Fighting traps hundreds in Gaza’s largest hospital | First Thing

Patients and medics in desperate situation' at al-Shifa as Israeli tanks and snipers encircle the complex. Plus, the menu items that mystify us but we order them anyway

Good morning.

Patients and medics remain trapped in Gaza's main hospital after days of fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas, as aid agencies warn that critically ill patients and babies are at risk of death due to lack of fuel and dwindling supplies of food and water.

What's happening in the US? A New York civil liberties group is suing Joe Biden for allegedly failing in his duty under international and US laws to prevent Israel committing genocide in Gaza. The complaint by the Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of several Palestinian groups and individuals alleges that Israel's actions, including mass killings", the targeting of civilian infrastructure and forced expulsions, amount to genocide.

What else does the report say? Allison Crimmins, a climate scientist and director of the National Climate Assessment, said escalating dangers from wildfires, severe heat, flooding and other impacts meant the US now had a disaster costing at least $1bn in damages every three weeks on average, compared with once every four months in the 1980s.