Israel War

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Hamas Stands Firm on Hostage Release Demands

pgnewser January 8, 2025 0

Hamas stands by hostage release terms as Trump pushes for deal by Jan. 20 – National– globalnews.ca
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Hamas stood by its demand on Tuesday that Israel fully end its assault on Gaza under any deal to release hostages, and said U.S. president-elect Donald Trump was rash to say “all hell will break out” unless they go free by his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Officials from the Islamist group and Israel have been holding talks with Qatari and Egyptian mediators in the most intensive effort for months to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of 100 hostages that remain captive in Gaza.

The outgoing U.S. administration has called for a final push for a deal before Joe Biden leaves office, and many in the region now view Trump’s inauguration as an unofficial deadline.

“If (the hostages are) not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East,” Trump said Tuesday at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

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“It will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone.”

 


Tel Aviv protesters rally against Netanyahu, demand efforts on hostage deal with Hamas

 

Trump is dispatching his incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to Qatar this week for additional talks. Witkoff said real progress has been made.

“The red lines he’s put out there — that’s driving this negotiation,” Witkoff told reporters while standing next to Trump.

But with the clock ticking, both sides accuse the other of blocking a deal by adhering to conditions that torpedoed all previous peace efforts for more than a year.

Hamas says it will free its remaining hostages only if Israel agrees to end its military offensive and withdraw all its troops from Gaza. Israel says it will not end its assault until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are free.

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“Hamas is the only obstacle to the release of the hostages,” the director general of Israel’s foreign ministry, Eden Bar Tal, told a briefing with reporters, saying Israel was fully committed to reaching a deal.

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Hamas official Osama Hamdan, who held a news conference in Algiers, said Israel was to blame for undermining all efforts to reach a deal.

While he said he would not give details about the latest round of negotiations, he reiterated the Hamas conditions of “a complete end to the aggression and a full withdrawal from lands the occupation invaded.”

Commenting on Trump’s threat that there would be “hell” to pay unless all hostages were freed before the inauguration, Hamdan said: “I think the U.S. president must make more disciplined and diplomatic statements.”

 


At least 70 killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza amid ongoing ceasefire talks

 

Israel has sent a team of mid-ranking officials to Qatar for talks brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. Some Arabic media reports said David Barnea, the head of Mossad, who has been leading negotiations, was expected to join them. The Israeli prime minister’s office did not comment.

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In one notable step towards a deal, a Hamas official told Reuters on Sunday the group had cleared a list submitted by Israel of 34 hostages who could be freed in the initial phase of a truce, alongside Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The list included female Israeli soldiers, plus elderly, female and minor-aged civilians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel had so far received no confirmation about whether those on its list were still alive.

 

Israel keeps up airstrikes in Gaza

Nearly 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, according to Hamas health officials in the enclave. The assault was launched after Hamas fighters stormed Israeli territory in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israeli military strikes killed at least 24 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, medics said, as the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory urged international donors to immediately provide fuel to run generators and maintain medical services.

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One of those strikes killed four people in a house in Gaza City and six were killed in separate strikes across the enclave, medics said.

 


UN report slams regular Israeli attacks on Gaza hospitals

 

Later on Tuesday, an Israeli strike on a tent in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip killed four children and eight Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Jabalia in the north, medics said.

Additionally, an Israeli strike on a car in Khan Younis killed two people, medics and civil emergency service officials said.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on those strikes.

It said 240 Palestinians its forces had detained in a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza last month had provided “substantial intelligence.”

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The military released footage of the interrogation of a purported Hamas militant who detailed how militants “operated from the hospital area” and transferred weapons to and from it.

Hamas and the Gaza health ministry deny any armed presence at the hospital.

—With additional files from the Associated Press


Trump Promises ‘Golden Age’ for America, Demands Release of Hamas Hostages Before Inauguration– freebeacon.com

pgnewser January 8, 2025 0

Trump Promises ‘Golden Age’ for America, Demands Release of Hamas Hostages Before Inauguration– freebeacon.com
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Vows to rename Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ and assert U.S. dominance over Greenland, Canada, Panama Canal

“We’re approaching the dawn of America’s golden age,” President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday in a freewheeling press conference at Mar-a-Lago, his first public remarks since Vice President Kamala Harris certified his victory in the 2024 election.

Trump touted billions of dollars in new investments pouring into the United States beginning in November and vowed to “turn the economy around very quickly.” He promised to restore America’s global prestige by negotiating better deals, potentially acquiring new land, and renaming an existing territory to project strength. “We are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America,” Trump said. “What a beautiful name.” President Joe Biden’s imminent departure, Trump predicted, would force other countries to respect the United States again. “They laugh at us because they think we’re stupid,” he said. “But we’re not stupid anymore.”

Syria is no more

pgnewser December 16, 2024 0

In the span of less than 2 weeks, what started as a surge by anti-government forces in Syria turned into a complete rout, leading to the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, fleeing the country to become a political refugee in Russia. This also led to Israel launching the largest airstrike since the 6-Day War in an effort to eliminate the Syrian army’s left-behind equipment and munitions.

Blinken confirms direct contact with Syria’s rebel leaders – nbcnews.com
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that the U.S. has made direct contact with Syria’s Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) rebels, as they transition from a militant insurgency toward a more legitimate governing authority.

“We’ve been in contact with HTS and with other parties,” Blinken said after talks in Aqaba, Jordan, with diplomats and representatives from several Arab nations.

The U.S. designates HTS a terrorist organization, making it legally impossible to work with the group, but contact underscores ongoing efforts to change that designation as the U.S. and its allies look to support Syria’s transition from Assad rule.

In a joint statement released after the meeting, the governments of the U.S., Turkey, E.U., and Arab Countries called for a “a more hopeful, secure and peaceful future” in Syria, stressing respect for women and minorities, and preventing “the reemergence of all terrorist groups.”

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Israel Hints Ceasefire Might be Coming Soon

pgnewser November 25, 2024 0

Israel’s ambassador to D.C. told Israeli Army Radio that a ceasefire was being negotiated with Hezbollah and there were “points to finalize.” He added, “we are close to a deal… it can happen within days.”

Middle East latest: Israeli ambassador to US says Hezbollah cease-fire deal could come ‘within days’– abcnews.go.com
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The Israeli ambassador to Washington says that a ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah could be reached “within days.”

Ambassador Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio on Monday that there remained “points to finalize” and that any deal required agreement from the government. But he said “we are close to a deal” and that “it can happen within days.”

Among the issues that remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal. The deal seeks to push Hezbollah and Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of not adhering to a U.N. resolution that ended the 2006 war between the sides that made similar provisions, and Israel has concerns that Hezbollah could stage a Hamas-style cross-border attack from southern Lebanon if it maintains a heavy presence there. Lebanon says Israel also violated the 2006 resolution. Lebanon complains about military jets and naval ships entering Lebanese territory even when there is no active conflict.

It is not clear whether Lebanon would agree to the demand.

The optimism surrounding a deal comes after a top U.S. envoy held talks between the sides last week in a bid to clinch a deal.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas’ raid on southern Israel, setting off more than a year of fighting. That escalated into all-out war in September with massive Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and later an Israeli ground incursion into the country’s south.

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Pope Francis Pushes for Israel to Be Investigated for Committing “Genocide”

pgnewser November 19, 2024 1

Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, has come out in support of an investigation into the fabricated allegations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The Pope said in a released published post ““According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide. We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.”

Pope Francis calls for investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute ‘genocide’  – AP

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Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts released Sunday from an upcoming new book ahead of the pontiff’s jubilee year.

It’s the first time that Francis has openly urged for an investigation of genocide allegations over Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip. In September, he said Israel’s attacks in Gaza and Lebanon have been “immoral” and disproportionate, and that its military has gone beyond the rules of war.

The book, by Hernán Reyes Alcaide and based on interviews with the Pope, is entitled “Hope never disappoints. Pilgrims towards a better world.” It will be released on Tuesday ahead of the pope’s 2025 jubilee. Francis’ yearlong jubilee is expected to bring more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome to celebrate the Holy Year.

“According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” the pope said in excerpts published Sunday by the Italian daily La Stampa.

“We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies,” he added.

Last year, Francis met separately with relatives of Israeli hostages in Gaza and Palestinians living through the war and set off a firestorm by using words that Vatican diplomats usually avoid: “terrorism” and, according to the Palestinians, “genocide.”

Israel Will Ignore Calls for Lebanon Ceasefire

pgnewser November 13, 2024 0

Even before President Trump won the 2024 election, Israel was signaling it was not in the mood to entertain calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon. Now, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, who replaced former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after Prime Minister Netanyahu fired him for the second time, is doubling down.

He is claiming Hezbollah has been defeated, but more work needs to be done in Lebanon to secure the victory, meaning no ceasefire proposal will be considered until the work is done. Katz said of the decision not to pursue a ceasefire that Israel had learned its lessons and “Now it is our job to continue to put pressure on order to bring about the fruits of that victory.”

Israel Defence Minister Katz: In Lebanon there will be no ceasefire, will continue to hit Hezbollah with full force – Reuters
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Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said on X on Tuesday that during a meeting with military officials, he reiterated that Israel will continue hitting Hezbollah with full force and that there will be no ceasefire.

Israel Finally Hits Iran Back

pgnewser October 30, 2024 1

On Saturday, October 25, Israel finally struck Iran after delaying the attack due to the Pentagon leak. The strikes appear to have targeted their ballistic missile capacity and air defenses, with some suggesting Iran’s ballistic missile program will take years to rebuild. Meanwhile, the alleged gutting of Iran’s air defenses senses the regime a stark warning. Next time, we won’t be so restrained, we won’t have to be.

What we know about Israel’s attack on Iran – BBC
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Israel carried out what it described as “precise and targeted” airstrikes on Iran on Saturday, in retaliation for the barrage of strikes launched by Tehran against Israel earlier this month.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted military sites in several regions, with subsequent reports suggesting an Iranian missile production site had been hit. One civilian and four soldiers were killed in the attacks, the Iranian military said.

It marks the latest in a series of attacks between the two regional foes that for months have raised fears of an all-out war.

Al Jazeera is Also Hamas, Israel Says

pgnewser October 24, 2024 0

IDF Uncovers Documents Showing Six Al Jazeera Journalists Are Hamas, Islamic Jihad Terrorists– legalinsurrection.com
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), on Wednesday, released documents showing six Al Jazeera journalists are members of terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

The terrorists were identified based on the documents uncovered in Gaza. “The IDF says it has uncovered documents in the Gaza Strip it claims reveal that six Al Jazeera journalists are operatives in the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups,” The Times of Israel reported. “The journalists are named by the IDF as Anas al-Sharif, Alaa Salameh, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf al-Sarraj, Ismail Abu Omar, and Talal al-Arrouqi.”

Some of these Al Jazeera staffers, who enjoyed protection in the Gaza conflict zones due to their press credentials, hold senior positions in Palestinian terrorist organizations. They are operatives in Hamas’s Nukhba Force and Nuseirat Battalion terrorist formations, which spearheaded the October 7 massacre, Israeli media reports confirm.

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Pentagon Clueless After Israel’s Retaliation Plan Leaked to Iran

pgnewser October 23, 2024 0

Two documents were leaked to Iran that expose in whole or in part Israel’s plans for retaliation following Iran’s recent missile barrage of the country. The Pentagon has stressed that no employee in the Defense Department is under suspicion at present. The leak critically undermines America’s trustworthiness not just with Israel, but with the rest of the world.

President Donald Trump believes the leaker is coming from within, as do most other people not existentially committed to the social experiment that is the DNC-CCP agenda.

Trump said, “They leaked all the information about the way that Israel’s going to fight and how they are going to fight and where they are going to go. And somebody — who did that? Can you imagine somebody doing that? That’s the enemy. I guess that maybe is the enemy from within, as I talked about. We have an enemy from within. They hate to talk about it. Can you imagine? So we just can’t stand for this incompetence anymore.”

The U.S. is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s attack plans– www.washingtontimes.com
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The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appear to be legitimate.

The documents are attributed to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, and note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. They were sharable within the “Five Eyes,” which are the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The documents, which are marked top secret, were posted to the Telegram messaging app and first reported Saturday by CNN and Axios. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The investigation is also examining how the documents were obtained — including whether it was an intentional leak by a member of the U.S. intelligence community or obtained by another method, like a hack — and whether any other intelligence information was compromised, one of the officials said. As part of that investigation, officials are working to determine who had access to the documents before they were posted, the official said.

Trump suggests ‘enemy from within’ is responsible for Israel leak– www.washingtonexaminer.com
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Former President Donald Trump used his “enemies from within” line to suggest that Americans were responsible for a classified documents leak.

Trump claimed without evidence that an “enemy from within” leaked highly classified U.S. intelligence documents involving Israel. The FBI is investigating the incident.

“They leaked all the information about the way that Israel’s going to fight and how they are going to fight and where they are going to go. And somebody — who did that? Can you imagine somebody doing that? That’s the enemy. I guess that maybe is the enemy from within, as I talked about,” Trump said at an event focused on Latino leaders Tuesday.

“We have an enemy from within,” Trump continued, adding, “They hate to talk about it. Can you imagine? So we just can’t stand for this incompetence anymore.”

White House officials have said it has not been determined yet whether the documents were leaked or hacked, but they said they do not expect additional leaks. The documents in question were each dated Oct. 15 and Oct. 16, purportedly from U.S. government agencies, including the National Security Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Their contents focused on Israel’s expected retaliatory attack against Iran.

While it is unclear exactly who “they” Trump is referring to, he did reaffirm that his “enemies from within” line is, in fact, referring to his political opponents. When asked on Fox News to clarify his comments about using law enforcement or the military against those who disagree with him, Trump confirmed he was talking about former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).

“What they’ve done is so terrible. Who’s ever heard of anything like this? Adam shifty Schiff. He’s a crooked guy. He’s a crooked politician. 100% he’s going to be a senator,” Trump said on Sunday. “Of course, he’s an enemy. He’s an enemy. He wanted to put my son in jail.”

“We have a lot of bad people. But when you look at Shifty Schiff and some of the others, yeah, they are, to me, the enemy from within. I think Nancy Pelosi is an enemy from within. She lied,” Trump continued.

FBI Investigates Leak on Israel’s Iran Strike Plans – devdiscourse

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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed no employees from the Office of the Secretary of Defense are under investigation for a leak concerning Israel’s strike on Iran. The FBI is probing the release of classified documents, while social media falsely accused a Defense Department employee.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has confirmed that no employees from the Office of the Secretary of Defense are currently being scrutinized in relation to a leak of U.S. intelligence about Israel’s plans to strike Iran. Speaking in Rome, Austin assured reporters that no OSD officials have been implicated in the investigation.

According to the FBI, the inquiry is focused on the unauthorized public disclosure of two highly classified documents that detail Israel’s intention for a retaliatory operation against Iran. The Bureau made this announcement on Tuesday, reinforcing a commitment to uncover the source of the leak.

Israel targets Hezbollah-run banks as U.S. probes alleged leak of Iran attack plan– www.cbsnews.com
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The White House says President Biden is “deeply concerned” about the possible leak of American intelligence about Israel’s plans for an attack on Iran. Meanwhile, Israel is turning up pressure on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, targeting the group’s financial network. Debora Patta reports.