Indirect cease-fire talks between Israeli officials and Hamas persist in Doha, spurred by a U.S.-backed proposal that details a 60-day cease-fire arrangement.
Under this proposal, Hamas is expected to release hostages intermittently over a span of 50 days in exchange for Palestinian detainees.
The plan also includes a significant humanitarian aid surge facilitated by both the United Nations and the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
While the proposal aims to establish a temporary cease-fire, U.S. officials cautioned that there is no concrete plan for what happens after these two months, raising concerns that fighting could erupt once again soon.
During a dinner with President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu advocated for the resettlement of Gazans abroad, a suggestion that has faced vehement opposition from both Hamas and humanitarian organizations, who label it as ethnic cleansing.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with reports of unyielding death and destruction.
This morning, an Israeli strike on a school designated as a shelter in a refugee camp resulted in the deaths of at least nine individuals, including four children.
In the last 24 hours alone, the Gaza Ministry of Health has reported that at least 52 residents have lost their lives amid the continued violence.
A recent World Food Program assessment alarmingly indicated that nearly half a million Gazans are anticipated to confront catastrophic hunger conditions.
Among these victims are parents mourning the loss of their infant due to malnutrition, amid scarce aid resources and the multifaceted dangers associated with collecting assistance.
Tragically, over 500 Palestinians have reportedly been killed around aid distribution points in the past six weeks.
In addition to the chaos in Gaza, protests against the ongoing violence and a call for the release of hostages have mobilized thousands of Israelis across the country this week, emphasizing the widespread desire for an end to the bloodshed.
For the ‘PBS News Hour,’ Lisa Desjardins reported on these grim realities, highlighting the urgent need for a resolution.
On the political front, President Trump has voiced skepticism regarding the continued military aid to Ukraine, openly questioning its value while reflecting on the potential for sanctions against Russia.
Today’s development in U.S. legal affairs saw the Supreme Court allowing President Trump’s initiative to eliminate hundreds of thousands of federal jobs to proceed.
This decision follows the lifting of a lower court’s temporary blockage concerning the layoffs endorsed by the Department of Government Efficiency, targeting employees across various federal departments, including State and Treasury.
The court did not deliberate on the specifics of the cuts but indicated that the measure remains temporary as it awaits resolution from additional legal challenges.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, expressing concern that the order signifies a dismantling of significant portions of the federal government as established by Congress.
In a concerning development, the U.S. State Department issued a warning about an unidentified individual using artificial intelligence to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
This impersonator purportedly reached out to at least three foreign ministers, in addition to a U.S. senator and a state governor, utilizing A.I. to mimic Rubio’s verbal and written communications.
Officials suspect that the culprits were aiming to manipulate government officials to illicitly obtain access to sensitive information or accounts, prompting an investigation by the State Department.
The International Criminal Court has taken significant action by issuing arrest warrants for two prominent Taliban officials in Afghanistan.
The judges accuse the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and the chief justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, of committing crimes against humanity through the persecution of women and girls, as well as those who oppose the Taliban’s stringent gender policies.
Since taking control four years ago, the Taliban have imposed strict bans on girls attending school beyond the sixth grade and have severely restricted women’s access to public spaces.
In Europe, blistering temperatures have returned following last week’s heat wave that tragically claimed at least eight lives across the continent.
Authorities in Athens closed the Acropolis to visitors as temperatures climbed near 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a direct response to the extreme heat.
In France, the combination of high temperatures and dry conditions has exacerbated wildfire threats, with flames reaching the outskirts of Marseille, resulting in the temporary closure of the main airport in that region.
On Wall Street, stock performance was mixed, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling by 165 points, while the Nasdaq gained nearly six points, and the S&P 500 closed slightly in negative territory, reflecting the market’s reaction to President Trump’s recent tariff proposals.
In a development welcomed by air travelers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced it would be discontinuing its long-standing shoes-off screening policy.
This change comes after the regulation had been in place since 2006, a law enacted in the wake of a failed terrorist attempt involving a shoe bomb on a flight from Paris to Miami.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem remarked this evening that the elimination of the policy is overdue.
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