2024: Wednesday, September 4

THE WAR NEWSLETTER — SEP 4 2024

Good morning.

Welcome to your daily international conflict update.

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Today’s updates:

1. 🇮🇱 Israel: U.S. files criminal charges against top Hamas leaders for October 7 attacks

2. 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Over 45 killed in Russian missile strike on military facility in Poltava

1 - ISRAEL

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against top Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, for their roles in the October 7 attacks on Israel. Attorney General Merrick Garland accused the defendants of leading Hamas's efforts to destroy Israel and murder civilians, with support from Iran and Hezbollah. These charges mark the first U.S. criminal action against Hamas for the attacks.

The White House is developing a proposal to free all remaining Gaza hostages and halt fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu refuses to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor, a potential ceasefire requirement. Hamas recently murdered six Israeli hostages, intensifying the urgency for a deal.

An IDF airstrike killed Ahmed Fawzi Nasser Muhammad Wadiyya, a Hamas commander who led the Netiv Ha'asara invasion on October 7. Wadiyya oversaw the massacre of 22 residents and was infamously filmed drinking Coca-Cola after murdering Israeli local Gil Taasa in front of his kids. The strike also eliminated seven other Hamas terrorists.

Hamas uses fear to suppress publication of its operatives' names killed in the conflict. Residents of Gaza avoid sharing information about slain Hamas fighters, and families refrain from public mourning. This strategy aims to maintain international sympathy and delegitimize Israeli military actions by keeping the focus on civilian casualties.

Read more on Jerusalem Post, Times Of Israel, or AP

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2 - UKRAINE

Over 45 people were killed and 200 wounded by a Russian missile strike on a military education facility in Poltava City.  The interval between two consecutive missiles was short, catching people as they evacuated the buildings to a bomb shelter.  The strike was a part of a larger attack, with drones being downed over 8 other cities, including the Ukrainian capital.

The impact of Ukraine's incursion into Kurst Oblast on the war is still not fully understood, but so far continues to have little effect on the Russian war strategy.  Ukrainian president Zelensky reiterated that it is a part of the plan to bring an end to the war on "just terms", but without significant setbacks on the frontlines, it seems unlikely that any negotiation of terms would be favorable to Ukraine.

Read more on ISW or Novaya Gazeta

THE REST OF THE WORLD…

• 🇲🇳 Putin visits Mongolia, an International Criminal Court member state, without facing arrest, challenging court's legitimacy. [Fox]

• 🇳🇬 Nigerian Labour Party chairman assassinated in ambush [Legit]

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