Gaza ceasefire talks gather momentum amid ongoing strikes
Middle East – Ceasefire Push & Hostage Diplomacy
Israeli aircraft and tanks hit multiple targets across the Gaza Strip overnight, flattening homes even as negotiators headed to Cairo to explore a U.S-brokered plan to halt the war. Field reports from Gaza City described drones dropping grenades and whole blocks reduced to rubble, while local health officials counted at least four new deaths.
The diplomatic track accelerated after Hamas accepted key parts of President Donald Trump’s 20-point roadmap, including releasing all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Talks in Cairo will bring together delegations from Israel, Hamas, the United States, Egypt and Qatar to nail down “technical details” of a phased ceasefire and troop withdrawal. Trump dispatched his son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff, warning Hamas he would “not tolerate delay,” according to U.S. officials.
Despite Washington’s public call to “stop the bombing,” Israeli strikes on Saturday killed dozens, sparking fresh questions over whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can balance pressure from hard-liners at home with the promise of a truce abroad. Hamas, for its part, reiterated in its formal written response that Gaza’s future administration should be handed to an independent Palestinian technocratic authority.
Analysts caution that thorny issues—Hamas disarmament, an Israeli withdrawal timetable and post-war governance—still loom. An explainer by Reuters notes that two earlier ceasefires collapsed within weeks. Yet for exhausted Gazans, even a slim chance offers hope; residents told reporters on the ground they “cling to the idea this will be the last war.”
Reuters
AFPEurope – Escalation in Ukraine & Wider Security Jitters
Russia unleashed one of its largest combined drone-and-missile barrages of the year, killing at least five people in Lviv and Zaporizhzhia and knocking out power to tens of thousands, according to Ukrainian and AFP tallies. President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 50 missiles and nearly 500 drones were fired overnight.
Neighbouring NATO members felt the tremors: Poland scrambled jets, while Germany coped with multiple mystery drone incursions that shut Munich Airport twice in 48 hours. Berlin’s interior minister warned of “an arms race in the skies.”
On the political front, President Vladimir Putin threatened that any U.S. supply of Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv would “destroy” relations with Washington. Kyiv, meanwhile, accused Beijing of aiding Russia with satellite intelligence; a senior Ukrainian spy shared details in an interview.
Rail travel was also dragged into the conflict: twin drone strikes hit a station in Shostka, killing one and injuring about 30 passengers, Ukrainian rail officials said.
ReutersAFPAsia-Pacific – Historic Change in Tokyo, Fresh Tensions in Taipei
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party selected Sanae Takaichi, a conservative ex-interior minister, as its leader, positioning her to become the nation’s first woman prime minister when parliament votes on October 15. Her victory, chronicled by Reuters and AFP, comes amid voter frustration over inflation and immigration.
Takaichi, who cites Margaret Thatcher as a role model, pledges aggressive fiscal stimulus and a tougher security stance, including regular visits to the controversial Yasukuni shrine—moves likely to rattle Beijing and Seoul. In Washington, a senior senator unveiled a bill to harden economic penalties against any Chinese move on Taiwan, underscoring regional nerves.
ReutersAFPMarkets & Energy – Bitcoin Soars, OPEC+ Weighs Output Hike
The crypto rally rolled on as Bitcoin set a fresh record above $125,000, buoyed by steady ETF inflows and softer U.S. dollar trading, market data show. Analysts said friendlier regulation from the Trump administration has broadened institutional demand.
Meanwhile, the “Voluntary Eight” core of the OPEC+ alliance meets virtually today amid speculation it may raise output by up to 500,000 barrels per day. Falling Brent prices—now below $65—have sharpened debate, with some members eager to defend market share while Russia worries about revenue for its war effort.
ReutersAFPUnrest & Elections – Flashpoints From Africa to the Caucasus
Security forces in Somalia battled al Shabaab gunmen who stormed a high-security prison near the presidential palace in Mogadishu, using a suicide car bomb to blast their way in.
In the South Caucasus, Georgia’s ruling party declared sweeping wins in local elections, but crowds demanding “power to the people” clashed with police outside the presidential palace. Tear gas and water cannon dispersed the rally, according to AFP and Reuters eyewitnesses.
A continent away, Malawi swore in 85-year-old Peter Mutharika for a second term, promising to “fix” an economy mired in debt and shortages, state media reported.
And in Indonesia, rescuers recovered more bodies from a collapsed Islamic boarding school on Java, raising the death toll to 37 and leaving two dozen still missing, official statements confirmed.
ReutersAFP