Hamas holds talks in Cairo: A delegation from the terrorist militia has met with representatives of Egyptian intelligence. The talks were about a possible ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip. Shortly before, Hamas had released another video showing a hostage. In it, a 20-year-old soldier, who also has American citizenship, calls on the future US President Donald Trump to advocate for negotiations for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. fr.de , n-tv.de

• At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, according to rescue workers. Most of the victims were in the Nuseirat camp. Three employees of „World Central Kitchen“ were killed in an attack in Khan Yunis. Israel confirmed the attack, but stated that it was aimed at a man who was involved in the terrorist attack on October 7.
• Deliveries of aid to the Gaza Strip via the main Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing have been suspended for security reasons, explains UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini. He cited looting by armed gangs as the reason.
• According to the Israeli army, it came under fire from Shiite militia from a church in southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire. The Israeli soldiers said they killed the Hezbollah fighters and then discovered a tunnel with weapons and living quarters belonging to Hezbollah under the church.
• On Saturday evening, hundreds of people in southern Beirut commemorated Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, who was killed two months ago in an Israeli air strike. They gathered at the large bomb crater for a ceremony organized by the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia. n-tv.de
• Israel’s army has declared a border area in southern Lebanon a restricted zone until further notice. The fled residents were asked not to return to the more than sixty affected villages. A Hezbollah representative accused Israel of attacking returning residents of border villages.
• According to the Israeli army, days after the ceasefire began, Israeli forces once again carried out several air strikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, including on a militia building in the Sidon region. There had been activities there that violated the ceasefire.
• Tens of thousands of Lebanese return home after ceasefire. According to UNHCR, more than 28,000 people crossed the border into Lebanon. The return movement from Syria to Lebanon is picking up speed.
• According to military sources, on Saturday morning Israel’s air force attacked military installations in Syria near border crossings with Lebanon. The infrastructure was used to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah in the neighboring country, the Israeli military announced.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that his country is closely monitoring developments in Syria. „We are determined to defend Israel’s vital interests and to maintain the achievements of the war,“ Netanyahu said during a visit by new military recruits to a base in central Israel.

Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has declared war on rebels. He said that the „crushing of terrorism“ would serve the stability and security of the entire region after jihadist rebels took the city of Aleppo. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi said that Syria would continue to receive support. Assad’s troops have been reinforced; counterattacks have been launched. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, they also received support from Russian fighter jets, which attacked rebel weapons depots and positions. tagesschau.de, zeit.de, faz.net

• According to Syrian reports, there were victims among opposition fighters in Russian and Syrian air raids near Aleppo. Dozens were „killed and injured,“ reported the state agency Sana, citing Syrian military sources.
• Russia dismisses General Sergei Kisel, who was responsible for Syria. The dismissal of the 53-year-old was reported by the Telegram channel Rybar, which is close to the Russian Ministry of Defense, and the blog „Voenny Osvedomitel“. n-tv.de
• The German Foreign Office called on all parties to comply with international law. The civilian population and infrastructure must be protected. The Foreign Ministry emphasized the need for a political solution in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.
• UN Syria envoy Geir Otto Pedersen lamented the lack of international commitment to a peaceful solution.

New EU leaders in Kyiv: EU Council President Antonio Costa and Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas have assured President Volodymyr Selenskyj of their support in the face of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression. Costa has promised Ukraine rapid progress in the EU accession process. Costa said they wanted to send a clear message that the EU stands behind Ukraine and will continue its support without restriction. This includes humanitarian, financial, military and diplomatic assistance. Kallas reiterated that the EU is doing everything necessary to ensure that Ukraine wins the defensive war against Russia. handelsblatt.com, zdf.de

• EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas believes that it is conceivable that European soldiers could be deployed to secure a future ceasefire in Ukraine. According to Kallas, the units for a possible peacekeeping force could come from EU countries that have already signaled a troop deployment under certain conditions. These include, for example, France or the Baltic states.
• In a Sky News interview, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has for the first time signaled a willingness to agree to a ceasefire with Russia, even if Moscow does not immediately return the occupied territories. However, he said that NATO would have to place the rest of Ukraine under its protective umbrella.
• Ex-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: Short-term cessions of territory to Russia would be expedient. focus.de
• At a press conference, Zelenskyi rejected NATO membership without Russian-occupied territories. This would be tantamount to recognizing the loss of the territories currently controlled by Russia. Therefore, the only option would be an invitation for Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. rnd.de
• Ukraine’s troops continue to be under heavy pressure in the east. Russian attackers repeatedly tried to break through defensive lines around Donbass. The most intense fighting took place in the area around Pokrowsk and Kurachowe, the general staff in Kiev said. At least four people were killed in a rocket attack near Dnipro. thueringer-allgemeine.de
• Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has authorized military spending of the equivalent of 137 billion euros; it is the largest defense budget in the country’s history.

SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz swears his party to a race to catch up: In a speech to around 500 constituency candidates on Saturday, he called the election a directional decision. Scholz spoke out in favor of raising the minimum wage to 15 euros, with companies receiving ten percent of the purchase price as a tax refund on investments. He suggested a cap on network fees, which could contribute to competitive electricity prices for industry. Scholz called for changes to the debt brake, which would provide more leeway for investment in the country’s security and modernization. Speaking on ARD television, Scholz said he wanted the income from private long-term care insurance to also be used to stabilize the statutory long-term care insurance. Scholz also defended his party’s goal of setting the pension level at 48 percent of the last average income of employees. spiegel.de, tagesschau.de

The Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) candidate for Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, is calling for a fundamental change in policy. Merz said that under his leadership there would be no pension cuts and no raising of the retirement age beyond 67 years. He said that anyone claiming otherwise was lying to the German public. Rather, the CDU wants to end the phase of economic and political uncertainty brought about by the SPD-led government. If the next government does not deliver, the populists from the left and the right will take power in 2029. Merz was elected as the CDU’s direct candidate for the Bundestag in the Hochsauerland district in Schmallenberg, North Rhine-Westphalia. zeit.de

German air force hands over airspace surveillance in the Baltic to the Netherlands as scheduled: During the nine-month deployment, more than 80 suspicious aircraft were intercepted. Regular patrol flights were carried out with German Eurofighters from the Lielvarde base in Latvia. NATO has been in charge of airspace surveillance for 20 years because the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have their own air forces. Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the number of incidents in Baltic airspace has increased significantly. n-tv.de

More Politics:

• Nancy Faeser: „We were able to prevent bomb attacks on military installations.“ handelsblatt.com
• Health Minister Karl Lauterbach presents bill on suicide prevention. rnd.de
• Punishability of abortions to be discussed in parliament this week. rnd.de
• Once again, the Bundestag wants to protect the Constitutional Court from the AfD. rnd.de
• The left wants to completely ban rent increases. welt.de
• Study by the peace research institute Sipri: arms companies sold significantly more heavy weapons in 2023. spiegel.de