Early Edition: October 17, 2025

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here.

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

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE

Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said yesterday that 67,967 people have died in Gaza since October 7, 2023, stating that 29 people have been added to the total in the past 24 hours. The Ministry said that four people had been killed in the last 24 hours, 22 people had been recovered from under the rubble, and three others had “succumbed to their injuries.” BBC News reports.

An Israeli court yesterday extended the detention of Palestinian Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who was detained almost a year ago, according to his legal team. Physicians for Human Rights Israel condemned the court decision to suspend the legal review of his case for six months, alleging that Israel continues to hold Palestinian doctors “under conditions of torture and starvation.” Abeer Salman and Sana Noor Haq report for CNN.

Marwan Barghouti, a prominent Palestinian prisoner, was beaten unconscious by Israeli prison guards on September 14, his son told the BBC. Barghouti was allegedly handcuffed, put on the floor, and beaten by the guards, according to the testimony from five separate Palestinian detainees released by Israel this week. The Israel Prison Service told the BBC, “These are false claims.” Tom Bennett reports.

ISRAEL- HAMAS WAR – HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

The United States and Israeli-backed private contractor, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, told BBC News that it has not operated in Gaza since October 10, despite having been funded until the end of November. “Right now we’re on pause,” a GHF spokesperson said, adding that he was unsure if they would continue providing aid in Gaza. Merlyn Thomas and Kevin Nguyen report.

Israeli and U.S. officials said yesterday that Israel is now providing quantities of aid to Gaza that meet the amount required under the ceasefire agreement. An Israeli official had told CNN that Israel only allowed 300 trucks – half the required amount – into Gaza on Wednesday. The same official later said that as of yesterday, there were no restrictions on the movement of aid, as per the levels agreed. UNRWA said yesterday that it is seeing improvements in the levels of aid entering Gaza but warns that the hundreds of trucks needed daily are not yet reaching Palestinians. Jeremy Diamond, Tal Shalev, and Oren Liebermann report; BBC News reports.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – POLITICAL RESPONSE

“If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them,” President Donald Trump said yesterday on social media. Trump later clarified that he did not mean the U.S. military. “Someone will go in,” he said. “It’s not going to be us.” Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports for the New York Times.

France, the United Kingdom, and the United States are working to finalize a U.N. Security Council resolution to lay the foundation for an international force in Gaza, according to a French foreign ministry spokesperson. John Irish and Michelle Nichols report for Reuters.

HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS

Iran-backed Houthi rebels yesterday said that the Houthi’s military chief of staff Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Ghomari had been killed in an “Israeli-American” airstrike, without disclosing when or any other further details. The statement said that Ghomari was killed along with “some of his companions” and his 13-year-old son. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday, “Another chief-of-staff in the line of terror chiefs who aimed to harm us has been eliminated. We will reach all of them.” Shuaib Almosawa and Vivian Nereim report for the New York Times.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR 

Trump said yesterday that he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary in the next “two weeks or so” to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, following a two-hour phone call with Putin. Zolann Kanno-Youngs reports for the New York Times.

Russian forces are using small drones armed with North Korean cluster munitions in attacks in southern Ukraine, according to a report published yesterday. John Ismay reports for the New York Times.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs yesterday released figures showing that 14 Palestinians were killed and more than 200 were injured in the Occupied West Bank last month. The figures show that in September there were 142 Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians, and 285 Palestinians living in the West Bank were displaced. Sophie Tanno reports for CNN.

A suicide attack today allegedly killed seven Pakistani soldiers and injured 13 others near the border with Afghanistan, according to Pakistani security officials. The attack occurred amid a 48-hour ceasefire agreed between Kabul and Islamabad. Mushtaq Ali reports for Reuters.

The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have agreed in principle to merge the SDF into the national army, a commander of the SDF, Mazloum Abdi, told AP News yesterday. Hogir Al Abdo reports.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Head of the U.S. military’s Southern Command, Adm. Alvin Hosley, is leaving his position overseeing all operations in Central and Southern America less than a year into his tenure. Hosley has not said why he is leaving the role and did not publicly voice any policy objections. A current and former U.S. official said that Hosley had raised concerns about the attacks on alleged drug vessels. Eric Schmitt and Tyler Page report for the New York Times.

There were survivors among the crew following a U.S. military strike yesterday against another alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean Sea, a U.S. official told Reuters. The official did not offer any other details about the incident, except to say that it was not clear whether the strike had been intended to leave survivors. Phil Stewart reports.

The U.S. Special Operations Aviation Regiment appears to have flown near Trinidad’s northeast coast, less than 90 miles from the coast of Venezuela in recent days, according to visual analysis by the Washington Post. A U.S. official said that the helicopters were engaged in training exercises, which could be preparation for expanded conflict against alleged drug traffickers. Pentagon Press Secretary said that “the Department will not respond to speculation about military operations based on analysis by ‘experts.’” Alex Horton and Samuel Oakford report.

The White House rejected a plan proposed by Venezuelan government officials, in which Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro would step down from power in three years and hand over power to the current Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, according to a former Trump administration official. Both Maduro and Rodriguez denied the existence of the alleged plan. The official said that the White House rejected the plan as it continues to question Maduro’s legitimacy. Aamer Madhani and David Klepper report for AP News.

Family members of Chad Joseph, a 26-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago, came forward yesterday to say that they believe he was one of six people on board the vessel that was blown up by the U.S. military this week in the Caribbean Sea. Trinidad and Tobago’s Defense Minister Wayne Sturge said he had not received confirmation that any of those on the boat were from Trinidad. No authority has come forward to publicly release any names of the 27 people killed in U.S. military strikes since September 2. Prior Beharry and Frances Robles report for the New York Times.

A Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said yesterday that the United States’ “interpretation seriously distorts and exaggerates China’s [rare earth export control] measures,” adding that “provided the export license applications are compliant and intended for civilian use, they will be approved.” China has resisted calls from the United States to roll back the measures. Joe Cash reports for Reuters.

Saudi Arabia is discussing a defense deal with the Trump administration, according to sources. Sources said that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hopes the agreement will be “robust” and include enhanced military and intelligence cooperation. A senior Trump administration official said, “There are discussions about signing something when the crown prince comes, but the details are in flux.” Andrew England, Abigail Hauslohner, and Ahmed Al Omran report for the Financial Times.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced yesterday that he will deploy the state’s National Guard to Austin ahead of this weekend’s planned No Kings protest. “Violence and destruction will never be tolerated in Texas,” Abbott said in the statement. More than 2,600 No Kings protests are planned to go ahead on Saturday across the United States. Gregory Svirnovskiy reports for POLITICO.

A federal grand jury yesterday indicted John Bolton, Trump’s former national security advisor, on charges of illegally sending classified information to two unauthorized family members and retaining documents. Bolton yesterday said, “I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those [Trump] deems enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts.” Devlin Barrett, Glenn Thrush, and Minho Kim report for the New York Times; Rebecca Falconer reports for Axios.

Federal prosecutors yesterday unsealed terrorism charges against two men accused of attacking an immigration detention center outside Dallas this summer, allegedly as part of the antifa movement. This appears to be the first time that terrorism charges have been brought against anyone associated with antifa. Alan Feuer reports for the New York Times.

U.S. IMMIGRATION DEVELOPMENTS

Salesforce, a San Francisco-based tech firm, has offered its services to ICE, suggesting that ICE could use the company’s AI capabilities “to nearly triple” the agency’s staff, according to screenshots of internal documents and communication obtained by the New York Times. A memo sent to ICE on August 26 says Salesforce could help “identify, engage and acquire the talent profile proven to drive ICE mission success, and in turn, administration priorities.” It is unclear how much money the services could raise or whether Salesforce has been granted the contract. Heather Knight reports.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

The University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California have rejected the White House deal to grant preferential access to federal funds in exchange for the universities’ agreement to restrictions. Rebecca Carballo reports for POLITICO.

The Trump administration has promised tens of thousands of ICE and Border Patrol agents that they will be paid during the government shutdown, according to emails seen by Reuters. Homeland Security Department Secretary Kristi Noem said that more than 70,000 law enforcement officers across DHS will receive a “supercheck” on October 22 covering all hours worked during the shutdown and the next pay period. Jana Winter, Ted Hesson, and Marisa Taylor report.

The Justice Department yesterday charged Smartmatic, a voting-technology provider, with conspiring to bribe foreign officials and money laundering in an attempt to win business in the Philippines in 2016. Smartmatic said yesterday, “We will not be intimidated by those pulling the strings of power.” Dave Michaels reports for the Wall Street Journal.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A unanimous federal appeals court panel yesterday issued a preliminary ruling upholding a lower court decision from October 8 to block the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to the Chicago area. Mattathias Schwartz reports for the New York Times.

A federal judge in Chicago yesterday ordered federal agents to wear body cameras and for the director of ICE’s Chicago field office to appear in court on Monday morning. The judge said that she was “profoundly concerned” that federal agents might have violated her earlier court order setting limits on federal agents’ use of tear gas and requiring them to give protesters a dispersal warning. “The field director is going to explain to me why I am seeing images of tear gas being deployed,” she said. Mattathias Schwartz and Robert Chiarito report for the New York Times

A federal judge yesterday issued a permanent injunction blocking the Trump administration from cutting $34 million in anti-terrorism funds for New York’s transit system. The judge said that the move by the Homeland Security Department to revoke the money on September 30 was “arbitrary, capricious, and a blatant violation of the law.” Shayna Jacobs reports for the Washington Post.

Three labor unions yesterday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging First Amendment breaches for revoking the visas of those expressing views critical of the administration on social media. The suit challenges the State Department’s Catch and Revoke surveillance program, which “includes AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders’ social media accounts.” Julianna Bragg reports for Axios.

The Chamber of Commerce yesterday filed a lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s plan to charge $100,000 for H-1B visas. Emily Peck and Ben Berkowitz report for Axios.