Sunday Summary - 2nd of November 2025

Dear Reader - you have guessed correctly, Sunday Summaries are back in fashion at the Maastricht Diplomat! So, if you would like a recap of the week’s essentials, you are in the right place. This week in particular has been eventful on the international stage with devastating news emerging from Gaza, the Caribbean, and Rio. Additionally, the general elections in the Netherlands have taken place. Read on to learn more about what took place this past week.

Violence in Gaza

The latest news of Gaza arrived with remorseful facts on Tuesday, as Israel temporarily broke the ceasefire. It reportedly struck Gaza with a bombardment, leaving 104 people dead and another 250 badly injured as a result of the act. Strikes have hit not only military targets, but also civil ones, such as schools, residential blocks, and private homes. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has accused Hamas of breaking the ceasefire by killing an Israeli soldier and of not returning the bodies of deceased hostages to Israel as was promised.

After the attack, on Wednesday morning, it was announced that the ceasefire would continue, despite the attack the previous night, respecting the US-brokered deal. Confusion arose after a declaration by Hamas, according to which they had nothing to do with the death of the Israeli soldier. They stressed their commitment to the ceasefire, not wanting to jeopardise an end to the war. Instead, they accused Israel of deliberately undermining the agreement. All eyes turned to the US, waiting for its response in the wake of the vicious attack. The President, however, downplayed the rising concerns, insisting that the ceasefire would continue, viewing the occurrence as a mere setback.

Another ‘justification’ raised for the attacks on Israel’s end was the alleged violation of the ceasefire agreement on Hamas’s end. Israel alleged that Hamas had not complied by not returning the human remains of deceased hostages, or not returning the correct bodies. Hamas yet again rejected such accusations, labelling them as Israel's new attempts to create a base for their subsequent aggressive attacks on Palestinians, undermining the possibility of peace. Hamas has expressed the difficulty in recovering the bodies, as strikes by Israel destroyed large parts of Gaza. The US has reiterated its stance, stating that nothing should jeopardise the ceasefire. However, the bodies need to be returned as soon as possible, or other countries might become involved in taking action to facilitate peace.

Hurricane Melissa

On another note, the weather has seemed to drastically transition near the Caribbean: destruction has hit the coast of Jamaica, Haiti and Bermuda as Hurricane Melissa has swept through the area with merciless speed, leaving terror and mourning in its wake. According to data, the storm was classified as a category 5 of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale at the moment it arrived in Jamaica, the highest category on the scale. The Western side of Jamaica was especially strongly affected by the storm. 4 deaths have already been confirmed by authorities. Authorities are currently considering how to repair the damage left behind, as the costs appear to exceed Jamaica’s annual GDP. Even as the storm seemed to have passed, the remnants of it continued to hinder the cleanup; however, the locals' determination to preserve whatever they had left remained unwavering.

After its landfall in Jamaica, the storm made its way to Cuba, although this time locals had to endure a tempered version of the storm as it weakened to a category 3 storm. In Haiti, 30 have lost their lives due to the extreme floods and landslides caused by the storm. By the time it arrived in the Bahamas, however, it had been further weakened into a category 1 storm, as its speed had decreased to 90mph. As Hurricane Melissa continues its journey to Bermuda, its transition into a post-tropical storm system is expected.

Deadliest ever police raid in Rio

The deadliest police raid in Rio’s history took place before dawn on Wednesday, as Vila Crueiro favela, a neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro’s North zone, woke to a frightening sight: more than 130 lay dead on the streets. Locals were shaken to the core, trying to gather their dead as news agencies arrived at the location: as they told what had happened, they were brought to tears, devastated by the massacre. Many of the victims, aged between 20 and 30, are presumed to have been part of a local drug trafficking gang, the ‘Red Command’. Regardless of the apparent ties to criminal activity, it has caused quite the upheaval among people, furious with the atrocious attack, claiming the men should have been arrested rather than slaughtered. Locals, enraged by the nightmare they woke up to, have torn off the covering sheets of the bodies of the deceased despite the warning of authorities, encouraging journalists to capture the moment, viewing it as a ‘historic humiliation’ for Brazil

Liberal-Progressive Party wins in the Dutch elections.

D66 has won the general elections on Wednesday in the Netherlands. This means Rob Jetten, the leader of the liberal-progressive party, now has the potential of becoming the youngest ever prime minister in the country. With 18% of the votes and 26 seats in parliament, the party now faces the task of creating a coalition to reach a simple majority in the 150-seat Lower House of Parliament. Confirmation of D66’s victory will be provided on Monday when mail ballots cast by Dutch residents living abroad are counted as well. If you would like to learn more about the elections, don't worry - some of our colleagues at The Diplomat have more in-depth reporting for you to read. Keep an eye on the Instagram page and website for news about upcoming articles.

That is all for this week, dear Reader, but do not worry, the Maastricht Diplomat will be back next week with many more articles for you to read and another Summary on Sunday. As the weather gets colder and we officially leave our beloved spooky season behind, one persistent question remains: Is it too early to start decorating for the holidays, or…?