DAY 8

Benjamin Netanyahu

Prime Minister of Israel

Bezalel Smotrich

Israel's far-right Finance Minister

Donald Trump

Proposed the 15-point Gaza peace plan

Nikolay Mladenov

Gaza envoy for Trump's Board of Peace overseeing the Gaza ceasefire

Basem Naim

Senior Hamas official

When did Hamas carry out the attack that triggered the Gaza war?

7 October 2023

How long had Hamas ruled Gaza before the October 2023 attack?

Nearly two decades

Who backs Hamas according to the article?

Iran

How many points does Trump's Gaza peace plan contain?

15 points

When is Netanyahu due to face re-election?

27 October 2026

Why is Netanyahu under political pressure?

He is caught between far-right ministers who oppose concessions in Gaza and Donald Trump, who wants progress toward ending the conflict

Since when has Israel scaled back attacks in Gaza?

Since Monday, after Nikolay Mladenov met Netanyahu

What has Israel agreed its military will target in Gaza?

What it perceives as immediate threats

What military tactic has Israel agreed to stop?

Targeted assassinations

What two major things are supposed to happen under Trump's plan?

Israeli forces withdraw as Hamas disarms,

while an International Stabilization Force works with a new Palestinian police force

What does Israel demand before withdrawing from Gaza?

Hamas must disarm

What does Hamas demand before implementing the arms-related part of the agreement?

Israel must halt attacks and meet its withdrawal commitments

What does Netanyahu say "disarmament" includes?

Heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry and all weaponry

What kind of disarmament does Netanyahu demand?

"Genuine disarmament", not fictitious disarmament

Where did Hamas say the roadmap was agreed with mediators?

Cairo

How long before the article had Hamas agreed to the roadmap?

10 days earlier

What does Hamas want mediators and the US guarantor to do?

Pressure Netanyahu and his government to adhere to the roadmap

What is Bezalel Smotrich's position on withdrawal from Gaza?

The military should not withdraw even a millimetre until Hamas is completely dismantled and demobilised

What does Hamas prefer to call its agreement regarding weapons?

It avoids the term "disarmament"

What would happen to Hamas's weapons under its proposed arrangement?

They would be handed over to be stored under a US-backed Palestinian technocrat administration

Who would supervise the Palestinian technocrat administration?

Trump's Board of Peace

Why did Hamas agree to the plan?

To spare people in Gaza a possible resumption of war

What condition did Hamas attach to implementation?

Israel must first meet its own commitments, including withdrawal

How many people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire?

More than 1,250

Who provided the Gaza death figure?

Gaza health officials

Who made up most of those killed?

Civilians

Approximately how many people live in Gaza?

More than 2 million

How much of Gaza has Israeli troops occupied and depopulated?

About two-thirds

Where are most of Gaza's remaining residents living?

In a tiny strip along the coast, mostly in makeshift tents or damaged buildings

Who is Namibia's president?

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah

Where did Namibia's president make a state visit?

Beijing, China

Which two major powers are competing for access to Namibia's minerals?

China and the European Union

What country is Namibia's largest trading partner?

China

How many cooperation agreements did Namibia sign with China?

Nine

What areas do the nine agreements cover?

Energy, mining, infrastructure, agriculture, technical training and green minerals (TIMAGE)

Which three strategic minerals are highlighted in Namibia?

Uranium, lithium and rare earths

What percentage of Namibia's exports to China by value consisted of uranium in 2025?

About 85%

Why is Namibia vulnerable because of its uranium export figure?

It shows Namibia's dependence on mineral exports and exposure to a single major buyer

What does Namibia want beyond simply exporting raw minerals?

Local processing, shared infrastructure and skills transfer (sils)

What does China want from Namibia?

Stable access to minerals and industrial inputs for energy and technology

What does the EU use to pursue opportunities in Namibia?

Global Gateway programme,

green-hydrogen projects

and critical-raw-material partnerships (CGG)

Approximately how much has the EU mobilised in loans and grants for Namibia?

€1.3 billion

How much private investment does the EU aim to leverage?

More than €20 billion

What could mining agreements include besides royalties and export revenue?

Processing plants, training programmes, electricity supply and local procurement commitments (PLET)

What is Namibia's main challenge with these agreements?

Ensuring projects create lasting industrial capacity beyond simply extracting minerals

Do the agreements guarantee factories, jobs or new power capacity?

No

What do the agreements create instead?

A framework for further negotiations

Which African country's mining-code changes are mentioned as an example?

Mali

What are African governments increasingly trying to obtain from mining projects?

Greater state revenue and local participation

Which three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement?

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey

What is the defence agreement called?

Mecca Joint Defense Agreement

Where was the defence agreement signed?

Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Which of the three countries is oil-rich?

Saudi Arabia

Which country has NATO's second-largest army?

Turkey

Which of the three countries is a nuclear power?

Pakistan

Who is Turkey's president?

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Who is Pakistan's Prime Minister?

Shehbaz Sharif

Who is Turkey's Foreign Minister?

Hakan Fidan

Who is the Saudi Crown Prince?

Mohammed bin Salman

Who said the pact was not aimed at Iran or any other country?

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan

How many NATO members are there?

32

Which NATO provision did Fidan compare the agreement's mutual-defence clause to?

NATO Article 5

What does NATO Article 5 mean?

An attack on one member is considered an attack on all

What must a member do before receiving assistance under the Mecca agreement?

Formally request help

Which country may join the agreement next?

Egypt

How did Fidan describe Egypt?

A "natural partner"

Where will the agreement's secretariat be based?

Saudi Arabia

Who will hold regular committee meetings?

The three countries' foreign ministers, defence ministers and military chiefs

Benjamin Netanyahu

prime minister of israel

israel prime minister

Benjamin Netanyahu