Email from Counter Extremism Project (CEP) A Memo in a Bunker, Intercepted Communications and Hamas’s Oct. 7 Plans Eye on Extremism October 14, 2025   Top Stories Times of Israel: All 20 remaining living hostages return to Israel, after over 2 years in Hamas captivity Israel joined the families in celebration on Monday as Hamas released the 20 remaining living hostages under the Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, who came to Israel to mark the event. Hamas is yet to release the remains of 28 dead hostages, despite being required to do so under the deal that would bring some closure to the national trauma that began when the terror group took 251 hostages back to Gaza after massacring some 1,200 people on October 7, 2023. All 20 returned pale and frail, but smiling and standing on their legs, with most of them held in horrific conditions in tunnels deep under Gaza, where many faced abuse, starvation and received limited medical treatment. New York Times: A Memo in a Bunker, Intercepted Communications and Hamas’s Oct. 7 Plans A directive, which Israeli officials believe was written by Yahya Sinwar, the powerful leader of Hamas in Gaza, and recordings called for fighters to target soldiers and civilian communities — and to broadcast the violent acts.   CounterPoint Blogs & Briefs Al-Qassam Brigades Propaganda Content: Evolution Since October 7 October 7: Lamenting Hamas’s Victory Two Years On Terrorist Financing Through Scams: Current Evidence and Emerging Risks Sahel Monitoring July 2025   CEP Mentions WELT TV: "Technically, disarming Hamas in the Gaza Strip is not possible" Hans-Jakob Schindler analyzes the current situation in the Middle East following the US President's speech. Despite international efforts, Hamas remains a decisive factor of uncertainty: disarming Hamas is currently impossible, says Hans-Jakob Schindler, Middle East expert, on WELT TV. WELT TV: "Hamas is said to have already taken control in some areas" According to terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler, the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza war is the biggest hurdle. In an interview with WELT, he warns that Hamas is already taking back control of areas from which Israel has withdrawn. Das Parlament: "Syria: There will be no real opposition in this parliament" Syria has voted for the first time in 53 years of dictatorship. For terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler, the country is moving towards an Islamic state. ARD: German money for terrorism CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler quoted throughout documentary on terrorism financing in Germany. Attacks such as those carried out by the so-called Islamic State or Hamas show with brutal severity that terrorism is possible anytime, anywhere. But how are these attacks financed? The shocking answer: partly from Germany. Deutschlandfunk: Hamas, ISIS, and Co.: How terrorism is also financed from Germany CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed on terrorism financing and Hamas financing in Germany. DW News: Does Trump's 20-point plan offer the possibility of lasting peace? CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed. After months of gridlock, US President Donald Trump has finally secured the long-sought Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal. Trump claims that he was the only person capable of achieving such a feat. So, how did the agreement come about? Is it all it's cracked up to be? DW News: Gaza peace deal signed: ‘The war in Gaza is over,’ says German Chancellor Merz CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed in studio on the Gaza deal and what to watch, and Hamas and its status after two years of conflict. DW News: Jailed Palestinians released in exchange for Israeli hostages CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler interviewed in studio on Hamas and the Gaza deal. “Today, in a region where nothing is ever guaranteed to go well, today went well. But tomorrow is the real difficult part. How is Gaza going to be administered? Is Hamas truly willing to give up their weapons?” WELT TV: GAZA: Shocking reports! Expert Reveals! Hamas is now shooting Palestinians who have been demonstrating! While international mediators celebrate the ceasefire in Gaza as a historic breakthrough, the first shocking reports are coming in from the liberated areas: According to Middle East expert [CEP Senior Director] Hans Jakob Schindler, Hamas is deliberately executing Palestinians who have opposed its rule in recent months. WELT TV: “To claim power, all you need is motivated people who can operate an AK-47.” Despite the peace agreement, there are still reports of executions by Hamas. “As soon as Israel withdraws, Hamas will claim power. Clans and smaller militias will not stand a chance,” says [CEP Senior Director] Middle East expert Hans-Jakob Schindler. Analysis Foreign Affairs: America’s New Age of Political Violence The United States is in the grip of an era of violent populism. Threats and acts of political violence have been on the rise for roughly a decade, affecting a wide variety of victims, including Republican Representative Steve Scalise, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and U.S. President Donald Trump. In September 2024, I argued in Foreign Affairs that Americans must be prepared for an even more “extraordinary period of unrest” involving “serious political assassination attempts, political riots, and other instances of collective, group, and individual violence.” Sadly, this prediction has been borne out in 2025. Online Hate Prevention Institute: Social Media and the Normalisation of Hate: October 7 Two Years On Antisemitism rose sharply after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. This report from the Online Hate Prevention Institute (OHPI) examines changes to the prevalence and nature of antisemitism across ten social platforms from the year before October 7 through to the second anniversary of the attack. It reflects a sharp rise in the months after October 7, a decline later in 2024, then a renewed rise in antisemitism during 2025. On four platforms the level of antisemitism is now higher than it was in the months immediately after October 7, and on three of them the current level is at an all time high. United States Times of Israel: Rapturously received in the Knesset, Trump tells Israel it won the war, now it’s time for peace US President Donald Trump declared “the historic dawn of the new Middle East” in a triumphant address before the Knesset on Monday, as the final 20 living hostages were released from Gaza under a US-brokered ceasefire deal. Trump said it marked “not only the end of war, but the end of an age of terror and death and the beginning of the age of faith and hope and of God.” He told the lawmakers that Israel had no more to achieve on the battlefield and must work toward peace in the Middle East, and said he would deliver a similar message to regional leaders in Egypt later in the day. New York Times: As Hostages and Prisoners Return Home, Trump Declares ‘New Dawn’ in Mideast “This is the end of the age of terror and death,” President Trump said in an address to the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, where he received a standing ovation and repeated, rapturous applause. Mr. Trump proclaimed “the end of the war” in Gaza. And deploying a line presidents before him have reached for, only to be later disappointed, Mr. Trump declared a new era for the region. “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” he said. By the end of the day, Hamas had freed 20 living hostages and Israel had released some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, part of the 20-point peace plan announced by the Trump administration after weeks of cajoling and courting major players in the Middle East, and the mediation of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. Times of Israel: Witkoff and Kushner met directly with Hamas leaders last week to seal deal US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met directly with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Khaya and other Hamas leaders at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Wednesday night to seal the hostage release and ceasefire deal, according to a report Monday. Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, who writes for Channel 12 and the US Axios website, reported that the Qatari mediators urged the senior US officials to meet the terror leader in order to break a logjam in the talks. The Atlantic: Trump’s Great Achievement The Trump administration’s assault on America’s constitutional, legal, and normative order is so extensive and fear-inducing that many otherwise-sober observers find it hard to admit the things the president does right. And although they may grudgingly acknowledge his gifts as a demagogue or political manipulator, they cannot grant him any aspect of the statesman. In this they are wrong, and the first steps toward peace in Gaza show why—he has achieved a remarkable success and deserves full credit for it. Algemeiner: ‘Fourth Reich’: Self-Described Neo-Nazi Charged for Assaulting Jewish Man in Montana on Oct. 7 Anniversary A self-proclaimed neo-Nazi in Missoula, Montana has been charged for allegedly assaulting a Jewish man outside a homeless shelter last week on the second anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, according to local media reports and the Missoula Police Department. Michael Cain, 29, was charged with felony malicious intimidation or harassment relating to civil or human rights, and his bond was set at $50,000. He allegedly accosted the victim after identifying a Star of David tattooed on his arm. Fox News: Suspect in arson attack at Pennsylvania governor’s mansion pleads guilty A suspected arsonist pleaded guilty in a Pennsylvania court on Tuesday after being accused of setting fire to Gov. Josh Shapiro's mansion in April as Shapiro and his family were asleep. Cody Balmer, 36, appeared for the plea hearing at the Dauphin County Courthouse in Harrisburg wearing a dark red jumpsuit, handcuffs and ankle chains. Balmer pleaded guilty to all charges, including attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and other related offenses. Belgium Euractiv: Geert Wilders among alleged targets of foiled Belgian jihadist plot Belgian police have arrested three suspects accused of planning terrorist attacks using drones loaded with explosives, with targets reportedly including Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, Belgian media reported on Friday. Police raided four locations in Antwerp on Thursday morning, seizing materials for a potential improvised explosive device (IED), steels balls and a 3D printer. One of the raids took place just a few hundred meters from the prime minister’s home, according to De Standaard. Authorities believe the suspects, born between 2001 and 2007, were motivated by jihadist ideology. None have prior criminal records, though some were already known to police, a Belgian Federal Police spokesman told Euractiv. Germany WELT: The young right-wing extremist scene is arming itself Police find weapons during raids on the martial arts scene. New figures also show that young right-wing extremists are becoming increasingly criminal. The constitutional protectors are alarmed, one scene observer speaks of a "considerable escalation". New investigations could now show that so-called "active clubs", which have been springing up in Germany for months, pose a greater potential threat than assumed. "Active Clubs" are independent associations of young men who see themselves on the internet as the avant-garde of a body-oriented right-wing youth culture. Special units searched the homes of six suspects in East Westphalia at the beginning of October. According to information from WELT AM SONNTAG, they belong to the "Active Club Ostwestfalen", which was founded at the beginning of the year. During the raids, investigators found knives, a machete, a crossbow with arrows, an air rifle, a sharp pistol and alarm guns. ARD: Intelligence Directors Hearing: Hamas in Germany? In general, attempts to destabilize society play a major role in the interrogation. Even after the release of the German hostages in Gaza, all three secret service chiefs see a continuing threat from Hamas and anti-Semitism in Germany. Even the peace process in Gaza will not lead to a reduction in the threat in Germany, says Selen, adding that anti-Semitic propaganda has a particularly strong impact on social media, especially among very young users. We are often dealing with 12 to 14-year-olds who become radicalized very quickly. IS, for example, makes great use of this, as does Hamas, and sometimes only a few weeks or months lie between the first contact with extremist content "and the decision to act: buy a knife and kill infidels", says Selen. Jäger also predicts that Hamas could move to Europe if it is pushed out of Gaza. Hamas sees a field of action in Germany in particular. United Kingdom Times of Israel: UK tells universities to crack down on antisemitism after Manchester terror attack British universities must take stronger action to protect Jewish students, the government said on Saturday, after a deadly attack on a synagogue in northern England and amid concerns over antisemitism on campuses. Young people must be equipped to spot and challenge misinformation online, the government said, urging universities to use every tool available to confront hate and division. Telegraph: The marches were never about peace. They were about the destruction of Israel The marches have always been the dead giveaway. Since October 7, the pro-Palestine lobby has enjoyed unprecedented success in manipulating the media coverage of Israel’s war to free its hostages from Gaza. The world lapped up inflated casualty tolls from the Hamas health ministry, swallowed without question the claim that Israel was deliberately manufacturing a famine to wipe out Palestinian children, and nodded along solemnly to patently absurd allegations of genocide. Russia RFE/RL: The Ukrainian Teens Tried As 'Terrorists' In Russia In the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February, Viktor Azarovsky's hometown of Melitopol was quickly occupied by Russian troops. Despite the military taking over his city, in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhya region, the teenager's life remained largely the same, although he now studied remotely at a Ukrainian school. But at the end of October 2023, when he was 16, unknown individuals detained the teenager when he was leaving his house. He is now on trial in Russia on charges of organizing a group that planned a terrorist attack, sabotage, and the manufacture and storage of explosives. Israel New York Times: A Divided Israel Unites in Joy as Hostages Come Home Many of them had become household names, their faces familiar from posters all over the country: Israelis snatched two years ago from their homes in pastoral border villages, from a music festival rave and from army bases and then secreted into Hamas’s tunnels deep under Gaza. When they finally emerged on Monday as part of a cease-fire deal reached between Israel and Hamas, they were thinner, wan, but alive and on their feet. And Israelis basked in a joyous moment of unifying national redemption after years of agonizing, polarizing war. Times of Israel: Israel receives 4 hostages’ bodies from Red Cross; demands Hamas hand over the other 24 Israel on Monday received caskets holding what Hamas said were the bodies of four slain hostages from Gaza, as it accused Hamas of failing to stand by the commitments it agreed to under the ceasefire by not releasing all the bodies it was holding. It remained silent on the fate of the 24 other dead hostages it was holding. Hamas said Monday the bodies of Guy Illouz, Yossi Sharabi, Bipin Joshi and Daniel Perez would be handed over. The IDF said troops in the Gaza Strip received four caskets, with the apparent bodies of slain hostages, from the Red Cross on Monday evening. Times of Israel: Israel frees nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including hundreds of terror convicts Israel on Monday freed nearly 2,000 Palestinians — including hundreds of terror convicts serving life terms — from its prisons as part of a deal to reach a ceasefire and release the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Shortly after 20 living hostages were freed, Israel put 1,968 Palestinian prisoners on buses that departed for the West Bank and Gaza. Among those freed were 250 security prisoners, most of them serving one or more life terms for deadly attacks on Israelis. They include a Palestinian police officer who joined in the notorious lynching of two reservists at the start of the Second Intifada in 2000, a Gaza resident who raped and murdered a 13-year-old boy and dozens of other terrorists responsible for a series of suicide bombings and other attacks. Gaza Strip Times of Israel: Hamas reappears on Gaza’s streets, and two of three militias that fought it go quiet Masked men — some in uniform but most in civilian clothes — have been seen out and about on Gaza’s streets in recent days, some handing out sweets, others simply standing guard. Footage to this effect, published by Hamas-linked media less than 24 hours after the ceasefire took effect on Friday, has been accompanied by announcements from Hamas’s police and interior ministry claiming that security forces had redeployed across the Strip. Over the weekend, Gaza networks also circulated footage of an armed, masked man shooting a resident in the leg — a practice Hamas employed throughout the war against suspected collaborators with Israel or those accused of stealing humanitarian aid. New York Post: IDF leaders warn Hamas tunnels in Gaza are still a ‘major weapon’ and need to be destroyed Senior Israel Defense Force commanders have warned dismantling Hamas’ terror tunnels under Gaza needs to be a top priority if the ceasefire is to hold. Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Hamas-Israel war does not include details on how Hamas infrastructure such as its underground tunnels and weapons production facilities will be destroyed. Israel Defense Forces Res. Brigadier General Danny Van Buren told The Post the eradication of the Hamas tunnels “is a major part of demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. “In order to keep the ceasefire and put a foundation for peace in place, one necessary part is to eliminate Hamas infrastructure. Yemen CNBC: Israel-Hamas ceasefire will not bring global freight fleet back to Red Sea quickly Maritime experts and shipping industry insiders are not expecting a return of ocean carriers to the Red Sea anytime soon, despite the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal. “This is all still very early days,” said Alan Murphy, founder and CEO of Sea-Intelligence. “The Houthis in Yemen have justified their attacks on international shipping as a response to the Israel-Hamas war, but there are no guarantees that the recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire will be a lasting one, or that this will lead to an end to the conflict in Gaza,” he added. Afghanistan New York Times: Social Media Restrictions and 2-Day Internet Shutdown Rattle Afghanistan Airports and banks were forced to shut down. Government employees idled aimlessly in the corridors of their ministries. Teenage girls, barred from attending school, lost much of their access to the outside world. In shutting down the internet and cellphone services across Afghanistan last month, the Taliban government turned the clock back decades, in a move reminiscent of their first time in power from 1996 to 2001. Connectivity came back after two days, but this week, the Afghan government blocked certain types of content on social media apps like Instagram and Facebook, signaling that it would only tolerate tightly controlled access to the internet. Pakistan The Guardian: ‘An environment of terror’: deadly resurgence of Pakistan Taliban gathers pace Tariq Ahmed never lets his pistol out of his sight these days. Sitting cross-legged on a woven charpai, his face concealed with a scarf, the 26-year-old looks nervously left and right, shifting his gun in and out of his waistband. It was here, just a few months ago in this neighbourhood bordering Pakistan’s north-western border city of Peshawar that his uncle Shehan Shah, 36, was shot dead at point-blank range by the Taliban. Associated Press: Pakistan police officer killed in attack by gunmen on a polio vaccine team Suspected militants shot and killed a police officer guarding a team of polio workers in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, the latest in a series of attacks on vaccine teams in the country. The attack took place in the Matta area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, once a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, a day after Pakistan launched a weeklong nationwide vaccination campaign to immunize 45 million children. The Hindu: Six terrorists killed, seven policemen dead in terror attack on police training centre in Pakistan Three more terrorists were killed after a five-hour gun battle that was triggered by a suicide attack at a police training centre school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan, police said. Six more police personnel died in the exchange of fire, officials said on Saturday (October 11, 2025). DW News: As Pakistan battles Afghan Taliban, fears of major war rise Fierce fighting erupted between the Pakistani military and Afghan Taliban forces over the weekend, marking the deadliest conflict between the neighbors since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Both Pakistani officials and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan claim to have inflicted heavy losses on the opposing side. The Taliban said on Sunday that they had killed 58 Pakistani soldiers in overnight border operations. Pakistan's army gave far lower casualty figures, saying 23 of its troops were killed. The Taliban also claimed to have captured 25 Pakistani army posts. Congo Reuters: Rebels linked to Islamic State kill 19 in eastern Congo, officials say Suspected Islamic State-backed rebels killed 19 civilians in an overnight attack in eastern Congo, two local officials said on Monday, deepening insecurity in the mineral-rich region. The attack, believed to have been carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces group, occurred in the village of Mukondo in North Kivu province, Alain Kiwewa, the military administrator for Lubero territory where Mukondo is located, told Reuters, adding that the death toll could rise. Mozambique Homeland Security Today: More Than 30 Christians Beheaded by Islamic State Affiliate in Mozambique More than 30 Christians were beheaded in Mozambique in September 2024, with churches and homes burned across multiple villages in the country’s northern provinces, according to a report released by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). The Islamic State Mozambique Province (ISMP), an affiliate of Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attacks, which primarily targeted the Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces. MEMRI reported viewing photos released by ISMP showing militants executing civilians and destroying religious structures. Somalia Africa Defense Forum: Digital Hawala System Is Another Route For Islamic State To Fund Terrorism The Islamic State’s branch in Somalia has built a broad-based network of financing options, all of them aimed at providing the group with as much as $360,000 per month, despite the government’s attempts to disrupt its funding stream. The Somalia Financial Reporting Center (FRC) tracked more than 100 transactions tied to funding terrorists in 2024, but experts say that figure is likely only a fraction of the total number of transactions. Some of those transactions were connected to real estate purchases in Kenya. Technology Vice News: Terrorgram: Police Worldwide Are Still Fighting the Neo-Nazi Crime Network On August 12, 2024, a teenager only identified as ‘Arda K’ waded into the dining area of an open-air cafe in Eskisehir, Turkey and stabbed five people, a chest-mounted camera streaming the attack live on Kick. The victims—one of whom nearly died after having his throat slit with a camping knife—had all spent time earlier in the day praying at a nearby mosque. As well as the two knives and small axe Arda K was carrying, he was also wearing a vest bearing the Schwarze Sonne (Black Sun) symbol associated with neo-Nazism.   Latest CEP Webinar: “Transnational Connections Between Antisemitic Extremist and Terrorist Actors" Subscribe to CEP's YouTube Channel to watch all of our past webinars, expert analysis and interviews, and helpful summaries of our resources!   The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is a nonprofit and non-partisan international policy organization working to combat the growing threat posed by extremist ideologies. CEP depends on the generosity of its supporters. If you value what we do, please consider making a donation. DONATE Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe for yourself here. 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