Important Takeaways:
- The Hamas terror group on Thursday dismissed President Donald Trump’s latest threat and refused to release more Israeli hostages without a permanent ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip.
- Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua said the “best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages” is through negotiations on a second phase of the ceasefire agreement.
- Hamas’ response comes after Trump met with eight former hostages in Washington and posted what he called a “last warning” to Hamas on his Truth Social platform on Wednesday.
- “‘Shalom Hamas’ means Hello and Goodbye – You can choose,” the president’s post began. “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you.”
- Trump added that he is “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job,” and that “not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say.
- “Also, to the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages,” the president wrote. “If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!”
- Hamas is believed to still have 24 living hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that led to the ongoing war. It is also holding the bodies of 34 others who were either killed in the initial attack or in captivity, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in the 2014 war.
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Important Takeaways:
- Members of the so-called Five Eyes spy alliance, as well as Israeli and Saudi officials, fear the identities of foreign assets could inadvertently be shared with Moscow.
- The allies, including Israel, Saudi Arabia and members of the so-called Five Eyes spy alliance of English-speaking democracies, are examining how to possibly revise current protocols for sharing intelligence to take the Trump administration’s warming relations with Russia into account, the sources said
- “Those discussions are already happening,” said a source with direct knowledge of the discussions.
- No decision or action has been taken, however, the sources said.
- Asked about allies’ possibly limiting what they share with the United States, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council said President Donald Trump is “clear-eyed” about America’s adversaries.
- “The U.S. has unrivaled intelligence capabilities which is exactly why intelligence sharing initiatives such as the Five Eyes exist,” spokesman Brian Hughes said in an email.
- “President Trump is clear-eyed on all threats our adversaries pose to our national security and he will work with any ally or partner who understands the dangerous world inherited after the disastrous Biden years,” he added. “On Biden’s watch, we had the war in Ukraine, the surrender in Afghanistan, and the slaughter of the innocents on October 7th.”
- Publicly, longtime U.S. allies downplayed the issue. The United Kingdom, the most important U.S. intelligence partner, said it had no plans to reduce intelligence cooperation with the United States.
- The Canada Security Intelligence Service said in a statement that it has strong relationships with numerous U.S. agencies that are “long-standing and resilient.
- An Israeli official also praised its alliance with the U.S., saying “Cooperation between Israel and the United States on every level, including the sharing of crucial intelligence data, is as strong and solid as ever.”
- Officials from New Zealand, Australia and Saudi Arabia did not respond to requests for comment.
- Some officials in allied countries, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters, played down the idea that Trump’s policies on Russia would disrupt information sharing that dates back decades
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Important Takeaways:
- US special envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler has been holding direct talks with Hamas officials in Qatar on the possibility of releasing hostages, including Americans, in Gaza, a source familiar with the details confirmed to The Jerusalem Post.
- Israel has been updated on these talks.
- Bohler met with Hamas “because his role allows it,” the source told the Post.
- “The talks focused on releasing American hostages – but also all hostages. The message to Hamas: Show goodwill – to enable discussions about the second phase as well.”
- On Tuesday, officials estimated that if no agreement is reached between Israel and Hamas, Israel would return to fighting in Gaza in about a week and a half.
- “Hamas is currently rejecting [US Middle East envoy Steve] Witkoff’s proposal, so it is very difficult to make progress,” one official said.
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Important Takeaways:
- The White House is supporting the Israeli government’s decision to block aid to Gaza until Hamas leaders agree to a ceasefire extension, according to a newly-released statement.
- In a statement obtained by Fox News on Sunday, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said that Israel has “negotiated in good faith since the beginning of this administration to ensure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas terrorists.”
- “We will support their decision on next steps given Hamas has indicated it’s no longer interested in a negotiated ceasefire,” Hughes added.
- Earlier on Sunday, Israeli officials announced that they are stopping the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip and warned Hamas it would face “additional consequences” if it does not accept a new proposal for an extended ceasefire.
- “With the conclusion of the 1st stage of the hostages deal and in light of Hamas’ refusal to accept the [U.S. Mideast envoy Steve] Witkoff framework for the continuation of the talks, to which Israel agreed, PM Netanyahu decided: as of this morning, entry of all goods & supplies to the Gaza Strip be halted,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on X.
- “Israel will not allow a ceasefire without a release of our hostages. If Hamas persists in its refusal, there will be additional consequences,” the post added.
- An Israeli official said the decision to suspend aid was made in coordination with the Trump administration.
- Israeli officials said earlier on Sunday that they support a proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire through Ramadan and Passover, or April 20. They said the proposal came from the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
- Under that deal, Hamas would release half the hostages on the first day and the remainder when an agreement is reached on a permanent ceasefire, according to Netanyahu’s office.
- In the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israel also pulled back forces from most of Gaza and allowed a surge of humanitarian aid to enter the region.
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Important Takeaways:
- On Tuesday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “Wake Up America,” Mike Huckabee, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to Israel, said that Hamas never keeps its word and “if you negotiate with terrorists, you only give them more freedom.” But it’s also important the U.S. is “engaged and involved” in negotiations over the next phase of the ceasefire.
- Huckabee said Hamas has to be eliminated by Israel, and “every time Hamas says they will do something, they simply never do.”
- Co-host Sharla McBride then asked, “[W]e know that U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will be heading to the Middle East tomorrow to discuss extending that first phase of the ceasefire with Israel, Qatar, and Egypt. And with a lot of the President’s focus on Ukraine and Russia right now, how important is the U.S.’s role in all of these mediations and all of these negotiations over in the Middle East?”
- Huckabee answered, “Sharla, the most important thing we’re watching is that we are engaged and involved. Until Donald Trump was sworn in, there was a disengagement, and when we were engaged, it was schizophrenic. We never knew whether the American policy was steadfast with Israel or kind of with Israel, but telling them how they ought to prosecute the war and at what point they could go into certain cities and whether or not we were going to withhold arms, which we did, by the way, withhold the very defense weapons that Israel needed to defend itself, not just against Hamas, but against Hezbollah and the Houthis. Under Donald Trump, there’s clarity. There’s a certainty. The trumpet is blowing a clear, clear signal, and that signal is, America will stand with its allies, number one. Number two, we are not going to flinch when it comes to dealing with these murderous terrorists. Hamas is not a government. I hope everybody remembers that. They are terrorists. There is no governing force of Hamas. They’re not a country. They’re simply Iranian-backed savages. That’s what they are.”
- Co-host Marc Lotter then said, “[O]n Saturday, Israel was supposed to release 620 Palestinian prisoners after the return of six hostages from Hamas captivity. But Prime Minister Netanyahu said the prisoners will not be released while Hamas continues the gross display of hostages in these staged ceremonies. And, to your earlier point, I remember when the position was don’t negotiate with terrorists. So, what has to happen now? Hamas just needs to basically realize, negotiation’s over.”
- Huckabee responded, “Marc, you made the point so eloquently just then, and that is that, if you negotiate with terrorists, you only give them more freedom. … If you reward a behavior, you get more of it, if you consequence or punish a behavior, you get less of it. So, when you reward terrorists, you get more of what they have. If you consequence them, that’s the only way you get less of it. And that’s something, I think, everyone understands.”
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Important Takeaways:
- Most Democrats in the US seem to have forgotten the absolute horror of the attack of October 7, 2023. They seem not to understand why most Israelis think that there is no way to coexist with a Gaza Strip in the hands of terrorists thirsty for Jewish blood. These Democrats appear not to see that relocating Gaza Arabs elsewhere has nothing to do with “ethnic cleansing.” Trump did not propose to eliminate the Arabs, but to relocate them to safer places. These Democrats also appear to ignore that ethnic cleansing is precisely what is at the heart of the intentions of the members of Hamas, an organization with explicitly genocidal goals.
- The leaders of the main European countries talk about the “two-state solution” while knowing perfectly well that the only outcome Hamas wants is a one-state solution: the destruction of Israel, not a state alongside Israel… Europe’s leaders ignore countless polls showing that the residents of the Gaza Strip, as well as those, in the territories mismanaged by the Palestinian Authority, celebrate the October 7 massacre and want above all else Israel’s destruction. That, in fact, seems to be the actual goal of everyone who disagrees with Trump.
- A Palestinian state would indeed be — as the Palestinians have openly stated — a launching pad from which to keep trying to destroy Israel.
- Qatar is reportedly trying to come up with a potentially duplicitous “peace plan” to allow its treasured client and Muslim Brotherhood associate, Hamas, to remain in power in Gaza so it can attack Israel again.
- No one bothers to explain how the Gazans can continue to live in an area studded with unexploded ordnance, where 70% of the buildings are destroyed, and which Trump has rightly defined as a “demolition site,” while leaving nearly two million people to reside there and hundreds of armed terrorists in tunnels.
- No one admits that massive population displacements have successfully taken place in the past. Millions of Germans were moved from territories conquered by Germany after 1945, with no protests voiced…. Jews who lived in the Gaza Strip were expelled in 2005 by decision of the Israeli government to give the Palestinians there a chance to create a peaceful “Singapore on the Mediterranean.”
- “The non-terrorists in Gaza move to a place where they can live in peace and dignity. The US and others then rebuild Gaza and recover their costs through the commercialization of 25 miles of what will become pristine beachfront, now open to the world… [P]eace prevails with no American boots on the ground nor expense to the American taxpayer. Hard to quarrel with this if you believe in peace, prosperity and human dignity.” — David M. Friedman, former US Ambassador to Israel, X, February 6, 2025.
- If Trump successfully manages to overcome the pressures and obstacles placed in front of him, what he is setting in motion today can magnificently transform the Middle East.
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Important Takeaways:
- Iran has put its defense systems around its nuclear sites on high alert amid fears of an attack by Israel and the US, The Telegraph has learnt.
- According to two high-level government sources, the Islamic Republic has also been bolstering defenses around key nuclear and missile sites, which include the deployment of additional air defense system launchers.
- Officials say the measures are in response to growing concerns of potential joint military action by Israel and the United States.
- It follows warnings from US intelligence to both the Biden and Trump administrations that Israel would likely target key Iranian nuclear sites this year.
- “They [Iranian authorities] are just waiting for the attack and are anticipating it every night and everything has been on high alert – even in sites that no one knows about,” one source told The Telegraph.
- “Work to fortify nuclear sites has been ongoing for years but it has intensified over the past year, particularly since Israel launched the first attack,” he added.
- “Recent developments, including Donald Trump’s comments and reports about potential plans from his administration to strike Iran, have further intensified activities.”
- Israel’s victories over Iran’s proxy networks such as Hamas and Hezbollah, the fall of Bashar al-Assad the Syrian president who was Tehran’s main ally, and regional setbacks have severely weakened the Iranian regime.
- The losses have fueled dissent at home and raised hopes for change.
- It has left Iran vulnerable to Mr. Trump’s hawkish stance on the country. Since he came to power he has resumed his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, including efforts to stop it from obtaining nuclear weapons by driving its oil exports down to zero.
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Important Takeaways:
- Israel performed a very unconventional high-profile trolling today when it executed a gameday-like flyover of Hezbollah’s deceased leader Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral in Lebanon. The operation, which utilized two F-35Is and two F-15Is, was dramatic and clearly meant to send an intimidating reminder to the Iranian-backed group and its tens of thousands of supporters down below.
- Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a mass strike executed by the Israeli Air Force on a Hezbollah underground bunker and command center located beneath a residential area in suburban Southern Beirut. The strike happened nearly five months ago, but the war with Israel kept a full public funeral from happening. Israel also released footage of the bombardment of the bunker for the first time today. It is known that dozens of JDAMs with BLU-109/B warheads were used to devastate the subterranean facility.
- The large-scale gathering in Beirut also mourned the loss of Hashem Safieddine, who commanded Hezbollah for a very short period following Nasrallah’s death, before Israel killed him too.
- Hezbollah has been deeply degraded by Israel’s campaign against it, with much of its leadership being killed, thousands of its operatives wounded by sabotaged communications devices, and many of its fighters killed and its higher-end weapons destroyed during a protracted ground and air operation. The fall of Syria’s strongman Bashar al-Assad also has had a major impact on the group’s ability to rebuild its capabilities, both logistically and operationally. The loss of Assad also impacted Iran heavily, who used Syria to supply and support Hezbollah.
- A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah was signed in November.
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Important Takeaways:
- The United Nations human rights chief said on Thursday that the parading of the bodies of hostages through Gaza before they were handed over to Israel is abhorrent.
- “The parading of bodies in the manner seen this morning is abhorrent and cruel, and flies in the face of international law,” said the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “We urge that all returns are conducted in privacy, and with respect and care.”
- In the statement, UN rights chief Volker Turk added that “under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.”
- Hamas said that it returned on Thursday the bodies of hostages Shiri Bibas and her two young redheaded boys, Kfir and Ariel, as well as that of Oded Lifshitz, who was kidnapped at age 83.
- Lifshitz’s family said Thursday that they received confirmation from Israeli authorities that his remains were returned. Israel has said it is still testing the other three bodies before providing the Bibas family with confirmation.
- Before they were handed to the Red Cross, the coffins were placed on a stage, with armed Hamas gunmen wearing black and camouflage uniforms surrounding the area, and cruel psychological propaganda adorning the stage, including plaques on the coffins declaring the dates of their “arrest” and slogans blaming Israel for their deaths.
- Since the start of the latest ceasefire last month, Hamas has freed 24 hostages in handovers featuring large public ceremonies and terrorist propaganda, forcing the hostages to wave and praise their captors before being freed.
- 66 of the hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF.
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Important Takeaways:
- Arab leaders will gather in Saudi Arabia on Friday to counter US President Donald Trump’s plan for American control of Gaza and the expulsion of its inhabitants, diplomatic and government sources said.
- The plan stirred rare unity among Arab states which roundly rejected the idea, but they could still disagree over who will govern the enclave and who will pay for reconstruction.
- Meeting with Trump in Washington on February 11, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said Egypt would present a plan for a way forward.
- The Saudi source said the talks would discuss “a version of the Egyptian plan” the king mentioned.
- Friday’s summit was originally planned for Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan. However, it has been expanded to include the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Palestinian Authority.
- Egypt has not yet announced its counter-initiative, but Egyptian former diplomat Mohamed Hegazy described a plan “in three technical phases over a period of three to five years.”
- The last phase would include “launching a political track to implement the two-state solution and so that there is… an incentive for a sustainable truce.”
- However, even if all these obstacles are overcome, the proposal is likely to be rejected out of hand by Israel, whose government has consistently ruled out any Palestinian Authority role in managing Gaza after the war.
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