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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal will resume in Qatar in the coming days, Israeli, U.S., and Qatari officials said yesterday. It is not clear whether Hamas agreed to participate in the meeting, which the heads of the CIA and Mossad are set to attend. Meanwhile, a Hamas delegation met with Egyptian intelligence officials late yesterday to discuss the situation in Gaza. Tom Bennett reports for BBC News; Michael Crowley, Raja Abdulrahim, and Thomas Fuller report for the New York Times.
The Israeli authorities said yesterday that a Hamas commander they killed in a Wednesday airstrike was employed by the U.N. aid agency for Palestinians (UNRWA). UNRWA did not immediately respond. Separately, Israel-U.N. relations are set to reach a new low with the imminent passage of a Knesset bill designed to make it impossible for UNRWA to operate in Gaza and West Bank. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times; Patrick Wintour reports for the Guardian.
At least 17 people were killed and 42 wounded in an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in a refugee camp in central Gaza yesterday, medics said. Bethan McKernan reports for the Guardian.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR
Three journalists were killed in an Israeli attack on a residence where press crews were staying in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese ministry of health and a Hezbollah-aligned news outlet said. Separately, the Israeli military yesterday announced the deaths of four reservists who were killed in combat in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. The Washington Post reports; Michael Crowley reports for the New York Times.
Israel’s most senior military commander said yesterday there was the possibility of a “sharp conclusion” to the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, adding that Israel has “thoroughly dismantled Hezbollah’s senior chain of command.” Dana Karni reports for CNN.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
At a conference in Paris yesterday, world powers pledged $1bn to alleviate Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis and bolster its army. Some 70 government delegations and 15 international organizations attended, although a limited U.S. presence dimmed hopes for a swift end to hostilities. John Irish and Maya Gebeily report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT
Iran is preparing for war with Israel but hoping to avert it, having witnessed the decimation of its allies in Lebanon and Gaza, four Iranian officials said. Iran’s supreme leader has ordered the military to develop various response strategies to a potential Israeli assault, the scope of which will largely depend on the severity of Israel’s attacks, the officials said. Farnaz Fassihi reports for the New York Times.
HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS
Russia provided Yemen’s Houthis with targeting data as they attacked Western ships in the Red Sea earlier this year, sources say. Moscow’s assistance, which reportedly passed through members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, shows how the Kremlin is seeking to tie up the United States in the Middle East. Benoit Faucon and Thomas Grove report for the Wall Street Journal.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
The United States will send an extra $135mn in aid for Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank, and the broader region, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced yesterday. The Washington Post reports.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022, according to U.S., European, and Russian officials. Musk and Putin’s discussions are said to touch on personal topics, business, and geopolitics. Putin allegedly also asked Musk to avoid activating Starlink over Taiwan as a favor to China’s Xi Jinping. Thomas Grove, Warren P. Strobel, Aruna Viswanatha, Gordon Lubold, and Sam Schechner report for the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
The Pentagon yesterday strongly pushed back against social media misinformation falsely suggesting U.S. troops have been authorized to use force against American citizens during the election. Tara Copp reports for AP News.
Elon Musk’s super PAC did not announce a winner Wednesday or Thursday in its daily $1mn lottery for registered swing-state voters following a warning from the Justice Department. Avery Lotz reports for Axios.
A top Georgia official pushed back yesterday on false claims of voting machine fraud, calling out “certain congresspeople” for spreading the allegation. The remarks appeared to reference recent comments by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). Olivia Rubin reports for ABC News.
Colorado officials yesterday said they identified at least a dozen fraudulent ballots, of which three have been validated before they could be pulled from the process. Maura Barrett reports for NBC News.
An individual was arrested yesterday in Phoenix after setting a collection mailbox on fire and damaging a number of ballots, local police said. Meredith Deliso and Laura Romero report for ABC News.
A federal judge yesterday signaled she will likely order Virginia to restore about 1,600 people to its voter rolls following their removal in a voter purge. Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
President Biden plans to formally apologize today for the U.S. government’s role in running Indian boarding schools which attempted to forcibly assimilate Native American children into white society for 150 years. Dana Hedgpeth, Sari Horwitz, and Toluse Olorunnipa report for the Washington Post.
Democratic lawmakers yesterday asked the U.S. Attorney General to investigate whether Jared Kushner, former President Trump’s son-in-law, was functioning as an unregistered foreign agent for Saudi Arabia. Aram Roston and Alexandra Ulmer report for Reuters.
Russia leveraged disinformation about Hurricanes Helene and Milton to deepen U.S. political divisions and undermine support for Ukraine, a new analysis says. Ivana Saric reports for Axios.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Trump yesterday said he would “fire” special counsel Jack Smith on his first day as president if elected again. The former president also said Smith is “deranged” and should be “thrown out of the country.” Amy B Wang and Meryl Kornfield report for the Washington Post; Filip Timotija reports for The Hill.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
North Korean forces have been spotted in the Ukraine-Russia combat zone, Kyiv’s intelligence services said yesterday. Separately, Ukrainian prosecutors today said they are investigating Pyongyang’s support for the Russian war effort as a possible crime of aggression. Elen Mitchell reports for The Hill; Anthony Deutsch and Tom Balmforth report for Reuters.
Questioned by foreign journalists yesterday, Putin did not deny the North Korean presence in Russia, in what could be an oblique acknowledgement of their involvement. Francesca Ebel reports for the Washington Post.
European diplomats are preparing to underpin and reinforce Russia sanctions for fear of a possible Trump overhaul, sources say. Julia Payne and John O’Donnell report for Reuters.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Daniel Chapo of the ruling Frelimo party was declared the victor in Mozambique’s presidential election yesterday, amid violence and widespread fraud allegations. John Eligon reports for the New York Times.
Three Sri Lankans were arrested yesterday over possible threats against tourists, local officials said, a day after the United States and Israel issued warnings to its citizens to avoid a popular tourist area over security risks. Claire Moses reports for the New York Times.
The International Criminal Court reported Mongolia to its oversight body over its failure to arrest Putin when he visited the Asian nation last month. AP News reports.