Gaza: Israel halts offensive after Hamas agrees to Trump's plan

Today's headlines: Sanae Takaichi wins the Liberal Democratic Party primary and will become Japan's first female prime minister. The Pakistani military has also proposed to the United States that it build and operate a port in the district of Gwadar. The Taliban foreign minister will visit India. Leo XIV has signed his first Apostolic Exhortation, which focuses on caring for the poor and will be published on 9 October.

GAZA-ISRAEL

This morning, the Israeli army ordered a halt to the offensive on Gaza City, declaring that it will limit itself to “defensive operations”, following last night's turning point with Hamas' announcement that it accepts Trump's plan, albeit with certain conditions. The US president immediately asked Israel to halt operations. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is now expected in Egypt, where new negotiations are due to take place in the coming days to finalise the details of the ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages still in Gaza.

JAPAN

Former Home Secretary Sanae Takaichi, 64, won Saturday's presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party, the conservative party that, with a few brief interruptions, has always governed Japan since the war, defeating the young Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in the runoff. Replacing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as party leader, Takaichi is expected to become prime minister, becoming the first woman to lead the Tokyo government.

PAKISTAN-UNITED STATES-CHINA

According to the Financial Times, during a recent trip to the United States, advisers to Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Asim Munir approached US officials with an offer to build and operate a port on the Arabian Sea. The plan would involve a terminal in the city of Pasni and would provide access to Pakistan's strategic minerals. Pasni is a port city located in the district of Gwadar, in the province of Balochistan, where China has also been making massive investments for some time as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

INDIA-AFGHANISTAN

The United Nations Security Council Committee has temporarily lifted the travel ban on Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, allowing him to visit India between 9 and 16 October. The announcement was made by the Indian Foreign Ministry. If confirmed, this would be the first visit to India by a senior member of the Taliban-led Afghan administration since it took power in 2021.

VATICAN

This morning, on the day when the Church commemorates St Francis of Assisi, Pope Leo XIV signed his first Apostolic Exhortation, entitled Dilexi te, “I have loved you”, a text whose drafting began under the pontificate of Pope Francis and which focuses on caring for the poor. The document will be presented on 9 October.

NEPAL

A team of mountaineers led by Xtreme Climbers Treks & Expeditions Pvt. Ltd. has begun the first ever attempt to climb Mount Pathibhara (6,868 m) via the south-east route, located in the Taplejung district of eastern Nepal. Mount Pathibhara, officially opened for climbing in 2025 by the Nepalese government, is located in the Kanchenjunga region. The summit has remained unexplored until now, making the current expedition a significant milestone in Himalayan mountaineering.

RUSSIA

According to data from the prosecutor's office published by Kommersant-Volga, 36 people were arrested in the Ulyanovsk region of southern Russia in early 2025 for drug trafficking, and 24 of them were released from criminal responsibility after signing up to participate in the special military operation in Ukraine. “However serious their guilt, they decided to redeem themselves with blood,” , the prosecutor's office said.

TAJIKISTAN

The first mass campaign to vaccinate girls aged 10 to 14 against the papilloma virus began on 1 October in Tajikistan, with Gardasil vaccines obtained from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation. and is expected to reach approximately 520,000 girls who will be offered the voluntary vaccine in schools and polyclinics, considering the approximately 350 cases reported per year, of which nearly 200 result in death.