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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
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday he does not believe a ceasefire and hostage deal is likely. “There’s not a deal in the making,” Netanyahu told Fox News, in a rebuke of the Biden administration’s insistence that a deal is near. Mick Krever, Jennifer Hansler and Alex Marquardt report for CNN.
Five Palestinians were killed by an Israeli airstrike on their vehicles yesterday, Palestinian news media reported, as one of the most destructive recent Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank continued for a ninth day. Raja Abdulrahim reports for the New York Times.
The International Criminal Court chief prosecutor yesterday told the BBC that “justice must be seen to be done” after issuing an arrest warrant for both Israeli leaders and Hamas leaders. He stressed it was important to show that the court would hold all states to the same standard in relation to alleged war crimes. Ido Vock and James Gregory report.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — REGIONAL RESPONSE
The Egyptian military’s chief of staff visited the Egypt-Gaza border yesterday to conduct a security assessment and inspect checkpoints, according to a statement from the military. The New York Times reports.
HOUTHI ATTACKS
Tugboats dispatched to a burning oil tanker attacked by Yemen’s Houthis over two weeks ago have also been targeted and have had to turn back, a Pentagon spokesperson said yesterday. It comes despite Iran’s announcement last week that the militant group had agreed to a temporary pause in its campaign. The New York Times reports.
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
The Kremlin yesterday dismissed U.S. accusations of election meddling, calling the charges “nonsense.” Russian President Vladimir Putin also claimed to be supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in the race, despite revelations from one of the indictments and a related set of charges linking Moscow’s efforts to the Republican Party. Robyn Dixon and Catherine Belton report for the Washington Post.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered an investigation into the purchase of Pegasus spy software by the country’s police force. Petro said the software was purchased in cash from an Israeli surveillance firm during his predecessor’s government. Vanessa Buschschlüter reports for BBC News.
A total of 135 political prisoners from Nicaragua have been released on humanitarian grounds in a U.S.-brokered deal. All 135 are Nicaraguan citizens who were unjustly detained, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said. Those released were taken to Guatemala yesterday, and will be given the chance to apply for relocation in the United States. Vanessa Buschschlüter reports for BBC News.
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov promised increased efforts to fight criminal activities on the app, in his first public comment since French authorities gave preliminary charges for allegedly allowing criminal activity on the platform. AP News reports.
The Dutch defense ministry yesterday announced a major plan to “future-proof” the country’s military, including purchasing more F-35 fighter jets and the return of a Dutch tank battalion. Mike Corder reports for AP News.
Former Taiwanese presidential candidate and mayor of Taipei Ko Wen-je was returned to custody yesterday as part of a sprawling corruption investigation. Voice of America reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today met with senior U.S. military leaders and over 50 partner nations in Germany to press for increased weapons support. The meeting came as Washington announced it would provide Kyiv another $250 million in security assistance. Tara Copp reports for AP News.
The fatal crash of a Ukrainian F-16 jet on its first day of use in combat last week has raised concerns about the rush to train and deploy pilots, U.S. and Western officials say. Ukraine’s air force has yet to determine the cause of the crash. Lara Seligmann and Nancy A. Youssef report for the Wall Street Journal.
New video footage obtained by CNN appears to show Russian troops executing three surrendering Ukrainians in late August after their trench was overrun. Nick Paton Walsh, Kostya Gak, Victoria Butenko, and Muhammad Darwish report.
U.S. FOREIGN RELATIONS
The United States yesterday indicted members of Russia’s military intelligence agency for cyberattacks on Ukraine and U.S. companies in the run-up to the invasion of Kyiv in 2022. The State Department also offered a reward of up to $60 million for their arrests, in an expansion of its hunt for Russia’s most elite cyberwarriors. David E. Sanger and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times.
The Justice Department yesterday unsealed criminal charges against Russian-U.S. political pundit Dimitri Simes, alleging he was paid over $1 million from a Russian news outlet, breaching U.S. sanctions. Hannah Rabinowitz and Holmes Lybran report for CNN.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Haiti yesterday to reaffirm U.S. commitment to a multinational mission to fight gangs in the country and push for general elections. AP News reports.
OTHER U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
The father of the 14-year-old suspected Apalachee school shooter was charged yesterday with two counts of second-degree murder. It marks the most severe charges ever filed against the parent of an alleged school shooter. John Woodrow Cox, Steven Rich and Sarah Blaskey report for the Washington Post.
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty yesterday to nine federal tax charges, a last minute turn that allows him to avoid a second criminal trial. His sentencing is set for Dec. 16, and he faces up to 17 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.3 million. Jessica Ogilvie, Matt Viser, and Perry Stein report for the Washington Post.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro violated the Hatch Act by engaging in impermissible political activity, the federal Office of Special Counsel announced yesterday. The violations included advocating for President Biden’s reelection and denouncing Trump in a BBC interview in January. Sean Michael Newhouse reports for DefenseOne.
F.B.I. agents searched the homes of New York City’s Police Commissioner Edward Caban and at least four senior deputies to Mayor Eric Adams, sources say. Agens also seized devices from the officials’ homes, according to two sources. The City Hall’s chief counsel said investigators have “not indicated to us the mayor or his staff are targets of any investigation.” Miranda Nazzaro reports for The Hill; Jake Offenhartz reports for AP News.
A Massachusetts physician who admitted to punching a police officer during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was sentenced yesterday to nine months in prison, the Department of Justice announced. Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios.
TRUMP LEGAL MATTERS
A federal judge yesterday called for prosecutors and defense attorneys to file legal briefs in Trump’s 2020 election subversion case before the Nov. 5 election. “This court is not concerned with the electoral schedule,” Judge Tanya Chutkan said, rejecting Trump’s request to move at a slower pace and accusing his attorney of trying to stall action before the election. Spencer S. Hsu, Perry Stein, and Salvador Rizzo report for the Washington Post.