Fdd's overnight brief

Israel

Hamas has handed over about a third of the bodies of hostages still in Gaza, citing difficulties in locating them, prompting calls by some families of hostages to pause the cease-fire deal until all the remains are returned. It may take some time. – Wall Street Journal

An Israeli airstrike killed the Houthis’ military chief of staff, the most senior official of the Yemeni rebel group to be killed by Israel. Israel said it was an August airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Muhammad Abdulkarim al-Ghamari. The Houthis, which announced his death on Thursday, said he was killed alongside his 13-year-old son Hussein. – Wall Street Journal

President Trump said on Thursday that if Hamas continued to kill people in Gaza, “we will have no choice but to go in and kill them,” a stark warning after Hamas fighters were captured on video in recent days executing members of rival groups in the Palestinian territory. – New York Times

Israel said on Thursday it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to let Palestinians in and out, but set no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of a U.S.-mediated ceasefire. – Reuters 

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday urged all parties to continue moving in the direction of a sustained lasting peace following a ceasefire in Gaza, saying it would benefit the entire region. – Reuters 

A ceasefire in Gaza is raising hopes among many in Israel that the country can begin to repair its image abroad, after months of deepening isolation due to the toll of the two-year conflict. – Reuters

Israel has shared the intelligence it has on the location of deceased hostages’ bodies in Gaza with mediating countries in the US-backed Gaza ceasefire deal, an Israeli official disclosed Thursday evening. – Agence France-Presse

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday the country’s “struggle is not over,” just days after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal that has since been blighted by a dispute over the return of deceased hostages. – CNN

Israel will continue refusing to allow a Turkish delegation of 81 rescue personnel and heavy equipment to enter the Gaza Strip until Hamas returns all the remains of deceased hostages that it can, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post

Four Palestinian residents from east Jerusalem and the West Bank were indicted for allegedly collaborating with the terrorists during the deadly terror attack at Ramot Junction on September 8, where six people were murdered and dozens were wounded, Israel Police said on Friday. – Jerusalem Post

Omri Miran, who was held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, was kept in a cramped cage and was bound for weeks during his time in captivity, according to details shared by his family to Israel Hayom. – Jerusalem Post 

Israel held state ceremonies on Mount Herzl on Thursday as part of a national memorial day marking the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, ministers, politicians, and senior IDF officials. – Jerusalem Post

Hamas is capable of returning a double-digit number of deceased hostages’ remains, an Israeli source told public broadcaster KAN News on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post

Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced on Thursday that he is advancing legislation in the Knesset to establish a special criminal tribunal to try Gazans accused of carrying out massacres and atrocities on October 7, 2023, in a process that could result in death sentences being handed down to those convicted. – Times of Israel

Editorial: Hamas’s reign of violence has already extracted at least one concession. The Al Majaydeh clan announced Monday that it will disarm to Hamas. Whatever Hamas conceded to on paper, Gaza is moving in the wrong direction. Hamas’s failure to hand over the Israeli hostage bodies violates the deal, and the terrorists appear to have no plans to surrender their arms as Mr. Trump’s terms require. This is why the agreement freed all the living hostages up front and kept Israeli forces at the ready in Gaza’s other half. – Wall Street Journal

Editorial: Now is not the time for infighting and the polarization that characterized the pre-October 7 atmosphere and undoubtedly contributed to Hamas concluding that the country was weakened and vulnerable. We must stand united in continuing to demand that Hamas return the rest of the hostages’ remains and in being vigilant. Because even though the current battle might be over, the war against Hamas is ongoing. – Jerusalem Post

James Stavridis writes: The Arab force should be under command of a three-star general from one of the nations involved, and will need to consist of at least 30,000 troops to have any chance of truly cutting off Hamas. The public executions conducted this week by the terrorist group certainly don’t show an organization willing to go out gently. As Trump said of Hamas, “If they don’t disarm, we will disarm them.” Good. But it’s a tough ticket: Doing so will require a big lift from the US military, and an even bigger one from Arab partners and other allies. But it represents the only possible path to peace in the region. – Bloomberg

Mathilda Heller writes: None of this is to say that Israel is not rejoicing for the return of our brothers and sisters. Very few in this country have done much else but watch the reunion videos over and over again over the last few days. It is a wonderful and joyful thing to have family members return. But to try to paint the release of prisoners and hostages in the same brushstroke, as if both were one and the same, is not only weak journalism, it also feeds into a discourse implying that the terrorists are on the same moral high ground as their Jewish victims. – Jerusalem Post

Duvi Honig writes: But let’s not forget Netanyahu, the architect who weathered the storms to build this foundation. In the end, true peace isn’t forged by one deal-maker alone; it’s the product of collective resolve, sacrifice, and unyielding determination. Now, we see the outer picture of triumph, but we must be thankful to Israel’s leadership, who made the daily heavy decisions as visionaries, helping pave the way to the current victory over Hamas and the release of the hostages. – Jerusalem Post

Russia and Ukraine

President Trump said Thursday he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on ending the war with Ukraine, while signaling the U.S. was putting off any decision on sending Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv. – Wall Street Journal

In a rare and almost unthinkable act of defiance in today’s Russia, a small crowd of young people gathered in central St. Petersburg to sing anti-war and anti-Kremlin songs, led by 18-year-old performer Diana Loginova. – Washington Post

Ukraine’s state grid operator, Ukrenergo, has introduced emergency power cuts in every region of the country following Russian attacks on the energy system, it said in a statement on Thursday. – Reuters 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday, on the eve of talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, that momentum in the Middle East peace process would help end his country’s more than 3-1/2-year-old war with Russia. – Reuters 

Russian war correspondent Ivan Zuyev was killed by a Ukrainian drone strike on Thursday while on assignment on the front line of the war in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, his publication, state news agency RIA said. – Reuters 

Russian attacks have forced Ukraine to suspend activities at several major gas facilities this month, the state energy company said on Thursday, leaving Kyiv in need of more imports. – Reuters 

The European Union has set a requirement for fuel importers into the bloc to prove their fuels are not made from Russian crude, according to a document published on Thursday. – Reuters 

The European Commission on Thursday proposed four flagship European defence projects, including a counter-drone system and a plan to fortify the eastern border, as part of a drive to get the continent ready to defend itself by 2030. – Reuters 

Ukraine’s General Staff claimed a strike on Rosneft PJSC’s Saratov refinery as NATO allies ramp up pressure on Russia’s energy industry to bring President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. – Bloomberg

Editorial: With winter approaching, speed is crucial. European leaders should work out the remaining obstacles to the loans as swiftly as possible, even as they accelerate arms deliveries and direct more financing toward Ukraine’s own weapons production. […] Resisting the urge to appropriate Russian assets was the right call. Using that money in a legally defensible manner to turn back Putin’s brutal and illegal invasion is, if anything, even more justified. Europe should move forward without delay. – Bloomberg

Rahm Emanuel writes: Which brings us back to Mr. Trump. The U.S. thus far has limited its use of sanctions, weapon transfers and other retaliations in ways that have allowed Ukraine not to lose the war while denying it the capacity to win. Mr. Putin is on the short end of a bad bet—a reality that Mr. Trump should easily perceive and use to America’s ultimate advantage. After his success in Gaza, Mr. Trump’s standing on the global stage has never been higher. The question now is whether the president will use his political leverage and capital to take the bold action necessary to make himself truly deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. That anniversary of Feb. 24 is fast approaching. – Wall Street Journal

Marc A. Thiessen writes: If Biden had just given Ukraine these weapons in early 2022, when Russia was on its heels after failing to take Kyiv, Ukraine may have won the war long ago. Now Putin is trying the same strategy on Trump. Unlike Biden, Trump won’t likely fall for his ploy. You don’t beat Trump in a game of escalation dominance. In the Middle East, Trump brokered peace by reversing Biden’s feckless policies and imposing devastating costs in Iran and its terrorist proxy Hamas. He can do the same in Ukraine with one simple step: Send the Tomahawks to Ukraine. – Washington Post

David Ignatius writes: The U.S. is supplying Ukraine with intelligence to precisely target Russian energy facilities. And Ukraine will soon have its own long-range drones that can hit Moscow, regardless of whether Kyiv receives the Tomahawks. Even the most hawkish Ukraine supporters should realize that this is a slippery slope. Trump has demonstrated two things in his first nine months: He yearns to be a peacemaker, and he’s ready to use the weapons of war to get what he wants. I hope Trump realizes he won’t get to peace in Budapest without raising the cost for Putin of continuing this ruinous conflict. – Washington Post

Jamie Dettmer writes: Overall, the cards have certainly started to flutter into Zelenskyy’s hands. Ukrainian officials and their supporters in the U.S. hope they’ll continue to do so — although they concede that with Trump, nothing can be taken for granted. How will he respond if Putin remains obdurate, as signs are that he will? Still, for all his unpredictability, they’re happier with this Trump than the one in February. – Politico

Korean Peninsula

Russian forces are using small drones armed with North Korean cluster munitions in attacks in southern Ukraine, as North Korea expands its support for Russia’s military, according to a report published on Thursday by a weapons research group. – New York Times

South Korea kicked off its largest-ever arms fair on Friday, with firms expected to show off new unmanned and artificial intelligence-enhanced weapons from howitzers to suicide drones, as Seoul seeks to strengthen its military and pursues more global defence sales. – Reuters

Cambodian and South Korean officials agreed Thursday to cooperate in combating online scams, after the death of a South Korean student who was reportedly forced to work in a scam center in Cambodia triggered public outrage in South Korea. – Associated Press

South Asia

When the Trump Organization in April announced another luxury real-estate project in India, Eric Trump gave a shout out to his local partners for helping accelerate the brand’s expansion. – Wall Street Journal

After President Trump announced that India had pledged to stop buying Russian oil, New Delhi on Thursday sought to strike a careful balance—dispute the claim while avoiding a public denial that could derail trade negotiations with Washington. – Wall Street Journal

The leader of the Pakistani Taliban appeared in a video Thursday to prove he was still alive, a week after an apparent attempt to assassinate him with an airstrike in Afghanistan provoked the most serious clash between the neighbours in decades. – Reuters 

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Islamabad was ready to hold talks with Afghanistan to resolve their conflict, as a temporary ceasefire that halted days of fierce fighting between the former allies largely held. – Reuters 

Afghanistan’s Taliban government said Thursday that Pakistan had carried out two drone strikes on Kabul the previous day, just before the two neighbors announced a ceasefire following days of fighting that killed dozens in both countries and injured hundreds more. – Associated Press

A prosecutor in a special domestic tribunal in Bangladesh sought the death penalty Thursday for ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a case involving charges of crimes against humanity in a mass uprising last year that forced her to leave the country. – Associated Press

Mihir Sharma writes: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is quick to sense when his voters are happy. The Aadhaar project was started before he took office, but he quickly adopted it and has run on its benefits ever since. The fact that he regularly trumpets it as an achievement is perhaps the most significant indication of how popular it now is. Starmer must be a little startled by how loud the opposition to an ID card is in Britain — all but two of the European Union’s 27 countries have something similar. But the chances are that, if he perseveres, the British will get used to it. I certainly have. – Bloomberg

Europe

Jabbing his finger at a life-size cardboard cutout of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Péter Magyar wooed the voters of this coal-mining town with a feisty speech about corruption and economic decline. – Wall Street Journal

In July 2022, Christopher Berry, a 30-year-old British economics teacher who had moved to China to work, traveled to Hangzhou to allegedly meet with one of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s most trusted confidants and his current chief of staff, Cai Qi. […] A year later, Berry and Cash were arrested by British police on suspicion of spying for China. – Wall Street Journal

The European Union will encourage its member states to jointly procure drone and air defense equipment as part of a five-year strategy to rearm and deter Russia. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, on Thursday proposed a reform of the EU’s military planning and procurement, aimed at making the bloc ready for combat by the end of the decade. – Wall Street Journal

President Donald Trump claimed that Europeans are losing their “wonderful right of freedom of speech.” Elon Musk told a far-right rally in London that Britons are “scared to exercise their free speech.” And Vice President JD Vance warned that U.S. troops stationed in Germany could be jailed for a “mean tweet.” – Washington Post

France’s government survived a crucial no-confidence vote in Parliament on Thursday by a thin margin, giving the country a brief respite from political turmoil before what is expected to be another brutal battle over its budget. – New York Times

France and Britain, in coordination with the United States, are working to finalise a U.N. Security Council resolution in the coming days that would lay the foundation for a future international force in Gaza, France said on Thursday. – Reuters 

Ireland’s High Court on Thursday struck down a decision by the Irish police not to investigate the legality of Airbnb operations in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, rejecting the argument that it did not have jurisdiction. – Reuters 

A Polish court will consider on Friday whether a Ukrainian diver who is wanted by Germany in connection with the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions should be handed over to Berlin. – Reuters 

A senior Belarusian diplomat has held meetings with Europeans after his country sent out invitations last month, in what European diplomats called an overture to reduce Minsk’s isolation after a thaw with Washington under Donald Trump. – Reuters 

Britain’s MI5 spy chief said on Thursday he was frustrated by the collapse of a China spying case which has led to intense scrutiny of whether the government was to blame, saying Chinese operatives posed a daily national security threat. – Reuters 

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticized Vladimir Putin as irrational and backed shooting down Russian jets that enter NATO airspace, following criticism that his views on Moscow could threaten his bid to become prime minister. – Bloomberg

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for the creation of a pan-European stock exchange as part of a broader push to help companies deal with competition from the US and Asia. – Bloomberg

A defendant acccused of involvement in a terrorist plot against Jewish communities in the UK was ejected from the courtroom following an outburst Thursday morning, Manchester Evening News reported. – Jerusalem Post

Joseph C. Sternberg writes: The purpose of all the drama in Paris is to avoid a new election, which Mr. Macron fears National Rally would win. One can understand any party’s desire not to lose an election, but the Macronists’ single-minded determination not to lose to Ms. Le Pen is starting to look unhinged. The political crisis France needs is one that pits against each other two contrasting visions of the economy, such that voters finally have to choose one. Maybe one day the country will even get it. – Wall Street Journal

Aleksandar Nikolic writes: On the same day that US President Donald Trump announced that an agreement had been reached that would finally end the agony of the 48 remaining Israeli hostages, the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, as he has on many previous occasions, gave his full support to dear Alon Ohel, who is also a Serbian citizen, as well as to his family, led by his mother Idit and father Kobi who have conducted themselves with heroic demeanors, and to all the other tortured kidnapped hostages and their exhausted families. This support was conveyed through the esteemed Jerusalem Post, but of no less importance were messages conveyed on the domestic Serbian scene, where sincere and subtle care for Alon has reigned. His yellow piano, which toured Serbia, will await him there. – Jerusalem Post

The Americas

Venezuela is moving troops into position on the Caribbean coast and mobilizing what President Nicolás Maduro asserts is a millions-strong militia in a display of defiance against the biggest American military buildup in the Caribbean since the 1980s. – Wall Street Journal

 At least one person was killed and dozens of police officers injured in widespread protests overnight in Peru against President Jose Jeri, who assumed power just days ago, the state ombudsman’s office said on Thursday. – Reuters 

Venezuela has asked the United Nations Security Council to determine that deadly U.S. strikes on vessels off its coast are illegal and issue a statement backing Venezuela’s sovereignty, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday. – Reuters 

U.S. and Brazilian officials held trade talks on Thursday that the two sides called positive and agreed to work to schedule a meeting between President Donald Trump and his counterpartLuiz Inacio Lula da Silva”at the earliest possible occasion”. – Reuters 

Panama President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday that someone at the U.S. Embassy has been threatening to cancel the visas of Panamanian officials as the Trump administration pressures Panama to limit its ties to China. – Associated Press

Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations accused the US of killing innocent people in the Caribbean, citing local reports that two of the men in the latest boat bombing were Trinidadian fishermen. – Bloomberg

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned Donald Trump’s authorization of covert CIA operations in Venezuela, calling it an “immoral” and “desperate” attempt at regime change. – Bloomberg

Chilean presidential candidate Jeannette Jara met with China’s ambassador to Chile, vowing to deepen bilateral ties just as tensions sharpen between Washington and Beijing. – Bloomberg

Canada is unlikely to object to US government investments in two Vancouver-based mining companies, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said, describing the deals as “capitalism in action.” – Bloomberg

Cybersecurity

North Korean operatives that dupe job seekers into installing malicious code on their devices have been spotted using new malware strains and techniques, resulting in the theft of credentials or cryptocurrency and ransomware deployment, according to researchers from Cisco Talos and Google Threat Intelligence Group. – Cyberscoop

Surveillance camera company Ring on Thursday announced it will begin sharing footage with Flock Safety, the manufacturer of automated license plate reader cameras and other police surveillance technologies. – The Record

Hackers are increasingly using stolen identities to breach organizations, impersonating employees or contractors before stealing data and launching ransomware, according to new research. – The Record

Gary Marcus writes: Right now, it feels as if Big Tech is throwing general-purpose A.I. spaghetti at the wall and hoping that nothing truly terrible sticks. As the A.I. pioneer Yoshua Bengio has recently emphasized, advancing generalized A.I. systems that can exhibit greater autonomy isn’t necessarily aligned with human interests. Humanity would be better served by labs devoting more resources on building specialized tools for science, medicine, technology and education. – New York Times

Chris Miller and John Allen write: Some European politicians think that strategic autonomy means going it alone, but to be competitive, the continent’s chip makers need even deeper connections with firms from allied countries. The United States has become a vexing partner for European industries and political leaders, yet European industry needs access to the American market and its leading U.S. AI technologies. The United States, for its part, would benefit from European help to reduce reliance on Asia for its technology supply chains. As Europe tries to revitalize its chip sector and rebuild its defense base, the United States remains an indispensable partner. – Foreign Affairs

Jeffrey Edwards writes: The time for reform is now. The United States should act with urgency, with courage, and with a bias for action. Empower your people. Trust their judgment. Let them do what warfighters were trained to do. In doing so, the U.S. military will ensure that America remains not only a cyber superpower in name, but a force capable of shaping operational outcomes and strategic success in the 21st century and beyond. – War on the Rocks