Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here.
A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the past 24 hours. Here’s today’s news
MOSCOW CONCERT HALL ATTACK
Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time yesterday acknowledged that Friday’s terror attack in Moscow was carried out by Islamic militants, but again attempted to blame Ukraine. “We know that the crime was carried out by radical Islamists,” Putin said in televised remarks, but he added that the Kremlin was investigating “who ordered” the attack and implied Kyiv was responsible. “The question that arises is who benefits from this? This atrocity may be just a link in a whole series of attempts by those who have been at war with our country since 2014 by the hands of the neo-Nazi Kyiv regime,” Putin said. POLITICO reports.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
The U.N. Security Council yesterday passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the remaining weeks of Ramadan, ending a five-month deadlock during which the United States vetoed three calls for a cease to the fighting and Russia and China vetoed the previous one. The resolution passed with 14 votes in favor and the United States abstaining, which U.S. officials said was partly because the resolution did not condemn Hamas. The resolution also called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” and the lifting of “all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance.” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the resolution “nonbinding.” Farnaz Fassihi, Aaron Boxerman, and Thomas Fuller report for the New York Times.
The Israeli military launched attacks in northern and southern Gaza today, despite the U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said “troops are operating in the area of Al Amal in Khan Yunis; the IDF and ISA are continuing to conduct precise operational activity in the Shifa hospital,” with Israel’s air force claiming targets on 60 sites across Gaza over the past day. In a statement on X, Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, insisted that Israel “will not ceasefire,” adding that Israel “will destroy Hamas and continue to fight until the last of the hostages returns home.” CNN reports.
Palestinian media reported that at least 18 people were killed in an overnight Israeli air strike on a residential building on the outskirts of Rafah. The Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Centre and Safa news agency said dozens of displaced people were sheltering in the building. BBC News reports.
Hamas said yesterday it has informed mediators that it will stick to its original proposal for a full ceasefire, which includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a return of displaced Palestinians. The group also demanded what it called a “real exchange of prisoners,” referring to the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in return for Israeli hostages being held in Gaza. Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, is set to arrive in Tehran today to meet Iran’s foreign minister and other Iranian officials, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency. Reuters reports.
The U.N. special expert on the Occupied Territories says there are reasonable grounds to believe Israel has committed “acts of genocide” in Gaza. Francesca Albanese will present her report to the U.N. Human Rights Council this afternoon, where Israel has a formal right of response. Imogen Foulkes reports for BBC News.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — U.S. RESPONSE
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday he would not send a planned high-level delegation to Washington for meetings with U.S. officials, in a sign of immediate fallout from the passage of the U.N. ceasefire resolution. Netanyahu denounced the U.S. abstention as a “retreat from the consistent American position since the beginning of the war” that “gives Hamas hope that international pressure will enable them to achieve a cease-fire without freeing the hostages.” Meanwhile, national security spokesperson John Kirby insisted there had been no change in the U.S. position and said the United States had abstained on rather than voted for the resolution because the text “did not include a condemnation of Hamas.” Aaron Boxerman reports for the New York Times.
Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, is scheduled to hold a second day of meetings today with senior Biden administration officials in Washington as tensions escalate between the two allies. Gallant is expected to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and C.I.A. director Bill Burns. Gallant’s visit is continuing after Netanyahu lashed out at Washington for abstaining from the U.N. ceasefire resolution. U.S. officials say that Gallant is expected to ask for more U.S. weaponry and equipment during the meeting. Victoria Kim reports for the New York Times.
Former President Trump said Israel must “finish up” the war in Gaza in an interview yesterday with an Israeli news outlet and warned that Israel “has to be very careful” because it is “losing a lot of support.” Trump suggested he would have acted similarly to Israel’s government in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks, but said Israel made “a very big mistake” with photos and imagery of bombs in Gaza helping push a public opinion against the war. Jessica Piper reports for POLITICO.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE
China welcomed the U.N. resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. “The current draft is unequivocal and correct in its direction, demanding an immediate ceasefire, while the previous one has been evasive and ambiguous,” China’s ambassador to the U.N. Zhang Jun said. Zhang also highlighted the “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and urged all parties to restore funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. Simone McCarthy and Alex Stambaugh report for CNN.
Israel told four European countries yesterday that their plan to work toward recognizing a Palestinian state constituted a “prize for terrorism” that would dampen prospects for a negotiated resolution to the conflict. It follows Spain saying on Friday that it had agreed with Ireland, Malta, and Slovenia to take first steps toward recognizing Palestinian statehood. In a statement on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said, “Recognition of a Palestinian state following the October 7 massacre sends a message to Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations that murderous terror attacks on Israelis will be reciprocated with political gestures to the Palestinians.” Reuters reports.
The British Royal Air Force airdropped over 10 tons of food supplies into Gaza for the first time yesterday. The aid included water, rice, cooking oil, flour, tinned goods, and baby formula. British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said, “The UK has already tripled our aid budget to Gaza … We also continue to call on Israel to provide port access and open more land crossings in order to increase incoming aid deliveries to Gaza.”
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS
The High Court in London ruled today that Julian Assange, the embattled WikiLeaks founder, cannot be immediately extradited to the United States, saying U.S. authorities must first offer assurances about his treatment, including over protection from the death penalty. The court has given the United States three weeks to “give satisfactory assurances.” If those assurances are not given, Assange will be granted a right to a full appeal hearing. If the requested assurances are provided by the United States, there will be a further hearing on May 20 to decide if they “are satisfactory, and to make a final decision on leave to appeal.” Megan Specia reports for the New York Times.
The United States and Britain imposed sanctions on China’s elite hacking units yesterday, accusing Beijing’s top spy agency of a multi-year effort to place malware in U.S. electrical grids, defense systems and other critical infrastructure, and of stealing the voting rolls for 40 million British citizens. The move underscored the escalation of cyberconflict between the Western allies and Beijing. Separately, the Justice Department indicted individual Chinese hackers for what U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland called a 14-year effort “to target and intimidate” Beijing’s international critics. New Zealand also weighed in today, accusing state-sponsored Chinese hackers of launching “malicious cyber activity” against the country’s parliament in 2021. David E. Sanger and Mark Landler report for the New York Times.
China hit back at the United States and Britain for imposing sanctions, calling the move an act of “political manipulation.” “This is purely political manipulation. China is strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposes it,” ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, adding China has made solemn representations to both sides. Nectar Gan reports for CNN.
Japan’s cabinet has approved the export of new fighter jets it is developing with the United Kingdom and Italy, in the latest step away from its historically pacifist policies. The arms export rules have been eased to allow the jets to be sold to countries that Japan has signed defense pacts with, and where there is no ongoing conflict. Japan has pledged to double military spending by 2027, citing threats posed by China and North Korea. Kelly Ng reports for BBC News.
Militants attacked a Pakistan naval air base yesterday, killing at least one paramilitary soldier and leading to security forces killing all five of the assailants in response, officials said today. The attack marks the second assault by the ethnic Baloch Liberation Army group on a military facility in the past week. A Pakistan Navy spokesperson said all five attackers were killed after they tried to break into the base. Saleem Ahmed reports for Reuters.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko inspected a tank battalion near the Lithuanian border and instructed that any “provocation” there must be met with force, a Telegram channel close to his administration said today. “I will say publicly: any provocation must be stopped by military means … Any violation of the state border is a shoot-to-kill,” Lukashenko was quoted as saying. Reuters reports.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS
Ukraine hit the Konstantin Olshansky landing ship – which Russia captured from Ukraine during its occupation of Crimea in 2014 – with a missile, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian navy said today. There was no comment from Russia at the time of writing. Reuters reports.
DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS
A major bridge in Baltimore collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early today, causing several vehicles to fall into the river below. Rescuers are searching for at least seven people in the water, after the ship caught fire, hitting one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Two people have been saved from the water so far. “This is a dire emergency,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press. “Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people.”
TRUMP-LEGAL MATTERS
The first ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president will begin on 15 April as Judge Juan Merchan yesterday denied Trump’s request to delay his hush money case. Trump faces four criminal cases, but this may be the only one to make it to the courtroom before November’s election. Kayla Epstein reports for BBC News.
A state appeals court ruled that Trump and his co-defendants in the New York civil fraud case have 10 days to post a $175 million bond, down from the $464 million bond that was originally due yesterday. The ruling is a victory and relief for Trump, whose attorneys had previously said that meeting the larger bond was a “practical impossibility.” The ruling also means state Attorney General Letitia James’ office cannot yet begin collecting on the judgment. The size of any overall judgment will be determined on appeal. Rebecca Shabad and Dareh Gregorian report for NBC News.