Reuters World News - Gaza deal, Trump's threat and France's crisis

Episode Date: October 9, 2025

Hamas and Israel are expected to sign a deal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage releases. National Guard troops are deployed near Chicago as Trump calls for the jailing of the city’s mayor and the Illinois governor. And could a wealth tax pushed by France's left ease the country's political crisis? Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Find the Recommended Read here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, I'm Kim Vanel in Wanganui, New Zealand. It's Thursday, October 9th. Today, celebrations as a ceasefire deal is reached in Gaza, with Israeli troops set to withdraw and hostages to return home. President Trump threatens to jail Democratic leaders trying to stop him from sending in the National Guard. And would attacks on the super-rich help end France's political crisis or worsen it? This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. Palestinians in the Garzan city of Khan Yunus celebrate after news Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages. Celebrations in Israel too, where former hostages and their families pop champagne and give thanks to God. Under the agreement, Israeli troops.

groups will withdraw to an agreed line, which is not yet clear. A source has told Reuters that an agreement on the first stage of Trump's plan for Gaza is expected to be signed today, and that the ceasefire is expected to come into effect on the ground in Gaza once the deal is signed. US President Donald Trump announced the deal on social media, saying phase one of his 20-point peace plan is done. But as Reuters correspondent for Israel and the Palestinian territories, Alexander Cornwell, explains, Not all sides are explicitly calling this a permanent end to the fighting.

Hamas is framing today's announcement as an end to the war. They are framing this as that the war is over. And Qatar, one of the key Arab mediators in the negotiations, has also said that the agreement that Hamas and Israel has reached indirectly will lead to an end to the war. Israel has not made similar announcements, but there are many things that still need to be resolved, such as governance of Gaza in the day after, the reconstruction of Gaza,

who exactly will be involved in that governance? What role will the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority have? Another red line for Israel has been that Hamas must disarm and not play any role in Gaza's future. So far, Hamas has not agreed to that, which may become an issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit to convene his cabinet later today. It is unclear as to whether that is simply a procedural move, given the strong support and push, as a matter of fact, from President Trump to see this through. Ever since President Trump announced his 20-point plan at the White House alongside Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu,

the Israeli leader has tried to frame it as a joint initiative that meets Israel's own objectives in the war in Gaza. Now, the Prime Minister has faced some opposition from within his own coalition, from Ittimar Benghira and Bezal Smotrich to ultra-nationalist politicians. President Trump, who brokered the agreement, spoke to Reuters after the news. Washington correspondent Steve Holland made the call and spoke to us on a busy night in the office. I spoke to the president very briefly after he made his announcement. He said that in the wake of the agreement that this is a great day for the world, the world came together around this agreement.

it helped push it over the edge. He's very appreciative of the role by Israel and other world leaders coming around to this agreement. The president has said elsewhere that the hostages will likely be released on Monday. This includes both living and dead hostages. We think that they're about 20 alive and maybe 28 whose remains will be sought.

And once all this happens, we're uncertain about what the road ahead will present. It looks like Trump will go to the region. Not sure which day this weekend, but he said he would go to Egypt. There are also some conversations about him going to address the Israeli Knesset. The United Nations is welcoming the ceasefire news

and says it's ready to scale up aid across the strip. But UN peacekeepers, on the other hand, are rolling back operations around the ceasefire. world. The UN is set to cut a quarter of all peacekeepers in nine operations due to a lack of funds, with future funding from the US uncertain. In the US, President Trump is calling for Chicago's mayor and the governor of Illinois to be jailed in a post on Truth Social. Neither Mayor Brandon Johnson nor Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, both Democrats, have been accused of criminal wrongdoing, but both have criticised Trump for sending Texas National Guard members to Illinois

where they've been seen preparing at an army base outside Chicago. Trump is accusing Johnson and Pritzker of failing to protect immigration officers there. Trump's call to imprison elected officials in Illinois comes as another high-profile political rival, James Comey, pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in a federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia. The DOJ is accusing the former FBI director of making false statements and obstructing a congressional investigation. Comey is planning to challenge the charges. French President Manuel Macron is expected to name a new Prime Minister by Friday evening, avoiding a snap parliamentary election.

But a new Prime Minister, the sixth in two years, doesn't mean an end to France's political crisis. Lawmakers are split over how to plug a hole in the country's findings. A proposal to tax the super rich has divided lawmakers. Wealth taxes are the topic of this week's Econ World podcast. Here's show host, Carmel Crimmons, to explain. So French economist Gabrielle Zuckman is calling for a 2% tax on anyone with over 100 million euros worth of assets, and the French public love the idea. But wealth taxes don't have a great track record in Europe.

Historically, they haven't raised much money. There have been too many loopholes. They've been too easy to game. Zuckman. says his plan is different, no exemptions, everything gets taxed. But critics worry it'll hurt economic growth and send the wealthy overseas. Some economists say there are better options, like greater scrutiny of capital gains, inheritance taxes,

and exit fees for those trying to switch to a tax haven. But with a big budget deficit to close, France doesn't have any easy options. We'll put a link to the show in today's pond description. Columbia's president says the latest boat bombed in the Caribbean by the United States was Colombian and had Colombian citizens abort. In a social media post, President Gustavo Petro

calls the strike an attack on all of Latin America. The US hasn't responded yet. This is the fourth strike in recent weeks, part of a Trump-led campaign against drug trafficking near Venezuela. Venezuela, in response, is ramping up military. military operations.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino says the country is ready to defend itself against American aggression. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate has blocked a move to limit Donald Trump's ability to launch attacks at sea without congressional approval. And Trump has hinted at possible land operations too. Today's recommended read is how weight-loss drugs and the major. America healthy again moves, are hammering sugar beet farmers in the US. More than half of domestically produced sugar comes from the root crops, but the problem is Americans are eating less of it. There's a link

to that in the pod description. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. If you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.