Israel, Palestinian Militants Announce Truce After Dozens Killed Over Weekend |
An Egypt-brokered truce between Israel and the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) came into effect (CNN) last night after a weekend of violence in which more than forty Palestinians were killed, including two PIJ commanders (AP). Four women and fifteen children were among those killed, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Israel began launching missiles (Reuters) at PIJ targets on Friday, saying it aimed to prevent a retaliatory attack after arresting the group’s leader. PIJ responded by firing rockets at Israel, though no Israelis were killed. The terms of the cease-fire were not immediately made public.
The violence was the worst fighting between Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip since May 2021. Unlike that period, however, Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, did not participate in the recent fighting.
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“[Hamas] kept out of the fray. This is partly because it is satisfied to see its smaller rival pulverized by the Israelis, and partly because it is reluctant to jeopardize the modest improvement in Gaza’s economy since the last big bout of violence last year,” the Economist writes.
“Going into the Gaza offensive, the centrist [caretaker Prime Minister Yair] Lapid, a former TV host and author, lacked the security credentials that Israelis often seek in their leaders. It was seen as a glaring weakness as he faces off against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who portrays himself as a security hawk, in November elections,” the Associated Press’s Tia Goldenberg and Emily Rose write. At this webinar, CFR’s Steven A. Cook joined George Mason University’s Marc Gopin and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Zaha Hassan to discuss challenges to Israeli-Palestinian coexistence. |
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China Extends Military Drills Around Taiwan |
The live-fire military exercises, originally due to end yesterday, are a response (Nikkei) to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last week.
For the Asia Unbound blog, CFR’s David Sacks discusses the potential next steps in China’s response to Pelosi’s visit.
Japan: In Hiroshima, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for the elimination (UN News) of nuclear stockpiles and warned that a new global arms race is picking up speed, referring to crises in Ukraine, the Korean peninsula, and the Middle East. |
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Report: Senior Commanders of Pakistani Taliban Killed |
Three senior leaders of the militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan died when their vehicle struck a roadside mine in eastern Afghanistan, Afghan officials and local sources told the Express Tribune.
Bangladesh/China: China will help Bangladesh repatriate Rohingya refugees to Myanmar by providing food support (DW), Bangladesh’s foreign minister said. Beijing has built homes in Myanmar for the refugees, who have refused to return over fears of violence. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
Parts of Iraq’s Power Grid Shut Down in Heat Wave |
Authorities in the Dhi Qar Governorate extended public holidays (WaPo) to prevent state employees from having to work as temperatures exceed 120°F (49°C) this week. |
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Chad’s Military Government, Some Rebel Groups Sign Peace Deal |
Prominent rebel group Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) refused to sign (Al Jazeera) the deal, which is intended to pave the way for a national dialogue later this month.
Nigeria/United Kingdom: London’s Horniman Museum will return (The Guardian) seventy-two artifacts that British forces looted from Nigeria in 1897. |
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UN Calls for Access to Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant |
UN Secretary-General Guterres called for international inspectors to be allowed to stabilize Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after Ukraine and Russia blamed each other (The Guardian) for attacks on the facility over the weekend.
Italy: The centrist Azione party pulled out (Bloomberg) of a center-left coalition days after it joined to prevent a right-wing landslide in elections next month. |
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| Colombia Swears In First Left-Wing President |
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Senate Passes Sweeping Climate, Health-Care Bill |
Costing around $700 billion, the bill is far smaller than the $3.5 trillion package that Democrats originally envisioned, but it still would amount to the largest investment in climate policy (CNN) in U.S. history. It includes tax credits for electric vehicles and funding for renewable energy programs. The House of Representatives is expected to take it up on Friday. CFR’s Alice C. Hill and Madeline Babin explain why congressional climate action became more urgent after a recent Supreme Court decision. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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