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PDB afternoon Bulletin | February 10th, 2025: Hamas Suspends Hostage Exchanges Indefinitely & Trump Talks To Putin
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Details, they would be just about to. It's Monday, the 10th of February. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First, Hamas has announced that it's delaying the release of Israeli hostages until further notice, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement. Israel calls it a complete breach of the deal and is now preparing for, quote, any possible scenario in Gaza. Later in the show, President Trump reveals he's already spoken with Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, saying his Russian counterpart, quote, wants to see people stop dying. Well, then I guess he probably shouldn't have started the war in the first place. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We begin with breaking news. Hamas has announced that it's halting the scheduled release of Israeli hostages, claiming that Israel has failed to uphold its end of the ceasefire agreement. In a statement from its armed wing, the Al Qassam Brigade, Hamas accused Israel of blocking displaced Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza, targeting civilians with shelling and. And restricting the flow of humanitarian aid. They claimed Hamas had fully complied with the ceasefire. Oh, and they stated that hostage releases would remain on hold until Israel met with what the terror group is calling past weeks obligations. Huh. It's, it's, it's almost like a terrorist organization, a creature of the Iranian regime, wants to dictate the terms of a ceasefire after starting this war with the slaughter of over a thousand Israeli citizens. But perhaps that makes me sound churlish. The next release was set to take place this Saturday, February 15th. Three Israeli hostages taking during Hamas's October 7th attacks were supposed to be freed in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. This would have been the sixth swap since the ceasefire began last month. So far, 16 Israeli hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners have been exchanged. In total, 17 Israeli hostages were still due to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire, eight of whom Israel says are dead, but now Hamas is suspending the process indefinitely. A cynic, of course, would say that it's because they don't have any more living hostages or they don't know where they are. Predictably, Israel has responded forcefully to the announcement. Defense Minister Israel Katz called Hamas's decision a complete violation of the ceasefire deal and said he has ordered the Israeli military to maintain the highest level of alert for any possible scenario. In Gaza, Katz warned, quote, we will not allow a return to the reality of October 7th. Meanwhile, an Israeli delegation is currently in Qatar negotiating the second phase of the hostage deal, which could see more captives released. However, it's unclear how today's developments will impact those talks or if the ceasefire itself will hold. For now, tension is, of course, rising, and the next move from either side could determine whether negotiations continue or if the conflict escalates once again. As we reported this morning on the bdb, the most recent hostage exchange over the weekend sparked outrage due to the condition of the released Israeli hostages. Doctors have confirmed that the three men, all abducted during Hamas's October 7 attacks returned severely malnourished and suffering from multiple health complications, including heart disorders and infections. Their condition has only heightened concerns about the welfare of those still in captivity. Coming up next, President Trump since he's already been on the phone with Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. I'll have those details after the break. Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. President Trump claims he privately spoke with Russian President Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, hinting that Russian negotiators are eager to meet with their American counterparts. Yet details remain scarce. In an interview with the New York Post aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump declined to specify how many times he's spoken with Putin, offering only a cryptic quote, I better not say. Trump insisted he has a plan to end the war, but kept specifics under wraps, adding, quote, I hope it's fast. Every day people are dying and I want to end this damn thing, end quote. The president suggested that economic pressure through tariffs and oil price cuts could force Russia to the negotiating table, though the Kremlin has dismissed such claims in the past. More strikingly, he floated the idea of Washington engaging with Moscow without Keeves direct involvement, stating, quote, let's get these meetings going. They want to meet every day. People are dying, young men like my sons on both sides, end quote. But despite Trump's confidence, well, Moscow remains tight. Lipped Kremlin mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov stated that, quote, communications between Moscow and Washington occur through different channels. Well, that that's pretty cryptic. The Kremlin on Sunday refused to confirm any talks between the leaders. However, analysts argue that Putin has little incentive to negotiate. Nearly three years into the war. Can you believe that three years into the war, Russia is closer than ever to securing its core military objectives in Ukraine, making a diplomatic resolution unlikely. And that's according to assessments from both Western and Russian analysts interviewed by the Associated Press. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, who joined Trump's interview, declined to verify whether Trump had spoken with Putin, but acknowledged that, quote, there are certainly a lot of sensitive conversations going on. Everybody's talking cryptically. He added that US Diplomats would be in Europe this week to discuss potential pathways to end the war. According to Waltz, leaders including India's prime minister and China's president, as well as figures across the Middle east, signaled willingness to assist Trump in brokering a peace deal. But what that actually looks like, well, that remains unclear. Waltz suggested that Trump's strategy would lean heavily on economic leverage, stating, quote, the president is prepared to put all of those issues on the table this week, including the future of U. S. Aid to Ukraine, end quote. He also indicated that Trump would push for Europe to take the lead on Ukraine's long term security, stating, quote, president Trump is going to end it and then in terms of security guarantees, that's squarely going to be with the Europeans, end quote. On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly vowed to end the war, emphasizing the staggering loss of life. Trump told the Post on Friday, quote, all those dead people, they're like your kids, 2 million of them, and for no reason, adding that Putin also, quote, wants to see people stop dying, end quote. But Ukrainian President Zelensky made clear that he's deeply skeptical of Trump's approach, warning that it could sideline Kiev entirely. Zelensky told the ap, quote, putin wants to deal directly with Trump cutting out Kiev. Well, he's not wrong. That would be a stark departure from the Biden administration's. Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine policy, which insists that Ukraine must be a central player in peace negotiations. Well, there's some logic to that, given that they're the invaded country. Zelensky warned that allowing Russia to dictate the terms of peace would embolden authoritarian regimes in China, North Korea and Iran, setting a dangerous precedent for global security. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday 10th February. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me@pdbhefirsttv.com and as you may have already learned from the gossip columns, to listen to the show ad free. It's very simple. Become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. i'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.