Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter{beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story  How will a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas work?Fifteen months of devastating war in Gaza could come to a halt as soon as Sunday, with Israel’s government poised to approve a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas. © AP“This is the ceasefire agreement I introduced last spring,” President Biden said in remarks Wednesday, announcing the deal. There were some final hang-ups this week over which Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israel’s jails and where they will be sent, as well as the ongoing presence of Israeli troops in the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the entire Gaza-Eqypt border.  However, Israel’s security Cabinet approved the deal Friday, and it’s set for prompt approval from the full Cabinet, meaning hostages could start walking free by Sunday, just ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration.   The agreement is a three-phase deal that begins with a halt in fighting, the release of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, along with a scale-up of humanitarian aid and withdrawal of some Israeli military forces from the Gaza Strip. This period is supposed to last six weeks, with negotiations for the second phase of the deal beginning on the 16th day of the ceasefire, according to a detailed framework provided to The Hill by Hamas.  If an agreement to begin the second phase of the deal is not achieved by the end of the initial six-week ceasefire, Biden said that as long as Israeli and Hamas officials are committed to continuing the talks, the ceasefire could continue indefinitely.   During this time, humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip is expected to surge, as long as the truce holds, allowing the rehabilitation of civilian infrastructure, including electricity, water, sanitation, telecommunications and roads.   Supplies for civil defense, debris removal and rubble clearance will also be delivered. At least 60,000 temporary housing units and 200,000 tents are listed as required for people who lost their homes.  The transition between the first and second phase of the deal is expected to be the most fraught period and will be overseen by the incoming Trump administration, which was also involved in the push for a deal in Biden’s final days in the White House.   Israeli officials will be on guard against Hamas extending talks in bad faith, using the time to reconstitute its military. And at any point, Israel could restart military operations if it sees a renewed threat from the U.S.-designated terrorist group.   Read the full report at TheHill.com.  Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.  Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future:  Warren pushes for Hegseth’s wife to divest from defense company stocksSen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter Friday to President-elect Trump’s Defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, asking for his wife to divest from thousands of dollars worth of stock she holds in defense company stocks, calling it a conflict of interest. Warren said she found Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Rauchet, holds stock in top defense contractors like Northrop Grumman Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp., Honeywell …  Full Story  Trump threats prompt talk of boosting Greenland security  President-elect Trump’s talk of taking over or acquiring Greenland is highlighting bipartisan talks about the need to increase security around the Arctic island and boost defenses in the region.   The GOP views Trump’s desire for Greenland as a negotiating point for enhanced Arctic security linked to his strategy on confronting China. Trump has also discussed taking back the Panama Canal, where China controls two of five ports.   …  Full Story  Greenland prime minister: ‘We don’t want to be Americans’Greenland’s prime minister weighed in on President-elect Trump’s proposal to acquire the island territory, arguing that the nation intends to keep working toward independence from Denmark. “We don’t want to be Danes,” Múte Egede told Fox News’s “Special Report” in an interview Thursday. “We don’t even want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlanders.” Trump’s recent …  Full Story   In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill:Live updates: Noem pledges to eliminate CBP One app; Senate advances Laken Riley Act South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), President-elect Trump’s pick to head the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is appearing for her confirmation hearing before a Senate panel Friday. The purview of DHS involves immigration and federal emergency management — two hot-button topics. Immigration … Full Story   On Tap Monday  Events in and around the defense world:  Inauguration Day is Monday. President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will be sworn in 12p.m. in the Capitol Rotunda. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a markup to vote on the nominations of Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) to be Homeland Security secretary; and Russell Vought to be director of the Office of Management and Budget.  What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets: Russia and Iran sign a partnership treaty to deepen their ties in the face of Western sanctions (The Associated Press) Will troops pardoned for Jan. 6 have a place in the military? They already do. (Military.com) Austin, first Black Defense secretary, ends term marred by Afghanistan but buoyed by Ukraine (The Associated Press)  Trending Today  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban The Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld a law requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company to divest from the app, teeing up a ban set to take … Read more Democratic senator on Biden’s farewell plea: ‘Now he tells us’  Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said statements in President Biden’s farewell speech came much too late in a Thursday statement, raising question … Read more  Opinions in The Hill Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: Face the facts: America has outsourced military supply chain to China A call that could change history: Trump and Pezeshkian’s moment to forge peace   You're all caught up. See you next week!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. 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