January 2025 Recap: Israel & Hamas Ceasefire Deal, Sudanese Civil War, Russia Makes Gains

In January 2025, after 15 months of grueling total war, Israel and Hamas finally agreed on a long-lasting Gaza ceasefire deal. In Ukraine, Russian forces made major territorial gains in the Donbas, capturing the towns of Toretsk, Velyka Novosilka, and most notably Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk province. In South Korea, the President who had declared martial law was arrested by authorities, after a six hour standoff at his residence. In Sudan, where the reignited civil war has been raging, the US concluded that the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, were guilty of genocide in Darfur, and that the Sudanese Armed Forces, or the SAF were guilty of using chemical weapons, and sanctioned them both. And finally, in the United States, the newly elected President Donald immediately caused major shake-ups in international relations, as he threatened to take both Greenland and the Panama Canal, including by force, to the resistance of the leaders of Denmark and Panama.