carries

Gaza Government Media Office says just 24 percent of agreed aid allowed into Gaza since ceasefire deal came into force.

Authorities in Gaza say that Israel has only allowed a fraction of the humanitarian aid deliveries agreed on as part of the United States-brokered ceasefire into the enclave since the agreement came into effect last month.

In a statement on Saturday, Gaza’s Government Media Office said that 3,203 commercial and aid trucks brought supplies into Gaza between October 10 and 31.

This is an average of 145 aid trucks per day, or just 24 percent of the 600 trucks that are meant to be entering Gaza daily as part of the deal, it added.

“We strongly condemn the Israeli occupation’s obstruction of aid and commercial trucks and hold it fully responsible for the worsening and deteriorating humanitarian situation faced by more than 2.4 million people in the Gaza Strip,” the office said in a statement.

It also called on US President Donald Trump and other ceasefire deal mediators to put pressure on Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza “without restrictions and conditions”.

While aid deliveries have increased since the truce came into force, Palestinians across Gaza continue to face shortages of food, water, medicine and other critical supplies as a result of Israeli restrictions.

Many families also lack adequate shelter as their homes and neighbourhoods have been completely destroyed in Israel’s two-year military bombardment.

A spokesperson for United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that the UN’s humanitarian office reported that aid collection has been “limited” due to the “rerouting ordered by the Israeli authorities”.

“You will recall that convoys are now forced to go through the Philadelphi Corridor along the border with Egypt, and then up the narrow coastal road. This road is narrow, damaged and heavily congested,” Farhan Haq told reporters.

“Additional crossings and internal routes are needed to expand collections and response.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has continued to carry out attacks across Gaza in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

On Saturday, Israeli fighter jets, artillery and tanks shelled areas around Khan Younis, in the south of the territory. The army also demolished residential buildings east of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum reported that witnesses in Khan Younis described “constant heavy shelling and drone fire hitting what’s left of residential homes and farmland” beyond the so-called yellow line, where Israeli forces are deployed.

“We have also been told by Gaza’s Civil Defence agency that it’s struggling to reach some sites close to the yellow line because of the continuation of air strikes and Israeli drones hovering overhead,” Abu Azzoum said.

Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 222 Palestinians and wounded 594 others since the ceasefire took effect, according to the Ministry of Health in the enclave.

Israeli leaders have defended the continued military strikes and accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire agreement by not returning all the bodies of deceased Israeli captives from the enclave.

But the Palestinian group says that retrieval efforts have been complicated by widespread destruction in Gaza, as well as by Israeli restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery and bulldozers to help with the search.

Late on Friday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had transferred the bodies of three people to Israel after they were handed over by Hamas.

But Israel assessed that the remains did not belong to any of the remaining 11 deceased Israeli captives, according to Israeli media reports.

LAS VEGAS — Welcome to Allegiant Stadium.

Remember to tip your Raiders.

The Chargers didn’t forget. They were the most generous tippers in town Monday night, with eight different players swatting away a total of 15 passes and intercepting three more in a 20-9 victory over their AFC West rivals.

It was a defensive masterpiece, one accomplished without star edge rusher Khalil Mack, whose arm was crunched on a tackle, and with linebacker Daiyan Henley — who at times appeared launched from a Circus Circus cannon — on the mend from a nasty stomach bug.

“At times it felt like there were more than 11 out there, especially in the secondary,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said.

Sometimes, a number is more than a number. For example, the Chargers are 2-0, but they’re even better than that because those two wins came against division opponents, counting the season-opening victory over Kansas City. The Chargers play their home opener Sunday against Denver with a chance to run the table on their first three of six division games.

Whereas quarterback Justin Herbert was in the spotlight in the win over the Chiefs, Monday’s game belonged to the defense — starting with Henley’s interception on the first play from scrimmage. He plucked a carom after teammate Alohi Gilman broke up Geno Smith’s first pass.

It was as if the supercharged stadium sprung a hissing leak.

“That’s deflating, bro,” Chargers safety Derwin James said. “It’s deflating to their coordinator — you’ve got your first 15 [plays] drawn up and the first play’s a pick? Very deflating.”

The play had the opposite effect on Henley, who felt so bad before the game his status was downgraded to questionable. He finished with a game-high 10 tackles and a sack.

“Saying I felt like crap is an understatement,” he said. “It was definitely a long game out there, but I got so much motivation just being part of this team, being with a group of guys that got my back no matter what.”

Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley celebrates after sacking Raiders quarterback Geno Smith in the fourth quarter on Monday night.

(Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

Tony Jefferson had an interception for the Chargers at the end of the first half, and Donte Jackson had one in the end zone near game’s end.

Raiders quarterback Geno Smith was 0 for 11 on passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield, the second-most attempts without a completion since ESPN began tracking the statistic in 2006.

Harbaugh heaped praise on James, calling him “the best safety I’ve ever seen in the history of the National Football League” and “Superman.”

“He was playing at the line of scrimmage, intermediate, deep half, blitzing off the edge,” the coach said. “He can play nickel, dime backer, corner — he’s a five-tool, maybe six-tool player. You’d have to compare him to Willie Mays.”

The Raiders generated 218 yards of offense, 171 fewer than their performance at New England the week before.

“What that really feels like is a real missed opportunity just in general,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll said.

“We didn’t play well enough on the offensive side with the turnovers that add up. … They covered us up pretty good. I’m anxious to see the film.”

That won’t be the feel-good movie of the summer.

The Chargers, meanwhile, spiraled in all the right ways. Herbert threw a laser to Keenan Allen in the back of the end zone, and a pristine rainbow to Quentin Johnston for a 60-yard touchdown. He spun his passes with mechanical precision.

“The guy is exactly what we thought he was for a long time now,” Henley said of Herbert. “He’s been out there controlling and commanding the game, not just the offense, but commanding the game. When we give him the ball, we understand that we can rest knowing that [he] is going to get the job done.”

If this was a yardstick game, the visitors measured up and the Raiders took a ruler-rap across the knuckles, losing to the Chargers for the fourth time in the past five meetings.

Allegiant Stadium crackled with energy for this opener, with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady wearing headphones in the coaches’ box, Lil Jon performing at halftime, and two football rockstars roaming the sidelines — Harbaugh and Carroll — longstanding rivals since their days at Stanford and USC, and San Francisco and Seattle.

Carroll became the first person to coach an NFL game at age 74, and youthful as he is, the game had to sap his spirit a bit. The Chargers were in control throughout.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and Raiders coach Pete Carroll shake hands after the Chargers’ win Monday.

(Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)

Both teams are breaking in first-round running backs, rookies Omarion Hampton of the Chargers and Ashton Jeanty of the Raiders. Each made some impressive plays, yet neither was a true game-changer. Hampton absorbed a hit from Maxx Crosby and lost the ball on an exchange when the Chargers were trying to put the game on ice.

In the second half, the Raiders had a 19-play, 11-minute drive that resulted in a field goal, the crowd booing in frustration as the kicking unit ran onto the field. Like winning $5 on a $100 bet.

Two NFL teams have not allowed a first-half touchdown this young season: Green Bay and the Chargers.

Brady, a Fox NFL analyst on Sundays, was able to catch his team after working the Philadelphia-Kansas City game the night before.

He came a fairly long way, and his franchise has a fairly long way to go.

Israel has bombed and destroyed the tallest residential building in Gaza, the Al-Ghafri high-rise, as it launched a massive wave of strikes on Gaza City on Monday evening, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to continue to flee the city.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, says Israel is using unconventional weapons to forcibly evict Palestinians from Gaza City, the largest urban centre in the enclave.

Israeli media source Channel 12 reported that “exceptionally intense air strikes” were concentrated in the city’s north and west, while the Palestinian Civil Defence said at least 50 multistorey buildings had been levelled in recent weeks as Israeli forces intensified attacks to seize the city.

Other neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble. In Zeitoun, more than 1,500 homes and buildings have been destroyed since early August, leaving entire blocks with nothing left standing.

For the third day in a row, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz has posted videos of the attacks. “The terror tower… crashes into the sea off Gaza. Sinking the centres of terror and incitement,” he wrote on X. Katz offered no evidence for his claim that the residential tower was being used by Hamas.

Israel has repeatedly attacked residential areas, schools and hospitals during its 23 months of genocidal war.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health said that 51 Palestinians, including six-year-old twins, were killed in Gaza City in the past 24 hours.

Three journalists were also killed in separate Israeli strikes: reporter Mohammed al-Kouifi in the Nassr neighbourhood, photographer and broadcast engineer Ayman Haniyeh, and journalist Iman al-Zamili. These killings take the number of journalists and media workers killed in Israel’s war on Gaza to nearly 280. Media watchdogs say this war is the deadliest conflict for journalists.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 64,905 Palestinians and wounded 164,926, with thousands more still buried under rubble.

‘Striking every area’

Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan in August to seize Gaza City, which has led to relentless bombardment, forcing residents south towards al-Mawasi.

Many Palestinians say they do not believe they will ever be allowed to return, and fear the journey itself.

“For more than three days, they have been hitting every school and emptying Shati camp [near north Gaza’s coast], striking every area. You cannot even move,” one resident told Al Jazeera.

“That is why I decided to leave with my family – my daughters and my wife – and head to Khan Younis. I don’t even have a tent. I only took a few things; I couldn’t take anything from my home.”

Being pushed into al-Mawasi, the area Israel has designated a “safe zone”, offers no safety as Israel continues to attack the site. The Health Ministry has also said the area lacks the “basic necessities of life, including water, food [and] health services”, and warned of “dangerous” disease outbreaks.

It added that displaced people are subjected to “direct targeting and killing both inside the camps and when attempting to leave them”, in violation of international law.

Israel continues to block aid

Israeli forces shot dead at least five Palestinians waiting for food assistance near al-Mawasi, according to the Nasser Medical Complex.

Meanwhile, the famine is deepening in the Strip. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared a famine in northern Gaza on August 22.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that out of the 17 humanitarian missions coordinated with Israel on Sunday, only four were permitted. A mission to deliver water tanks to the north was also denied entry.

Albanese, the UN special rapporteur, told Al Jazeera on Thursday that Israel must be held accountable.

“This is a genocide that could have never happened without the support and involvement of a number of actors,” she said, pointing to Israel’s allies and private sector partners.

Albanese urged governments to “put an end to Israeli impunity” and demand adherence to international law.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Dodgers have gotten back to the basics this week, preaching the importance of the little things in daily hitters’ meetings, in-game dugout conversations and even simulated drills in early batting practice sessions.

After a 2 ½ month slump over the second half of the season, they were searching for a more dependable style of offense. Like simplifying their approach at the plate. Shortening up swings and using the big part of the field with two strikes. Capitalizing on situational opportunities with runners on base. And making sure that, amid a resurgence from their rotation, they were finding ways to more consistently manufacture runs.

This weekend in San Francisco, they finally enjoyed the fruits of those labors, blowing out the Giants 10-2 on Sunday to win a three-game series and remain 2 ½ games up in the National League West standings.

“Quality of at-bat, winning pitches, using the whole field, not punching [out] — I think all those things, you know it’s in there,” manager Dave Roberts said, after the Dodgers racked up 18 hits, worked six walks and scored in six of their nine trips to the plate.

“We’ve seen it. Maybe not with the consistency we would’ve liked. But when you’re facing really good arms, to see us do what we did… it’s certainly encouraging.”

Indeed, coming off a 13-run outburst Saturday night, the Dodgers picked up right where they left off at Oracle Park on Sunday afternoon, slowly sucking the life out of a recently resurgent Giants team trying to sneak into the playoffs.

Teoscar Hernández continued a recent surge with a team-high four hits, making him 11 for his last 24. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Michael Conforto each had three knocks, with Conforto’s day getting his batting average back to .200. As a team, the Dodgers combined for a whopping 16 singles while forcing 207 pitches from the Giants’ staff of arms. And most amazing, they did it with Shohei Ohtani reaching base only once, and that didn’t even happen until his sixth at-bat in the top of the ninth.

“It’s quality at-bats, quality outs, moving guys over, getting sac flies, bringing defenses in if you move them over,” Freeman said. “It creates more traffic, more things that are able to happen on the baseball field. Just think the quality of at-bats have been really good over the last week.”

The onslaught started in the second inning, when two walks and a Freeman single loaded the bases, setting up Kiké Hernández for a sacrifice fly. It continued in the third, when a pair of productive outs (plus a bobbled ground ball from San Francisco third baseman Matt Chapman) turned singles from Betts and Teoscar Hernández into another hard-earned run.

Then, in the fifth, it all culminated in a four-run rally, one that knocked Giants starter Robbie Ray out of the game, and turned a low-scoring affair into a series rubber-match rout.

Freeman lined a double to right field, after Betts walked and Teoscar Hernández again singled. Conforto came off the bench for a two-run, pinch-hit, bases-loaded single that he managed to slap past a drawn-in infield. A run-scoring balk from reliever Joel Peguero added to the deluge, which included a pair of walks from Tommy Edman and Ben Rortvedt.

In the sixth, what was already a 6-1 lead was stretched a little further, with Miguel Rojas’ two-run single — with the bases loaded once more — putting the Dodgers’ sixth win in seven on ice. The Dodgers nonetheless added more runs in both the eighth and ninth, giving them their first back-to-back double-digit run totals since all the way back at the end of April.

The Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow pitched into the seventh inning on Sunday to pick up his second win in as many starts.

(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

“It’s definitely the kind of baseball we want to be playing down the stretch and for the rest of the season,” Conforto said. “I think we’re doing a lot of the little things right. That’s kind of been the theme as we finish up here.”

It all represented a new look from the Dodgers’ star-studded offense, with only one of their 23 runs the last two days requiring a ball to go over the fence.

For much of the year, the team has been overly reliant on home runs, scoring via the long ball at the fifth-highest percentage in the majors (45%) at the end of play Friday. During their second-half slide, that dynamic had prevented them from working around injuries and mechanical flaws from much of the lineup, or finding alternative ways to build big innings and hang crooked numbers.

Hence, their recent re-emphasis on more dependable fundamentals — allowing them to paper-cut an opposing pitching staff to death in a way that is typically for success in October.

“When you can be able to do it, and know you can do it, as we’re leading up to that point [of the playoffs], it definitely is a big confidence booster,” Freeman said. “We don’t have to rely on the two-run, three-run home run all the time. I think that was just big. The last week, [this is] what we’ve been trying to do. And we’ve been able to actually do it in the games.”

The offense wasn’t the only positive sign Sunday.

On the mound, Tyler Glasnow was able to settle down after looking frustrated with his command early, when he walked four batters (and hit another) in his first three innings. At a point he has so often spiraled in his up-and-down Dodgers tenure, the right-hander instead found a rhythm by retiring 10 in a row, managing to pitch into the seventh in a 6 ⅔ inning, one-run outing.

“It’s encouraging,” said Glasnow, who has a 3.06 ERA on the season and a 2.66 mark since returning from a shoulder injury in July “Since I got back from the IL, it’s been easier to kind of put [those kind of struggles] out of my head and go compete. If my stuff sucks, it’s kind of whatever. Just compete, try to get in the zone, get some weak contact. It’s helpful.”

It led to the kind of performance the Dodgers are banking on from their rotation in the playoffs. This is still a team that, at its core, will have to be carried by its pitching.

The only way that strength will matter, however, is if the lineup can find some long-awaited consistency. This weekend, signs of it finally arrived. Everything the Dodgers had been preaching at last came to fruition.

“As we come down to the end [of the season, we’re] just kind of recognizing what it is that really puts us in the right spot to win games,” Conforto said. “It’s go time now, and we got to do all those things if we want to get to where we want to get to.”

Israel has repeatedly entered Syria since the fall of al-Assad and has carried out air raids across the country.

Israeli troops have carried out a ground operation in Syria’s southeastern Deraa province, Syria’s state news agency reported, the latest incursion in the neighbouring country as it also continues air raids against Damascus in various locations.

Soldiers also carried out searches in the Saysoun and Jamlah towns on Sunday, which are adjacent to the 1974 ceasefire line that was meant to separate Israeli and Syrian troops.

On Saturday, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the country’s interim president, said talks with Israel have begun to re-establish a 1974 agreement which was concluded after the 1973 war between the countries.

Israel and Syria have held direct talks in recent months, and al-Sharaa has ruled out normalisation. The talks are aimed at halting Israel’s aggressive actions towards Syria and reaching some kind of security deal.

Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on military sites and assets across Syria since the fall of former leader Bashar al-Assad in December. It has also expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarised buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.

On Tuesday, Syria “strongly condemned” Israeli attacks on several sites in and around Homs city in the west of the country and around the coastal city of Latakia.

The Israeli air attacks represent “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic”, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

While Israel had for years waged a secretive campaign of aerial bombardment against Syria’s military infrastructure, its attacks on its neighbour have ramped up since the war on Gaza and the fall of al-Assad.

In late August, six Syrian soldiers were killed in an Israeli drone attack on Damascus, which came a day after a ground incursion into Syrian territory by Israeli troops.

The attacks on Syria come amid Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promotion of a vision for a “Greater Israel“, a concept supported by ultranationalist Israelis that lays claim to the occupied West Bank and Gaza, as well as parts of Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan.

After violence in southern Syria’s Suwayda on July 13 between Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze factions, government forces were sent in to quell the fighting. But the bloodshed worsened, and Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops and bombed the heart of the capital, Damascus, under the pretext of protecting the Druze.

Video shows a young man carrying his dead father on a bicycle, after he was shot while trying to secure food parcels at a US-backed aid site in Gaza. Israeli forces, backed by gangs, have killed more than 220 people at the aid distribution sites in Rafah and the Netzarim corridor since they opened.

SANTIAGO, Chile, June 13 (UPI) — President Gabriel Boric’s plan to replace Israel as Chile’s primary arms supplier presents logistical and strategic challenges for the country’s armed forces.

Chile’s president has sharply criticized Israel’s military actions in Gaza. In his recent state of the nation address, he supported Spain’s proposal for an arms embargo on Israel “to prevent more children from being killed.”

“I have instructed the defense minister to quickly present a plan to diversify our defense trade relationships so we can stop relying on Israeli industry in all areas,” Boric said.

Since 1977, Chile has purchased more than $850 million worth of Israeli weapons, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

By 1989, Israel supplied 42.5% of Chile’s total weapon imports. During Sebastián Piñera’s administration, Chile signed new agreements with Israel covering weapons, security technology and cybersecurity.

The path toward supplier diversification is complex. Chile’s armed forces maintain a significant inventory of Israeli-made equipment. Changing suppliers requires a transition process that could affect existing system interoperability.

Integrating new platforms and technologies from multiple sources takes time, training and often costly modifications to ensure systems from different countries can operate together efficiently. This is especially critical in joint operations, where compatibility between communications gear, navigation systems and weapons is essential.

Experts say replacing deeply integrated Israeli systems could weaken Chile’s overall operational capability.

“The relationship with an arms supplier goes far beyond the initial purchase. It involves agreements for logistical support, spare parts, long-term maintenance and technological upgrades,” said César Cereceda, a defense expert and president of the Association of Retired Armed Forces Personnel.

Severing or weakening ties with an established supplier like Israel could disrupt the supply chain for critical parts, affecting the operation and availability of existing equipment. Trust and a strong support track record are crucial in military technology procurement, Cereceda added.

Military equipment also requires highly trained personnel for operation and maintenance. Changing suppliers means training troops on new systems, requiring investments in time and resources.

Chile may consider Brazil, Turkey and India as new suppliers, but it must first evaluate whether their products meet the country’s specific defense needs.

Brazil has a developing defense industry focused on land systems, aircraft and some naval platforms. While it has made progress, its technology may not match Israel’s level of sophistication, particularly in high-tech sectors.

Turkey’s defense industry has expanded rapidly in recent years, making notable advances in drones, armored vehicles and naval systems. Its development has been impressive, but it has yet to fully consolidate as a comprehensive supplier.

India’s large industrial base and its ambitious “Made in India” policy are key strengths in its bid to become a defense supplier. However, it still relies heavily on foreign technology for complex systems, and its ability to export advanced weapons at scale remains limited.

“Chile’s defense policy has long focused on diversifying strategic acquisitions,” said Gabriel Gaspar, an international analyst and former deputy defense secretary. He noted that the armed forces operate German armored vehicles, ships from the U.K., Australia and the Netherlands and U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets.

“All of these supply lines rely on NATO-standard technology, offering broad compatibility — from calibers to communication systems,” Gaspar said. “Switching to a different line of weaponry is always possible, but it requires long-term policy and funding.”

The cost of replacing existing technology could range from $15 billion to $20 billion, according to estimates by Fernando Wilson, an analyst at Chile’s Adolfo Ibáñez University.

Reducing dependence on a single supplier would strengthen Chile’s strategic autonomy and reduce its vulnerability to potential embargoes or shifts in bilateral relations.

Exploring new markets would allow Chile to access different technologies and approaches in the defense industry, potentially strengthening its long-term military capabilities.

However, experts say a complete switch in suppliers and the replacement of all Israeli technology and systems currently in use could come at a very high cost.

BREAKINGBREAKING,

US officials tell news agencies that Israel has started attacking sites in Iran as blasts reported in Tehran.

Explosions have been reported northeast of Iran’s capital Tehran, according to the state-run news agency Nour News.

The Israeli Air Force has reportedly conducted a strike in Iran, the Axios news agency reports, citing two unnamed sources with knowledge of the operation.

Two unnamed US officials have also told the Reuters news agency that Israel has carried out an attack in Iran. The officials said Washington did not assist in the attack and declined to provide further details.

The Israeli military is yet to publicly confirm the attack. But in a post on X, the military announced that Israel’s civil and public security guidelines had been changed to “essential activity” as of 03:00 local time (00:00 GMT).

“The guidelines include: a ban on educational activities, gatherings, and workplaces, except for essential businesses,” it said.

More to follow shortly …

When the CONCACAF Gold Cup was launched, it was intended to be the confederation’s version of UEFA’s European Championships or CONMEBOL’s Copa América.

And for more than a generation it sufficed.

But as Mexico and the U.S. got better, playing group-play matches against the likes of Saint Kitts and Nevis or Martinique every other year ceased to be a challenge. So twice in the past decade the confederation brought South America’s championship tournament to North America just to make things interesting.

However, this summer the Gold Cup, which kicks off Saturday with Mexico, the reigning champion, facing the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium, has gotten its groove back. (The U.S. opens play Sunday in San José against Trinidad and Tobago.)

It’s not that the tournament has gotten more competitive; if anything, it may be worse. In addition to the Dominican Republic, 139th in the FIFA rankings, the 16-team tournament includes seven other teams outside the world’s top 80.

But the fact that the Gold Cup comes less than a year before the World Cup returns to North America has made it noteworthy.

Because the World Cup will be played in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, those countries have been spared an arduous qualifying competition — tense games that would have steeled them for the tournament ahead. And with no qualifiers, the fixture calendar for all three teams are wide open between the Gold Cup and the World Cup.

That’s not a good thing.

The U.S. has friendlies with South Korea and Japan scheduled for September, but with qualifying competitions in South America running through the end of the summer and tournaments in the rest of the world spilling over into 2026, it will be difficult to schedule more games with a World Cup-caliber opponent until early next year.

In fact, after this summer there will be just four FIFA match windows — short ones that leave time for three or four training days and a couple of games — before World Cup rosters are called up.

That makes the Gold Cup, a three-week tournament with group play and a single-elimination knockout stage, an important preparatory test for the three hosts even if the field is less than stellar. But only Mexico will have its first-choice team this summer.

Canada will be without winger Alphonso Davies, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the Nations League semifinals in March, and defender Moise Bombito. The U.S. is missing eight potential starters in captain Christian Pulisic, midfielders Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna, defender Antonee Robinson and forwards Tim Weah, Yunus Musah, Folarin Balogun and Josh Sargent, who are out because of injury, personal reasons or commitments to the FIFA Club World Cup.

Because the Gold Cup is held outside a FIFA international match window, clubs are not obligated to release players for the tournament. And many didn’t. As a result, 15 of the players on the Americans’ 26-man training camp roster play in MLS. Not an ideal way for a team that lost to Canada and Panama in March — with its best players — to prepare for the World Cup.

Still, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino, whose team warmed up for the World Cup with a 2-1 loss to Turkey last weekend, seemed unconcerned.

“Many people can say it’s really important for us to be all together for the last time before the World Cup,” said Pochettino, the first U.S. coach with a three-game losing streak in his first 10 games since Manfred Schellscheidt in 1975, according to statistician Paul Carr.

“Sometimes we give too much importance to be[ing] together.”

In the Gold Cup, the U.S. will follow Trinidad with games against Saudi Arabia and Haiti, giving it a low bar to clear to get out of group play. Mexico will play Suriname and Costa Rica after its opener with the Dominican Republic. With two teams advancing to the quarterfinals from each of the four four-team groups, Mexico is virtually assured of moving on as well.

Whether any of that helps the teams prepare for the World Cup won’t be known for a year. But there may be an omen there because there have been links between the World Cup and Gold Cup since the first CONCACAF tournament was played in 1991.

That came just a year after the U.S. returned to the World Cup, ending a four-decade absence, and three years before the country hosted the tournament for the first time. It was important then because, without it, the U.S. would have played just 11 games that year, hardly enough to prepare for a World Cup.

The inaugural Gold Cup was also the first tournament for new coach Bora Milutinovic and marked the first time the U.S. would play in the Rose Bowl, where they drew 18,435 fans for a game with Trinidad. The stadium and the coach would reunite three years later when Milutinovic coached the U.S. in a World Cup game with Romania that drew a crowd of 93,869, still the largest for the men’s national team game at home.

The tournament also included a 2-0 U.S. victory over Mexico, just the second win over El Tri in 54 years and a scoreline that has been repeated nine times since.

Then there’s 2002, when the U.S. won the tournament on its way to the World Cup quarterfinals for the only time in the modern era.

But if the Gold Cup provided a challenge then, it really doesn’t anymore. The U.S. and Mexico have combined to win every tournament this century — and have met in the final seven times.

All of which that brings up an idea: If the U.S., Mexico and Canada — the only other country to win a Gold Cup title — can’t find anyone to play while the rest of the world is busy with qualifying, maybe they should just play one another.

That’s probably how the Gold Cup is going to end up anyway.

⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the “Corner of the Galaxy” podcast.