Morning Update: Israel masses troops on Gaza border as it exchanges fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon

Good morning,

As Israeli warplanes hammered Gaza yesterday, the country’s military said it had finally secured the entire border with the Palestinian territory and continued to gather troops in preparation of an expected ground invasion.

Israeli strikes reduced entire buildings to rubble throughout the fourth day of an all-out war that began on Saturday when Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls Gaza, launched a surprise attack that killed more than 1,000 Israelis. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has declared that the country is implementing a “full siege” of Gaza, which is home to 2.3 million Palestinians.

The threat of a regionwide war continued to grow as Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia fired a guided missile across Israel’s northern border, striking an Israeli military vehicle. In retaliation, Israel shelled a Hezbollah observation post in southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, a U.S. naval strike group, headed by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, was ordered to the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Monday in a show of support for Israel. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the carrier was meant to send a message “to other state and non-state actors” that might be seeking to capitalize on the situation.

Read more:

• Israel-Hamas war live updates: Israeli strikes demolish Gaza neighbourhoods
• U.S. President Biden reiterates support for Israel, calls on Congress to approve more military aid
• China calls for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas conflict
• After a day of confusion and social media chaos, Europe confirms that funding to Palestinians will continue
• Opinion: The destructive hubris of Benjamin Netanyahu
• Opinion: Fifty years ago, war in Israel upended the world economy. Now, it barely registers

Canada to evacuate citizens from Israel in ‘coming days,’ Joly says

Canada will use military aircraft to evacuate its citizens from Israel “in the coming days,” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said yesterday.

She said flights will leave from Tel Aviv and those eligible for a seat include Canadian citizens and permanent residents as well as their spouses and children.

Joly also directed her statement to Canadians in the West Bank as well as Gaza, which is under siege from Israel, but provided no details on how they would be evacuated.

Read more Canadian coverage:

• Vancouver man confirmed as second Canadian to be killed in Hamas attack on music festival
• Doug Ford, Jewish groups condemn CUPE Ontario president for tweets about Israel

This is the daily Morning Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for Morning Update and more than 20 other Globe newsletters on our newsletter signup page.

Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop

Also on our radar

RCMP opens Greenbelt probe: The RCMP launched a criminal investigation into the Ontario government’s now-cancelled plan to open up parts of the protected Greenbelt area to housing development. In a report released in August, the province’s auditor-general said the government’s plan favoured landowners with connections to Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives and handed them a potential windfall of more than $8.3-billlion in increased property values.

GM, union reach tentative deal: General Motors of Canada and Unifor reached a tentative agreement yesterday, ending a 12-hour strike and turning the focus of the autoworkers’ union to the final round of bargaining with Stellantis.

Auditor-General asked to provide update on ArriveCan audit: Auditor-General Karen Hogan has been called to give an update on the status of her ArriveCan audit, after The Globe and Mail reported that both the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency are investigating misconduct allegations related to a project with links to the controversial app.

Overhaul of inactive wells crucial to avoid catastrophe, report says: A new analysis from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy says Alberta is mishandling inactive and orphan oil and gas wells, which could lead to an environmental and financial catastrophe for the province. The report concludes the current system fails to address a host of structural problems, including continuing secrecy and undue industry influence on the energy regulator.

NHL players decry Pride night policy: Players across the National Hockey League criticized the league’s new policy which bans the use of rainbow-coloured tape on sticks during Pride nights meant to celebrate inclusion. The NHL’s new guidelines say uniforms and gear cannot be altered to reflect theme nights, including Pride, Hockey Fights Cancer, Black History Night or Military Appreciate Night.

• Craig Palfrey reflects on 50 years as the Maple Leafs’ visiting dressing room attendant

Are you a parent or guardian worried about the inflating cost of post-secondary education? Is it affecting your investment strategy for your RESP, or pushing you to riskier investments? Globe reporter Salmaan Farooqui wants to hear from RESP holders today and of the past about the kind of products they invest in their RESPs. E-mail sfarooqui@globeadmail.com to share your story.

Morning markets

World stocks tick higher: Global stocks edged higher on Wednesday, with investors cheered by Chinese stimulus hopes and a drop in bond yields, while the U.S. dollar held steady before the release of the latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes and U.S. inflation figures. Around 5:30 a.m., Britan’s FTSE 100 was up 0.17 per cent. Germany’s Dax slid 0.04 per cent while France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.55 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei finished up 0.60 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.29 per cent. New York futures were modestly higher. The Canadian dollar was lower at 73.54 US cents.

What everyone’s talking about

Editorial: “The long trend of piling costs on Canadians who are struggling to buy a home or find a place to rent, all while trying to ease the load shouldered by people who already own a home, has to stop. The costs of growth must be shared. And governments need to work together, rather than pulling in opposite directions.”

Andrew Coyne: “This is the grubby reality of the notwithstanding clause. Its conservative advocates like to get all misty-eyed about parliamentary supremacy – as if the Charter itself were not an act of Parliament – or raise the spectre of some crazed, rogue court abolishing the Criminal Code or whatnot. But wherever and whenever the clause is actually used, we see what it is really about: raw power, arbitrary and unjustified, usually for the purpose of beating up on unpopular minorities.”

Today’s editorial cartoon

Open this photo in gallery:

Living better

Eating the right diet can help stave off sarcopenia when you’re older

Eating a high-quality diet – one that’s plentiful in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, pulses (e.g., beans and lentils), nuts and fish – is tied to a lower risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, certain cancers and premature death. It can also help preserve muscle mass and muscle strength in older age. That’s important since the gradual loss of both can lead to sarcopenia, a skeletal-muscle disorder that can significantly affect quality of life.

Moment in time: Oct. 11, 1966

Open this photo in gallery:

Patent granted for G.I. Joe doll

Although Hasbro introduced G.I. Joe in 1964, the Rhode Island-based toy company was not granted a patent for it until this day in 1966. Licensing agent Stan Weston had brought the military-themed toy to Hasbro executive Donald Levine, a veteran of the Korean War who said G.I. Joe was a way to honour the U.S. armed forces. He named the doll after watching the 1945 film The Story of G.I. Joe. As noted on Hasbro’s submission for U.S. Patent #3,277,602, one-foot-high G.I. Joe was a “toy figure having movable joints.” Mr. Weston accepted US$100,000 for the rights instead of a small royalty fee – a mistake in hindsight, because G.I. Joe marched into the childhoods of millions. Not only was the Barbie for boys flying off shelves, the tiny uniforms and footlockers full of other accessories were also purchased. As the support for the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War waned, G.I. Joe’s popularity faded, too. Today, however, the brand is still strong. In 2004, G.I. Joe received his orders to report to the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, N.Y. Brad Wheeler

Read today's horoscopes. Enjoy today's puzzles.

If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday morning, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.