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Israel says Hamas is failing to meet commitments under Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, while Hamas says Israel’s destruction makes recovering captives’ bodies nearly impossible. With 11,000 Palestinians also still under rubble, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh says tensions threaten the fragile truce.

It was a primary that sent shock waves through the Democratic Party and captured nationwide attention in the United States.

In June, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani bested his better-known rival, former New York state Governor  Andrew Cuomo, to secure the Democratic nomination to be New York City’s next mayor.

Now, New York City is preparing for the final vote in its mayoral contest on November 4.

But before voters head to the polls, they will have the chance to watch a series of two debates between the main candidates: Mamdani, Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa. The first airs on Thursday night.

The stakes go beyond the question of who will govern the city. New York’s mayoral contest has become a flashpoint about the future of the Democratic Party and the changing politics surrounding US support for Israel, among other issues.

Learn about the debates, the candidates and what issues are likely to figure prominently in this brief explainer.

When are the debates?

There will be two debates held before the election, each of them set to include the three main candidates.

The first is on October 16 at 7pm US Eastern Time (23:00 GMT) and will be hosted by local news outlet WNBC.

The second will take place on October 22 at 7pm US Eastern Time (23:00) and will be hosted by Spectrum News NY1, another local news channel.

How can I watch?

In New York City, the mayoral debates will be broadcast live on local television chains including WNBC, Spectrum News NY1 and PIX11.

For those outside the metropolitan area, the debates will be available live on the YouTube channels for those stations.

You can find NY1’s YouTube page here, and WNBC’s here.

Who are the candidates?

There are three main candidates in the race.

Leading the field is Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist and member of the New York State Assembly whose rapid rise has been interpreted as a sea change within the Democratic Party.

In February, an Emerson College poll found Mamdani trailing the pack, with less than one percent support. But by the time the Democratic primary arrived in June, the dark horse had become the frontrunner.

He ultimately trounced his nearest rival, Andrew Cuomo, with 56 percent of the primary vote, in a contest widely viewed as a bellwether in the strongly Democratic-leaning city.

Cuomo, however, remains Mamdani’s main competitor. After his loss in the primary, Cuomo announced he would continue his run as an independent in November’s general election.

Cuomo served as New York’s governor from 2011 to 2021, but he ultimately resigned amid numerous allegations of sexual harassment.

Finally, representing the Republican Party in the election is Curtis Sliwa, a conservative anti-crime activist and regular fixture in the city’s political scene. He previously ran for mayor in the 2021 race.

What happened to the incumbent, Mayor Eric Adams?

Mayor Eric Adams had been among the contenders for this year’s mayoral race. But in late September, he formally withdrew his bid.

Adams had faced slumping poll numbers, and throughout his four years as mayor, he has been dogged by corruption scandals. One culminated with a federal investigation into allegations he had entered into a quid pro quo with the Turkish government.

“I was wrongfully charged because I fought for this city,” Adams said in his withdrawal video. He blamed “the constant media speculation” for having “undermined” his ability to raise election funds.

Adams had also faced scrutiny about his increasingly close relationship with US President Donald Trump. He visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in January, shortly before the Republican leader’s inauguration.

Weeks later, in February, Trump’s Justice Department dropped its case against Adams. The mayor has since switched his party affiliation from Democrat to independent.

What do polls say about the state of the race?

Since Adams dropped out of the race, most recent polls have shown Cuomo gaining ground but trailing behind Mamdani by a substantial margin.

A poll from Quinnipiac University on October 9 found Mamdani leading the field with 46 percent support, followed by Cuomo with 33 percent, and Sliwa with 15 percent.

The figures for Mamdani and Sliwa were similar to those gathered from a Quinnipiac poll in September, which featured Adams on the ballot.

Adams’s decision to drop out appears to have primarily benefitted Cuomo: His poll number rose from 23 percent in September.

Other polls show Mamdani with a lead that ranges from around 14 percent to 21 percent.

Media reports have suggested that Adams’s decision to exit the race may have been encouraged by Trump himself, in a bid to consolidate opposition to Mamdani.

What has President Trump said about the race?

Born in the borough of Queens, Trump has lifelong ties to New York City, and he has been vocal in his opposition to Mamdani’s candidacy.

Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from New York should Mamdani win the election. He has also repeatedly branded Mamdani a communist, a false allegation.

“ I think he’s terrible,” Trump said of Mamdani after his primary win.  ”I think he’s bad news, and I think I’m gonna have a lot of fun with him, watching him, because he has to come right through this building to get his money.”

“I  think the people in New York are crazy,” Trump added. “If they go this route, I think they’re crazy.”

What issues will be discussed at Thursday’s debate?

While debate topics are not announced in advance, a range of local and national issues are likely to be discussed.

One question in particular is looming over the city’s election: How will the next mayor manage threats and intimidation from President Trump?

The Republican leader has already deployed troops and federal immigration agents to Democrat-run cities across the country and slashed funds for areas he sees as politically unfriendly.

The candidates may also be asked about their plans to address cost-of-living concerns, affordability and improvements to local transportation, three issues that have featured prominently in the mayoral race.

Questions about Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians, have also figured prominently in the race.

Mamdani is an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights and has criticised Israel’s war as a genocide, a position held by a large number of scholars and rights groups as well as a majority of Democratic voters.

In July, just 8 percent of Democrats said they approved of Israel’s military actions, according to a Gallup poll.

Cuomo, for his part, is a strong supporter of Israel and previously volunteered his services for a group of legal professionals defending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against accusations of war crimes.

After days of cross-border fighting, Pakistan and Afghan Taliban authorities agreed a temporary ceasefire. The clashes have left dozens dead and injured. So, what’s behind the worst violence between the countries in years?

United States President Donald Trump has threatened to relocate FIFA World Cup 2026 matches set to be played next year in suburban Boston, after suggesting that parts of the city had been “taken over” by unrest.

Foxborough, Massachusetts, home to the NFL’s New England Patriots and about 48km (30 miles) from Boston, is set to stage matches as the US cohosts the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada. Trump was asked about Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat whom he called “intelligent” but “radical left”.

“We could take them away,” Trump said of the World Cup games. “I love the people of Boston, and I know the games are sold out. But your mayor is not good.”

Trump has previously made similar threats against San Francisco and Seattle. He repeated his Boston threats on Wednesday.

Can Trump take away the FIFA World Cup 2026 games?

Trump has previously suggested he could declare cities “not safe” for the 104-game football tournament and alter a detailed hosting plan that FIFA confirmed in 2022. It includes games at NFL stadiums near New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

World Cup host sites aren’t up to Trump. The 11 US cities – plus three in Mexico and two in Canada – are contracted with FIFA, which would face significant logistical and legal issues to make changes in the eight months before the June 11 kickoff.

“It’s FIFA’s tournament, FIFA’s jurisdiction, FIFA makes those decisions,” the football body’s vice president Victor Montagliani said earlier this month at a sports business conference in London.

The organisation seemed to soften its stance somewhat on Wednesday, saying in a statement that “safety and security are the top priorities at all FIFA events worldwide” and noting that precautions are “obviously the governments’ responsibility, and they decide what is in the best interest for public safety”.

“We hope every one of our 16 Host Cities will be ready to successfully host and fulfil all necessary requirements,” the FIFA statement added.

Trump has insisted that “if somebody is doing a bad job, and if I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni – the head of FIFA who’s phenomenal – and I would say, ‘Let’s move into another location’, and they would do that.”

The president meant FIFA head Gianni Infantino, a close ally. Trump said Infantino “wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it very easily”.

Speaking on a local podcast on Wednesday, Wu questioned how Trump could take away the games with less than a year to go. She said most everything is already “locked down by contract” so no single person “even if they live in the White House currently can undo it”.

“There’s no ability to take away the World Cup games,” Wu said. “There’s no real threat when it comes to saying cities are so unsafe that they can’t host the games.”

The FIFA World Cup 2026 games in Boston

Among the seven matches that will be played at Gillette Stadium in the Boston suburb of Foxborough will be five group stage matches, one match in the round of 32, and a quarterfinal match on July 9, 2026. The news of so many big games was a surprise to local organisers.

“The later in the tournament, the more eyeballs,” said Mike Loynd, head of Boston’s World Cup organising committee, when the schedule was announced last year. “For us, it’s just a matter of excitement. … For us, it’s a perfect schedule. I don’t think FIFA could have done a better job.”

The tournament is expected to bring $1.1bn in local economic impact, create over 5,000 jobs, and generate more than $60m of tax revenue throughout the region, according to organisers. They also expect that more than two million visitors will come to New England throughout the tournament’s 39-day span.

What is Robert Kraft’s connection with Trump?

Gillette Stadium is operated by Robert Kraft, who owns the NFL’s New England Patriots and Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution.

Kraft served as honorary chair of the United Bid Committee to help bring the World Cup back to the US. In a 2024 interview on the podcast The Breakfast Club, he described himself as a “social friend” of Trump beginning in the 1990s shortly after he purchased the Patriots. He said in that interview that the only donation he’d ever made to Trump was a “strong donation to his inauguration” following his 2016 election.

But Kraft also gifted the president a diamond-encrusted Super Bowl ring during his first term after the Patriots won the NFL’s championship to cap the 2016 season. Sitting presidents typically receive gifts from sports teams during celebratory White House visits — a personalised jersey is standard — but Kraft gave Trump a ring as well, the team confirmed at the time.

Kraft decided after the team’s April 2017 visit to have a ring made for Trump so he would have something special to display in his presidential library, the team said. But Kraft said in that same 2024 Breakfast Club interview that he hadn’t spoken to Trump since the January 6, 2021 attack by Trump supporters on the US Capitol.

Trump takes aim at Boston

Boston and its mayor have been frequent targets of the Trump administration for much of the year.

Trump and his allies have focused their attacks on the city’s so-called sanctuary city polices and how much police should support deportations. In September, the Trump administration sued the city, arguing its sanctuary city policies are illegal under federal law and the city’s refusal to cooperate with immigration authorities has resulted in the release of dangerous criminals who should be deported.

The Trump administration has already deployed US National Guard troops to Washington and Memphis, and efforts to do so in Chicago and Portland, Oregon, have sparked legal fights. Democratic and Republican leaders across Massachusetts have pushed back against the National Guard deployment in Boston, and Wu, who is running unopposed for re-election, often cites the city’s historical low crime rates.