The beginning of the ceasefire in Gaza
Several Israeli hostages were released from captivity in Gaza yesterday and reunited with their families, the Israeli military said, after a 42-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect. Follow our live broadcast.
The first freed hostages were three women: Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher. Israel was expected to release 90 Palestinian prisoners, all women or minors, in exchange for the hostages. The ceasefire prompted celebrations in Gaza, relief for the families of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners and hope for an end to the devastating 15-month war.
Israeli officers said their forces had begun withdrawing from parts of Gaza. Hamas tried to reassert control, with masked gunmen taking to the streets in several cities.
The start of the initial six-week phase was delayed for almost three hours yesterday, with Israel saying it had not officially received the names of the first three hostages to be freed. During the delaythe Israeli army continued its attacks on targets in Gaza.
Hostages and prisoners: It’s Hamas expected to disrupt the release of 33 hostages – of the roughly 100 still held – during the first phase of the ceasefire; “the vast majority” of the 33 are still alive, an Israeli army spokesman said. In exchange, Israel is expected to begin liberating more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.
What is next: Israel and Hamas reached a cease-fire agreement in part by postponing their biggest disputes until a nebulous “phase two” that neither side is sure they will reach. During the first phase, 600 trucks will be able to transport aid to the people of Gaza per day. Israel will continue to occupy parts of Gaza and hold high-ranking prisoners.
TikTok briefly disappeared from US phones
TikTok resurfaced yesterday, just hours after the social media platform was removed from major app stores and blacked out for US users. The change came after President-elect Donald Trump said yesterday on his Truth Social platform that he would issue an executive order to delay the federal ban.
Unanimously The Supreme Court’s decision on Friday upheld the law which called on the app’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app by Sunday or face a ban over national security concerns over its Chinese ties.
In his post on Sunday, Trump floated the idea that he would “like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in the joint venture,” but did not provide further details.
Background: Trump’s promise of an executive order halts the whirlwind of decisions involving TikTok. He tried to arrange to sell the app to US companies in 2020 and later tried to ban TikTok before reversing course last March. He then enjoyed success on the platform during the election.
influence: If Trump were to issue an executive order, it would be an attempt to temporarily repeal the law, which was passed with broad bipartisan support in Congress, and his action could face a legal challenge. TikTok said in legal filings that even ia a temporary disappearance might sway him.
Trump’s transition was already underway
Donald Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery yesterday for the first time since last summer, one of a series of stops ahead of his presidential inauguration. He also held an indoor arena rally, his first such event in Washington since Jan. 6, 2021, the day of the Capitol riots. Read our report here.
Peter Thiel, a venture capitalist and early Trump supporter, hosted a party at his home in Washington on Saturday, with guests including Vice President-elect JD Vance, Mark Zuckerberg and several other tech titans, including Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. Powerful participants illustrated The trend of Silicon Valley to the right.
Joe Biden, on his last day as president, pardoned five activists and public officials. He offered a posthumous pardon to civil rights activist Marcus Garvey, who mobilized the black nationalist movement and was convicted of mail fraud in 1923.
In the weeks leading up to Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, migrants headed north through Mexico on foot in small caravans, hoping to somehow reach the US border before Jan. 20 in anticipation of a crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Travel can be treacherous – the weather oscillates between extremes, and cartels in the region have been known to kidnap and kill travelers. A Times photographer followed them on some of their trips. Read about them here.
Lived lives: Zilia Sánchez was a Cuban-born minimalist painter who was in her 80s when she began to gain serious recognition outside the Caribbean. She died at 98.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
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As part of the new: There are boutique hotels in Mexico City’s trendy neighborhoods revival of historical buildings.
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Writing in Africa: A robust publishing ecosystem has grown up in Africa, transforming the literary landscape there and expanding the range stories told about the continent.
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Age as an industry: Whatever the maximum human lifespan, people – especially men — seem more and more determined to find him.
Modern sex scene
The candidates for this year’s Oscar nominations are full of sex. “Anora” revolves around a sex worker, “Babygirl” focuses on a woman exploring her desires, and “Nosferatu” focuses on lust.
But their steamy scenes don’t always reflect the eroticism of cinema’s past, and they come with an asterisk: the directors use the moments to explore the complex power dynamics between the characters. Here they are five scenes that do this particularly well.
Lynchian visuals: Director David Lynch, who died last weekhe developed a style so distinct that “Lynchian” became a common term for screen surrealism. Check out five scenes that define his vision.
