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keeping score at home, I am still in the Middle East on an epic trek through the deserts of

Saudi Arabia and Jordan,

five riders, ten camels, and a remarkable support team. While I'm away, Mike Slater is here to 21 January 2025. Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin. Mike Slater filling in for Mike Baker. Let's get briefed. First, as the ceasefire in Gaza takes hold, Hamas has flooded the streets with thousands of its

fighters and a major show of force, demonstrating that they will remain the dominant power

in the territory. We'll discuss Israel's reaction. And what the terror groups continue to hold over

the enclave means for the fragile truce. Later in the show, in a quick reversal of Biden policy, President Trump

has returned the nation of Cuba to the list of state sponsors of terrorism. But first, today's

afternoon spotlight. I want to start today's show by bringing to your attention a Wall Street

Journal report that details how in the first hours following the start of the ceasefire agreement with

Israel, Hamas has quickly moved to reassert its control over the Gaza Strip.

As Israeli troops withdrew, Hamas's forces reemerged, taken to the streets at a highly visible

display of authority, thousands of armed and uniformed militants paraded through Gaza,

flashing victory signs to cheering crowds, showing that despite months of conflict, Hamas remains the

dominant power in the territory. The images were a stark reminder that despite all the military

might that Israel deployed in Gaza, its stated war goals destroying Hamas and replacing

it with alternative governance remains unrealized. Garshang Baskin, a former Israeli hostage

...