Good morning.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, defied protests at home and criticism from Joe Biden by vowing on Monday that Israel would not relinquish control over a strategic corridor along the Gaza-Egyptian border, entrenching a position that has emerged as a key obstacle to a ceasefire deal.
In a combative press conference held after weekend protests and a general strike on Monday prompted by the discovery of the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu said Israel must have control over the Philadelphi corridor. The Philadelphi corridor has only emerged as an Israeli government talking point in recent weeks, and has been seen as a non-starter for a potential ceasefire deal with Hamas.
“In the war against the axis of evil, in this specific war against Hamas and also in the north, we have set four goals: defeat Hamas; return our hostages; ensure that Gaza does not pose a threat; and to return residents to the south,” Netanyahu said. “Three of these goals pass through the Philadelphi route, Hamas’s oxygen pipe.”
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What did Joe Biden say? Biden told reporters that he did not believe Netanyahu was doing enough to secure a ceasefire deal with Hamas. He said his administration was “very close” to proposing a “final” hostage deal to both sides that has assumed new urgency since the discovery of the bodies, including that of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
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What has the international response been? The UK has suspended some arms export licences to Israel because of a “clear risk” they may be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law. Netanyahu called the UK’s decision “shameful”.
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Will the protests continue? While an Israel court ordered an end to the nationwide general strike that brought much of Israel’s economy to a standstill on Monday, the Hostage Families Forum vowed that protests would continue in the interests of the 101 hostages still unaccounted for in Gaza, of whom Israeli intelligence believes about a third are already dead.
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How has Hamas responded? Hamas’s armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, said that hostages would return to Israel “inside coffins” if military pressure continued and warned that new instructions were issued in June to militants guarding the captives on what to do if Israeli troops approached. The Israeli military said that the six hostages were killed by their captors shortly before their bodies were found in a tunnel complex under Gaza.
Harris and Biden make first joint appearance on campaign trail
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris made their first joint appearance on the presidential campaign trail on Monday, celebrating Labor Day with a tribute to union workers in Pittsburgh.
“We are so proud to be the most pro-union administration in American history,” Harris said. “I love Labor Day. I love celebrating Labor Day, and Pittsburgh is the cradle of the American labor movement.”
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What was Donald Trump up to this weekend? Trump did an interview with Fox News, during which he accused Harris of mistreating Mike Pence – the former vice-president who Trump’s supporters said should be hanged during the January 6 insurrection that he incited.
In other news …
Photograph: Ariana Cubillos/AP
Stat of the day: At least 90% of Gaza’s 640,000 children under 10 must be vaccinated to prevent the spread of polio
With the threat of polio now in Gaza, a UN-led vaccination campaign is under way. But medical professionals are facing an uphill battle when it comes to vaccinating the territory’s youth. Israel’s bombing campaign has decimated the territory’s healthcare system, with 31 of 36 hospitals damaged or destroyed, according to the World Health Organization. An estimated 90% of the 2.3 million people who live in the Gaza Strip have been displaced and the majority is living in overcrowded, unsanitary makeshift camps where hepatitis, pneumonia, dysentery, as well as scabies, lice and debilitating rashes are rife.
“We live in a tent, which does not protect us from anything, there are no medicines, there is garbage everywhere, and the streets are filled with wastewater,” said Eid al-Attar, a 42-year-old father of five.
Don’t miss this: The bitter future of chocolate in Mexico
In Mexico, drought and a youth exodus is threatening the future of the country’s prized cocoa. Last year, the price of cocoa reached a 46-year high due to supply shortages and forecasts of further deficits. “It doesn’t rain like it used to,” said Tomas Salas, a cocoa farmer from Maravilla. “Everything has changed. The last harvest was less than half of the other years.”
… or this: Kyiv’s audacious incursion into Russia
Ukrainian soldiers spoke with the Guardian about Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. The incursion, shocking in its audacity, has laid down an unexpected challenge to the Kremlin and provided a much-needed morale boost inside Ukraine. Ukraine has claimed to control nearly 1,300 sq km (500 sq miles) of Russian territory, comprising 100 settlements – mostly small villages, but including the town of Sudzha, home to 5,000 people before the assault.
Climate check: America’s first hydrogen-powered passenger train
From the outside, the Zero-Emission Multiple Unit (Zemu) looks like any other commuter train, with three passenger carriages, blocky windows and a bright blue exterior. But the train, set to run between the Californian cities of Redlands and San Bernardino on a 9-mile line – is something the country has never seen before. The Zemu uses a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and battery system to propel the train and run other onboard electrical systems. Its only byproduct is water vapor.
“What we have done with Zemu is transformational,” said the president of the San Bernardino county transit authority (SBCTA), Ray Marquez. “The development of the train has solidified SBCTA’s place as an innovator in clean passenger rail here in the Inland Empire, throughout the state and the nation.”
Last Thing: Disappointed Harry Potter fans
Harry Potter fans have gathered at London King’s Cross railway station every year at the beginning of September to celebrate the start of the academic year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Previously, the station would play a message on the public address system that the fictional Hogwarts Express would depart from platform 9 ¾ at 11am, as happens in JK Rowling’s books, and display the train service on departure boards.
This year, however, Warner Bros Discovery, which owns the Harry Potter franchise, issued a statement urging fans to avoid travelling to King’s Cross. Fans, however, still turned up – and when there was no message, filled the station with loud boos.
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