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A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The Israeli military recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza this weekend who it said had been “brutally murdered” by Hamas. A military spokesperson yesterday said the bodies were recovered on Saturday from a tunnel underneath Rafah. Israel’s health ministry said later that a forensic examination showed they had been shot at close range sometime between Thursday and Friday morning. One hostage was a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen. Vivek Shankar and Gabby Sobleman report for the New York Times.
A nationwide labor strike is underway in Israel today in the broadest expression of anti-government dissent since the war began. It comes after Israel’s largest labor union yesterday called for action to push for a ceasefire and hostage deal. Meanwhile, some 500,000 people protested across Israel yesterday, calling for the government to immediately accept a ceasefire deal. Patrick Kingsley reports for the New York Times; Emily Rose and Nidal Al-Mughrabi report for Reuters; CNN reports.
Three Israeli police officers were killed yesterday when their vehicle came under fire near the West Bank city of Hebron, Israeli officials said. The Israeli military said the suspect was killed by security forces. Hamas praised the attack but has not claimed responsibility. James Mackenzie and Ali Sawafta report for Reuters.
The U.N.-led campaign to vaccinate children in Gaza against polio began yesterday. The rollout relies on a series of agreed localized fighting pauses between Israel and Hamas, though Palestinian health officials say a “real ceasefire” is needed for the campaign to be successful. Niamh Kennedy, Ibrahim Dahman, and Alex Stambaugh report for CNN; Yolande Knell reports for BBC News.
An Israeli air strike on an aid convoy in southern Gaza on Thursday killed four Palestinians, the U.S.-based aid group Anera has said. The Israeli military said it targeted a “number of armed assailants.” Sofia Ferreira Santos reports for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – U.S. RESPONSE
The United States is planning to soon present a “take it or leave it” Gaza ceasefire deal, officials say. If either party rejects the deal, it could mark the end of the U.S.-led negotiations, according to one official. Yasmeen Abutaleb and John Hudson report for the Washington Post; Barak Ravid reports for Axios.
Demonstrators yesterday gathered outside the D.C. residence of Israeli ambassador Michael Herzog to voice anger over the deaths of six hostages recovered from Gaza. Michael Brice-Saddler reports for the Washington Post.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Russia yesterday bombarded Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, wounding over 40 civilians, according to Ukrainian officials. Meanwhile, Russian state media and local officials reported that Ukraine had attacked power plants and oil refineries with drones. Russia’s defense ministry said yesterday it had intercepted or shot down over 150 drones in 15 regions. Marc Santora and David Guttenfelder report for the New York Times; Matthew Luxmoore reports for the Wall Street Journal.
Ukraine has urged Mongolia to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his visit to the country tomorrow, his first to an International Criminal Court member state since a warrant for his arrest was issued in March 2023. Sofia Ferreira Santos reports for BBC News.
Romania’s coalition government approved a draft law today to give a Patriot defense system to Ukraine. The draft law now faces a final vote in Romania’s parliament. Reuters reports.
U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS
The United States said its military forces in Iraq killed 15 self-styled Islamic State “operatives” in a joint operation with Iraqi Security Forces. U.S. Central Command said it conducted the operation in western Iraq early on Thursday. Seven U.S. troops were injured in the raid. Phil McCausland reports for BBC News; Alex Horton and Mustafa Salim report for the Washington Post.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Germany’s far right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) yesterday claimed its biggest electoral success since World War II, winning a regional vote in the country’s east, according to the preliminary result. The win dealt a heavy blow to the coalition government. James Angelos and Nette Nöstlinger report for POLITICO; Sarah Marsh reports for Reuters.
Brazil’s Supreme Court will vote today on whether to uphold a ruling to ban the social media platform X. The platform was suspended in the country on Saturday, after it failed to appoint a new legal representative in Brazil under a court-imposed deadline. João da Silva reports for BBC News.
Tunisian police today arrested presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel, according to his campaign, amid rising fears among rights groups and the opposition that prominent rivals to President Kais Saied will be excluded from the race. Tarek Amara reports for Reuters.
An official at South Korea’s top military intelligence agency leaked classified data to a suspected Chinese intelligence agent for years in a bribery scheme, defense officials said Friday. Choe Sang-Hun reports for the New York Times.
Polls closed yesterday in Azerbaijan’s snap parliamentary elections, the first since it regained full control of Nagorno-Karabakh after a flash offensive last year. AP News reports.
China and the Philippines on Saturday traded fresh accusations of deliberately ramming into each other’s coast guard vessels in the South China Sea. David Pierson and Camille Elemia report for the New York Times.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Former President Trump told Fox News in an interview aired yesterday that he had “every right to” interfere with a presidential election. Kate Sullivan reports for CNN.
Misdated mail-in ballots should still count, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled on Friday. The ruling applies to the state’s two most populous counties, and could play a critical role in November’s election. Mattathias Schwartz reports for the New York Times.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation verdict against Rudy Giuliani sought a court order on Friday aimed at seizing his assets. Erica Orden reports for POLITICO.
The FBI on Friday released a redacted portion of a 2019 report on Havana syndrome. The report was one of the first to argue that the mysterious ailments known as Havana syndrome were likely not the result of hostile action, but rather of “social contagion.” Adam Goldman and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
Trump and Special Counsel Jack Smith on Friday dueled over next steps in the Jan. 6 prosecution case, with each side proposing contrasted visions for how the former President’s 2020 election obstruction case should proceed in D.C. federal court. Neither side pushed for a resolution before November’s election. Spencer S. Hsu reports for the Washington Post.
HOUTHI ATTACKS
Suspected attacks by Yemen’s Houthis targeted two ships in the Red Sea today, authorities said. The assault comes as efforts continue to salvage the still-burning Sounion oil tanker. Jon Gambrell reports for AP News.