The Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel agreed to a cease-fire after eleven days of conflict that killed more than two hundred people, displaced nearly one hundred thousand Palestinians in Gaza, and destroyed thousands of homes in the territory. The cease-fire, which went into effect yesterday, appeared to be holding (NYT) as of this morning.
 
Each side warned the other that violating the Egypt-brokered cease-fire would bring retaliation (Reuters). The details of the agreement remain unclear. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in the conflict, saying Israel destroyed Hamas infrastructure, but political rivals criticized him (Haaretz) for ending the war too soon. Hamas leaders also claimed to have won. World leaders welcomed the cease-fire (Al Jazeera), with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging both sides to begin talks to “address the root causes of the conflict.” U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to help Israel replenish its antimissile defense system and promised humanitarian aid for Gaza. Citing the devastation there, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees called on Israel to quickly allow its staff and humanitarian aid to enter the territory.

President Biden will meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House today, with North Korea expected to loom large (AP) in their conversation. They will likely also discuss efforts to combat climate change (NYT) and cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine distribution. South Korean officials said Moon is likely to press for ending a term (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap) of the U.S.-South Korea alliance that prevents South Korea from launching certain ballistic missiles.

For CFR’s Asia Unbound blog, South Korean lawmaker Park Jin calls for a U.S.-South Korea “vaccine alliance.”

Japan: Health Minister Norihisa Tamura approved the Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use (Japan Times) in an effort to accelerate Japan’s vaccination campaign, which lags behind those of other wealthy countries. Tokyo aims to vaccinate all adults over the age of sixty-five by the end of July.

Myanmar’s military junta will dissolve the political party (Bloomberg) of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s former civilian leader, a local news outlet reported. Suu Kyi has been detained since the military’s February coup and is charged with several crimes.

Bangladesh: Authorities locked down five refugee camps (AFP) that collectively shelter more than one hundred thousand Rohingya refugees from Myanmar following a spike in COVID-19 cases. Gatherings and movement between the camps are restricted.

Qatar’s cabinet approved a draft law (Al Jazeera) outlining rules for elections to the Shura Council, the country’s top advisory body, which are slated for October after being delayed by several years. Voters can pick thirty of the forty-five council members, and the remainder are appointed by the emir.

The Nigerian military said it is investigating reports (Reuters) that Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the insurgent group Boko Haram, was killed during a fight with rival militants. Two intelligence sources told AFP that Shekau was seriously wounded after he attempted to kill himself to avoid capture. Past reports of Shekau’s death have been proven incorrect.

This Backgrounder explains Nigeria’s battle with Boko Haram.

Ethiopia: The government expelled a New York Times journalist (NYT) who had reported extensively on the conflict in the Tigray region. Watchdog groups said the move is a further sign of press freedom waning in Ethiopia.

The European Parliament overwhelmingly voted to freeze the ratification process (Politico) of a landmark investment deal with China due to the country’s sanctions on European Union lawmakers. China imposed the penalties in retaliation for EU sanctions on four Chinese officials allegedly involved in the repression of Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region.

Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orban said most of the country’s remaining COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted (RFE/RL) when the number of vaccinations reaches five million, likely this weekend. Hungary is the only EU member to approve Chinese and Russian vaccines, and it has one of the highest vaccination rates in the bloc.

Colombian lawmakers agreed to scrap a health-reform proposal (LAHT) that had become a focus of weekslong protests across the country. Critics argued the bill would have led to the formation of health-care monopolies (AP).

Argentina: In an effort to control a rise in COVID-19 cases, President Alberto Fernandez announced nine days of strict lockdown measures (MercoPress) starting tomorrow.

The Treasury Department announced a plan to raise $700 billion (WaPo) in additional revenue by closing the “tax gap,” the difference between taxes owed and those actually paid. The plan calls for an $80 billion increase in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) budget, a nearly 50 percent bump that the department said would allow it to hire five thousand more enforcement employees. The Biden administration is looking for ways to increase revenue to fund its massive spending plans.