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Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter

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Defense &
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The Big Story

A Gaza ceasefire agreement in next 2 weeks? The US is hopeful

The Biden administration says it is still hoping to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in its final two weeks in the White House.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on diplomatic travel in South Korea, said Monday that the past couple of weeks have seen a “reintensified engagement, including by Hamas,” but there is not yet agreement on final terms.

“What I can tell you is this: We very much want to bring this over the finish line in the next two weeks, the time that we have remaining. And we will work every minute of every day of those two weeks to try to get that to happen,” he said.

President-elect Trump has warned Hamas of “hell to pay” if hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, are not released by his Jan 20 inauguration.

Hamas holds an estimated 100 people it kidnapped from southern Israel during its attack, although a majority of those people are believed dead. Among those not yet released are seven Americans. In late November, Hamas released a proof-of-life video of 21-year-old Israeli American Edan Alexander.

Israel has subsequently laid waste to the Gaza Strip in its war against Hamas over the past 15 months, with tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed, and the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of war crimes.

The U.S. has pushed for a ceasefire as the best way to scale up humanitarian aid deliveries to Palestinians in the strip and pause fighting to provide relief to those under siege. But it has also continued supplying Israel with billions of dollars worth of weapons to prosecute its war.

Blinken has said Hamas was the major obstacle to achieving a deal, while Netanyahu has also been accused of shifting the terms of a potential deal and has faced intense pressure at home over his failure to secure the release of hostages.

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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Essential Reads

How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:

US transfers 11 prisoners out of Guantánamo Bay

The U.S. on Monday transferred 11 prisoners out of Guantánamo Bay, the latest batch of inmates to leave the infamous facility in Cuba that once held around 780 detainees. The 11 prisoners were Yemeni nationals, according to the Defense Department, and their transfer to the country of Oman brings the detainee population at the site down to just 15 people. President Biden has continued the mission of the Obama administration …

Full Story

GOP Homeland Security chair: Drone bill a top priority in next Congress

Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said a bill empowering local authorities to take down drones is a “number one” priority in the next Congress. In an interview on Friday that he shared Monday, Green said federal agencies were not being transparent on the issue of drones, criticism that follows a high-profile series of drone sightings over New Jersey before the holidays. “I will tell …

Full Story

House Foreign Affairs chair moving ICC sanctions bill amid Israeli arrest warrants

Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), the new chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is planning to move legislation this week to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year. A GOP congressional aide said the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act could get a vote on the House floor as soon as Thursday. The aide said the bill has support …

Full Story

LGBTQ veterans reach historic settlement with Pentagon over military discharges

A group of LGBTQ veterans who sued the Department of Defense last year for denying them honorable discharges because of their sexuality said Monday they had settled with the Pentagon. The agreement, which still needs a federal judge’s approval, streamlines the process for veterans discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell” and predecessor policies to eliminate references to their sexual orientation from their discharge …

Full Story

On Our Radar

Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat:

The remains of former President Jimmy Carter will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol Building beginning tomorrow at 3:45 p.m. ahead of a state funeral Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral.

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Schiff doesn’t want to set ‘precedent’ with Jan. 6 pardon

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Monday he doesn’t want President Biden to set a “precedent” by issuing a preemptive pardon to himself and others related to the work they did on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. “It would be …

Full Story

On Tap Tomorrow

Events in and around the defense world:

The Stimson Center will have a virtual discussion on “The Hidden Costs: Transparency and the U.S. Arms Trade,” with Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), and others at 12 p.m.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies will hold a talk on “The Future of Irregular Warfare,” with Assistant Defense Secretary for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Christopher Maier, at 2 p.m.
Atlantic Council will host a conversation on “NATO and U.S.-Turkey Defense Cooperation in a New Era,” at 1:30 p.m.

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets:

10 risks facing the world in 2025 (Eurasia Group report)
Green Beret in Las Vegas bombing and New Orleans attacker had brief overlap in military careers (Military.com)
Thune has privately told Trump that Hegseth has the votes to be confirmed as Defense Secretary, sources say (CBS News)

Trending Today

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Biden signs Social Security Fairness Act into law: What to know

President Biden signed legislation into law over the weekend to expand Social Security benefits for droves of Americans. The measure, dubbed the Social … Read more

Trump pitches ‘merged’ US, Canada after Trudeau resignation announcement

President-elect Trump pitched the idea of a “merged” United States and Canada after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation, … Read more