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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Hamas yesterday rejected an updated U.S. proposal for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “putting obstacles in the way.” The group said the new U.S. proposal “aligns with” Netanyahu’s stance, reverses previous Israeli concessions, and would not allow for a permanent ceasefire or full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on Friday for a weeklong ceasefire to allow for vaccinations against polio. The announcement came hours before the Hamas-run health ministry confirmed the first case of the disease in the enclave in years. Farnaz Fassihi and Ephrat Livni report for the New York Times.
Israeli police and Shin Bet declared an explosion in Tel Aviv yesterday a terror attack. Hamas’s armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for the attack today. The police said the person suspected of carrying the explosive material was killed, while a passerby was wounded. Eugenia Yosef reports for CNN.
Israel is conducting a “robust investigation” of soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian prisoner, the foreign affairs ministry said yesterday. Reuters reports.
Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port last month appeared to be an “indiscriminate or disproportionate attack on civilians” which may amount to a war crime, Human Rights Watch said today. Clauda Tanios and Mohammed Ghobari report for Reuters.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today that this is probably “the best, maybe the last” chance for a Gaza ceasefire and the return of hostages. Blinken met Israeli officials today including Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog and will travel to Egypt tomorrow. Rachel Pannett and Joyce Lau report for the Washington Post.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
Lawyers seeking a British arms export ban submitted claims of Israeli war crimes to Britain’s High Court today. Over 100 pages of evidence from Palestinian and western medical staff working in Gaza detail claims of Palestinian torture and poor hospital treatment, in a request for a court order that the U.K. government has acted irrationally in refusing to ban the sale of arms. Patrick Wintour reports for The Guardian.
Turkish Police have launched a “large-scale investigation” after a Palestinian was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting on a street in Istanbul, officials said today. AP News reports.
ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT
An Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon killed at least 10 people, Lebanese officials said on Saturday. Israel said it had targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot, a claim denied by the mayor of the town where the attack took place. In response, Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets in northern Israel and another on an Israeli military post. Maria Abi-HabibEuan Ward, and Aaron Boxerman report for the New York Times.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukraine says it has destroyed a second strategic bridge in a week as its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region continues. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday that Kyiv’s attack aims to create a “buffer zone” to prevent cross-border attacks by Moscow’s forces. Russian state media also reported today that Russian forces captured 19 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region. André Rhoden-Paul and James Gregory report for BBC News; Radina Gigova and Maria Kostenko report for CNN.
Russia yesterday denied a report that Ukraine’s Kursk incursion had derailed indirect talks over suspending attacks on energy and power targets, saying there had been no talks with Ukraine about civilian infrastructure facilities. Reuters reports.
The safety situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is “deteriorating” following a nearby drone strike, the U.N. energy watchdog said Saturday. Miranda Nazzaro reports for The Hill.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Local Georgia officials are equipping election workers with “panic buttons” that would allow them to quickly alert authorities in emergencies. The move comes amid rising threats ahead of November’s presidential election. Jane C. Timm and Lisa Cavazuti report for NBC News.
The Trump campaign is threatening to sue the Republican Party of Loudon County, VA for selling assassination-themed merchandise. Joe Heim reports for the Washington Post.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is expected to plead guilty today to several charges related to campaign finance fraud, less than a month from when his trial was set to begin, two sources told NBC News. Jonathan Dienst, Greg Cergol, and Alexandra Marquez report.
The FBI arrested D.C. Council Member Trayon White Sr. yesterday. The details of the arrest and the nature of the allegations against White, a Democrat who represents Ward 8 in Southeast Washington and appeared on track to win a third term, are unknown at the time of writing. Emily Davies, Perry Stein, Meagan Flynn, Keith L. Alexander, Michael Brice-Saddler, Joe Heim, and Karina Elwood report for the Washington Post.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Sudan’s government said it will send a delegation to Cairo for discussions with U.S. and Egyptian officials today. The U.S.-led talks, which the opposing Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is attending, aim to end the 16-month civil war that has devastated Sudan. Meanwhile, RSF fighters killed at least 85 people in its latest attack on a village, authorities said Saturday. Reuters reports; NBC News reports.
Libya’s central bank said yesterday it is “suspending all operations” after a bank official was abducted in the capital. The bank said it would not resume operations until the official is released, adding that other executives had also been “threatened with abduction.” Agence France-Presse reports via The Guardian.
A former Saudi official alleged in a report today that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman forged his father’s signature on the royal decree that launched the kingdom’s yearslong war against Yemen’s Houthis. Saudi Arabia has not commented at the time of writing. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.
Opposition supporters gathered across Venezuela over the weekend to protest Nicolas Maduro’s contested victory in last month’s presidential election. Gianluca Avagnina reports for BBC News.
Elon Musk said he closed the Brazilian office of his social network X on Saturday because a Brazilian Supreme Court judge ordered the company to “suspend certain accounts or face the arrest of its legal representative in Brazil.” Jack Nicas reports for the New York Times.
The Philippines and China traded blame today after vessels collided in the South China Sea. China’s Coast Guard said a Philippine vessel had “deliberately collided” with a Chinese vessel, while the Philippines accused Beijing of “imposing its version of facts.” Reuters reports.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra became Thailand’s prime minister after receiving a royal letter of endorsement yesterday. Shinawatra replaces another leader from the same Pheu Thai Party who had been removed by court order. Jintamas Saksornchai reports for AP News.
India has announced plans to hold regional elections in the disputed territory of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir after a 10-year hiatus. BBC News reports.