Hello and welcome back.

In Myanmar, the army’s recapture of Kyaukme has left the town in ruins, while in Japan, Prime Minister Takaichi grapples with a deepening political deadlock. Across South Asia, tensions flare as Pakistan and Afghanistan exchange deadly cross-border fire.

Our lead story turns to Gaza, where the ceasefire deal faces familiar obstacles.

Read more below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇮🇱 🇵🇸 Remaining Israeli hostages released in prisoner exchange: Hamas has begun releasing Israeli captives as part of a landmark prisoner exchange aimed at cementing the Gaza ceasefire, handing seven detainees to the Red Cross with more releases expected. In return, Israel is preparing to free nearly 2,000 Palestinian hostages, including hundreds serving life sentences, though senior political figures remain excluded. 

2️⃣ 🇵🇰 🇦🇫 Border clashes escalate as Pakistan and Afghanistan trade deadly attacks: Heavy fighting erupted along the Pakistan–Afghanistan frontier after Taliban forces attacked Pakistani military posts, sparking retaliatory strikes that left scores dead on both sides. Islamabad said 23 of its soldiers were killed and claimed to have eliminated 200 Taliban fighters, while Kabul accused Pakistan of violating its sovereignty with air raids on Afghan soil. 

3️⃣ 🇫🇷 Lecornu returns as French prime minister, unveils new government: French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a reshuffled cabinet on Sunday night, days after resigning just 14 hours into his first term following backlash over his initial appointments. The new line-up blends technocrats and seasoned politicians, many from Macron’s centrist bloc, and faces the urgent task of drafting a budget to curb France’s spiralling deficit. 

4️⃣ 🇲🇬 Military coup underway, says Madagascar’s president: Madagascar has entered its most volatile moment in years after the elite Capsat unit — the same force that helped bring President Andry Rajoelina to power in 2009 — announced it had seized control of the army amid surging anti-government protests. Rajoelina condemned the move as “an illegal attempt to seize power by force.”

5️⃣ 🇯🇵 Prime Minister Takaichi faces political deadlock: Japan’s first female LDP leader, Sanae Takaichi, entered office to historic acclaim but now faces a political crisis after her coalition with Komeito disintegrated, leaving her without a parliamentary majority. With Washington relations strained and her nationalist agenda dividing voters, Takaichi’s premiership risks becoming another short-lived chapter in Japan’s revolving-door politics.

Major Story

🇵🇸 🇮🇱 GAZA PEACE PLAN FACES FAMILIAR OBSTACLES

The initial steps of the new Gaza peace plan are in motion, with Hamas required to release all hostages within 72 hours and Israeli forces withdrawing to a designated line inside the Strip. Washington is touting President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan as a roadmap to lasting peace. Yet the deal resembles past ceasefire efforts that faltered before achieving genuine reconciliation, failing to address root causes or final status issues, and has left critical questions unresolved.

Fragile Leverage and Political Pressures

Once the hostage exchanges conclude, Hamas will lose its main point of leverage. This raises the risk that politicians in Israel could press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume hostilities. 

Central to the plan’s uncertainty is Gaza’s future governance. Hamas is unlikely to disarm or relinquish authority without clear recognition of Palestinian statehood, while the proposed “body of peace” led by Trump and Tony Blair risks excluding Palestinians from deciding their own fate. The continuation of the 17-year blockade—long condemned as collective punishment—would perpetuate the same humanitarian crisis that fuelled past cycles of violence. Peace will remain fragile unless restrictions are lifted and Gaza’s reconstruction prioritised under international law.

Linking Gaza to the Wider Conflict

Peace in Gaza cannot be isolated from the broader Israeli-Palestinian struggle. The 20-point plan gestures toward “a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination,” but history shows such pledges often fade into rhetoric. Lasting stability demands addressing core issues—settlements, annexation, Jerusalem, and demilitarisation—while the US must refrain from vetoing Palestinian statehood at the UN Security Council.

Despite formidable obstacles, the ceasefire offers a rare window for progress. Whether this fragile peace holds depends not on military strength, but on political will and the willingness of all parties to confront the roots of a conflict decades in the making.

Other News

1️⃣ 🇪🇬 🇵🇸 Palestinian Authority excluded from Sharm el-Sheikh summit on Gaza: The PA has been excluded from Monday’s Sharm el-Sheikh summit on Gaza, co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, despite appeals from President Mahmoud Abbas to participate. Egyptian officials reportedly declined a PA request for a private meeting with Sisi, with sources saying Cairo’s decision reflects Washington’s postwar plan for Gaza, which omits the PA. 

2️⃣ 🇲🇲 Military recapture leaves Myanmar’s Kyaukme in ruins: Ten days after Myanmar’s army retook Kyaukme from ethnic rebels, the once-bustling Shan State town lies deserted and scarred by war. Government buildings have been reduced to rubble, hospitals relocated to temples, and most of the 46,000 residents have fled amid fears of renewed fighting. 

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Prisoners of Geography

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