11.2.2023

Rafah Gate Opened 

Hundreds of foreign passport holders and groups of severely injured Palestinians were allowed to cross into Egypt yesterday, the first civilians to leave the Gaza Strip during the three-week conflict. Egypt had thus far declined to allow refugees across the border, citing the potential for an unmanageable number of refugees, concerns refugees won't be allowed to return to their homes following the war, and mistrust of Hamas and other Islamic militant groups (read more). 

US officials suggest as many as 600 American citizens remain in Gaza, some of whom were among those allowed to exit with the initial group. See photos from the Rafah border crossing here.

Separately, Israel has effectively begun a ground invasion of the 140-square-mile territory, with at least four reported incursions. Analysts say troop movements appear designed to isolate Gaza City from the south. See a detailed map here.

Israeli officials have warned a sweeping invasion of Gaza will be significantly challenging, requiring troops to navigate an extensive set of tunnels believed to be hundreds of miles long. Many of the more than 200 hostages taken by Hamas in its initial Oct. 7 attack against Israel are likely held underground.

See updates on the war here.

Texas Toasts

The Texas Rangers won baseball's World Series last night, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks by a score of 5-0 to close out the series in five games. The Rangers overcame a six-inning no-hitter by Arizona pitcher Zac Gallen.

The title win ends decades of suffering for Rangers fans. Founded in 1961, Texas was the oldest franchise to have never won a World Series and owned the second-longest championship drought behind the Cleveland Guardians. 

The win came despite losing star slugger Adolis Garcia. The outfielder, who nabbed MVP honors in the previous series and ended Game 1 against Arizona with a walk-off home run (see video), suffered an oblique strain during Game 3. 

Rangers infielder Corey Seager was named World Series MVP. He becomes just the third player behind legends Sandy Koufax and Reggie Jackson to be awarded the honor twice (Seager won the honor in 2020 with the Los Angeles Dodgers). 

See the end game celebration here.

A Mild Fire Season (So Far)

The Highland Fire, roughly 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles, has burned nearly 4,500 acres of rural brushland since it ignited Monday afternoon. Over 4,000 people were ordered to evacuate as the wildfire doubled in size Tuesday, with just 15% contained (see map updates).

The fire comes amid a below-average fire season in California. Wildfires have burned over 300,000 acres in the state so far this year, just 20% of the five-year average. Experts suggest the reprieve stems partly from a very wet year, with a long series of atmospheric rivers that dumped almost 30 inches of rain and snow in the state last winter, ending a two-decade drought. The rain was followed by cooler-than-normal temperatures that precipitated the state's first major hurricane in 84 years.

Fire officials also noted a twofold increase over 2022 in acres undergoing prescribed burns, which serve to remove high concentrations of brush likely to fuel future fires. Watch how prescribed burns work here.  

Science & Technology

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Politics & World Affairs

In-Depth

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