Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Report: Hamas and Islamist leaders to leave Lebanon for Qatar and Turkey |
2025-05-23 |
[NAHARNET] Wednesday's talks between President Joseph Aoun and Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase.... ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects.... on all levels, especially as to the issue of chaos, arms proliferation and the transformation of some camps into havens for outlaws,'' al-Binaa newspaper reported on Thursday. Amid reports that the Hamas ![]() Movement has ''expressed readiness for cooperation,'' the daily said ''leaders from Hamas and fundamentalist organizations will leave Lebanon within 15 days, likely to Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... and ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... Aoun and Abbas met in Baabda on Wednesday and backed placing all weapons under Lebanese state control, as they discussed efforts to disarm gangs in Paleostinian refugee camps. A joint statement from the Lebanese presidency said the two leaders shared the "belief that the era of weapons outside Lebanese state control has ended" and backed the principle that arms should be held exclusively by the state. Abbas' three-day trip is his first to Lebanon since 2017. The country hosts about 222,000 Paleostinian refugees, according to the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... agency UNRWA, many living in overcrowded camps beyond state control. A Lebanese government source said Abbas' visit aimed to set up a mechanism to remove weapons from the camps. The source requested anonymity as they were not allowed to brief the media. The statement said the two sides agreed "to form a joint Lebanese-Paleostinian committee to follow up on the situation of Paleostinian camps in Lebanon and work on improving the living conditions of refugees, while respecting Lebanese illusory sovereignty and committing to Lebanese laws." By longstanding convention, the Lebanese Army stays out of the Paleostinian camps, where Abbas' Fatah, its rival Hamas and other gangs handle security. Hamas claimed attacks on Israel from Lebanon during more than a year of hostilities involving its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. The festivities, sparked by the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppressionand disproportionate response... war, largely subsided after a truce in November. "The monopoly of weapons should be in the hands of the state," Aoun said in an interview with Egyptian channel ON TV on Sunday. The army, he added, had dismantled six Paleostinian military training camps -- three in Bekaa, one south of Beirut and two in the north -- and seized weapons. Under the November ceasefire agreement, the army has also been dismantling bad boy group Hezbollah's infrastructure in the country's south. |
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Africa Subsaharan |
Senate seeks military base in Adamawa amid renewed Boko Haram attacks - |
2025-05-23 |
[BUSINESSDAY.NG] In response to escalating insecurity in Adamawa and across the North-East, the Nigerian Senate has urged the Federal Government to establish a military base in Hong Local Government Area. This call follows a motion moved by Senator Aminu Abbas (PDP-Adamawa) and jointly sponsored by all senators representing the region. The motion, titled ''Resurgence of Boko Haram ![]() Activities in Hong and Gombi Local Government Areas, Adamawa and other North-East States'', highlights a troubling spike in attacks by the holy warrior group. The Senate, while commending the efforts of security agencies, stressed the need for additional military reinforcement. ''We need a full-fledged military base in Hong to support existing personnel and repel further attacks,'' Abbas argued during Wednesday's plenary. |
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Africa Subsaharan |
Boko Haram Intensifies Attacks in Cameroon Amid Resurgence in Lake Chad Region |
2025-05-23 |
[HUMANGLEMEDIA] A Cameroon ...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there... ian soldier was killed and three others were maimed during a two-night attack by Boko Haram ![]() hard boyz from 19 to 20 May. The assault occurred in Kerawa, a locality on the border with Nigeria, within the Kolofata sub-division of the Mayo-Sava division in the Far North region. A member of the local vigilante committee said the assailants, who came from Nigeria, targeted a Cameroonian military post. ''After opening fire on the post, the assailants quickly fled towards the Nigeria-Cameroon border,'' he stated. The recent attack highlights an alarming trend, as Boko Haram hard boyz have become more aggressive since March, utilising previously unseen sophisticated weaponry during their operations. Notably, one major incident occurred on the night of March 24 to 25, 2025, in Wulgo, in the Logone-et-Chari division, where 12 Cameroonian soldiers bit the dust. This week's deadly assault serves as a reminder that, despite claims of a retreat by the terrorists, the threat they pose remains constant within the Lake Chad Basin. Even with strong responses from the Cameroonian army, Boko Haram continues to conduct As part of its intensified Recent developments have seen two significant bridges — one in the Gujiba local government area of Yobe State and the other in the Biu local government area of Borno State — damaged by IED blasts attributed to the terrorist group. These incidents have significantly disrupted mobility, making entire routes perilous and putting commuters at heightened risk of attacks, particularly in resettled communities that are already unstable. The destruction of these essential infrastructures also threatens humanitarian efforts and the region's economic stability. Human rights groups, humanitarian organizations, and local media have cautioned for months that resettling populations without adequate security measures may expose them to reprisals and further displacement. |
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Africa Horn |
Somali Forces Kill Senior Al-Shabaab Leader in Operation, says NISA |
2025-05-22 |
[ShabelleMedia] Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) announced on Sunday that its elite forces, Gaashaan, killed a senior al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... commander during a planned operation late Saturday night. The statement, which did not disclose the name of the slain leader, confirmed that the operation took place in the Sabiid area of the Lower Shabelle region. The report also stated that the entire security detail protecting the leader was killed in the raid. "NISA forces, who had closely monitored the movements of the leader, conducted the operation after confirming intelligence about his location. All militia members assigned to protect him were also eliminated at the scene," the statement read. In addition to this operation, NISA reported that ![]() KABOOM!... s carried out in the Ceel Hareeri area of Hiran region from Saturday to Sunday had killed 46 individuals, including both senior commanders and fighters belonging to al-Shabaab. The operations come as NISA’s Director, Abdullahi Mohammed Ali Sambaloolshe, has been on the frontlines in the Hiran region for the past two days, overseeing the ongoing military actions in the area. Al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-linked group, has been waging an insurgency against the Somali government for over a decade, frequently carrying out deadly attacks using a range of tactics, including mortar shelling in the capital, Mogadishu. |
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Africa Horn |
Hawadle Clan Militias Left to Fight Al-Shabaab Alone in Somalia's Hiiraan Region |
2025-05-22 |
[Garowe] Fighters from the Hawadle clan militia, known locally as "Macwiisley," are facing escalating attacks from al-Shabaab![]() in Somalia’s central Hiiraan region, amid a decline in federal military support, local officials and residents said on Wednesday. The Macwiisley, a grassroots militia composed of Hawadle clan members, has led recent offensives against al-Shabaab, particularly in rural areas surrounding Beledweyne. Their campaigns, initially supported by government forces, were crucial in pushing holy warriors out of parts of central Somalia. However, women are made to be loved, not understood... the withdrawal of federal troops from strategic locations in the neighbouring Middle Shabelle region — including the contested town of Aadan Yabaal — has left a growing security gap, allowing al-Shabaab to regroup and threaten previously cleared areas. Security analysts say the pullback has placed additional pressure on the Macwiisley militia, who are now fighting alone to defend their territory. "If Aadan Yabaal and adjacent areas fall under permanent al-Shabaab control, it could severely impact the strategic link between Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle," said a security source who spoke on condition of anonymity. A major concern among local leaders is that Hawadle fighters are being left on the front lines without adequate federal support. "These men are risking their lives for their land and people, but the government’s support has diminished significantly," said a local official in Beledweyne, who requested anonymity due to security concerns. Previous joint operations between government forces and clan militias had resulted in significant territorial gains. The recent shift, however, threatens to reverse progress made over the past year, particularly if al-Shabaab capitalizes on the current power vacuum. Community leaders have called for an urgent review of security coordination in Hiiraan, warning that without logistical, financial, and operational support, the Macwiisley fighters may be overwhelmed. The situation underscores the reliance of Somalia’s counterinsurgency strategy on local militias, especially in areas where state presence is limited. Analysts caution that failure to reinforce these militias could allow al-Shabaab to regain influence in key parts of central Somalia. |
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Africa Horn | |
Over 100 Militants Killed in Somalia Since Start of Trump’s Second Term, Says White House | |
2025-05-22 | |
[Garowe] At least 100 terrorists, both leaning to the al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... and ISIS, have been killed in Somalia since President Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... assumed his second term early this year, the White House said, with the number expected to increase in the coming months.. On Monday, at least 10 hard boyz were killed in Cal-Miskaad mountains in Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... , with the White House posting a video of the battlegrounds within the mountains, which have been a base of the ISIS Death Eaters, but whose influence is declining. "We haven’t forgotten the threat posed by Jihadis. 10 more were permanently removed from the battlefield in Somalia yesterday," the White House said. "That brings the total to over 100 bloodthirsty Death Eaters killed since President Trump was sworn in." The US Africa Command has increased its tempo in Somalia, with the ... KABOOM!... s targeting strategic locations, destroying the Death Eaters' military installations and other assets dangerous for peace and stability in the region. In February, President Donald Trump announced airstrikes in Cal-Miskaad, where a senior commander of the ISIS hard boyz was killed. Since then, Puntland forces and US Africa Command have made progress, liberating several areas in the process. Trump said the hit, less than two weeks into his term, had targeted a senior IS attack planner and other hard boyz in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland and had "destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many Death Eaters without, in any way, harming civilians". He boasted that he had succeeded where former US President Joe The Big GuyBiden ![]() This Is A Man That Does Not Seem Demented... had failed."Biden and his cronies wouldn't act quickly enough to get the job done. I did!" The president maintained that "We will find you and we will kill you". But airstrikes are different from troops on the ground, and Trump did not stop aerial bombardments in his first term. He increased them to nearly 400. The initial number of service members was 600 before it was reduced during Trump's first administration.
The statement did not specify whether the militants targeted in the latest strike were affiliated with the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group or the Islamic State in Somalia (ISS), both of which have been the focus of an intensified US military campaign in the country. However, local reports suggested the operation may have taken place near the town of Adan Yabaal in the Middle Shabelle region, a known al-Shabaab stronghold. | |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Report: Qatar helping to train Syrian security forces in bid to shore up regime |
2025-05-22 |
[IsraelTimes] Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... is helping to train Syrian security forces in a bid to shore up President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Kan public broadcaster reports. Syrian sources who are close to Qatar and familiar with the matter tell the outlet that Doha has recently begun training small groups of operatives who will serve as coppers to enforce law and order in Syria. The report says the training is taking place on "Qatari territory." The outlet additionally says that Doha is paying monthly grants of about $30 to Syrian public officials. Yesterday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... warned that Syria could be weeks away from a fresh civil war of "epic proportions," as he called for support to the transitional leadership. The top American diplomat blamed a resurgence of the Islamic State ![]() Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... bad boy group in areas outside of the transitional government’s control, as well as Iran. |
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Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
Resuming Control of Gaza Is a Terrible Idea. But What the Hell Else Can Israel Do? |
2025-05-22 |
[PJMedia] It's official: Israel's expanded military operations in the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppressionand disproportionate response... Strip won't be complete until Israeli Defense Forces "take over all the areas of the Strip," according to a statement Monday on social media by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. Calling Israel's military actions following the Oct. 7 terror invasion a "war of civilization over barbarism," Netanyahu reminded Hamas ![]() (and the world) that "The war can end tomorrow if the remaining hostages are released, Hamas lays down its arms, its murderous leaders are exiled and Gaza is demilitarized." "No nation can be expected to accept anything less and Israel certainly won't." This would be a good time to remind you that Hamas's objective on Oct. 7 was to derail Arab-Israeli peace efforts through an "extraordinary action." That's according to since-deceased Hamas chief, Yahya Sinwar. Hamas took hostages, murdered babies, and raped women to death for the sole purpose of committing the region to a forever war. Israel now seeks peace by the only means left to them: the total destruction of Hamas and resuming control of the Gaza Strip. A joint statement Monday by Britannia, Canada, and La Belle France warned, "If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid ![]() Netanyahu, according to a Wall Street Journal report, said the decision came after pressure from "Israel’s closest friends in the world." The story added that "the country’s backers in the U.S. Senate told him they couldn’t tolerate images of extreme hunger coming out of Gaza and that could affect their continued support." Israel's friends in the U.S. Senate really ought to know better. Any food going into Gaza is commandeered by Hamas for either its own use or to be sold to Gazooks at obscene prices, as we've seen time and again. The history of Gaza since Israel withdrew is Hamas thugs stealing Western aid for their personal enrichment. You didn't think Sinwar got to be worth $3 billion selling olive oil and prayer rugs, did you? "The terror group’s three top leaders alone are worth a staggering total of $11 billion," the New York Post reported shortly after Oct. 7, "and enjoy a life of luxury in the sanctuary of the emirate of Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... ." By resuming control of Gaza, Israel will put a stop to Hamas's grand theft — everything. Gaza wasn’t just a grifting operation for Hamas; it was a 140-square-mile terrorist enclave of underground tunnels, rocket stockpiles, and Iranian-trained fighters. That will come to an end with Israeli occupation, too. The tragic irony is that Israel pulled out of Gaza for strategic and moral reasons that seemed correct to Ariel Sharon's Kadima government at the time. The Oslo Accords had stalled, and Israeli military rule over a growing population of two million Arabs was increasingly untenable. It won't become any more tenable under re-occupation. Israel's reward for pulling out in 2005 was an endless terror campaign, culminating in the Oct. 7 atrocities. Their reward for reoccupation will likely be another Intifada. Dispersal to Libya, if the rumors have any truth to them, is probably the best thing for both Gazooks and Israelis. Critics will accuse Israel of being an apartheid state — but they do that already. I say, "Resuming control of Gaza is a terrible idea, but what the hell else are they supposed to do?" |
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Home Front: Politix |
US accepts $400M jet from Qatar, will use as Trump''s official plane |
2025-05-22 |
[NYPOST] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has formally accepted a controversial $400 million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar![]() 's royal family and directed his team to begin tuning up the ''flying palace'' for President Trump to use as a temporary Air Force One. Once the upgrades are completed, Trump, 78, plans to use the extravagant plane as his official presidential jet until Boeing delivers the first of two presidential aircraft currently under construction. ''The Secretary of Defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,'' chief Pentagon front man Sean Parnell told The Post in a statement. |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Sources: Syrian gov’t found Eli Cohen dossier after Assad’s fall, offered it to Israel |
2025-05-21 |
[IsraelTimes] After Israel announced recovery of archive in ‘covert and complex Mossad operation,’ sources tell Reuters that Sharaa okayed its return to ease Israeli hostility and as gesture to Trump Syria’s leadership approved the handover of the belongings of long-dead spy Eli Cohen to Israel in a bid to ease Israeli hostility and show goodwill to US President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... , three sources told Rooters. Israel announced its recovery of the trove of documents, photographs and personal possessions relating to Cohen on Sunday, saying its spy agency Mosssd ![]() had worked with an unnamed foreign intelligence agency to secure the material. However, a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... a Syrian security source, an adviser to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and a person familiar with backchannel talks between the countries said the archive of material was in fact offered to Israel as an indirect gesture by Sharaa as he seeks to cool tensions and build Trump’s confidence. Cohen, who was hanged in 1965 in a downtown Damascus square after infiltrating Syria’s political elite, is still regarded as a hero in Israel and Mossad’s most celebrated spy for uncovering military secrets that aided its lightning victory in the 1967 Six Day War. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Cohen on Sunday as a legend and "the greatest intelligence agent in the annals of the state." While Israel has long sought to recover his body for reburial at home, the return of his archive held for 60 years by Syrian intelligence was hailed by Mossad as "an achievement of the highest moral order." Israel has not publicly revealed how the archive came into its possession, saying only that it was the result of "a covert and complex Mossad operation, in cooperation with an allied foreign intelligence service." Netanyahu’s office, Syrian officials and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Syria’s role in Israel’s recovery of the Cohen archive. COHEN DOSSIER After rebels led by Sharaa suddenly ousted President Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... in December, ending his family’s 54-year-long rule, they found the Cohen dossier in a state security building, according to the Syrian security source. Sharaa and his foreign advisers quickly decided to use the material as leverage, the source added. The Syrian security source said Sharaa had realized that the Cohen archive was important to the Israelis and that its return could amount to a significant diplomatic gesture. Ending Israeli attacks on Syria and improving relations with the United States and other Western countries are vital for Sharaa as he seeks to revive his shattered country after 14 years of civil war. Israel regards Sharaa and his ex-insurgents, who once formed the al Qaeda faction in Syria, as unreconstructed jihadists. Israeli forces have been deployed to nine posts inside southern Syria since the fall of the Assad — mostly within a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the border between the countries — and have repeatedly bombed targets in support of Syria’s minority Druze sect. This month, Rooters reported that the United Arab Emirates had set up a backchannel for talks between Israel and Syria that included efforts to build confidence between the sides. There have also been other indirect channels for talks, according to two people familiar with the matter. In the talks, Syria agreed to measures including returning the remains of Cohen as well as three Israeli soldiers killed while fighting Syrian forces in Leb ...The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else?... in the early 1980s, a person familiar with those talks said. The body of one of those soldiers, Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, has been returned, Israel said last week. The return of the Cohen archive came in the context of those confidence-building measures and was done with Sharaa’s direct approval, the person said. Last week, Trump held a surprise meeting with Sharaa in Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... where he urged him to normalize ties with Israel and announced that he would lift sanctions on Syria. Syrian officials have said they want peace with all states in the region, and Sharaa confirmed this month that Damascus had carried out indirect talks with Israel via states it has ties with in order to calm the situation. |
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Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
Israel will seize more of Gaza if Hamas doesn’t free hostages, IDF chief warns | |
2025-05-21 | |
[IsraelTimes] Zamir tells Gazan civilians that their leaders, not Israel, ‘brought destruction’ upon them, as hostage talks appear to once more reach an impasse in Doha The Israeli military is prepared to capture more territory in the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppressionand disproportionate response... Strip if Hamas ![]() does not agree to release the remaining hostages it is keeping in captivity, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned in a video statement on Tuesday. He issued the ultimatum following a situational assessment and field tour in Gaza, days into a major new offensive dubbed "Gideon’s Chariots," through which Israel seeks to attack Hamas and seize and retain territory, while relocating Paleostinians from the north of the Strip to its south. The offensive was launched amid negotiations in Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, which started back up again last week following the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander. Israel had previously warned that it would launch the offensive should no agreement be reached following the end of US President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... ’s visit to the region last week. While reports initially indicated that the new talks were moving in the right direction, they hit a wall in recent days. Zamir said "Hamas will pay a price for its refusal" to release the hostages. "It will face intense firepower," he said. "We will expand the ground maneuver, conquer additional territory, clear and destroy the terror infrastructure until its defeat." "Hamas only has one option, and that is to release our hostages," Zamir continued, adding that should an agreement be reached, "the IDF will know how to adjust its activity accordingly." "Our objectives are clear: the return of the hostages to their homes, the defeat of Hamas and the dismantling of its rule," he continued. "We are defending ourselves, and for that we must attack. We cannot defend ourselves only on the defense, without clearly removing the threat from the other side of the border." At several points during his remarks, Zamir recalled that Israel had not been the one to start the war in Gaza, but that it erupted when Hamas launched its deadly cross-border invasion on October 7, 2023. "This was not a military assault, but a horrifying crime against innocent civilians, and act of terror against the State of Israel and the Jewish people," he said of the attack, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were seized as hostages, of whom 58 are still awaiting release. "Since that dreadful day, the IDF has acted with force and determination in a multi-front campaign against enemies whose goal is to destroy us," said Zamir. Turning to the Paleostinian civilians in Gaza, he added: "We are not the ones who brought this destruction upon you." "We did not start the war. We did not rob you of food, shelter, or money. We are not the ones hiding in hospitals or schools. We are not the ones staying in luxury hotels while you live in hardship," he said. "This is your leadership, those who are holding our hostages. Hamas is responsible for starting the war. It is responsible for the dire situation of the population. It destroyed, and it will not be the one to rebuild." Hostage Matan Zangauker struggling to stand, suffering severe health issues – report
Released hostage Yarden Bibas says he encountered Yahya Sinwar in tunnel [IsraelTimes] Released hostage Yarden Bibas describes meeting Yahya Sinwar while in captivity, when the former Hamas leader allowed him to remain with his best friend, David Cunio, who is still held captive in Gaza, for around two weeks before they were separated. “David is my best friend, he has been with me my whole life,” Bibas tells Channel 12 news. Bibas says he met Cunio on the day his wife, Sharon Aloni Cunio, and their twin daughters were released from captivity on November 27, 2023, as part of a temporary ceasefire deal. “He was moved to me in the tunnel. When he saw me for the first time, he was in shock. He thought he saw a ghost. I hugged him, and then he continued to the next place,” Bibas says. “When Sinwar arrived at the tunnel, I said to him that this is my best friend and I want to stay with him. He said there was no problem, you can stay with him. After around two weeks, they separated us. I don’t know why,” Bibas says. TV report: Freed hostage Edan Alexander meets Gallant, tells him he slept on Gazan street and nobody noticed [IsraelTimes] Freed hostage Edan Alexander describes the difficult conditions of his captivity to former defense minister Yoav Gallant, including sleeping on Gaza’s street, in quotes reported by Channel 12 news. Asked by the former Likud lawmaker how he held onto hope in captivity, Alexander reportedly answered: “I knew that my friends from Golani were fighting above for me and I had a duty to survive for them.” “My captivity was difficult. We moved between dozens of places, we slept in apartments, mosques, and even on the street. One of the times we didn’t stop moving from place to place, and then we slept on Basmata Street — without anyone noticing. And now we must do everything to release everyone,” he said, Channel 12 reports. Channel 12 also says that Alexander was held alongside senior Hamas officials, including its former leader and October 7, 2023, massacre mastermind, Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by IDF troops in October. According to Alexander’s reported testimony, food cans would explode in the tunnels due to the intense summer heat. Separately, Channel 12 reports on a meeting between Alexander and the family of hostage Nimrod Cohen, with whom he was held in captivity. Alexander reportedly told them Cohen supported him during their time together, but was very depressed and traumatized due to his experiences of the October 7 massacre, when he saw his friends murdered. Related: Eyal Zamir 05/20/2025 Terror group says senior operative killed in Israeli special forces op in south Gaza Eyal Zamir 05/06/2025 Netanyahu: IDF will hold captured areas in Gaza until Hamas defeated, hostages freed Eyal Zamir 04/25/2025 IDF acknowledges it accidentally shelled UN facility, killing staff member in Gaza last month Related: Matan Zangauker 05/19/2025 50,000 march in NYC’s annual Israel parade centered on the plight of the hostages Matan Zangauker 05/17/2025 Matan Zangauker’s mother says Edan Alexander provided sign of life from son Matan Zangauker 05/15/2025 Edan Alexander’s conditions improved after Trump returned to office, says family | |
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Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
PM recalls top members of Doha negotiating team, citing ‘Hamas refusal’ of hostage deal |
2025-05-21 |
[IsraelTimes] Source involved in talks disputes Netanyahu’s claim that Israel accepted Witkoff’s proposal; hostage families accuse government of having ‘no real plan to return the last hostage’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday evening that after a week of "intensive" hostage talks in Doha, high-level members of Israel’s negotiating team have been recalled to Israel, while a number of working-level representatives will remain in the Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... i capital. The announcement followed reports that the renewed ceasefire and hostage deal talks in Qatar, which began last week following the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, had yet to make any progress. In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu said that the high-level delegation members would be returning to Israel for consultations, "after about a week of intensive talks in Doha." The Prime Minister’s Office reiterated that "Israel agrees to the American proposal for the return of the hostages, which is based on the Witkoff framework." "This proposal was recently conveyed to Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... via the mediators, but so far, it continues to cling to its refusal," it said. The framework in question, presented by US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, calls for a short-term ceasefire in the Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppressionand disproportionate response... Strip in exchange for the release of roughly half of the living hostages. Earlier this week, the Axios news site reported that Witkoff was pressuring both Israel and Hamas to accept a proposal for the release of 10 living hostages in exchange for a 45-60 day truce, and the release of an unspecified number of Paleostinian security prisoners. The report also said that US offer included modified language aimed at providing Hamas with guarantees that the temporary ceasefire could lead to a permanent one. It was unclear whether the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office was referring to Witkoff’s original proposal or one with modified language. Disputing Netanyahu’s claims regarding Israel’s willingness and Hamas’s refusal to accept the Witkoff proposal, a source involved in the negotiations told the Times of Israel that the premier mischaracterized the current status of the talks. According to the source, mediators were still working to coax both sides, not just Hamas, to compromise on a number of issues. "This is not a matter of just waiting for Hamas to say ’yes,'" the source said. The source explained that negotiators were trying to come up with a temporary hostage deal that allows Hamas to claim the agreement will lead to the eventual end of the war, while also allowing Israel to continue claiming that it has not committed to doing so. Given the lack of trust between the sides, this has been a difficult task to accomplish, the source said, while insisting that a deal is still possible. The source noted that the senior members of Israel’s negotiating team called back from Qatar from the get-go did not play an integral role in the current round of talks, as Witkoff — who is also not in Doha — has been in continued contact with Netanyahu and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. At the same time, Paleostinian-American political activist Bishara Bahbah has continued to operate a backchannel between the US and Hamas leaders in Qatar, where he arrived on Monday. Netanyahu’s decision to recall the senior negotiators was nevertheless met with fury by the families of the hostages, who accused the government of having "no real plan to return the last hostage," despite frequently stating that it is working to do so. "A majority of the nation supports the return of all the hostages, even at the price of ending the war," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. "Only the return of everyone, in one stage, will allow a process of rehabilitation and renewal for the country and the army." "Hamas will not be defeated without the return of the last hostage," it added. "Until then, there will be no victory, nor even the appearance of victory." Expressing a similar distaste for a deal which would free some captives while others remain in Gaza, bigwigs in the defense establishment were said on Tuesday to have informed Netanyahu that they are not willing to compile a partial list of hostages for release. According to Channel 12 news, high-ranking Mosssd ![]() officials informed Mossad chief David Barnea that there was "no reasonable way" to create such a list, in which some living hostages would be freed while others remain behind for an unknown length of time, as all the captives are in equal need of being released. In addition, a senior defense official was said to tell Netanyahu directly that they "will not compile a partial list." "If it comes to that, I will give the data to Ron Dermer, let him decide, or let the prime minister decide," the official was said to have told the premier. "Or they’ll decide not to decide, and leave it to Hamas to determine the list." "In any case, I made it clear that I will not be the one to decide who is released in a partial deal like this and who is not," the network quoted the official as saying. The reported refusal to select which hostages will be freed and which will remain in Gaza differs from the latest ceasefire early this year, for which the list of those eligible for release was drawn up in the middle of 2024. That list was based partly on information provided by the hostages’ families regarding their loved ones’ health conditions. This time, however, Channel 12 cited a security bigshot as saying that they have asked "several times to convene a special discussion" to present decision-makers with available data on the hostages, but the request has not been accepted. "They don’t want to," the official said. "They run away from it like fire. It’s clear to everyone that this is a highly explosive issue." Netanyahu’s office denied the report and dismissed it as "another piece of fake news from an anonymous and irresponsible source on Channel 12." "Prime Minister Netanyahu is fully and continuously updated on the condition of the hostages, according to the information available to Israel," the premier’s office added. Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 58 hostages, including 57 of the 251 kidnapped by Hamas-led bully boyz on October 7, 2023. They include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF, and 20 are believed to be alive. There are grave concerns for the well-being of three others, Israeli officials have said. Hamas released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives during a ceasefire between January and March, and one additional hostage, a dual American-Israeli citizen, in May as a "gesture" to the United States. The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that in the early weeks of the war. In exchange, Israel has freed some 2,000 placed in durance vile Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! Paleostinian terrorists, security prisoners, and Gazook terror suspects detained during the war. Eight hostages have been rescued from captivity by troops alive, and the bodies of 41 have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors, and the body of a soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another soldier killed in 2014, Lt. Hadar Goldin, is still being held by Hamas, and is counted among the 58 hostages. |
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