The President's Daily Brief - October 20th, 2025: CEASEFIRE BREAKS: IDF Launches Airstrikes In Gaza After Hamas Attacks

Episode Date: October 20, 2025

In this episode of The President’s Daily Brief:   Israel has launched new airstrikes in Gaza, accusing Hamas of a “bold violation” of the Trump-brokered ceasefire. We’ll break down what triggered the strikes—and what it means for the fragile truce.   President Trump remains non-committal on sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, even as the White House announces another summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin—this time in Budapest.   And after a week of cross-border fighting, Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to a new ceasefire.   And in today’s Back of the Brief—we’ll turn to a story that hasn’t been getting nearly enough attention. Historic flooding has torn through remote Alaskan communities, destroying homes and forcing hundreds to evacuate.   To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com.Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybriefTrue Classic: Upgrade your wardrobe and save on @trueclassic at https://trueclassic.com/PDB #trueclassicpodTriTails Premium Beef: Build the kind of tradition your family will remember. Visit https://trybeef.com/pdbAmerican Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1881 for details about credit costs and terms. Visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, well, that didn't last long. Hamas attacked IDF soldiers in Gaza on Sunday, and Israel launched airstrikes in response, accusing Hamas of a, quote, bold violation of the Trump-brokered ceasefire. We'll break down what triggered the strikes and what it means for the fragile truce.

hint, a ceasefire isn't a ceasefire if you're shooting at each other. Later in the show, President Trump remains non-committal on tomahawks for Ukraine as the White House announces another summit with Putin in Budapest. What will they talk about? Plus, after a week of fighting, Pakistan and Afghanistan, agree to a new ceasefire. And in today's back of the brief, we'll take a look at a story that hasn't been getting nearly enough attention. Historic flooding has torn through remote Alaskan communities. destroying homes and forcing hundreds to evacuate.

But first, today's PDB spotlight. It's a ceasefire, but with missiles and tanks and airstrikes, so not really a ceasefire. Over the weekend, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes inside Gaza, accusing Hamas of a bold violation of the Trump-brokered truce. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the IDF, on Sunday, Hamas fighters fired both a rocket-propelled grenade and sniper rounds at Israeli troops operating behind the yellow line. That's the narrow buffer zone

inside Gaza, where Israel's forces have been stationed under phase one of the ceasefire deal. Israeli commanders called it a direct breach that left them with little choice but to strike back. In response, Israeli jets struck targets in the southern city of Rafa, destroying what the military described as tunnel shafts and militant positions. Residents also reported tank fire near the town of Abbasin, east of Khan Yunus and an airstrike in the north that left at least two people dead in Jabaliyah. Khamas, meanwhile, is denying any ceasefire violation. They say they've been so busy exacting revenge on Gaza residents, killing those they view as problematic to Hamas' control,

that they haven't had time to kill more Jews. Okay, I made that part up. Of course they have time to do both. Fine, actually, the Iranian-backed group insists a, quote, remains committed. oh, to the agreement, and accused Israel of fabricating flimsy pretexts to restart the war that Hamas started. The Israeli government counters that it acted, quote, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, saying the attacks from Hamas constituted a clear breach that required a firm response.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has since ordered the Rafa crossing between Gaza and Egypt closed until further notice, citing Hamas's delay in returning the bodies of Israeli hostages. Inside Israel, pressure is growing for decisive action. National Security Minister, Idemar Ben-Gvur, who opposed the ceasefire from the beginning, called for the IDF to, quote, resume fighting at full strength. Opposition leader, Yer Golan, echoed the need for a response, but added the true victory requires, quote, a moderate alternative to Hamas, something he says that the government has failed to build.

And that's interesting, because I didn't realize it was Israel's responsibility to provide a fair alternative to Hamas. I imagined that that should be something that the Palestinians could be working on. The truce itself went into effect earlier this month under a U.S. brokered deal. Hamas agreed to release all remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while Israel would halt offensive operations and allow humanitarian aid to increase. But nearly every clause of that agreement is now in dispute. Israel says Hamas is dragging its feet on returning the remains of hostages killed in captivity. Hamas says it's taking time to locate and recover them. In recent days,

Hamas turned over the bodies of two more hostages, bringing the total number of deceased hostages returned to 12. 16 more remain unaccounted for. Even as both sides trade accusations, life inside Gaza tells its own story. Reports from maid workers and regional officials describe a brutal internal purge by Hamas, one that's left dozens dead. Over the past several days, Hamas fighters have clashed with rival Palestinian factions and carried out public executions, at least 33 of them, most of the victims accused of collaborating with Israel or belonging to competing militias. Officials say it's part of a campaign to, quote, show strength and reassert control after many months of war. The Trump administration warned over the weekend that a planned

Hamas attack against Palestinian civilians would represent a grave breach of the ceasefire agreement. President Trump posted his own warning, saying, if he said, Hamas continues killing people inside Gaza, which was not part of the deal, and that's a good thing. Quote, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them, end quote. He later clarified, noting the we in that statement, did not mean U.S. troops. The ceasefire was supposed to create space for rebuilding and reconciliation. Instead, Hamas appears to be using it to consolidate power. Well, who could have seen that coming?

And now there's another major problem for the peace plan. Hamas is sending its most bold signal yet that it has no plan to disarm, at least not any time soon. In an interview with Reuters, senior Hamas official Muhammad Nazal said the group intends to maintain security control in Gaza during what he called a transitional period, and that the group can't, quote, commit to disarm. When asked about disarming, Nazal said, quote, I can't answer with a yes or no. It depends on what the disarmament project means and to whom the weapons would be handed over, end quote. That runs, of course, directly counter to the Trump ceasefire framework, which calls for Hamas to release all hostages, disarmed completely, and hand governance of Gaza to a technocratic committee

overseen by an international body. The Israeli government quickly fired back, saying Hamas has, quote, not released all hostages, not disarmed, and not upheld the 20-point plan. Nazal, however, suggested Hamas could accept a long-term truce, three to five years, to rebuild Gaza, but only if Palestinians were promised, quote, horizons and hope for eventual statehood. So, yeah, nobody's paying attention to the ceasefire agreement. For now, he said Hamas fighters would stay on the ground to, quote, protect aid convoys from thieves and gangs,

and of course to ensure that Hamas continues controlling the aid that comes in. So, you ask, where does that leave the ceasefire today? Hmm, well, let me just poke around the bottom of the rubbish bin and see. The first phase of the ceasefire was supposed to bring quiet relief for civilians and the release of hostages. Instead, it's produced executions, recriminations, and a fresh round of violence. So overall, on a pass-fail grading process, it's a clear fail for now. All right, coming up next, President Trump stays non-committal on sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. In Pakistan and Afghanistan, strike a new ceasefire after a week of deadly border clashes.

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the breakthrough that Kiev had hoped for. No decision by Washington on the much-discussed Tomahawk missiles. The meeting between the two leaders lasted over two and a half hours and came just a day after Trump's lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a call that, according to two sources, appeared to reshape Trump's tone entirely. And am I the only person confused by the back and forth with Putin? The sources describe the mood of Friday's lunch as, quote, tense and difficult. One source made it clear that, quote, nobody shouted, but Trump was tough. As we've been tracking here on the PDB, Zelensky arrived in Washington armed with maps and talking points, pressing for long-range tomahawk missiles capable of striking deep inside Russia. Keeps argument was simple. The missiles could

cripple Russia's war economy by hitting refineries, power grids, and supply hubs far beyond the front, forcing Putin to the negotiating table. But Trump wasn't so sure. During opening remarks, the president said he hoped the war would end, quote, without thinking about tomahawks. Well, we've already been thinking about them. Calling the subsonic cruise missile, quote, a weapon that America needs. One source said Trump even grew, quote, emotional at times during the talks, insisting Washington's new priority was to, quote, end the war not escalated. It's almost like he's playing good cop, bad cop all by himself.

Trump then abruptly paused the back and forth discussions after conversations began to run in circles and said, quote, I think we're done. Let's see what happens next week. That's a nod, of course, to the upcoming U.S.-Russia talks to be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. and then he left the room. The president departed from Muralago. On truth social, he called the lunch, quote, interesting and cordial,

posting that he had told both Zelensky and Putin, quote, it was time to stop where they are. He added, quote, let both claim victory, let history decide. Well, of course, stopping where they are means that Putin gets to keep Crimea and at least one-fifth of Ukraine. So I suppose at least Putin could claim victory, of sorts. The two sources confirmed that Trump briefed Zaleli,

on his call with Putin during their meeting, outlining a new proposal that would freeze current battle lines as the basis for peace, effectively locking in Russia's territorial gains. For Keev, and that remains a non-starter. Trump later defended the logic to reporters on the ground in Florida, stating, quote, you go by the battle line wherever it is. Otherwise, it's too complicated. You'll never be able to figure it out. You stop at the battle line, end quote. Oh. The president then added, and half jokingly, that he asked Putin whether Moscow would object to Washington sending, quote, a couple thousand tomahawks to Ukraine in their phone call.

An idea Trump said Putin dismissed as, quote, damaging to peace. You know it's damaging to peace, invading a sovereign nation. Trump said that the U.S., quote, can't deplete its own arsenal and admitted he wasn't sure what more Washington could provide to Kiev. Zelensky attempted to downplay his disappointment after his meeting with the president, describing the White House talks as, quote, productive in a follow-up call with European leader. But several EU capitals were caught off guard by Trump's shift in tone, which last week hinted that Tomahawks could end up in Kiev's hands. Within hours, London, Berlin, and Paris released statements reaffirming support for Ukraine. That's a clear sign that they saw the lunch meeting as a setback.

When later pressed by reporters, Zelensky declined to discuss the Tomahawks, citing U.S. concerns over escalation with the Kremlin. When questioned whether he still believed the missiles may come from Washington, Zelensky simply said, quote, I'm realistic. So now, all eyes turn to Budapest, where preparations are underway for Trump's upcoming meeting with Putin in the weeks to come. Whether it produces a breakthrough remains to be seen. Now, listeners of the PDB know that I'm a pragmatically cynical individual. I don't really know if I know what that means, but it, well, it sounds fairly smart. So I don't see this second summit producing anything other than Putin simply playing for more time, or stringing along the White House, however you want to phrase it.

As our regular PDB listeners do know, the Trump-Pooten meeting in Alaska back in August ended with no tangible progress toward peace. But Trump insists a ceasefire is still within reach, even if for now. And Zeletsky's hopes for Tomok missiles, they don't seem to be within reach. Shifting gears. After more than a week of escalating border clashes, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed yesterday to an immediate end this time, supposedly lasting ceasefire. The latest breakthrough followed high-level talks in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Turkey. Qatar's foreign ministry confirmed both governments pledged to halt hostilities and, quote,

work toward lasting peace and stability, after an earlier truce failed to halt the bloodshed. As we've been tracking here on the PDB, the fighting erupted on the 10th of October, when Afghanistan accused Pakistan of launching airstrikes on Kabul and retaliated with its own cross-border attacks. Islamabad has long claimed that Kabul shelters the Pakistani Taliban or TPP, that's a charge that the Taliban government continues to deny. According to a Taliban spokesman, the new agreement includes a commitment from Kabul not to, quote, support groups carrying out attacks against the government of Pakistan, while both sides vowed to refrain from striking, quote, each other security forces, civilians, or critical infrastructure. Now it's a familiar script.

A 48-hour truce last week ended almost as soon as it began, with dozens of civilians and fighters killed on both sides, though the exact number of deceased is not independently verifiable. Ahead of the weekend talks, an Afghan delegation led by its defense minister accused Pakistan of fresh airstrikes on border villages, a claim that Islamabad rejected. Pakistan's information minister insisted that its military-only targets, quote, verified terrorist camps operating inside Afghanistan. In a post to X, the minister said, quote, all speculations and assertions being made regarding the targeting of civilians are false and meant to generate support for terrorist groups

operating from inside Afghanistan. The Pakistani minister added that terrorists tried to attack Pakistani positions during the earlier ceasefire but were, quote, repelled with more than 100 fighters killed, a figure that Western analysts still struggle to verify. So what began as localized skirmishes has now turned into a, test of both government's control. Whether this new ceasefire holds between two nations, once bound by alliance and now by violence and distrust, well, that remains an open question. Okay, coming up in the back of the brief, Alaska faces one of its worst natural disasters in decades after record-breaking

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the attention it deserves. Historic flooding has devastated Western Alaska, swallowing villages and propping what state officials suggest might be the largest airlift in the state's history. Governor Mike Dunleavy toured the devastated communities of Kipnuk and Kui-Gillingok on Friday, describing what he saw as, quote, a disaster area. He told reporters, quote, homes are tossed everywhere. It looks like a blast radius because of the water surge and the wind. The storm, fueled by remnants of typhoon halong that formed in the northern Philippine Sea on the 5th of October, unleashed more than six feet of floodwater along Alaska's west coast last week,

which is nearly two feet higher than the previous record set back in 2000. Wind gust reportedly hit 100 miles per hour across 49 communities, that's according to Fox weather, tearing apart homes and sea. sinking boats. From above, satellite imagery captured entire villages submerged in muddy floodwater. State officials say at least one person died, several remain missing and more than 50 have been rescued from fast-rising waters. The Alaska National Guard has been conducting non-stop evacuations, airlifting hundreds to anchorage aboard C-17 transport planes. Photos released by the Guard shows rows of evacuees wrapped in blankets inside the aircraft,

around 300 people flown to evacuation centers so far. Governor Dunley recalled the effort what may be the largest post-disaster airlift of Alaskans in the state's history. And the hardship is far from over. Many of the worst hit communities are remote and reachable only by air, of course, complicating recovery. The Alaska Department of Transportation reports that more than 50 local airports and road systems are damaged or destroyed outright. The Alaska Community Foundation estimates some 2,000 residents, the Alaska.

have been displaced, while the Guard has delivered over 21,000 pounds of emergency supplies to cut off villages. Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Nome posted on exit the Coast Guard, quote, continues to support the state of Alaska's response efforts in impacted communities. Dunleavy has formally requested a presidential disaster declaration, urging President Trump to, quote, declare a major disaster for Alaska in order to unlock federal relief funds. And that, my friends, is the President. Daily Brief for Monday the 20th of October.

Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And I hope you had a chance to watch the latest episode of our weekend show. That would be the PDB Situation Report. And great discussions, if I do say so myself, regarding China, Taiwan, and the Ukraine-Russia conflict. You can catch it and past episodes on our YouTube channel. You can find that, of course, on YouTube, at President's Daily Brief, and, of course, where you get your podcast stuff. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.