First Thing: UN body warns Israel over ‘potential destruction’ of population in north Gaza

OHCHR said Israel may be causing the ‘destruction of the Palestinian population’ by ‘death and displacement’. Plus, is Elon Musk’s $1m giveaway legal?

Good morning.

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) warned that Israel may be causing the “destruction of the Palestinian population in Gaza’s northernmost governate through death and displacement” with its latest military campaign there.

The Israel Defense Forces had made life in north Gaza “impossible” for Palestinians, many of whom were already facing starvation, while also ordering their displacement and preventing supplies from entering, OHCHR said in a statement.

Israel had “continued to relentlessly bomb and attack the area” making it “extremely dangerous” for civilians to flee, the body wrote, adding that it had received reports of civilians being deliberately targeted. It added: “Many Palestinians in the north have also expressed fears that should they flee; they will never be allowed to return to their homes in north Gaza.”

Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders condemned Israel’s siege on the last remaining hospitals in Gaza, saying: “This is purely and simply a collective punishment imposed on Palestinians in Gaza, who must choose between being forcibly displaced from the North or killed. We fear that this will not stop.”

What have been recent targets of Israeli airstrikes? Several Palestinians were reportedly killed and others injured late on Sunday when Israeli airstrikes hit two schools housing displaced people in Jabalia, the area in northern Gaza that Israel has placed under siege for more than two weeks.

What’s the latest with Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon? Israeli forces have “deliberately demolished an observation tower and perimeter fence of a UN position in Marwahin”, the UN peacekeeping mission said on Sunday.

What’s the situation with Iran and the wider region? The US government is investigating an unauthorised release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran.

Musk pledges $1m each day in apparent bid to galvanize Republican voters

Elon Musk said on Saturday that America Pac, the Donald Trump-allied political action committee he founded, will give $1m every day until the presidential election to someone who signs his petition, which appears to be a way to incentivize Republicans in battleground states to register to vote.

“We are going to be awarding $1m randomly to people who have signed the petition,” Musk said at a town hall event in Pennsylvania.

Wait, is that legal? Several legal experts said the petition may violate federal election laws that prohibit paying or offering to pay for someone to register to vote.

Election updates: Trump goes to McDonald’s while Harris celebrates 60th birthday

Donald Trump visited a McDonald’s franchise in Pennsylvania on Sunday, working the drive-thru and manning the fryer. The former president took a moment to boast about his time in office and sarcastically congratulated Kamala Harris on her 60th birthday.

Harris celebrated her birthday at two churches in Georgia, continuing her campaign’s “souls to the polls” push to reach Black voters through religious communities.

Both campaigns are focused on rallying support from voters in the battleground states, 16 days before a presidential election that is still on a knife-edge.

What are the polls saying? The election is basically deadlocked. Harris has tiny polling leads in Pennsylvania and Nevada, while Trump has tiny polling leads in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, but the races remain far too close to predict with any certainty.

In other news …

Russian strikes on Kharkiv wounded nine people and cut power to part of the city, local officials and police said.

New Mexico state police said on Sunday that at least two people have died as a result of flash floods. Search and rescue missions are underway.

The UK’s King Charles III was heckled by an Indigenous Australian senator in Canberra, who said the crown stole Aboriginal land.

A mass shooting left one person dead and five others wounded at Georgia’s Albany State University on Saturday night during homecoming weekend.

Stat of the day: More than 600 restaurants close in Ireland in last year

Ireland’s restaurant industry is facing crisis and daily closures, with rising VAT, inflation and people working from home leading many small restaurant and business owners to demand government support. “People are really furious around the country. They just feel abandoned, unappreciated,” said Darina Allen, the founder of Ballymaloe cookery school.

Don’t miss this: Mikey Madison on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and her Palme d’Or winner Anora

Mikey Madison’s performance in Anora as an exotic dancer is already generating lots of talk of a best actress Oscar nomination. Madison spoke to the Observer about the Palme d’Or winner and her lucky break in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Climate check: Humanity is on the verge of ‘shattering Earth’s natural limits’, say experts in biodiversity warning

Humanity is “on the precipice” of shattering Earth’s limits, and will suffer huge costs if we fail to act on biodiversity loss, experts are warning. This week, world leaders meet in Cali, Colombia, for the Cop16 UN biodiversity conference to discuss action on the global crisis. Scientists say there is “no time to waste”.

Last Thing: No fond farewells – the airport that caps goodbye hugs to 3 minutes

The international airport in Dunedin, New Zealand, has introduced a three-minute cap on cuddles, as part of a broader effort to improve safety and keep foot traffic flowing. A sign at the airport’s drop-off zone warns: “Max hug time three minutes. For fonder farewells please use the car park.”

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