The worst in Gaza is yet to come

Plus, Singh’s up and down NDP convention, Toronto’s back-of-the-pack runners, and the risks of “penile filler” [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. October 15 is Global Handwashing Day. Please make sure to rinse, lather and repeat before reading today’s First Up. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Mohammed Zaanoun/For the Toronto Star ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR [The cycle of violence continues to plague Israelis and Palestinians]( Since Hamas gunmen killed more than 1,300 Israelis and took as many as 150 hostages last weekend, the Israel Defense Forces have bombarded the densely populated Gaza Strip. With blockades preventing food and aid from entering the territory — and civilians from leaving — over 2,200 Gazans have died to date, with further calamity anticipated after Gaza’s three desalination plants ran out of fuel, Marco Chown Oved reports. [People on both sides of the border are bracing for the worst to come](. Peter Power/The Canadian Press federal politics [Singh’s support slides yet again but NDP delegates ultimately stand behind their leader]( At an 81 per cent confidence rating, internal support for NDP leader Jagmeet Singh dropped for the third straight time in a formal leadership review. Still, attendees at the party’s policy convention in Hamilton were met with a rousing speech that didn’t pull punches, Raisa Patel reports. “Justin Trudeau wants to ignore your anger,” Singh told the some 1,000 delegates in attendance. “And what Pierre Poilievre wants to do is to use your anger to divide our country.” [Here’s where things stand among the New Democrat ranks](. Richard Lautens/Toronto Star CRIME [He survived a shooting and COVID-19, but couldn’t dodge incompetent cops]( A judge said it was a miracle that Kevin Kusi was even alive after the then-28-year-old was shot several times by strangers in his building lobby in March 2020. Then he contracted COVID-19 during his rehabilitation. Despite arrests being made in the shooting, the attempted murder charge pinned to one of the alleged shooters was thrown out after Toronto police failed to promptly disclose evidence, Jacques Gallant reports. [Unfortunately, there’s even more insult to Kusi’s injury](. Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star sports [While marathon times get faster, Torontonians have found community at the back of the pack]( Most of the 25,000 participants in the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon races can’t even dream of making a serious run at the course records — two hours, five minutes flat for men and 2:22:16 for women for the full 42.2-kilometre distance. For many, it’s the course cut-off, when roads reopen to cars, that keeps them up at night, Kerry Gillepsie writes. [Here’s why the journey is truly more important for the growing community of slower long-distance runners](. Unsplash health [We need to talk about the rise and risks of penile fillers]( Yes, a “dermal penile filler” is exactly what it sounds like. A skilled physician can inject a mixture of hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma under the layer of skin surrounding the penis, which can increase girth by one to two inches. It’s relatively safe and increasingly popular; one physician tells Briony Smith that his clinic has been performing between 5-10 per week. [Still, the cosmetic procedure isn’t without risk](. UP CLOSE Kelsey Wilson/Toronto Star Born 200 years ago this month, American-Canadian Mary Ann Shadd Cary was the first woman — and first Black woman — to publish a newspaper in North America, Reanna Julien writes. News to you? [That’s exactly why there’s a movement to change that](. PLAN THIS Jordan Dyck/Tourism Vancouver Island In Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, about a two-hour drive from Victoria, you'll find Sombrio Beach, a magical place where you can camp out under old-growth trees and maybe spot a pod of whales. Suzanne Morphet makes the case for [embracing the west coast’s backcountry bliss](. Thanks for reading. You can reach the First Up team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_201747), and Manuela will see you back here tomorrow. If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [View in Browser]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](