Wednesday, January 15, 2025

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1/ Israel and Hamas agreed to a 42-day ceasefire. The deal temporarily pauses the 15-months of fighting in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces have killed at least 46,500 Palestinians – mostly civilians – in response to the Hamas-led October 7 terror attack, which left around 1,200 dead and some 250 people taken hostage. Over 110,200 people have been injured in Gaza during this period. The deal will take effect on Sunday and will be implemented in phases. In the first phase, 33 hostages held by Hamas will be exchanged for approximately 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. During this phase, Israel will reduce its military presence in Gaza and allow Palestinians to return to the north, despite extensive destruction in the area. In the second phase, the remaining living hostages will be exchanged, accompanied by a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Israel estimates that about 60 living hostages remain in Gaza. The third phase will involve the return of deceased hostages’ remains and a “major reconstruction plan for Gaza will begin.” In recent days Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, “work[ed] in tandem” with Biden’s Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, on the negotiations, which were mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt. Witkoff reportedly met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday to stress Trump’s goal of wanted a deal by Jan. 20. Trump previously warned that there would be “hell to pay” if an agreement wasn’t reached before his inauguration. Netanyahu, meanwhile, thanked Trump for what he described as promises that “Gaza will never be a haven for terror.” (NBC News / NPR / ABC News / New York Times / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CNN / Associated Press / Axios / CNBC)

2/ Recap of today’s Trump’s Cabinet confirmation hearings: Pam Bondi, nominated for attorney general, vowed to “depoliticize” the Justice Department but faced criticism for refusing to commit to prosecutorial independence from Trump, including whether she would prosecute journalists or drop cases at Trump’s request. Bondi stated, “No one is above the law,” and denied any plans to enforce a so-called “enemies list.” Bondi repeatedly declined to answer whether she would open an investigation into special counsel Jack Smith, calling his conduct “horrible.” She also sidestepped questions about upholding a TikTok ban and pardoning Jan. 6 defendants, saying decisions would be made on a “case-by-case basis.” Marco Rubio, the nominee for Secretary of State, supported NATO, called China a “dangerous near-peer adversary,” and endorsed Taiwan’s “porcupine strategy” to deter invasion. Rubio aligned with Trump’s “America First” vision, stating, “Placing our core national interests above all else is not isolationism. It is the commonsense realization that a foreign policy...

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