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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
The State Department said on Friday it notified Congress that it intends to approve a $8 billion arms sale to Israel. Barak Ravid reports for Axios
A former Israeli soldier fled Brazil last week after a case was brought against him there over alleged war crimes in Gaza. It was the latest in a series of cases brought by the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgium-based NGO that has tracked the activities of hundreds of Israeli soldiers serving in Gaza. The Israeli foreign ministry said it ensured the former soldier’s “swift and safe departure” from Brazil. Dana Karni and Tim Lister report for CNN.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Hamas has reportedly approved a list of 34 Israeli hostages to be returned as part of a ceasefire deal, according to a Hamas official and a copy of the list seen by Reuters. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denied that Hamas provided such a list. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports.
An Israel-based human rights group has filed a petition with Israel’s top court demanding to know the whereabouts of the Kamal Adwan Hospital director. Recently released detainees today told CNN the director is being held at a military base in Israel’s Negev desert. Eve Brennan, Abeer Salman, Dana Karni, and Jomana Karadsheh report.
Israel on Friday defended its raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital hospital, saying it was “triggered by irrefutable evidence” that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants were using the hospital. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called Israel’s claims “unsubstantiated.” Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.
Israel is considering limiting humanitarian aid to Gaza after Trump’s inauguration in a bid to deprive Hamas of resources, an Israeli official said. Eugenia Yosef and Lucas Lilieholm report for CNN.
Israeli strikes killed 105 Palestinians in Gaza over the weekend amid a surge in Israeli military action, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Nidal Al-Mughrabi reports for Reuters.
Three Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank, local medical officials said on Friday, amid a continuing standoff between the Palestinian Authority and armed militant groups. Separately, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli forces yesterday killed two Palestinians in the West Bank. Ali Sawafta reports for Reuters.
Three Israelis were killed and several injured today in a shooting attack on a car and bus in the occupied West Bank, Israel’s national ambulance service said. No group has yet claimed responsibility. Jana Choukeir reports for Reuters.
The IDF yesterday said it had enlisted the first batch of recruits into its new ultra-Orthodox brigade. Lauren Izso and Michael Rios report for CNN.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CEASEFIRE
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem both threatened to resume attacks over the weekend, each accusing the other of failing to respect the ceasefire terms. Catherine Nicholls, Dana Karni, and Charbel Mallo report for CNN.
SYRIA
The Israeli military yesterday said it had been conducting “operational raids” in recent weeks on Mount Hermon in Syria. Separately, a British-based Syrian war monitor attributed airstrikes around the Syrian capital on Sunday to the Israeli military. Ephrat Livni reports for the New York Times.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) administration on Friday restricted the entry of Lebanese citizens into Syria, citing a dispute over the apparent mistreatment of Syrians by Lebanese authorities. Timour Azhari reports for Reuters.
Syria’s new foreign minister yesterday met with his Qatari counterpart in Doha and announced a visit to Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. AP News reports.
HTS officials have not yet decided when to hold a national dialogue conference, the faction’s key pledge, according to Syrian sources. Timour Azhari reports for Reuters.
Syria’s main international airport in Damascus will reopen next week, the HTS government said on Saturday. Aaron Boxerman report for the New York Times.
SYRIA — U.S. RESPONSE
The Biden administration is reportedly set to announce easing humanitarian aid provision restrictions on Syria today while maintaining its sanctions regime. Alexander Ward reports for the Wall Street Journal.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukrainian forces yesterday launched a new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, Ukrainian and Russian officials said, in an apparent effort to regain the initiative there amid Russian assaults on eastern Ukraine. Marc Santora reports for the New York Times.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken today said Russia may be close to sharing advanced space and satellite technology with North Korea. Helen Regan, Alex Stambaugh, Gawon Bae, and Mariya Knight report for CNN.
U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The man who killed 14 people by driving a pickup truck into a New Orleans crowd had planned to detonate two explosives near the site of the attack, the FBI said on Friday. Isabelle Taft, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, and Eduardo Medina report for the New York Times.
An Iraqi Guantánamo Bay detainee who pleaded guilty to Afghanistan war crimes charges on Friday filed a federal suit seeking to stop his transfer to Iraq, citing the risk of abuse and inadequate medical care. Carol Rosenberg reports for the New York Times.
A military judge on Friday postponed proceedings in the Sept. 11 case until late next week. Carol Rosenberg reports for the New York Times.
Federal prosecutors are weighing charging 200 more people over the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, the Justice Department said today in its first indication of how many uncharged cases remain. Kyle Cheney reports for POLITICO.
The Justice Department on Friday announced it entered a monitoring agreement with Georgia’s Fulton County over its jail conditions, with the proposed consent decree subject to judicial approval. The department also said it resolved an investigation into biased policing by California’s Antioch Police Department. Ray Sanchez, Tierney Sneed, and Jason Morris report for CNN; Dennis Romero reports for NBC News.
After months of pressure from Republican politicians, U.S. lenders are leaving a climate group, the Net-Zero Banking Alliance initiative. Simon Jessop, Iain Withers, and Saeed Azhar report for Reuters.
U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on a Beijing-based cybersecurity company, saying it helped Chinese hackers infiltrate U.S. communications systems and conduct surveillance. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro earlier this week threatened to halt cooperation with the U.S. military if Trump follows through on promised mass deportations. Marlon González reports for AP News.
Blinken today expressed confidence in South Korea’s response to the attempted martial law declaration, describing it as “fully consistent” with the rule of law. Hyunsu Yim and Ju-min Park report for Reuters.
OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Austria’s far-right Freedom Party is on the verge of leading the country’s next government after coalition talks between three mainstream parties collapsed and the country’s chancellor announced he would resign. Christopher F. Schuetze reports for the New York Times.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to announce his intention to resign before Wednesday, a source said yesterday, adding he has yet to make a final decision. David Ljunggren reports for Reuters.
The security team for South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk-Yeol installed barbed wire and barricaded the presidential compound over the weekend to prevent another arrest attempt. Opposition lawmakers reportedly asked investigators to try arresting Yoon again “more firmly and with sufficient means.” Jean Mackenzie and Koh Ewe report for BBC News.
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized a strategic eastern town in the Democratic Republic of Congo, local politicians said yesterday. Ange Kasongo reports for Reuters.