Good morning.
There was a rare moment of joy among Israelis and Palestinians on Monday as Hamas released the remaining 20 living hostages in Gaza as part of a swap deal for nearly 2,000 Palestinian detainees, on a day world leaders met in Egypt to try to ensure the current limited truce is extended into a durable peace.
The ceasefire appeared to be holding in Gaza after a two-year Israeli military onslaught that has killed nearly 68,000 people.
But contentious issues such as whether Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza remain unresolved, highlighting the fragility of the truce.
The Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, called for the ceasefire in Gaza to usher in a new era in the Middle East. “Let the Gaza war be the last of wars in the region,” the president said, amid anxiety over how long the truce will last.
What did Trump say? “The prayers of millions have finally been answered,” the US president said at the peace summit, with his counterparts lined up behind him. “At long last, we have peace in the Middle East.”
Majority of special education staff in US education department laid off – report
The majority of staff in the education department handling special education have been laid off, according to multiple reports.
Friday’s total of 466 layoffs across the education department also affected the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which oversees programs that support millions of children and adults with disabilities nationwide, according to sources speaking to various outlets.
“Despite extensive efforts to minimize impact on employees and programs during the ongoing government shutdown, the continued lapse in funding has made it necessary to implement the RIF (reduction in force),” according to a letter issued to workers that CNN reviewed.
What did the education department say? The Guardian has contacted the education department for comment.
US news outlets refuse to sign new Pentagon rules to report only official information
Several leading news organizations with access to Pentagon briefings have formally said they will not agree to a new defense department policy that requires them to pledge they will not obtain unauthorized material and restricts access to certain areas unless accompanied by an official.
The policy, presented last month by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been criticized by media organizations asked to sign the pledge by Tuesday at 5pm or have 24 hours to turn in their press credentials.
The move follows a shake-up in February in which long-credentialed media outlets were required to vacate assigned workspaces which was cast as an “annual media rotation program”. A similar plan was presented at the White House where some briefing room spots were given to podcasters and other representatives of non-traditional media.
Which publications have refused to sign the agreement? Yesterday, the Washington Post joined the New York Times, CNN, the Atlantic, the Guardian, Reuters, the Associated Press, NPR, HuffPost and trade publication Breaking Defense in saying it would not sign on to the agreement.
In other news …
The South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, has called for “all-out” diplomatic efforts to protect citizens in Cambodia after a university student was lured there by a scam ring and allegedly tortured to death.
The right to protest has come under sustained attack in the west, according to a report highlighting the growing criminalisation of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto, has been heard on a hot mic asking Donald Trump if he can meet with the president’s son Eric, as the leaders gathered in Egypt for a summit aimed at securing a lasting peace in Gaza.
Stat of the day: Sharp global rise in antibiotic-resistant infections in hospitals as experts predict 70% increase in related deaths by 2050
Hospitals across the world have recorded an alarming rise in common infections that are resistant to antibiotics, with doctors saying the number of deaths driven by drug resistance will increase sharply in the years ahead. More than 40% of antibiotics losing potency against common blood, gut, urinary tract and sexually-transmitted infections between 2018 and 2023, records show.
Don’t miss this: ‘The most spontaneous person I’ve ever met’ – Guardian writers remember Diane Keaton
From Annie Hall to The First Wives Club, Keaton’s performances redefined what it meant to be funny, stylish and unapologetically oneself. Our writers pay tribute to a one-off star who made eccentricity irresistible. Meanwhile, Nancy Meyers shares her memories of Keaton.
… or this: ‘Americans are democracy’s equivalent of second-generation wealth’ – a Chinese journalist on the US under Trump
Once a stalwart of Hong Kong’s journalism scene, Wang Jian has found a new audience on YouTube, dissecting global politics and US-China relations since the pandemic. To his fans, he’s part newscaster, part professor, part friend.
Climate check: ‘It’s a road to destruction’ – climate defenders facing surge in reprisals, says UN expert
Human rights defenders organizing to prevent climate catastrophe are facing a surge in reprisals, as governments around the world denigrate, delegitimize and criminalize activists in spite of worsening global heating, a top United Nations official has told the Guardian.
Last Thing: ‘Quintessentially Portland’ – nude cyclists protest against national guard deployment
Protesters rallying against the Trump administration in Portland put the city’s quirky and irreverent reputation on display yesterday by pedaling through the streets wearing absolutely nothing – or close to it – in an “emergency” edition of the annual World Naked Bike Ride. Meanwhile, US military veterans increasingly face arrest and injury amid protests over Trump’s deportation campaign.
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