First Thing: Antony Blinken arrives in Turkey for Gaza talks
US secretary of state to talk to foreign minister Hakan Fidan in latest stop of diplomatic tour as US nuclear-powered submarine heads through Suez canal
Good morning.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has arrived in Turkey before talks on Gaza as the US military took the rare step of announcing it had sent a nuclear-powered submarine to the region.
What's happening with Israel's ground offensive? Israel's military announced late Sunday it had encircled Gaza City and divided the besieged coastal strip in two. Today there is north Gaza and south Gaza," Rear Adm Daniel Hagari told reporters, calling it a significant stage" in Israel's war against the Hamas militant group ruling the territory. Here's everything we know on day 31 of the conflict.
What's happening in Gaza? Aid has been trickling into the territory via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt but the UN has said it is woefully inadequate for what is needed. Israel has cut off water, fuel and medical supplies to Gaza even as thousands of civilians are killed and injured in its attacks. Jordan has airdropped a medical aid package to a hospital in Gaza, King Abdullah II has said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). Jordan's military said in a statement that the medical supplies were dropped via parachutes from a Jordanian Air Force plane.
Is Trump happy with his legal team's strategy? Broadly yes, the people close to Trump said, in this case and the multiple criminal cases that are also marching towards trial - an observation that the playbook he reverts to when feeling threatened, to attack and delay, remains his preferred tactic.
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