Early Edition: October 14, 2025

A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news:

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE AND HOSTAGES AND PRISONER RELEASE

Israeli forces today killed four Palestinian in Gaza City’s eastern Shejaiya neighbourhood, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa and a medical source. The source said that they were killed “when Israeli drones fired at residents inspecting their homes.” An IDF spokesperson said on social media that “a number of suspects were identified who crossed the Yellow Line and approached IDF forces,” adding that “the forces fired to eliminate the threat” because the suspects did not turn back. A Hamas spokesperson called the gunfire a “violation of the ceasefire agreement.” BBC News reports.

Nearly 1,700 Palestinians who were detained without charge in Israel and 250 Palestinian prisoners were released yesterday and returned to Beitunia in the West Bank and Khan Younis in Gaza. Celebrations in the West Bank went ahead despite Israeli warnings that anyone seen to be supporting “terrorist organizations” risked arrest. Sam Metz and Jalal Bwaitel report for AP News.

Four of the 28 bodies of the dead Israeli hostages were returned to Israel yesterday, according to the Israeli military. Hamas said that the burial sites of the 24 others were unknown and would take time to locate. The ceasefire agreement, published by Israeli media, acknowledged that Hamas may not be able to locate all remains within the timeframe. The Israeli Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that Hamas’s “violation of the deal must be met with a serious response,” urging the Israeli government to suspend the ceasefire. BBC News reports.

Hamas gunmen last night publicly executed eight Palestinians in Gaza, according to reports from Gaza residents today and video authenticated by the BBC. Hamas said that the killings targeted “criminals and collaborators with Israel.” Rushdi Abualouf reports for BBC News.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

“We have had very good indications already,” that countries, including the United States as well as European and Arab states, will contribute to the $70 billion cost of rebuilding Gaza, U.N. Development Programme official Jacob Cilliers said today. Cilliers estimated that the two-year war on Gaza had generated 55 million tons of rubble. Emma Farge reports for Reuters.

The U.N. Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, yesterday announced an additional $11 million for aid in Gaza from the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund, bringing the total to $20 million. Fletcher added that this is a critical window to get aid in before winter. Doha Madani reports for NBC News.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – U.S. POLITICAL RESPONSE

“The first steps to peace are always the hardest,” President Donald Trump said yesterday at the peace summit in Egypt, adding that “rebuilding is maybe going to be the easiest part.” The United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey yesterday signed the “Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity” which commits these nations to “a future of enduring peace,” but provides no specific details on the next stages for ending the war. “A lot of people like the one-state solution. Some people like the two-state solution. We’ll have to see,” Trump said on social media on his return from the summit. Michelle L. Price reports for AP News; Holly Ellyat reports for CNBC News.

During his speech to the Knesset, Trump yesterday urged Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is standing trial on three corruption charges. “Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about this?” Trump said in reference to the charges. Barak Ravid reports for Axios.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plan to meet at the White House on Friday, a senior Ukrainian official told POLITICO. Separately, in a Sunday interview, Zelenskyy signalled that Trump’s success in negotiating a ceasefire in Gaza gave him more confidence that peace could be reached between Russia and Ukraine. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is pushing Ukraine and Russia to agree to local ceasefires so that external power can be restored to the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, two diplomats told AP News. The IAEA did not comment on the timing of the plans, but has said that Director General Rafael Grossi is engaging “intensively with both sides” to “help prevent a nuclear accident.” Stephanie Liechtenstein reports.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

The self-proclaimed Islamic State-backed Allied Democratic Forces yesterday allegedly killed 19 people in an attack in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to two local officials. The ADF have not currently claimed responsibility for the attack. Reuters reports.

French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday rejected calls to resign despite two no-confidence motions being tabled against his government. Macron indicated that he has no plans to step down before his term ends in 2027 and said that his rivals are to blame for destabilising France. Alessandro Parodi reports for Reuters.

Madagascan President Andry Rajoelina announced yesterday that he is hiding in an undisclosed location following threats on his life after weeks of protests in Madagascar. “A group of military personnel and politicians planned to assassinate me,” Rajoelina told the nation via a Facebook live broadcast yesterday. John Eligon reports for the New York Times

The Venezuelan government yesterday announced that it will close its embassies in Norway and Australia and open new ones in Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe. The closures are part of the “strategic re-assignation of resources,” the government said, adding that the new embassies will be in “two sister nations, strategic allies in the anti-colonial fight and in the resistance of hegemonic pressures.” Vivian Sequera and Deisy Buitrago report for Reuters.

TECH DEVELOPMENTS

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) yesterday signed several bills aimed at protecting children using chatbots and AI tools online. One of the bills requires operators to have protocols in place to address content or interactions involving suicide or self-harm. The other bills focused on age verification, social media warning labels, and deepfakes. Maria Curi reports for Axios.

OpenAI and Broadcom yesterday announced a partnership to develop and deploy 10 gigawatts of custom AI chips and computing systems over the next four years. They did not disclose the financial terms of the arrangement. According to sources, the agreement will be worth multiple billions of dollars. Beber Jin and Robbie Whelan report for the Wall Street Journal.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said yesterday that “the world is falling shortest […] on [AI] regulation and ethics,” adding that civil society groups need to “ring the alarm bells.” Georgieva added that the IMF was “quite worried” about the gap between advanced economic and low-income countries on AI development and use. Andrea Shalal reports for Reuters.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

Several news outlets, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, AP News, and CNN, said yesterday that they would not sign the Defense Department’s new press policy by today’s deadline. “The proposed restrictions undercut First Amendment protections by placing unnecessary constraints on gathering and publishing information,” the Post’s editor Matt Murray said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to the statements from news organizations on social media with a hand-waving goodbye emoji. Scott Nover reports for the Washington Post; Ellen Mitchell reports for the Hill.

Hundreds of federal employees working in mental health services and disaster preparedness within the Health and Human Services Department were fired over the weekend in addition to CDC employees, current and laid-off workers said yesterday. An HHS spokesperson said that those who were fired were deemed nonessential, adding the agency is working to “close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the […] Make America Healthy Again agenda.” Ali Swenson and Jonel Aleccia report for AP News.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said yesterday that Coast Guard service members will be paid this week despite the government shutdown. Noem said that the Homeland Security Department had found an “innovative” way to provide the money. A DHS spokesperson did not provide any further information about the details of the “innovative solution.” Racquel Coronell Uribe reports for NBC News.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced yesterday that it will cut 10% of its workforce, around 550 jobs, as part of a “realignment of its workforce” and not as a result of government shutdown. Employees will be notified today about their positions. NASA has faced uncertainty over its budget since facing major cuts under the Trump administration. Chow reports for NBC News.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday that “there [have] been substantial communications over the weekend” between Washington and Beijing to de-escalate the trade conflict that was reignited last week.“We have plenty of straight, brute-force countermeasures that we can pull,” Bessent added. Bessent indicated that he expects Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will still meet at the end of October. The United States and China today began charging additional port fees on each other’s vessels. Doug Palmer reports for POLITICO; Lisa Baertlein, Liz Lee, and Joe Cash report for Reuters.

Cuban authorities yesterday released a prominent Cuban political dissident,José Daniel Ferrer, from prison, with Ferrer leaving Cuba for exile in the United States with his family. The Cuban foreign ministry said that Ferrer had been freed due to a request from the U.S. government. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Ferrer’s arrival in Miami yesterday, saying “we are glad that Ferrer is now free from the regime’s oppression.” David C. Adams reports for the New York Times.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

While seeking sponsorship for a conference, the 1789 Capital investment fund marketed an “Inaugural U.S. Treasury A.I Summit” during which Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would allegedly unveil the Treasury Department’s AI strategy, according to an email to potential donors seen by the Wall Street Journal. Ethics experts say it is unusual for a private conference offering VIP perks to sponsors to be marketed as a government-hosted event designed to unveil U.S. government policy. A Treasury Department spokesperson said the agency had not approved the pitch materials distributed by the fund. An official said yesterday that Bessent may not even attend the event due to the ongoing government shutdown. The 1789 Capital fund is run by prominent Trump supporters. Josh Dawsey reports.

ICYMI: yesterday on Just Security