International Glance
Israeli forces have intensified their bombardment of the Gaza Strip after mediators announced that a ceasefire deal has been struck. The attacks have killed at least 40 Palestinians, including many children, according to media reports.
- The Israeli security cabinet is set to meet at 11am local time on Thursday to vote on the deal.
- Netanyahu’s office says it will not issue a statement on the deal as it’s details are still being worked out. It also accuses Hamas of backtracking on previous understandings by attempting to dictate which Palestinian prisoners should be released in exchange for Israeli captives.
- UN agencies welcomed news of the deal and called for unhindered access to Gaza in order surge aid to the millions of starving and forcibly displaced Palestinians there.
- Families of the Israeli captives held in Gaza responded to the news with a mix of joy and apprehension, saying they fear the deal could collapse before all of their loved ones are released.
Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal to start Sunday; attacks on Gaza continue
Europe has a window of opportunity to shape Ukraine peace efforts
Everyone wants to know what Donald Trump has planned for Ukraine. The US President-elect has pledged to secure a negotiated end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but has yet to formally present his terms for any possible deal. At the same time, it is already clear that the new US administration will expect Europe to play a far more prominent role in the push for a sustainable peace. This creates opportunities for European leaders to seize the initiative.
In order to secure favorable terms in any future peace process, the West must approach negotiations from a position of strength. The only way Western leaders can achieve this is by dramatically expanding military assistance to Ukraine and intensifying economic pressure on Russia. Europe can show Trump that it’s ready to start leading on this without delay.
‘A trash can for the US’: anger in Mexico and Canada over toxic waste shipments
US companies ship more than 1m tons of hazardous waste to other countries each year, raising questions over possible impacts on health and the environment, an investigation by the Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab has found.
Exports of toxic waste, most of which is shipped to Mexico and Canada, have climbed 17% since 2018, US records show. And while sending it away for recycling and disposal is legal, some experts are concerned that more and more of America’s most dangerous discards are leaving the country.
In the Monterrey metropolitan area in Mexico, the investigation has uncovered high levels of lead, cadmium, and arsenic in homes and schools around a plant that recycles toxic dust produced by the US steel industry. Other huge quantities of waste go to Mexico to battery-recycling plants that experts worry are fouling the air and exposing workers to dangerous heavy metals.
Israel and Hamas reach deal on Gaza ceasefire and hostage release
The hard-won agreement will also free dozens of hostages held in Gaza, as well as Palestinians in Israeli jails, bringing the first real break in violence since a weeklong truce expired Dec. 1, 2023.
The new follows weeks of talks brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, amid a brutal winter for civilians in Gaza, as well as dramatic developments across the Middle East that have dealt setbacks to Iran, an Israeli foe.
Israel and Hamas have not officially announced a deal, although senior Hamas official Basem Naim confirmed to NBC News the militant group had agreed to it.
Some Israeli soldiers refuse to keep fighting in Gaza
An officer in the armored corps, Vilk said the instructions were to shoot any unauthorized person who entered an Israeli-controlled buffer zone in Gaza. He saw at least 12 people killed, he said, but it is the shooting of the teen that he can’t shake.
“He died as part of a bigger story. As part of the policy of staying there and not seeing Palestinians as people,” Vilk, 28, told The Associated Press.
Hamas OKs draft agreement of a Gaza ceasefire and the release of some hostages, officials say
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the proposed agreement, and an Egyptian official and a Hamas official confirmed its authenticity. An Israeli official said progress has been made, but the details are being finalized. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks.
“I believe we will get a ceasefire,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a speech Tuesday, asserting it was up to Hamas. “It’s right on the brink. It’s closer than it’s ever been before,” and word could come within hours, or days.
Biden to remove Cuba from list of state sponsors of terrorism
The Biden administration has notified Congress that it will remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism in a deal that senior Biden officials said would help free political prisoners held by the country’s communist government.
The deal, which administration officials said was negotiated through the Catholic church, was announced on Tuesday, just five days before Biden exits the White House and Donald Trump is inaugurated as the country’s 47th president.
“An assessment has been completed and we do not have information that supports Cuba’s designation as being a state sponsor of terrorism,” a senior administration official briefed reporters on Tuesday.
“The Catholic church is significantly advancing an agreement with Cuba to undertake a set of actions that will allow for the humanitarian release of a significant number of political prisoners in Cuba and those who have been detained unjustly,” the official said.
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