The President's Daily Brief
PDB afternoon Bulletin | February 10th, 2025: Hamas Suspends Hostage Exchanges Indefinitely & Trump Talks To Putin
Mon, 10 Feb 2025
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: Hamas has announced it is 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 "any possible scenario" in Gaza. Former President Donald Trump says he’s already spoken with Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. What did they discuss, and what does it mean for the conflict? To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is the latest update on the Hamas hostage situation?
It's Monday, 10 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 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 week's obligations. Huh.
Chapter 2: How has Israel responded to Hamas's actions?
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, taken during Hamas's October 7 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' decision a, quote, 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.
Chapter 3: What are the implications of the suspended hostage exchanges?
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.
Chapter 4: Has President Trump spoken to Putin about Ukraine?
Coming up next, President Trump says he's already been on the phone with Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. I'll have those details after the break. 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 Kiev's 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'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 Advisor 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 U.S. 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, "...the President is prepared to put all of those issues on the table this week, including the future of U.S. aid to Ukraine."
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