By WAFAA SHURAFA, SARAH EL DEEB, MELANIE LIDMAN and SAM MCNEIL

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — European officials struck a new deal with Israel to allow desperately needed food and fuel into Gaza, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said Thursday as Israeli airstrike killed 10 children and five adults waiting for care outside a medical clinic.

The announcement came as prospects for a ceasefire agreement in the near term appeared to be fading as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to leave Washington after meetings with President Donald Trump. Still, U.S. officials held out hope that restarting high-level negotiations — mediated by Egypt and Qatar and including White House envoy Steve Witkoff — could bring progress.

“We’re closer than we’ve been in quite a while and we’re hopeful, but we also recognize there’s still some challenges in the way,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during a stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Deal to increase aid

Thursday’s agreement could result in “more crossings open, aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair of vital infrastructure and protection of aid workers,” said Kaja Kallas, the 27-member EU’s top diplomat.

“We count on Israel to implement every measure agreed,” she said in a post on social media.

Aid groups say Israeli military restrictions and recurring violence have made it difficult to deliver assistance in Gaza even after Israel eased its 2 1/2 month total blockade in May. Experts have warned that the territory is at risk of famine, 21 months into the Israel-Hamas war.

Kallas said the deal would reactivate aid corridors from Jordan and Egypt and reopen community bakeries and kitchens across Gaza. She said measures would be taken to prevent Hamas from diverting aid. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid and selling it to finance combat activities. The United Nations says there is no evidence for widespread diversion.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar acknowledged the deal while attending a conference in Vienna, saying it came “following our dialogue with the EU.” He said the deal includes “more trucks, more crossings and more routes for the humanitarian efforts.”

Neither Saar not Kallas said whetehr the aid would go through the U.N.-run system or an alternative, U.S.- and Israeli-backed mechanism that has been marred by violence and controversy.

Israeli strikes kill at least 36

Israeli strikes pounded the Gaza Strip overnight, killing at least 36 Palestinians, including 15 people waiting outside a medical clinic, local hospitals and aid workers said Thursday. The Israeli military said one soldier was killed in Gaza.

Gaza’s Nasser Hospital reported a total of 21 deaths in airstrikes in the southern town of Khan Younis and the nearby coastal area of Muwasi. It said three children and their mother, as well as two other women, were among the dead.

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The 15 killed early Thursday outside the clinic in the central city of Deir al-Balah were waiting for nutritional supplements, according to Project Hope, an aid group that runs the humanitarian facility. Along with the 10 childrenm two women were also among those killed.

“No child waiting for food and medicine should face the risk of being bombed,” said Dr. Mithqal Abutaha, the group’s project manager, who was at another clinic at the time. “People had to come seeking health and support, instead they faced death.”

Following the strike, families gathered in the morgue of Al-Aqsa Hospital to pray over the bodies of those killed, laid across the floor.

Omar Meshmesh held the body of his 3-year-old niece Aya Meshmesh. “What did she ever do? Did she throw a rocket at them or throw something at them? … she’s an innocent child,” he said.

Israel’s military said it struck near the clinic while targeting a combatant it said had entered Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. It said it was investigating.

Another Israeli soldier killed

Israeli troops have been working in Khan Younis to dismantle more than 130 Hamas infrastructure sites over the past week, including a 500-meter (yard) tunnel, missile launch sites, and weapons storage facilities, the military said.

Also Thursday, the military said an Israeli soldier was killed in Khan Younis the day before, after fighters burst out of an underground tunnel and tried to abduct him. The soldier was shot and killed, while troops in the area shot the fighters, hitting several of them, the military said.

Eighteen soldiers have been killed in the past three weeks, one of the deadliest periods for the Israeli army in months, putting additional public pressure on Netanyahu to end the war.

West Bank violence

Two Palestinian attackers killed a 22-year-old Israeli man at an Israeli supermarket in a settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday afternoon, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency services.

Israeli police said two people in a stolen vehicle attacked a security guard at the supermarket. Paramedics said people on site shot and killed the two attackers. Police did not release information about the attackers, but the Israeli military said forces are setting up roadblocks around the Palestinian town of Halhul, around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the supermarket.

Earlier Thursday, a 55-year-old Palestinian man was killed in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Israeli military said the man was shot after stabbing a soldier in the village of Rumana. The soldier suffered moderate wounds.

The war in Gaza has sparked a surge of violence in the West Bank, with the Israeli military targeting fighters in large-scale operations that have killed hundreds of Palestinians and displaced tens of thousands.

That has coincided with a rise in settler violence and Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Palestinian fighters from the West Bank have also attacked and killed Israelis in Israel and the West Bank.

The war began after Hamas attacked Israel in 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Most have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

‘We’re going to build them better’

Israel started demolitions Thursday of buildings in the central city of Bat Yam hit in what was the deadliest Iranian missile strike during the 12-day Israel-Iran war. Nine people were killed, including five members of a Ukrainian refugee family.

Bat Yam Mayor Tzvika Brot said the strike left 2,000 people homeless, many now living at hotels.

“We’re going to demolish 20 buildings, but we’re going to build them better, stronger,” he said.

Iran launched 550 missiles and more than 1,000 drones towards Israel, killing 28 people, and injuring more than 3,000. Iran’s government said this week that at least 1,060 Iranians were killed in the war.

McNeil reported from Brussels, El Deeb from Beirut and Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.

As the new “Superman” movie debuts on Friday, July 11, Mt. Clemens native Dean Cain is looking back on his time as the Man of Steel.

Meet David Corenswet, cinema’s new Superman

People still approach Cain to this day and say, “Hey, Superman!” For Cain — who played football for Princeton University, where he earned his undergraduate degree in history — that never gets old.

“I’ll always embrace that. It was the beginning of my career. It’s the thing I’m certainly most known for. I don’t have a problem with that whatsoever,” said Cain, 58, of Malibu. “There’s a lot worse things I’ve been called, and I’m sure I’ll be called them again. If someone’s calling me Superman, I’ll accept it.” He added, tongue-in-cheek: “As long as they don’t expect me to fly; they have to understand that I’m an actor.”

‘Superman’ review: James Gunn gets DCU off to rocky, overstuffed start

Cain played Superman — the creation of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who debuted in 1938’s “Action Comics” No. 1, published by DC Comics — and his alter-ego Clark Kent in 1993-97’s “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” alongside Teri Hatcher (“Desperate Housewives”) as fellow reporter/love interest Lois Lane.

In “Lois & Clark,” the titular characters eventually get married in a story coinciding with them getting married in the comic book. The series ended on a cliffhanger, where they find a baby boy in Clark’s old bassinet, along with a note stating he belonged to them. Before this storyline could be explored, the series was canceled. Executive producer Brad Buckner stated in interviews that the baby was Kryptonian royalty placed in Superman’s care for his own protection. Cain wouldn’t mind revisiting this storyline centering around the baby but told fans not to get their hopes up.

“I don’t have any plans to reprise the character. I’d love to see Lois and Clark — our Lois and Clark, that is Teri’s Lois and my Superman — what they’re really doing nearly 30 years after people have last seen us. I’d like to do it the way ‘Cobra Kai’ has done it. Boy, I’ve really enjoyed ‘Cobra Kai.’ That’s the same feel I want for ‘Lois & Clark.’ They’re parents now and there’s all kinds of different things that will happen with their characters. I’ve loved that idea forever. I’ve actually started writing it, but I’ve been pulled away from it all a million times. I just think it’s such a great idea,” he explained.

To Cain, Hatcher was the best actress to play Lois.

“I still think she’s the best Lois Lane of all time,” he said. “She carried the show.”

Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher starred in “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.” (Getty Images/Hulton Archive)

Although Cain has no plans to revisit “Lois & Clark,” he later appeared on “Smallville,” which starred Okemos High School alumnus Tom Welling as a pre-Superman Clark Kent, as well as “Supergirl.”

One of Cain’s main competitors for the role of Superman was Kevin Sorbo of “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.”

“I thought I had it wrapped up, then they made me do an extra scene. I was like, ‘Uh-oh,’” recalled Cain. “Kevin’s a great guy, a true professional. He knows what to do, how to do it, how to get it done. We’re friends outside work and I’m not friends with too many actors outside of work. … He’s a great guy, but too blond to be Superman. He had the hair for Hercules.”

Cain and writer Jeph Loeb — who’s penned Superman’s adventures on the printed page and the small screen — gave their insights on what gives Superman his staying power after 87 years.

“The guy’s the most powerful being on Earth and raised with small-town American values in Kansas by a farm couple,” said Cain. “To me, he’s the ultimate picture of goodness and morality. I believe in truth, justice and the American way. To me, it made perfect sense. I’m honored to be associated with the character.”

Loeb, who appeared this past May at the Motor City Comic Con in Novi, listed two things that contributed to Superman’s longevity.

“First: He was the first. When you’re the first and you’re great, you have staying power. Second: I think this is the most important. Superman, for me, is always about hope,” Loeb said. “He does without preaching, which is important; he shows us what we can be. It’s odd that a man from another planet can show us how to be the best humans we can be. Yet in a weird way, it’s kinda the greatest immigration story in that a man from another land comes to us and shows us that we can be better people. That’s brilliant and hopeful. I want to read those stories all the time and I want to read them over and over again. He’s the greatest. That’s why ‘Superman: For All Seasons’ is one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. What (artist Tim Sale) captured wasn’t just the spirit of Superman, but the spirit of what it means to be a good human being. And that’s something worth thinking about, particularly in these times. Be nice. Be kind.”

Mt. Clemens native Dean Cain embraces his role as Superman. “It’s the thing I’m certainly most known for. I don’t have a problem with that whatsoever,” he said. (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for Family Film and TV Awards)

If you go

The Man of Steel returns to the big screen on Friday, July 11 with “Superman,” written and directed by James Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) in one of the summer’s most anticipated movies that also restarts the DC Cinematic Universe with a clean slate. David Corenswet (“Twisters”) plays Superman and alter-ego Clark Kent; Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) plays reporter Lois Lane, Superman’s love interest; Nicholas Hoult (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) plays Lex Luthor, Superman’s archnemesis. The movie also stars Nathan Fillion (“Firefly”) as Guy Garden, an unlikeable good guy with a power ring who’s a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Check your local listings.

By Gerry Smith, Michelle Amponsah, Bloomberg News

After Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the nation’s top health official in February, pediatrician Jeff Couchman started getting a lot of questions from worried parents.

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“They’d ask: ‘Are vaccines going to be available? Can we give my kid every possible shot today just to make sure?’” said Couchman, who practices at Mesquite Pediatrics in Tucson, Arizona.

So, for the first time, Couchman and his colleagues have started offering vaccines on an accelerated schedule. They’re giving a second dose of the MMR vaccine to prevent measles, mumps and rubella as early as 15 months of age, though it’s not typically recommended until age 4. And they’re offering shots to prevent HPV, a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause cancer, starting at age 9, two years earlier than the government suggests.

There are risks to giving shots too early. Government vaccine advisers developed the schedule for childhood shots by looking at the results of clinical studies and scrutinizing how the human immune system changes from infancy to adulthood, among other factors. For some vaccines, like the ones Couchman is doling out ahead of schedule, doctors know adjusting the timing by a few months or even years makes little difference. But for others, deviating from the schedule means the shot won’t be fully effective, or could pose other problems that haven’t yet been discovered.

Pediatricians across the U.S. interviewed by Bloomberg said they’re now working with parents to carefully weigh those risks against the threat posed by Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy’s leadership. Their key concern is that after Kennedy fired some of the government’s top vaccine experts and appointed replacements who have promoted dubious theories about the safety and efficacy of shots, the U.S. may ultimately stop calling for their use. That could lead to higher costs for patients or shortages.

“I’m worried that any moment now vaccines will not be recommended anymore,” said Eli Fels-McDowell in Lexington, Kentucky, who recently got her daughter a second dose of the MMR vaccine earlier than usual, at age 3, and a COVID vaccine after Kennedy said it was no longer recommended for healthy kids. “We’re trying to limbo under the bar really quickly.”

It’s hard to get precise numbers on how many vaccines are given early. It’s not tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or by several state health departments contacted by Bloomberg News. But interviews with pediatricians and parents across the country reveal an emerging trend: a surge of requests for childhood vaccines before they are typically given, citing Kennedy as a reason why.

On a weekend in March, Mesquite held a special clinic for parents who wanted earlier vaccines for their kids. About 45 families showed up, a significant number for a relatively small pediatrician, Couchman said. Overall, his practice has given early second doses of the measles vaccine to about 227 children between 1 and 4, or about 70% of patients in that age range.

In Marin County, just north of San Francisco, pediatrician Nelson Branco said about 20% of families that he sees are requesting an early dose of MMR vaccine. In Charleston, South Carolina, pediatrician Eliza Varadi has seen a rise of requests from parents to give the HPV vaccine to their 7- and 8-year-olds because they’re worried it will no longer be approved or covered by insurance — something she’d never seen before February. And in Florida, pediatricians have been getting parental requests for early shots “more and more,” said Rana Alissa, president of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Parents are coming in confused about so many things,” Alissa said. “They are mentioning RFK by name.”

Last month, an influential seven-person vaccine advisory panel handpicked by Kennedy said it would form a committee to review childhood vaccines. If the group reverses course and opts to no longer back the well-established childhood shot schedule, it will affect access to those vaccines.

The panel, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, helps guide which shots insurance companies fully cover and whether manufacturers are shielded from legal liability over side effects. It also helps determine whether vaccines are available for free through the Vaccines for Children program, a taxpayer-backed initiative to ensure every child has access to lifesaving shots. About half of U.S. kids are eligible for the program.

There are reasons to believe Kennedy’s panel will stray from medical precedent. The panel also voted last month against recommending flu shots with a preservative long considered by scientists to be safe, but falsely believed by so-called anti-vaxxers to cause autism. Kennedy has also suggested kids now get too many shots and raised doubts about their safety, falsely claiming the measles vaccines causes deaths each year.

The committee’s moves were a clear sign that some childhood vaccines are in jeopardy, said Sean O’Leary, chair of the infectious disease committee at the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Based on what we saw, it’s absolutely well-founded for parents to worry that vaccines will get taken away,” he said.

Giving a vaccine early can still fall within government guidelines. The CDC recommends a child get the second MMR vaccine dose between age 4 and 6, but says it can be sooner if it’s at least 28 days after the first. While the HPV vaccine series is recommended at 11 or 12, the CDC says it can be started at age 9.

Still, deviating too far from the schedule can make pediatricians uncomfortable. In some cases, giving a shot well before the recommended age poses unknown risks.

“When you deviate from that schedule, then you’re kind of in unstudied territory,” said Branco, the Marin County pediatrician.

There are potential downsides to giving children shots too soon. Researchers have found infants are born with maternal antibodies that may prevent the measles vaccine from working long-term if they get it before they turn 1. A first measles vaccine dose before that age should only be done in special circumstances, like before traveling to a place with an outbreak, and shouldn’t count toward the normal two-dose schedule, pediatricians say.

In such cases, parents would be giving a child an extra dose of a vaccine that has potential rare side effects like allergic reaction, febrile seizure and a blood-clotting issue that can cause bruising and bleeding.

Some parents still believe it’s better to accept those risks than to possibly leave their children unvaccinated.

In February, Bridget Butler, a 40-year-old mother of three, asked her pediatrician about vaccinating her youngest son early during the measles outbreak. Butler, who lives in North Carolina, said she grew concerned as measles ripped through West Texas and cases cropped up in nearby states.

But Kennedy’s recent move to fire government vaccine advisers has also worried her. Her son turns 1 in August, when he’s due for his first dose of the MMR vaccine. She’s concerned that her insurance won’t cover shots if the U.S. government no longer recommends them and is weighing whether to get him the shot ahead of schedule.

“It’s a hot mess,” Butler said.

©2025 Bloomberg News. Visit at bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

I’ve been a personal finance writer for nearly a decade. I’ve interviewed dozens of financial advisors in that time, but I’m a little ashamed to admit that I’d never actually talked to one about my own finances.

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That changed recently, when my husband — who works in finance too — accepted a new job offer. It felt like the right moment to take a step back from focusing on other people’s money and focus on ours for a change.

I set up our very first meeting with a certified financial planner, and learned a lot from the experience. If you’re curious about what it’s like to talk to an advisor, maybe you’ll learn something, too.

Finding a CFP was surprisingly easy

The first step was to seek out an advisor. There are many types of financial advisors, but I knew I wanted to meet with a certified financial planner.

CFPs go through a rigorous certification process, handle a broad range of topics and have a fiduciary duty to act in their clients’ best interest.

I went through XY Planning Network, a financial planning network I often use to find expert sources for articles. Instead of submitting a media request through the website like I normally do, I clicked on the “find an advisor” search button.

There are more than 2,000 advisors in the network. The thought of sifting through a lot of profiles seemed extremely daunting. But in reality, it wasn’t bad at all.

The whole process from start to finish took less than 10 minutes.

Personalizing the search

I started by entering our location into the search bar. While many CFPs work virtually with clients throughout the country, I was looking for one who lives in the Bay Area, like us, and would be well-versed in the local industries and the housing market.

Then, I set filters to narrow the results based on advisor specialties.

I chose a few key categories that describe my husband and me: married couples, parents, Gen Y/Millennials and HENRY (high earners, not rich yet).

Scheduling the meeting

My husband and I clicked on a few profiles that appeared on the first results page. We checked out the advisors’ websites and ended up picking the CFP whose site we felt looked the most professional and inviting. The clean design, dusty rose colors and her smiling photo gave the site a calming vibe.

We appreciated that the CFP’s fees were clearly laid out and easy to find. We also found her FAQs helpful.

We clicked on the website’s “book appointment” button to schedule a free introductory meeting. We chose a date and time on the calendar and entered a few details. Easy peasy.

Ahead of the consultation, the CFP emailed us a virtual meeting link and agenda: we’d chat about our financial goals, challenges and what kind of support we might need.

The meeting was very casual

The first meeting was simply about getting to know each other. We didn’t need to come prepared with tax returns, account balances or anything like that.

The CFP kicked off the conversation with a quick introduction. She discussed her educational background, experience and what she aims to help people accomplish.

We talked about how my husband is about to start a new job, and shared our main goals: saving for our kids’ education and buying a home in the future. We explained that while we feel good about our finances, we’re curious about what we could be doing better.

The CFP told us what we could expect if we decided to keep working with her. In addition to reviewing numbers, we’d discuss our goals, values and feelings around money. She said she’d look at our current and projected income, expenses and net worth. She also talked about the planning software she uses to map out different scenarios.

But there was no pressure to move forward with planning services. We felt comfortable and supported throughout the 30-minute call.

Advisors aren’t just for rich people

Professionally, I’ve talked to enough CFPs to know that advisors work with people in different life and wealth stages. But I always figured the more money someone had, the more useful an advisor would be. After all, some advisors only work with people who have $1 million or more in assets.

My husband and I are high earners, but not wealthy. So it was reassuring to hear the CFP in our meeting say she believes everyone could benefit from a financial advisor. We wouldn’t have to meet an asset requirement to work with her.

Still, our CFP acknowledged that working with a financial advisor is “a luxury expense,” and some people would rather not spend the money on one.

She said a good sign someone might need an advisor is if they’re checking their bank account daily or constantly transferring money between accounts to make sure there’s enough to cover a bill. An advisor can also be worthwhile if you just don’t have the energy to stay on top of your finances, she added.

In our meeting, we dived deeper into the different topics that advisors can help with, including reviewing employee benefits packages, planning for college or retirement, investment advice and estate planning.

I have a lot more thinking to do

The CFP said she’d check back in with us in a few weeks. In the meantime, my husband and I will have to sort out what we want to do next.

Should we hire this CFP? Should we schedule introductory meetings with other CFPs? Do we want to pay for planning services at all right now?

Whatever we decide, I’m glad we had this experience. Meeting with an advisor helped me realize that even though we have financial goals, we haven’t been checking our progress toward them as often as we should.

It was a good reminder that we’ve had our finances on autopilot for a long time. We need to take a closer look at our income, expenses and investments.

One thing I’m confident in: this won’t be the last time I work with a financial advisor.

Lauren Schwahn writes for NerdWallet. Email: lschwahn@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @lauren_schwahn.

The article What I Learned From My First Meeting With a Financial Advisor originally appeared on NerdWallet.