
Bank of Canada: Governor Tiff Macklem warned three provincial premiers last month that their push to stop raising interest rates could undermine public confidence in the independence of the central bank. The Bank of Canada’s next rate announcement is tomorrow.
Hockey: The NHL has reversed its ban on players using stick tape to support social causes, including rainbow-coloured Pride tape, saying today that players have the option to represent social causes with stick tape throughout the season.
Women on strike: Women in Iceland, including the Prime Minister, went on strike today to push for an end to unequal pay and gender-based violence. All-male news teams announced shutdowns across the country, with public transport delayed, hospitals understaffed and hotel rooms uncleaned.
Episode 4 of podcast In Her Defence: In this episode, Helen is interrogated by police officers who say they understand the abuse she’d been living with, and know that something had to happen for her to get free. Someone she loves has betrayed her. Her life – and the lives of her sons – are all on the line.
MARKET WATCH
Wall Street ended higher today as a spate of solid corporate earnings and upbeat forecasts stoked investor risk appetite and sparked a broad rally.
The TSX ended lower, with heavyweight financials and energy sectors weighing on the index.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 60.25 points at 18,986.49. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 204.97 points, or 0.62 per cent, to 33,141.38, the S&P 500 gained 30.64 points, or 0.73 per cent, to 4,247.68 and the Nasdaq Composite added 121.54 points, or 0.93 per cent, to 13,139.87.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.83 cents US.
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TALKING POINTS
It’s not the economy, stupid – that’s not why you’re unhappy
“It seems that Bill Clinton’s successful presidential campaign’s message, “It’s the economy, stupid,” has really stuck as governments and political parties on both sides of the border continue to concentrate too much on economic issues, often at the expense of other important societal objectives.” – Claude Lavoie
The Wab Kinew I know is going to change Canada
“If Mr. Kinew’s swearing-in ceremony is any indication – a beautiful celebration of Manitoba’s history and cultural values, where he honoured Louis Riel and appointed himself Minister of Reconciliation – then his government should be up to the task.” – Lloyd Axworthy
Lessons from a city that solved the family doctor shortage
“Psst: Don’t tell anyone, but there’s a city in Canada where everyone who wants a family doctor has one.” – André Picard
A high school in Northern Ontario reveals the long shadow of residential schools
“Pavement can’t be laid on the road until they know whether ground-penetrating radar will be needed. She mentions this as if this is normal. I tell her that I can think of no school in Canada that has to worry about discovering the bodies of former students in the yard. But here we are.” – Tanya Talaga
LIVING BETTER
How to buy the perfect lighting for your home
Supplied/Supplied
A large ceiling light might not be the answer to lack of natural light this winter. As Aruna Dutt writes in her shopping series about furnishing a home, a range of table, floor or wall-mounted lights may be a better choice.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Scientists’ quests to save the all-American front lawn from the ravages of climate change
Different types of grasses are tested at the University of California, Riverside’s Agricultural Experiment Station in September 2023.Nathan VanderKlippe/The Globe and Mail
Thirsty and nutritionally useless, lawns have become an unlikely villain in a world grappling with shifts in climate, symbols of decadent overuse in dry southwestern states whose water supplies are rapidly vanishing. But they’re cooler than concrete, sequester carbon and provide a general sense of tranquility. Nathan VanderKlippe writes about the scientists, geneticists and plant breeders across the continent who work in service of the grasses that could preserve that most hallowed ornamentation of American properties.
Evening Update is written by Maryam Shah. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.