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Morning Brief: Hamas Accepts Ceasefire, Trump Invites Pilots to White House, Russia Pummels Kyiv, Again

BY Guy D. McCardle

While Kyiv burned under a record-breaking Russian drone assault and Hamas eyed a ceasefire deal with fingers crossed behind their back, President Trump saluted B-2 pilots at the White House—just not by name, because in 2025, even heroes have to hide. Welcome to Saturday, July 5th, 2025. This is your SOFREP Morning Brief.

President Trump and First Lady Melania appear on the White House balcony during a Fourth of July celebration that honored B-2 bomber crews behind strikes on Iran—while Kyiv burned and Gaza braced for a ceasefire that may never come. Image Credit: Voice of America

Hamas Agrees to U.S.-Backed Ceasefire Proposal—Now the Clock Starts Ticking

As of July 5, 2025, Hamas has agreed to the terms of a U.S.-backed 60-day ceasefire proposal in Gaza. This isn’t just another temporary pause in the fighting—it comes with a built-in promise: that the truce will serve as a bridge to real negotiations for ending the war permanently. The deal came after intense mediation led by Egypt and Qatar, with Washington pulling most of the strings behind the curtain.

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The terms are sobering. Over the course of two months, Hamas is expected to release ten living Israeli hostages and return the remains of eighteen more. Israel, in turn, will release a large number of Palestinian prisoners and allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Notably, Hamas has agreed not to hold public celebrations when the hostages are returned—a tactical move meant to keep tensions from boiling over during the delicate implementation phase.

But here’s the catch: Hamas’s approval hinges on a U.S. guarantee that this ceasefire isn’t a dead end. They want full-blown negotiations and a permanent end to the war, including the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. For its part, Israel has signed on to the temporary terms but remains adamant that any lasting peace will require Hamas to fully disarm and dismantle its military operations. Prime Minister Netanyahu is headed to Washington soon to hash out the long game.

Meanwhile, the human cost continues to mount. Since the war reignited in October 2023, more than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed. The ceasefire, if it holds, could open the door to desperately needed aid and services in a place where suffering has become a daily constant.

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The international community is holding its breath. Whether this becomes the first step toward ending the war—or just another 60 days of borrowed time—will depend on what happens after the shooting stops.

 

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B-2 Pilots Honored at White House Amid Rising Security Concerns

President Trump invited the B-2 bomber crews behind the June 2025 strikes on Iranian nuclear sites—part of Operation Midnight Hammer—to the White House for this year’s July 4th celebration. The gesture was meant to honor the airmen as heroes for executing a high-stakes, long-range mission launched from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The patriotic affair featured military flyovers, with B-2s, F-22s, and F-35s thundering overhead in a not-so-subtle reminder of American airpower.

But behind the scenes, that red, white, and blue pageantry stirred up a hornet’s nest of security concerns. The Air Force made it crystal clear: no names, no photos, no public ceremonies. Pilots were instructed to keep their heads down and maintain a low profile if they chose to attend. The fear wasn’t paranoia—it was rooted in cold reality. U.S. adversaries are increasingly savvy at exploiting open-source intel and using tech to track down military personnel. One grainy clip, one careless tag on social media, and suddenly you’ve handed a terrorist group a lead.

There’s a grim history behind the caution. Groups like ISIS have previously stalked American service members by scraping public info and social media posts. It’s not just the uniformed airmen at risk—it’s their families, too. That’s why many in the military community, including some former operators and analysts, raised red flags over the White House recognition. Even being spotted on camera in a crowd can be enough to start the breadcrumb trail.

The B-2 community, in particular, is small, tight, and easy to track if you’re not careful. When you fly one of the most advanced stealth aircraft on Earth, anonymity becomes part of your armor. While the intent to honor these pilots is understandable, some argue the best way to say “thank you” might’ve been behind closed doors.

This isn’t just about one event. It’s about striking the balance between celebration and security in an era where enemies don’t need spies—they just need a smartphone and a Wi-Fi connection.

 

Russia Unleashes Hell on Kyiv in Largest Drone Assault of the War

In the early hours of July 4, 2025, while Americans were prepping for fireworks and hot dogs, Kyiv was under siege. Russia launched its most massive drone and missile barrage yet—over 500 unmanned systems and rockets—in a brutal seven-hour attack that lit up the Ukrainian capital like a war zone rave. The majority were Iranian-made Shahed drones, cheap but effective kamikaze aircraft that have become Moscow’s go-to tool for pounding Ukrainian infrastructure and terrorizing civilians.

The Ukrainian Air Force counted 550 total projectiles launched across the country, with Kyiv taking the brunt. At least 23 people were injured, one was killed, and parts of the city looked like a war movie set. Fires raged, apartment blocks were shredded, and emergency crews spent the day digging through 300 tons of debris. Residents spent the night crammed into subway stations and parking garages, riding out another round of Russian aggression in a war that’s now deep into its third year.

Despite Ukraine’s best efforts, even its battle-hardened air defense systems were overwhelmed. They intercepted 270 targets—including a couple of cruise missiles—but 208 vanished from radar, likely jammed by Russian electronic warfare. In the end, Moscow hit at least eight targets with nine missiles and 63 drones.

The Kremlin claimed it was hitting drone and arms factories, but Ukraine’s leadership wasn’t buying it. President Zelensky called it what it was: a calculated terror strike. The timing raised even more eyebrows—coming just hours after a phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin. Trump admitted afterward the call went nowhere, and many in Kyiv took the attack as a blunt message from Putin that diplomacy isn’t on his radar.

This strike marks a nasty escalation in Russia’s drone war strategy. They’re doing more than testing Ukraine’s defenses—they’re wearing them down, week after week, with record drone launches meant to bleed the system dry and break civilian morale. If anyone was still clinging to hope that the war was winding down, this was a loud, fiery reminder: it’s not.

 

 

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