Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to the US later this month to meet with President Trump. t comes as talks on the phase 2 of the Gaza peace process are slowly advancing. Bloomberg's Dan Williams reports.

Washington

The U.S-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza is holding, after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to the United States to meet with former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in South Florida. The meeting, anticipated toward the end of the month, aims to discuss the second phase of the Gaza plan, following recent talks involving Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar.

While the agenda for the meeting remains largely undisclosed, officials have indicated that the establishment of a 'Board of Peace'—a Supreme Oversight Committee headed by Trump—will be a key topic. The White House has not yet formally announced or invited Netanyahu, but Israeli officials are proceeding as if the meeting is confirmed.

Netanyahu expected in the U.S. to meet Trump

We had Witkoff meeting with senior officials from Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar to advance the talks on the second phase of this Gaza plan. What do we know about those talks? Well, we have a reading from Witkoff himself, a statement he put out at the end of those talks, saying effectively that those powers, it's worth remembering that when it comes to Egypt and Qatar, these are long-term mediators between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Turkey is on the periphery. It wants to be a stakeholder. That is resisted by Israel, given tensions with Ankara going back well over a decade. Nonetheless, these are three significant US-aligned powers in the region. And according to Witkoff, they basically affirmed that phase one had proceeded largely as planned. They affirmed the need to move to phase two. These would seem to be baby steps. Hard to know exactly where this is going, but all parties we've spoken to have indicated that that will firm up, or is expected to be firmed up, toward the end of the month, when Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to be meeting also in South Florida at Mar-a-Lago with the US President Trump to discuss prospects for moving to that phase two of the Gaza plan. And you'll be at that meeting in Mar-a-Lago. What's on the agenda? Not much discussed publicly so far. In fact, officials are saying they're still trying to work that out. But up here, especially given from what we just heard from Rubio, that appointing the Board of Peace is really where all this begins and from which all of this flows. This would be the Supreme Oversight Committee headed by Trump himself. We're told he's looking for other serving national heads of government or heads of state to be there alongside him. Underneath the Board of Peace would be a so-called executive board, potentially with the former British Prime Minister Blair, with Witkoff himself. Beneath that, a CEO. And beneath that, the Palestinian technocratic government, that interim government that would run day-to-day activities. So a quite complicated, stratified system in place there. However, when you ask officials involved in this whether there's some room for skepticism about whether this will go ahead, they point out that just three months ago, no one thought there could be a ceasefire in Gaza, a recovery of the last living hostages. In fact, the recovery of all dead hostages held by Hamas since the October 7th attack, with the exception of one body yet to be recovered. There was also a UN Security Council resolution endorsing the Trump plan just a couple months ago. So they look at these achievements as markers of how, with quiet patience and with hard work behind the scenes, more can be achieved. I think that will become clearer toward December 29th, when and if that meeting goes ahead. It's worth noting the White House has yet to formally invite Netanyahu, yet to formally announce the meeting will go ahead. But the Israelis are treating it as a given. So while much of the world is away on Christmas New Year's vacations, there will be hard work being done at Mar-a-Lago to push ahead this Gaza plan.

At least 15 documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were initially made public have been pulled from the Justice Department website. The agency says it will keep reviewing and redacting materials to "protect victims."

Epstein files pulled down to 'protect victims'

The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker near Venezuela, a U.S. official tells CBS News. It's another move by the Trump administration to put pressure on Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.

Caracas

U.S. pursuing third oil tanker off Venezuela coast, official says

Nine people have died and at least ten others were wounded after a group of gunmen carried out a shooting at a South African pub during the early hours of Sunday, authorities said.

Bekkersdal

At least nine people killed in South Africa pub shooting

U.S. intelligence reports continue to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his aims of capturing all of Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire, six sources familiar with U.S. intelligence said.

Ukraine Invasion

As peace talks go on, U.S. intel says Putin's war goals unchanged

A court in Pakistan has convicted and sentenced the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years in prison after finding them guilty of retaining and selling state gifts, including jewelry given by Saudi Arabia in 2021.

Islamabad

Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan convicted to 17 years in prison

The U.S. seized an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast on Saturday. It's the second time in two weeks that U.S. forces have carried out such an action. This comes after President Donald Trump announced a block of "sanctioned oil vessels" entering and exiting Venezuela.

Oil tanker seized off Venezuela, second in two weeks

The Justice Department released more documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Saturday after failing to meet Friday's deadline to release all the documents, as required by the law signed by President Trump last month. The Justice Department said the delay was, in part, to ensure that victims' information was protected.

Justice Department releases more Epstein documents Saturday

The U.S. Department of Justice released thousands of documents, photos and files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday. But some Democrats are criticizing the partial release because the department had a deadline to release all of the files by end of Friday.

'Partial' release of Epstein files faces criticism

The United States military “hit the ISIS [ISIL] thugs in Syria”, President Donald Trump has said, a week after two US soldiers and an interpreter were killed in Syria’s Palmyra city. Trump said he “ordered a massive strike on the terrorists that killed our three great patriots last week”.

Damascus

Trump says U.S has launched large-scale attacks on ISIL in Syria

Ukraine said its drones hit a vessel from Russia's shadow fleet – the first such strike in the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Russia's shadow fleet transports sanctioned Russia oil by frequently changing flags and concealing ownership.

Ukraine strikes Russian shadow fleet tanker in Mediterranean sea

The U.S. Justice Department has released thousands of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein, including photos featuring people like former President Bill Clinton and Mick Jagger. However, survivors are concerned with how much information was redacted from the files.

Thousands of new Epstein files, photos released

The U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday (December 19) in retaliation for an attack on American personnel, U.S. officials said.

U.S. hits ISIS in Syria with large retaliatory strikes

The man suspected of carrying out an attack in Taiwan with a smoke grenade and knife acted alone, police said on Saturday of the incident that killed at least four, including the attacker. This edit contains graphic images.

Taipei City

Taipei attacker acted alone, police say after three killed

The suspect in the Dec. 13 mass shooting on the campus of Brown University was found dead by suicide in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, authorities said. He has been identified as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a former Brown grad student.

Providence

How a Reddit post led police to the suspected university shooter

Seven people were killed, including former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his wife and children, in a plane crash in North Carolina. Investigators hope to find clues about why it happened on the cockpit voice recorder. Cristian Benavides has the latest.

Plane crash kills NASCAR driver, family

President Trump announced new agreements on Friday with nine pharmaceutical companies aimed at making certain prescription drugs cheaper. CBS News reporter Karen Hua has the details.

Trump announces agreements with major drugmakers to lower prices

The U.S. Justice Department released a new trove of documents from its investigations into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, bowing to pressure from lawmakers who forced their disclosure with a new law.

Washington County

Justice Department releases new tranche of Epstein files

The Justice Department has released a new batch of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. CBS News legal reporter Katrina Kaufman has more.

Combing through newly released Epstein files

TikTok has signed a deal to sell its U.S. operations to a group of investors in America, a source familiar with the deal tells CBS News.

TikTok nears deal to avoid ban in the U.S.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted to the European Union's massive $108 billion loan to fund Ukraine's war against Russia.

Kyiv

European Union loans Ukraine billions as Putin boasts about war

The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, continues to take a heavy toll on civilians, particularly in frontline areas such as Zaporizhzhia, where fighting and shelling persist.

Moscow

Putin accuses Kyiv of rejecting peaceful settlement

The man believed to be responsible for carrying out the Brown University shooting and killing an MIT professor was found dead in a storage unit in New Hampshire on Thursday, officials said.

Salem

Suspect in Brown and MIT shootings found dead

Australia will launch a national gun buyback program in the aftermath of a deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Council of the City of Sydney

Australia announces gun buyback program after Bondi Beach shooting

TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, signed binding agreements with American investors to allow the U.S. arm of the business to continue operating.

Beijing

TikTok signs deal to allow app to continue operating in the U.S.

Under a law passed by Congress and signed by President Trump, the Justice Department has until Friday to release its files on the Jeffrey Epstein case. House Democrats released more photos from the estate of the convicted sex offender. Scott MacFarlane reports.

House Democrats release more Epstein photos ahead of DOJ deadline

The European Commission announced it will delay the signing of the Mercosur trade agreement until the new year after Meloni asked for more time. No date has been set. Backers hope deal won't be further derailed.

Brussels

Mercosur signature delayed to January after Meloni asked for more time

President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug. CBS News White House reporter Aaron Navarro has more on that and the president's year-end address from Wednesday night.

Trump signs executive order reclassifying marijuana

President Donald Trump laid out what he claims are the reasons that America's economy is thriving in an address to the nation. This comes as Americans remain concerned about high prices.

Trump touts economic record during address to nation

Multiple sources tell CBS News a person of interest has been identified in the mass shooting at Brown University. CBS News' Tom Hanson reports.

Person of interest identified in deadly Brown University shooting

Brazil’s Senate passed a bill that could drastically reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup, potentially cutting his time behind bars to just over two years.

Netanyahu expected in the U.S. to meet Trump

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