Negotiators agree to ceasefire agreement in Gaza
President Biden and other leaders announced yesterday that Israeli and Hamas negotiators had agreed to a 42-day ceasefire and hostage release in the Gaza Strip, leaving at least 45,000 Palestinians dead and the enclave’s A 42-day cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages were expected to be agreed after a 15-month war that has left much of the country destroyed. The end will come soon. Qatar’s prime minister said the ceasefire agreement is expected to take effect on Sunday. Read the latest information.
Israeli and Qatari officials said the deal requires formal approval by the Israeli Cabinet and Israeli government, but the two countries are still working to finalize some logistical issues. A vote in Israel is scheduled for this morning. Here’s what we know about this deal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a short statement late at night local time, reiterating that he would only issue a full statement once the final details of the deal were finalized. His office said he met with Biden and President-elect Donald Trump. Hamas confirmed the ceasefire agreement, calling it “an achievement of our people.”
What this means for Gaza: The first phase of the ceasefire would see Israeli forces retreat east, away from populated areas. According to a copy of the agreement, Israel must release several Palestinian prisoners of war (some with life sentences) for each hostage released and allow 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid into the country each day. Must be.
What this means for Israel: A total of 33 hostages will be freed in 42 days. This includes women, children, men over 50, and the sick and injured. It is still unclear how many of the 33 people are still alive. About 100 hostages are believed to still be in Gaza, but Israeli authorities believe about 35 of them have died.
response: Many Gazans responded with sadness, exhaustion and fear, but with hope. In Israel, supporters of the deal celebrated new hope for the return of the hostages but expressed sadness that the ceasefire was likely to only pause the conflict.
In Gaza: The Gaza Civil Defense Rescue and Emergency Service said last night that Israeli forces were “escalating attacks against civilians” despite a ceasefire agreement in sight. “A residential area of several houses north of Gaza City is currently being bombed,” the newspaper said.
Polish leader comments on Russian conspiracy
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday and appeared to confirm the conclusions of Western intelligence officials who had warned of Russian plans to blow up cargo planes over Western countries.
“All I can confirm is that Russia was planning an act of air terrorism against airlines not only in Poland, but all over the world,” Tusk said. He did not elaborate, and it is unclear whether officials believe the Russian government continues to actively plan such attacks.
Authorities first became aware of the plot in the summer, when incendiary devices placed at shipping hubs in Britain and Germany started fires that caused minimal damage. Western officials said in November that the fire was part of a test of security measures carried out by Russia’s military intelligence service. The ultimate purpose of the plot was unknown.
context: The Kremlin denies that its operatives are carrying out subversive activities, but Western officials say the Russian government has asked intelligence agencies to look for ways to bring the Ukraine war, which is soon into its fourth year, to Europe and the United States. He says he gave the order.
Ukraine: Students of the summer drama course in Kiev performed the play “It’s Okay!” set in America. It gave them hope that their lives would be okay too.
South Korean president arrested
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol yesterday became the first sitting president in South Korean history to be detained in a criminal investigation.
Last week, Yun’s bodyguards refused to detain him, so law enforcement authorities showed up with 1,000 police officers and took him into custody. The detention was the latest development in weeks of political turmoil following Mr. Yin’s brief declaration of martial law and subsequent impeachment last month.
What’s next: Investigators have 48 hours to interrogate Yoon, after which they can decide whether to formally arrest him. If he is arrested, they must indict him within 20 days. Separately, the Constitutional Court has begun deliberations on whether he should be removed from office.
The quiet home in southern Poland was “the perfect place to raise a family,” said a recent resident. Decades ago, that same house was the home of Rudolf Hess, commandant of the Auschwitz death camp, and behind its garden walls unspeakable horrors occurred.
The house, which was the subject of the Oscar-winning film “Zone of Interest,” will soon welcome visitors as part of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the camp by Soviet forces.
Life lived: Martin Karplus, a Nobel Prize-winning theoretical chemist who used computers to model how complex systems change during chemical reactions, died last month at the age of 94.
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“Clothes are important”
Author Gay Talese takes notes on everything. In A Town Without Time, a new collection of his New York writings, the author focuses on everything from chestnut sellers to pigeons to doormen to copyboys to ants. And of course, the clothes.
Talese, 92, said, “When I was a copy boy at the New York Times in 1953, men still wore suits, jackets and ties, and sometimes fedoras.” , “Men don’t dress well anymore in New York. When you go to a good restaurant, the women look great. The men are badly dressed.”
Read our interview with him.
