Day: November 3, 2025

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A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news:

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – CEASEFIRE

The Israeli military killed three people in Gaza on Friday, according to Palestinian health authorities. Residents also reported Israeli shelling and gunfire in northern Gaza. Israeli forces yesterday killed a Palestinian man in Gaza in a drone attack on the Shujayea neighborhood of Gaza City, according to Palestinian medical officials. The Israeli military said the man had crossed the yellow line marking the ceasefire boundary, but did not offer any evidence. Al Jazeera reports; Midal Al-Mughrabi and Pesha Magid report for Reuters.

Hamas yesterday handed over the remains of three deceased hostages to Israel; forensic tests showed that the remains were those of three Israeli soldiers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said this morning. The confirmation means that eight dead Israeli and foreign hostages are still in Gaza. Dearbail Jordan and David Gritten report for BBC News.

The remains of three deceased individuals handed over to Israel by Hamas on Friday night did not belong to any of the hostages, Israeli media reported on Saturday. Hamas said in a statement that it had initially offered three samples from unidentified bodies to the Israeli authorities for testing, which Israel refused as it insisted upon full remains. Hamas “handed the bodies over to stop the claims of Israel,” the statement said. Health officials in Gaza have struggled to identify bodies without access to DNA kits. The handover followed Israel’s return of the bodies of 30 Palestinians to Gaza on Friday. Muhammad Al Gebaly and Enas Alashray report for Reuters; Renata Brito reports for AP News.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – POLITICAL RESPONSE

“The violations [of the ceasefire] are happening every day,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani told CNN yesterday, adding “we work together very closely with [Egypt and the United States] to make sure that the ceasefire stay intact.” David Cohen reports for POLITICO.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to meet with foreign ministers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia to discuss the Gaza ceasefire and next steps today in Istanbul. Fidan is expected to urge that concrete arrangements be made without delay to ensure both the security and effective administration of Gaza, a Turkish foreign ministry source said. Tuvan Gumrukcu reports for Reuters.

WEST BANK VIOLENCE

Israeli forces yesterday killed 17-year-old Jami Atef Hanani in Beit Furik in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. An Israeli settler this morning killed Ahmed Rabhi al-Atrash, a Palestinian man, in the Ras al-Joura area of the West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent said that Israeli forces blocked its crew from providing the man treatment after he was shot. UNRWA said on Saturday that October “is on track to be the most violent month since UNRWA began tracking settler violence in 2013.” Latest UN figures, published on Thursday, record at least 126 Israeli settler attacks in 70 Palestinian towns and villages so far this olive harvest season. Al Jazeera reports; Al Jazeera reports.

ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH – CEASEFIRE

Netanyahu said yesterday that Hezbollah was seeking to rearm and Israel would “act as necessary” if Lebanon failed to disarm the militant group. The Israeli military said in a statement yesterday that it had killed four Hezbollah members in an airstrike in southern Lebanon. Tala Ramadan reports for Reuters.

HOUTHI DEVELOPMENTS

Detained U.N. staff will face trial in Yemen on suspicion of links to an Israeli airstrike that killed top Houthi leaders in August, including the prime minister of the Iran-backed Houthi government, the acting Houthi foreign minister told Reuters. Of the 36 detained U.N. employees, it is unclear how many would stand trial. The U.N. has repeatedly rejected Houthi accusations that U.N. staff were involved. Abdulrhman Al-Ansi and Khaled Abdullah report.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

“We are holding Pokrovsk,” Ukrainian Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Saturday. The Russian Defence Ministry’s Zvezda news outlets also said on Saturday that Ukrainian troops were beginning to lay down their arms in Pokrovsk. Reuters has not been able to verify battlefield accounts due to restricted access. Reuters reports.

U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS 

The U.S. military killed at least three people in another strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday. The latest attack raised the death toll of the campaign to about 65 people, including a man who is presumed dead after a search by the Mexican Navy failed to find someone from an attack on October 27 in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Carol Rosenberg reports for the New York Times.

The Justice Department told Congress last week that a 1973 law called the War Powers Resolution, which requires congressionally unauthorized deployments into hostilities to end after 60 days, does not apply to the Trump administration’s military strikes on alleged drug vessels at sea, according to several sources. “The operation comprises precise strikes conducted by largely unmanned aerial vehicles launched […] at distances too far away for the crews of the targeted vessels to endanger American personnel,” a senior U.S. official said. Charlie Savage and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times.

“These attacks – and their mounting human cost – are unacceptable,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Friday, adding that there was no justification under international law for the strikes. Nick Cumming-Bruce reports for the New York Times.

OTHER GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS

The U.N. Security Council adopted a U.S.-backed resolution on Friday supporting Morocco’s plan for Western Saharan autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. “We urge all parties in the coming week to come to the table and engage in serious discussion,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz told the Council. Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters.

The foreign ministers of Germany, Jordan, and the United Kingdom on Saturday jointly called for an immediate ceasefire in the war in Sudan, adding that the conflict had long been neglected while suffering only increased. John Gambrell reports for AP News.

WHO said on Friday that the gunmen who allegedly killed at least 460 people last week in the hospital in El Fasher attacked in several waves, while abducting doctors and nurses. A WHO spokesperson said that at least six medical personnel are still being held, but did not specify who the attackers were. The Sudanese Rapid Support Forces paramilitary have denied committing the killings at the hospital. Sarah El Deeb and Jamey Keaten report for AP News.

Israeli military prosecutor General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi resigned on Friday after admitting that she was responsible for leaking a video showing Israeli soldiers assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility. Tomer-Yerushalmi said she had leaked the video to counter criticism that the military was prioritizing Palestinian detainees over Israeli troops. Defense lawyers for the Israeli soldiers charged with abuse against the detainee yesterday called for the trial to be dismissed, saying the legal process had been sullied. Julia Frankel reports for AP News; Isabel Kershner reports for the New York Times.

TECH DEVELOPMENTS

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday pushed a proposal for a global body to govern artificial intelligence at a meeting of APEC leaders. Xi said that a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization could set governance rules, making AI a “public good for the international community.” Chinese officials said the organization could be based in Shanghai. Reuters reports.

Trump said that Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips will be reserved for U.S. companies and kept out of China and other countries, in an interview aired yesterday. “We don’t give [the Blackwell] chip to other people,” Trump added. Alexandra Alper and Jasper Ward report for Reuters.

U.S. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

On Friday, Trump threatened possible sanctions against Nigeria, declaring it a “country of particular concern” in terms of religious freedom. Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said on social media that religious freedom has “been a core tenet of [Nigeria’s] collective identity and shall always remain so.” Ben Johansen reports for POLITICO.

Trump said on Saturday that he has asked the Defense Department to prepare for potential “fast” military action in Nigeria to “completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” without providing any evidence about the treatment of Christians in Nigeria. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” he added. A spokesman for the Nigerian President told AP News on Sunday that Trump’s military threat appears to be part of “Trump’s style of going forceful in order to force a sit-down and have a conversation.” Andrea Shalal and Camillus Eboh report for Reuters; Chinedu Asadu reports for AP News.

Hegseth pledged on Saturday that the United States is ready to share advanced tools and capabilities with Southeast Asian allies to strengthen response efforts amid growing “destabilizing actions” from China in the South China Sea. Danial Azhar reports for Reuters.

Hegseth said yesterday that Washington and Beijing would establish military-to-military communication channels, adding that bilateral ties have never been better. Hegseth said he agreed with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun that “peace, stability, and good relations are the best path for our two great and strong countries.” Eileen Ng reports for AP News.

U.S. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS 

A federal judge on Friday ordered the arrest of John Goudreau, a former Green Beret in the U.S. Army Special Forces, after he failed to appear at a court hearing. Goudreau was arrested last year on weapons smuggling charges tied to a failed plot to invade Venezuela in 2020. Curt Anderson and Joshua Goodman report for AP News.

The U.S. Park Police plans to double its size in Washington, D.C. over the next six months in order to establish itself as “the premier law enforcement agency in D.C.,”  according to documents obtained by the Washington Post. An internal document from August describes plans for the Park Police to collaborate with other agencies in executing warrants and tackling narcotics, firearms, and immigration issues. The Park Police are usually tasked with protecting national parkland and monuments. Olivia George and Hannah Natanson report.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS

Reporters seeking to speak with White House officials in the West Wing office for communications staff will now need an appointment, according to a White House memo released on Friday. The White House said the move was motivated by structural changes that require communications staff to be responsible for matters pertaining to the National Security Council, and thus routinely engaging with sensitive material. Aaron Pellish reports for POLITICO.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said yesterday that nuclear testing ordered by Trump will not involve nuclear explosions, adding that it will involve “the other parts of the nuclear weapon” to ensure they are working properly. Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports for the New York Times.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LITIGATION

A federal judge in Rhode Island on Friday ordered the Trump administration to use an existing emergency reserve to pay for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program from November 1, when the SNAP budget was set to run out. On Saturday, the judge followed up on his oral ruling with a written order requiring the administration to make full food stamp payments no later than Monday, or alternatively, partial payments by the end of Wednesday. On Friday, another federal judge in Boston ruled that the Trump administration had until Monday to decide to pay at least partial SNAP benefits, stating that those funds are legally available. Tony Romm reports for the New York Times. Jennifer Ludden and Jaclyn Diaz report for NPR.

A federal judge on Friday ruled that Trump’s executive order requiring proof of citizenship on federal voter registration forms violated the separation of powers, claiming authority over the voting process not afforded by the Constitution. “Congress has never assigned any responsibility for the content of the federal form to the president or to any other individual in the executive branch,” the judge wrote in issuing a permanent injunction. Zach Montague reports for the New York Times.

A federal judge yesterday issued a preliminary injunction extending a block on the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, for another five days until she makes her final decision in the case following the close of the trial. Anna Griffin reports for the New York Times.

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