Ceasefire in Gaza Ends & the Russian Way of War

1. Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Begins and Ends

2. The Hamas-Iran Relationship

3. The Russian Way of War

4. Putin: US Trying to Dismember Russia

5. Yemen’s Houthis Increase Attacks

6. New Guard Post Erected in South China Sea

7. Podcast Recommendations

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1. Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Begins and Ends

A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came to a close Friday when hostilities resumed in the Gaza Strip. The initial deal was for a four day pause to allow for humanitarian aid to flow in while 50 hostages held by Hamas would be released for 150 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons. For the most part the truce held. There were a few reports of ceasefire violations but nothing significant enough to disrupt the ongoing agreement.

The four day pause was extended by 72 hours as Hamas continued to release at least 10 hostages per day. In total, 105 hostages were exchanged with 210 Palestinians. However on Friday the fighting resumed after Hamas did not provide the names of new hostages to be released before the deadline and subsequently fired rockets into Israeli territory.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-frees-2-israeli-women-with-6-8-more-set-for-return-thursday-alongside-3-bodies/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-resumes-gaza-military-operation-hamas-cease-fire-ends-rcna127541

2. The Hamas-Iran Relationship

There continues to be a debate as to whether or not Iran was aware or even directed the October 7th attack that Hamas carried out in Israel. Eventually that will become more clear, but what we do know is that Iran has been a major backer of Hamas since their inception. According to a Canadian report, Hamas received $35 million in 1999 to finance terrorist activities against Israeli targets and Hamas commanders have stated that their training has taken place not only in Syria but Iran as well.

Hamas has appeared reluctant at times to receive too much Iranian money as they fear being completely subservient but that hasn’t stopped the flow of funds. However, after two of their leaders were eliminated in 2004, Hamas removed those guardrails and accepted all Iranian money and training as they began to appear weakened.

Despite frustrations between the two during the Syrian Civil War, by 2017 the new Hamas leader in Gaza Yahye Sinwar said that Hamas was once more “the largest backer financially and militarily” of the Hamas military wing. Today it’s estimated that Iran provides Hamas between $70-100 million annually without which, Hamas could not operate at nearly the level they do. Additionally, Tehran has provided training, intelligence and additional capabilities that have made Hamas the threat that they are today.

https://jstribune.com/levitt-the-hamas-iran-relationship/

3. The Russian Way of War

Bob Seely wrote an interesting piece in Foreign Affairs highlighting how Russia views warfare and how that may be different than we sometimes expect. He hits on Russia’s combination of conventional and irregular warfare techniques and how those have been so far utilized in their war with Ukraine. It’s a worthwhile read because it shows just how complicated modern warfare is. While it’s tempting to look at territorial changes or estimated casualties and draw a conclusion, doing so may miss the big picture of what’s actually happening in a conflict.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/russian-way-war

4. Putin: US Trying to Dismember Russia