International News Briefs for Monday, October 13, 2025
HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Monday, October 13, 2025.
Trump Addresses Knesset as Israel and Hamas Exchange Captives
Oct 13, 2025
Hamas has released the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages who had been held in Gaza for the past two years. Red Cross vehicles carried the captives from Gaza to Israel. Hamas is also in the process of handing over the bodies of 28 Israeli captives who have been confirmed dead. In exchange, Israel is releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom had been held without charge.
This all comes as part of the first phase of a U.S.-backed 20-point plan. Earlier today, President Trump addressed the Israeli Knesset.
President Donald Trump: “Like the U.S.A. right now, it will be the golden age of Israel and the golden age of the Middle East.”
A group of left-wing Israeli lawmakers briefly interrupted Trump’s address by waving a sign calling him to “Recognize Palestine.” Trump heads next to Sharm el-Sheikh, where he and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will co-host what’s being described as a peace summit. Leaders and officials from 27 countries are scheduled to attend. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited but is not attending. Celebrations have been held across Israel today as hostages held in Gaza reunite with their families.
Israeli woman: “I waited for this day so much. Two years we’ve been waiting for the hostages to come back home, for the war to stop, for the soldiers to come back home. This is a historic day. This is a happy day. They’re coming home.”
Israel Threatens to Arrest Palestinians Caught Celebrating Release of Prisoners
Oct 13, 2025
Israeli officials have threatened to arrest Palestinians in the occupied West Bank if they celebrate the release of Palestinians held in Israel. Since the ceasefire began on Friday, tens of thousands of Palestinians have streamed back into northern Gaza to find their old neighborhoods reduced to ruins. New drone footage shows vast areas of northern Gaza, where every structure has been destroyed or heavily damaged.
In recent days, Palestinians have retrieved more than 295 bodies that had been trapped under the rubble from Israeli attacks. Mahmoud Abo Emeira is a Gaza City resident who returned to find his home destroyed.
Mahmoud Abo Emeira: “This was the most beautiful place this camp. But now, you can see, it’s rubble, destruction. Life isn’t life anymore. We can’t find water. We can’t find food. We can’t find anything to drink. It’s like we’ve gone back to disaster. It’s like a nightmare, something you would have never imagined seeing. Tell me, could you ever have imagined this happening to you? I ask myself. No, we never imagined something like this could happen to us, a machine of destruction, a machine of war.”
In other news from Gaza, the prominent Palestinian journalist Saleh al-Jafarawi was shot dead on Sunday by an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia in Gaza City. Meanwhile, Drop Site News reports Israeli forces in recent days set fire to civilian infrastructure, including the destruction of an essential sanitation plant in Gaza City.
Israel Releases Remaining Gaza Flotilla Participants It Abducted on High Seas
Oct 13, 2025
Israel has released the remaining international flotilla passengers who were abducted last week on the high seas while attempting to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. In total, Israel had detained 145 people aboard the Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel The Conscience and a group of sailboats organized by the Thousand Madleens to Gaza campaign.
Tens of Thousands Rally in London to Demand Justice for Palestinians
Oct 13, 2025
Major protests in solidarity with Palestine were held over the weekend in many cities, including Sydney, Australia; Oslo, Norway; and in London, where attendees included former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Jeremy Corbyn: “There are many, many question marks over the 20 points that Donald Trump and others have put forward, many of which are very disturbing. But if there’s no bombs falling and nobody being killed, then that is, of course, a step forward. But a long-term peace requires the Palestinian people to be involved in deciding their future, not just the U.S.A. and Israel.”
Trump Warns of More Layoffs as Mass Firings Target CDC and Education Dept.
Oct 13, 2025
The federal government’s shutdown has entered its 13th day, leaving hundreds of thousands of government workers furloughed or working without pay. Late on Friday, the Trump administration sent layoff notices to more than a thousand workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though a federal official later told The Washington Post some notices had been sent in error and would be reversed. Among those losing their jobs are scientists working on infectious disease outbreaks, injury prevention and global health. Separately, the Education Department fired nearly everyone in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, and in the Federal TRIO Programs, which help students from disadvantaged backgrounds access higher education. On Friday, President Trump said there will be even more cuts to the federal workforce in the coming days.
Reporter: “How many layoffs have you authorized for this first round, and from which agencies?”
President Donald Trump: “Well, it’ll be a lot, and it will be Democrat-oriented, because we figure, you know, they started this thing, so they should be Democrat-oriented. It’ll be a lot. And we’ll announce the numbers over the next couple of days, but it’ll be a lot of people, all because of the Democrats.”
Meanwhile, President Trump has directed the Pentagon to issue salaries to military service members. They were due to miss paychecks on Wednesday. Most other government workers are not being paid during the shutdown.
Appeals Court Blocks Deployment of National Guard to Chicago But Rules Federalization Can Continue
Oct 13, 2025
A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying National Guard soldiers in Illinois. However, Saturday’s ruling by the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals allows the Trump administration to continue to federalize the National Guard while the court considers a formal decision. For now, some 500 National Guard soldiers from Illinois and Texas remain stationed at a base about an hour outside of Chicago.
The Trump administration says it’s planning an appeal. On Sunday, Vice President JD Vance told Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” that Trump has not ruled out invoking the Insurrection Act.
Kristen Welker: “So, are you seriously considering invoking the Insurrection Act?”
Vice President JD Vance: “Well, the president is looking at all of his options. Right now he hasn’t felt he needed to. But we have to remember: Why are we talking about this, Kristen? Because crime has gotten out of control in our cities.”
In response, Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker said President Trump can’t invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy the National Guard to Chicago unless there is an active rebellion underway.
Gov. JB Pritzker: “The Insurrection Act is called the Insurrection Act for a reason. There has to be a rebellion. There has to be an insurrection in order for him to be allowed to invoke it. Again, he can say anything he wants, but if the Constitution means anything — and I guess we all are questioning that right now, but the courts will make the determination. If the Constitution means anything, the Insurrection Act cannot be invoked to send them in because they want to fight crime.”
Chicago TV Producer Released Without Charge After Arrest by Federal Agents
Oct 13, 2025
Federal authorities have released a TV news producer without charges following her arrest by federal agents in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood on Friday. Video shows masked federal agents pinning WGN-TV producer Debbie Brockman to the ground, binding her hands and forcing her into an unmarked vehicle, then side-swiping a nearby car as they sped away. ICE later accused Brockman of throwing objects at a Border Patrol car but provided no evidence. The arrest appears to directly violate a federal judge’s order one day earlier banning federal agents from using riot control weapons and other force against protesters and journalists who are not posing a threat.
“Funds Not Feds”: Chicago Protesters Demand ICE Funds Be Redirected to Social Programs
Oct 13, 2025
On Saturday, the Chicago Teachers Union organized a protest dubbed “Funds Not Feds” outside the Chicago headquarters of Google. They’re demanding an end to ICE raids and calling for federal funds to be redirected to schools, healthcare, food assistance and violence prevention. This is Chicago Alderperson Anthony Joel Quezada.
Anthony Joel Quezada: “We’re also here because we know what we’re up against. Donald Trump and his fascist authoritarian administration are advancing an agenda built on fear and division. They are stripping away healthcare, food access and housing from those who already struggle the most, like our elders and our working families. They are terrorizing our communities and kidnapping our neighbors. And while they take from the many, they reward the few.”
Anti-ICE Protesters in Portland Don Inflatable Costumes to Mock Trump’s “War Zone” Rhetoric
Oct 13, 2025
In Oregon, dozens of protesters on Saturday rallied outside a federal immigration facility in Portland demanding an end to Trump’s mass deportations and his plans to deploy the National Guard to their city. Many of the protesters wore inflatable costumes, mocking Trump’s description of Portland as a full-blown “war zone.”
Sarah Cimino: “Yes, we’re in costumes to show just how ridiculous that is. It’s not a war zone. The only time it’s a war zone is when they come down and abuse us protesters out here fighting for our community. As you just witnessed, they come down, they shoot pepper balls, they grab people.”
Adam: “I’m here tonight because this is literally, actually, bananas. Like, we have these guys in full military uniforms, costumes basically, coming out because the president of the United States, the highest office, that we used to all have respect for, is saying that this is a war-torn, blown-out buildings.”
At Least 60 Killed by Paramilitary Attacks on Besieged City in Sudan’s North Darfur
Oct 13, 2025
In news from Sudan, at least 60 people were killed on Saturday when drone and artillery strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces hit a camp for displaced people in the besieged city of El Fasher in North Darfur. The dead included at least 17 children, including a 7-day-old infant. Last week, the RSF shelled a maternity ward of one of the last remaining hospitals in El Fasher, killing 13 people. More than 12 million people have been displaced by Sudan’s civil war, which has triggered widespread famine, making it one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century.
Kremlin Warns of “Dramatic” Escalalation as Trump Mulls Long-Range Missiles for Ukraine
Oct 13, 2025
President Trump is threatening to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to a settlement to end the war. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to Trump’s threat by expressing “extreme concern.” He said, “Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of the fact that tensions are escalating from all sides.” This comes as the Financial Times has revealed the U.S. has been secretly sharing intelligence to help Ukraine target Russian energy facilities far beyond the frontlines. Meanwhile, Russia continues to target Ukraine’s energy grid as winter approaches. According to Ukrainian officials, Russia launched more than 3,100 drones, 92 missiles and around 1,360 glide bombs over the past week.
Madagascar’s President Says He’s Resisting a Coup as Soldiers Join Anti-Government Protests
Oct 13, 2025
Madagascar’s president says he’s resisting an attempt by the army to seize power by force. On Sunday, a renegade army unit said it had taken command of all branches of the military, while an increasing number of soldiers are joining youth-led anti-government protests demanding the ouster of President Andry Rajoelina, who came to power in a 2009 coup that toppled Madagascar’s previous president.
Trump Threatens 100% Tariffs on China After Beijing Restricts Rare-Earth Minerals
Oct 13, 2025
Trade tensions are escalating again between the United States and China. On Friday, President Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese products starting on November 1 and new export limits on “any and all critical software.” A day earlier, China announced a plan to restrict access to rare-earth minerals.
Venezuelan Ambassador Warns U.S. Is Preparing an Invasion
Oct 13, 2025
The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting Friday at the request of Venezuela to discuss escalating U.S. military activity in the Caribbean. In recent weeks, the U.S. blew up four boats, claiming they were carrying drugs. Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada warned the U.S. may be preparing to invade Venezuela.
Samuel Moncada: “The belligerent action and rhetoric of the U.S. government objectively point to the fact that we are facing a situation in which it is rational to anticipate that in the very short term an armed attack is to be perpetrated against Venezuela.”
In other news on Venezuela, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, has dedicated her prize to President Donald Trump for “his decisive support of our cause.”
8 Charged with Felonies in Texas for Allegedly Assisting in Outlawed Abortions
Oct 13, 2025
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has brought felony charges against eight people linked to a midwife accused of performing abortions in violation of Texas state law. In a statement, Paxton called the eight a “cabal of abortion-loving radicals” and “fake doctors.” This comes after Houston midwife Maria Rojas became the first person criminally charged under Texas’s new laws outlawing virtually all abortions. In response, Rojas’s lawyer told CNN, “[Paxton] heartlessly shut down several clinics that provided lawful, affordable services to families around Houston, most of whom were low-income, uninsured immigrants with few options for health care.”
16 Killed as Explosion Destroys Tennessee Explosives Factory
Oct 13, 2025
In Tennessee, investigators say 16 people are confirmed dead following a massive explosion at a munitions plant on Friday. The blast left the rural factory in ruins and rattled homes more than 15 miles away. The cause of the disaster is under investigation. The Accurate Energetic Systems plant was under federal contract to produce bulk explosives and landmines for the U.S. Army and Navy.