Cease-Fire Framework

Hamas has responded to a cease-fire framework that could free hostages in Gaza, officials in Qatar and the group said on Tuesday, though the U.S. secretary of state, who is in the Middle East for days of shuttle diplomacy aimed at rallying support for the deal, cautioned that there was still “a lot of work to be done,” as the NYT reports.

Israel Estimates as Many as 50 Hostages Could Be Dead

As many as 50 of the hostages taken from Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7 could be dead, a figure that is considerably higher than the 29 deaths Israel has publicly acknowledged, as the WSJ reports.

Deadly Undetected Drone

U.S. forces probably did not detect the approach of the Iranian-made drone that killed three American soldiers last week at a remote base in Jordan, and there was no air defense system on site capable of shooting it down, the military’s initial assessment of the attack has found, as The Washington Post reports.

Executive Education

Ready to take the next step towards policy success in Washington? Join CSIS experts March 18-21, 2024, at CSIS Headquarters for "Decoding D.C.: Policy, Power, and People," to unlock the secrets to thriving in the capital's unique policy landscape. Register here by March 4.

Audio Briefs

CSIS experts give short, spoken-word summaries on the biggest takeaways from their latest reports, white papers, and commentaries—in their own words.

Listen here: "A Different Two-State Solution" with CSIS's Jon B. Alterman.

In That Number

50

Israeli intelligence officers have concluded that at as many as 50 of the remaining 136 hostages captured by Hamas and its allies on Oct. 7 have died since the start of the war.
Source: WSJ

Critical Quote

“We continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed essential, and we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it.”

—Secretary of State Antony Blinken

iDeas Lab

In the latest episode of Pacific Policy Pulse, CSIS’s Kathryn Paik is joined by James Movick, head of the Pacific Fusion Center, to discuss maritime security challenges in the Pacific Islands region. Watch the full video here.

The Andreas C. Dracopoulos iDeas Lab at CSIS enhances our research with the latest in cutting-edge web technologies, design, and multimedia.

Optics

(Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.) Speaker of the House Mike Johnson talks with Israeli Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana before a meeting with family members of Israeli kidnap victims at the U.S. Capitol on February 6, 2024, in Washington, D.C.

This Town Tomorrow

At 9:00 a.m., the CSIS Global Health Policy Center presents the sixth episode of “Gaza: The Human Toll” to discuss the evolving humanitarian and health situation inside Gaza.

Then, at 10:00 a.m., the CSIS Strategic Technologies Program and Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project discuss AI and neurodiversity.

Also, at 11:00 a.m., Brookings welcomes Federal Reserve Governor Adriana D. Kugler to discuss her outlook for the economy and monetary policy.

Video

Today, the CSIS Futures Lab held a discussion with information officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Treasury Department on the Federal Civilian Executive Branch perspective on cybersecurity. Watch the full video here.

Podcasts

CSIS’s Seth Jones joins the podcast to discuss the U.S. strikes on targets in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as his recent trip to Israel.

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Smiles

Every time I watch a Billy Strings performance, I marvel at his talent and his ability to appeal to the jam band crowd when he is fundamentally a roots music bluegrass artist. This cover of Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” is memorable.

I invite you to email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @handrewschwartz

The Evening is my daily guide to key insights CSIS brings to the events of the day. It is composed by Lauren Adler, Ava Rose, and the External Relations team.