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Good morning, world! About two months ago, President Trump surprised the world with a peace plan for Gaza, corralling Israel and Hamas into a cease-fire. That cease-fire is mostly holding, despite occasional Israeli strikes like last weekend’s assassination of a Hamas leader. Israel has said Hamas has fired on its forces in parts of Gaza that are under Israeli control. But the next steps were always going to be the really hard part. I called up my colleague Adam Rasgon, who has been covering the efforts to move the peace plan forward, to ask him where things stand. Also:
Can the Gaza peace plan move forward?One of the hardest things about covering the war in Gaza is that Israel does not allow any journalists in, except when accompanied by the military. But my colleagues in the region have built up a wide network of sources on all sides. My colleague Adam Rasgon in Tel Aviv told me about a recent meeting he had with Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official in Doha. Badran told him that Hamas was prepared to discuss the future of its weapons — but only in the context of “serious” talks about three other things: a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip; a total end to Israel’s military operations in Gaza; and the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. Adam’s reporting shows just how complex the process of moving forward with peace is shaping up to be. Katrin: It’s been two months since the cease-fire deal was signed. What still needs to happen to move forward? Adam: Many things still need to happen. But at the moment, the U.S., along with other members of the international community, is trying to make progress on something called an International Stabilization Force. But it’s going slowly, and no country has publicly committed to sending forces. What are the sticking points? The hardest part is the question of Hamas’s weapons. Israel says Gaza needs to be totally demilitarized. The Trump peace plan says that, too. And Hamas has not publicly committed to that. The Trump plan is effectively asking Hamas to surrender, and Hamas, at least so far, has not accepted that. They’ve given up some of their leverage. They gave up all the hostages and hostage bodies except one that they’re still looking for. But disarmament is a very hot-button issue for them. What distinguishes Hamas in Palestinian politics is that they fight Israel with weapons. It’s what makes them different from the Palestinian Authority, the internationally backed government administering parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. So in a sense, if it disarmed, Hamas would be giving up a core part of its ideology and identity. They also argue that there are people with grievances in Gaza who want to settle scores with them, so they need weapons for self-defense. It’s a super complicated question. Where are we at with this force? Hamas and Palestinians and many members of the international community want to see Israel withdraw from Gaza, or at least pull back more. But the question of Hamas’s disarmament is hovering over the whole process. Because what exactly will the mandate of the force be? Is it going to be what Hamas wants, which is to monitor the cease-fire and provide a buffer between Israeli and Palestinian forces? Or will it be asked to enforce the demilitarization of Gaza? None of the nations considering joining the force want their soldiers having to engage in combat with Hamas. Do we know yet what countries plan to send soldiers? We’ve heard a lot about Azerbaijan and Indonesia. There’s talk about Italy and other countries. Egypt’s name has been thrown around in the past. So has the United Arab Emirates. Is there something in it for these countries? Especially in the Middle East, this conflict has a real ripple effect. There’s definitely a desire to try to find an end to this war. A lot of these countries also want to curry favor with Trump, and want to be seen as supporting his peace plan. But not at any price: I recently sat down with a senior Azeri official and he was quite clear. He said Azerbaijan hadn’t made a decision yet but he was clear there wasn’t an appetite to send forces to Gaza to engage in war. So what’s next? What’s the timeline, to the extent that you can say anything about that? So today there’s a scheduled conference focused on the International Stabilization Force taking place in Qatar. We’ve heard that conference is meant to test the waters around who’s interested in committing troops. Dozens of countries have been invited. There’s supposed to be another conference in January. But all these big questions are still hanging over the whole process because at the end of the day, are these forces just going to be sent to stand around in parts of Gaza that are under Israel’s military control? Are they going to set the conditions on the ground for an Israeli military withdrawal? We don’t have much clarity on that. How hopeful are you that the various parties will find a way through this? I know the discussion of these next steps can feel boring and steeped in minutiae, but these details are really important, because it’s what will determine if all the stakeholders can find a way forward. It could still very easily fall apart, and we might be left in a situation where Israel decides it’s in its interest to go back to war. So it is really worth paying attention to the details. Many observers argue this plan is flawed — but they also say it could be the best opportunity to achieve a longer-term truce. Read Adam’s latest story on the peace plan here, which he wrote and reported with Natan Odenheimer and Aaron Boxerman.
Rob Reiner’s son was arrested in the death of his parentsNick Reiner, son of the Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, was arrested on Sunday night on suspicion of murder after his parents were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home. The arrest came a day after somebody saw Reiner and his son arguing during a party at the home of the comedian Conan O’Brien. Nick Reiner, 32, is being held without bail. He has spoken over the years about struggling with drug abuse and homelessness. Rob Reiner, 78, was a popular sitcom actor before directing beloved films like “When Harry Met Sally …” and “This Is Spinal Tap.”
Gunmen were motivated by ISIS, Australia’s leader saidThe gunmen behind the mass shooting in Sydney that killed 15 people on Sunday were motivated by “Islamic State ideology,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said yesterday. The attack is Australia’s worst mass shooting in three decades, and Albanese vowed to toughen the country’s already strict gun laws in response. Officials said the attack, which took place during a Jewish holiday celebration, was carried out by a 24-year-old Australian citizen and his 50-year-old father. Officials said the son came to the authorities’ attention in 2019 but was deemed not to be an immediate threat. His father was also interviewed at the time, officials have said. The father had six firearms registered in his name. For more: Ahmed el Ahmed, a Syrian-born Australian, is being praised as a hero for tackling one of the gunmen.
Football: The owner of Juventus rejected a buyout offer from the cryptocurrency firm Tether. Boxing: The heavyweight Anthony Joshua defended his decision to fight Jake Paul.
— Austin Dirks was on a solo hike in Arches National Park in Utah when he got stuck in quicksand. (Yes, quicksand is real.) Emergency responders rescued him, as shown in a drone video, after he sent an SOS message using a satellite device.
Rino Barillari, an 80-year-old known in Italy as the “king of paparazzi,” has been prowling the streets of Rome for 65 years. He has chased movie stars while riding shotgun on a Vespa. By his estimate, he has had his camera smashed 76 times. Over time, Barillari has himself achieved celebrity status. Now celebrities take selfies with him. Read more.
Want a healthier brain?Your brain is amazing. Its 86 billion neurons enable you to dance and sing, read a book, solve an equation and fall in love. Keeping the brain healthy is relatively straightforward with a few good habits — learn about them during Well’s five-day challenge. Starting on Jan. 5, we’ll give you activities to keep your mind sharp and resilient, and explain the science behind why they work. To receive each day’s challenge, make sure you’re signed up for the Well newsletter. You can do that here. (Pro tip: Signing up with a partner may bring even bigger benefits.)
Testing times in South KoreaEach year in South Korea, hundreds of thousands of students sit for a notoriously difficult eight-hour college entrance exam, known as the Suneung. This year, the English-language portion of the test was so hard that it prompted a public outcry, leading to the resignation of a top official. Only about 3 percent of students earned the highest marks in the section, compared to 6 percent the year before. Could you pass the test? Here are some of the questions.
Cope: Experts have tips to help manage tricky family dynamics during the holidays. Indulge: Check out these five newcomers to Paris’s chocolate scene. Relax: Going to the Caribbean? These new and renovated hotels are in less crowded areas.
As much as a big holiday breakfast might sound great in theory, it’s not easy when you get up at the crack of dawn. Wouldn’t it be nicer to just slip a dish into the oven, or remove the foil from a plate of coffee cake? That’s the vibe we’re going for with these 25 make-ahead breakfast dishes.
Where is this war museum?
You’re done for today. See you tomorrow! — Katrin We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at theworld@nytimes.com.
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