Marking the anniversary of the October 7 attack

Plus: The new "Joker" movie is a surprise musical, understanding animal autonomy, and more. October 7, 2024 [View in browser]( [Lavanya Ramanathan]( is a senior editor and editor of the Today, Explained newsletter. [Lavanya Ramanathan]( is a senior editor and editor of the Today, Explained newsletter.   A year of war, tumult, and seismic change [Graffiti calling for the return of the Israeli hostages is seen on October 01, 2024 in Tel Aviv, Israel, as the anniversary approaches] Leon Neal/Getty Images It’s the first anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas that left 1,200 Israelis dead and set off a chain reaction of events that have reshaped the region, the world, and many of our individual lives in ways large and small. The attack sparked an unrelenting Israeli military offensive against Palestinians in Gaza that has left more than [40,000 people dead]( and a subsequent global conversation about military aggression. Turmoil and accusations of antisemitism and [anti-Palestinian racism]( on college campuses across the US quickly followed, culminating in resignations of top administrators. Employers have grappled with free speech issues in the workplace. Arab American voters are parting with the Democrats over Gaza policy. And more recently, violence has spilled over into other parts of the Middle East, with Israel invading southern Lebanon. As Vox senior correspondent Zack Beauchamp wrote this week, we are now “living in a world fundamentally reshaped by Hamas’s October 7 murder spree and Israel’s bloody reprisal, with no sense on the horizon that what’s broken will be repaired.” Today, we’re highlighting two new pieces reckoning with the past year and re-sharing coverage of some of the big moments that defined it. [A girl looks on while walking through the rubble of a collapsed building in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 2, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas.] Timothy A. Clary/AFP [How Hamas’s attack and Israel’s response broke the world]( "To call the past year a global tragedy is not to distract from the most immediate victims, the Israelis and Palestinians killed and immiserated by bullets and bombs," writes Zack Beauchamp. "Rather, it is to put the full range of consequences into view: to show that events that might seem contained to the Middle East have come to hurt people around the world in ways that we may not yet fully understand or even be capable of predicting. This is not a world war, but it is a global tragedy." [Is the Israeli military ever leaving Gaza?]("A ceasefire in Gaza remains elusive. Multiple rounds of US-led talks aimed at securing a pause in the fighting and a return of hostages have come to naught, with Netanyahu repeatedly insisting on maintaining an Israeli military presence in Gaza after the war," writes Joshua Keating. Is the conflict transforming into a “forever war”? [United States Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield makes a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, which overwhelmingly adopted a draft resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza on Dec 12] Fatih Aktas/Anadolu/Getty Images [The growing global support for a Gaza ceasefire, explained]( By December 2023, a UN vote saw [153 countries in the body’s General Assembly,]( an overwhelming majority, voting in favor of an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. [The ICJ orders in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, explained](The following month, South Africa brought a case against Israel accusing it of committing genocide against the Palestinian people in its war in Gaza. That case has yet to be decided. [TikTok isn’t creating false support for Palestine. It’s just reflecting what’s already there.]( Lawmakers last fall accused TikTok of pushing pro-Palestine videos into users’ For You pages, quietly indoctrinating America’s young people against the state of Israel. But as Rebecca Jennings wrote, to accuse TikTok of indoctrination is to misunderstand its users. "It is an app dominated by young people, and young people happen to sympathize with Palestine." [Most of Israel’s weapons imports come from the US. Now Biden is rushing even more arms.]( Israel has received about $3 billion annually, adjusted for inflation, for [the last 50 years](, and is the [largest historical recipient]( of US security aid. The war increased that figure. [Claudine Gay, president of Harvard University; Liz Magill, president of the University of Pennsylvania; Pamela Nadell, professor of history and Jewish studies at American University; and Sally Kornbluth, president of Massachusetts Institute of Technology] Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images [What elite universities — and their critics — get wrong about campus antisemitism]( In late 2023, accusations of antisemitism on college campuses following the start of the war brought the presidents of three elite universities before Congress for questioning. The institutions’ responses brought on a furious reaction from the public and more than one resignation. But none of it would quell campus protests over the war, [which reached a fever pitch in the spring]( and have continued to haunt administrators — notably those at Columbia University — into the current school year. [The DNC was avoiding controversy — then it refused to give Palestinians airtime](The effect of the war on US politics has been hard to ignore, for both President Biden, who saw [Democratic primary voters cast ballots as "uncommitted"]( in Michigan, a state with a sizable Arab American population, and for nominee Kamala Harris. [Israel has invaded Lebanon. Here’s what could come next.]( Israel and Hezbollah have fought on and off over the decades, fights that have intensified since the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas last year. Hezbollah has vowed to [continue its missile strikes]( into Israeli territory until Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza. Now, Israel has expanded its battles to a second front, invading Lebanon.   [Listen]( Puberty hits different now Kids are going through puberty earlier, and scientists think they have found another reason why. Pediatrician Dr. Cara Natterson and puberty educator Vanessa Kroll Bennett explain why it should also change the way we talk about puberty. [Listen now](         [A health worker leaves an isolated area in April 2005 in Angola in a makeshift tent where Marburg-virus patients are treated.] Florence Panoussian/AFP via Getty Images An Ebola-like virus outbreak strikes Rwanda: Marburg is a severe and often fatal disease, and according to the World Health Organization, a total of 36 cases and 11 deaths have been reported, making it one of the largest Marburg outbreaks in history. While there is no approved treatment, [scientists are working to identify an effective vaccine that could protect millions of people.]( How health care suffers at the hands of private equity: Private equity takeovers in health care have steadily increased in the last 25 years, converging with factors like poor hospital budgets and a lack of legislative reform to leave [doctors burnt out and patients confused about treatment and billing.]( SNL, but the N stands for nostalgia: Season 50 of Saturday Night Live is sure to be full of self-referential moments, relying on its audience to want to reminisce and stick around for the inside jokes. Executive producer [Lorne Michaels clearly is enjoying his victory lap — but will viewers feel the same way?]( Hotober, explained: The western United States is experiencing record warm temperatures right now. Palm Springs, California, hit a staggering 117 degrees last Tuesday, setting a new October record. This October-specific heat is caused by a “heat dome” — an effect of climate change [that involves a high-pressure system trapping heat closer to the Earth’s surface.]( A musical Joker? Following a trend of movies like Mean Girls, Wonka, The Color Purple, and this November’s upcoming Wicked film, the marketing team behind Joker: Folie à Deux did not make it clear that the movie is a musical. While the choice may be an effort not to alienate Joker’s original audience, [the strangest part of the film is not that it’s a musical. It’s that it’s a ... courtroom procedural?]( And elsewhere ... Bible study, with Trump’s bible: Oklahoma schools superintendent Ryan Walters wants to bring bibles into classrooms across the state. But according to criteria from the state’s Department of Education, only a few bibles are eligible, including Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the U.S.A. Bible, endorsed by former President Donald Trump and often referred to as “the Trump Bible.” [[The Oklahoman](] Could crypto’s biggest mystery be solved? Tomorrow night, Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery is set to premiere on HBO. The documentary claims to have uncovered the truth behind the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the likely fake name adopted by the creator (or creators) of bitcoin. [[Politico](] [A statue of Satoshi Nakamoto, a presumed pseudonym used by the inventor of Bitcoin, is displayed in Graphisoft Park on September 22, 2021 in Budapest, Hungary. ] Janos Kummer/Getty Images   Rethinking animal autonomy One of the core reasons for the controversy around Turkey’s stray-animal law — which [in 2004]( gave all animals domesticated or ownerless the right to protection and a comfortable life — is that street animals play a significant part of the country’s history and culture, unlike what we see in the United States. (I [wrote about the law,]( which included provisions on neutering and vaccinating stray animals before returning them to where they were found.) Documentaries like [Stray]( and [Kedi]( are good showcases of how cats and dogs in Istanbul survive and cohabitate in a human-dominated world. It can be unusual for some of us to think of domesticated animals like these being unclaimed. But my colleague Kenny Torrella wrote a strong [case against pet ownership]( that raised questions of what more autonomy and agency for these creatures could look like. His story and the films may complicate your view of street dogs and animal welfare, as it did mine, but it has also given me a much richer lens through which to view these issues. —Sam Delgado, Future Perfect fellow [A dog with his back turned to the viewer, looking at an open road ] Elena Zaretskaya/Getty Images   Are you enjoying the Today, Explained newsletter? Forward it to a friend; they can [sign up for it right here](. And as always, we want to know what you think. Specifically: If there is a topic you want us to explain or a story you’re curious to learn more about, let us know [by filling out this form]( or just replying to this email. Today’s edition was produced and edited by senior editor Lavanya Ramanathan, with contributions from staff editor Melinda Fakuade. We'll see you tomorrow!   [Become a Vox Member]( Support our journalism — become a Vox Member and you’ll get exclusive access to the newsroom with members-only perks including newsletters, bonus podcasts and videos, and more. [Join our community](   Ad   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [TikTok]( [WhatsApp]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( [unsubscribe](param=sentences). If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1701 Rhode Island. NW, Washington, DC 20036. 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