May 25, 2026

Israel War

Blurb:

Longtime CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour offered a lengthy apology for comments comparing the treatment of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the plight of the residents in the Gaza Strip.

Amanpour was reporting on the historic peace deal negotiated by President Donald Trump for Hamas to return hostages to Israel, both living and the remains of the dead. Even critics of the president have had to acknowledge his efforts to secure peace.

‘I regret also saying that they may have been treated better than many Gazans because Hamas used these hostages as pawns and bargaining chips.’

Blurb:

It’s been a very busy 36 hours for President Donald Trump. He brought peace to the Middle East. Once again, he trounced his doubters, ended the war in Gaza, and got Hamas to release the rest of the Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 attack two years ago. The remains of captives murdered by Hamas will also be returned.

The president addressed the Knesset and later flew to Egypt to make this ceasefire agreement, which Trump pitched at the end of September, official. As with anything relating to the president of the United States, he wasn’t on schedule, though this was intentional. Trump stuck around a little longer to meet with the families of the hostages.

Blurb:

An emergency vote on Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest has been called off following developments in the Middle East, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has said.

Contest organisers had scheduled “an extraordinary meeting of [its] general assembly to be held online” in early November after several countries said they would no longer take part in Eurovision if Israel participated.

The EBU said in a statement that following “recent developments in the Middle East” the executive board had agreed on Monday that there should be an in-person discussion among members “on the issue of participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026”.

Blurb:

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Monday on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” that no one could expect former President Joe Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken “to go off quietly” after he claimed President Donald Trump “built on” the former administration’s Israel-Hamas plan.

On Wednesday, Trump secured a historic peace deal between Israel and Hamas, just a day after the anniversary of the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, under the Biden administration. Guest host Kayleigh McEnany read Blinken’s tweet aloud, noting that it made her “bristle.”

“Well, it doesn’t make me bristle. Look, the entire Democratic left wing is out of touch with reality and verges on crazy. Blinken is part of that group. Why would you think that he has any realistic sense of what happened?” Gingrich asked.

Blurb:

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt — SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — The Egyptian president told a summit of world leaders Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump’sMideast proposal represents the “last chance” for peace in the region and reiterated his call for a two-state solution, saying Palestinians have the right to an independent state.

The summit in Egypt’s Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh was aimed at supporting the ceasefire reached in Gaza, ending the Israel-Hamas war and developing a long-term vision for governing and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory.

Blurb:

Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken is under fire for attempting to “steal” credit for the Trump-negotiated 20-point peace deal between Israel and Gaza, which secured the release of all living Israeli hostages who were abducted by Hamas during the October 7 attacks and brought an end to the two-year conflict.

In a lengthy X post, Blinken argued that the ceasefire was only made possible due to previous efforts undertaken by the Biden Administration. The former secretary noted that key regional partners like Turkey and Qatar have said “enough” to Hamas, adding that Iran-backed groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen have been effectively de-fanged.

Blurb:

President Donald Trump received multiple standing ovations at the Knesset, Monday morning, as he addressed Israel’s parliament following the release of 20 Israeli hostages. 

“After two harrowing years in darkness and captivity, 20 courageous hostages are returning to the glorious embrace of their families,” Trump told the plenum. “After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace.”

Trump delivered remarks in Israel and met with families of hostages ahead of his trip to Egypt, where he co-hosted a summit on Gaza’s future with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi that was attended by more than 20 world leaders.

Blurb:

Diplomats and Middle East experts have stated for generations that there is only one path to bring lasting peace for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.

True lasting peace will only come with a two-state solution where a Palestinian state is established and the two sides recognize the rights of each other and agree to live in peace.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has spent his entire political career opposed to a two-state solution.

Trump to present plan on ending Israel's Gaza war to Arab, Muslim ...

After both Hamas and Israel publicly declared the agreement with President Donald Trump’s brokered peace deal, hopes were high in both Gaza and Israel that the brutal war was really over. Hamas and Israel are both moving forward, so far, on schedule with the first phase of the deal, the handing over of hostages, dead and alive, to Israel, and the handing over of prisoners to Hamas. The next step is the creation of an international body, the “Board of Peace” that will administer the region initially during the transition.

President Trump announced he was “very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”

What’s in Trump’s Gaza peace deal? Here are the details so far 

from globalnews.ca

Blurb:

Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, a ceasefire and hostage deal that could be a first step toward ending a two-year-old conflict that has roiled the Middle East.

Here are some details of what is known and not known so far:

The agreement on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework resulted from indirect talks in Egypt, a day after the second anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel that triggered Israel’s assault on Gaza.

Trump announced that both Israel and Hamas had signed off on the first phase of the plan and this would bring the release of all hostages, alive and dead, “very soon” and the withdrawal of Israeli troops to the so-called yellow line in Gaza. According to a senior Israeli security source, that is a boundary for an initial Israeli pullback under the Trump plan.

Hamas confirmed it had reached an agreement to end the conflict, that includes an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a hostage-prisoner exchange, but the group called on Trump and guarantor states to ensure Israel fully implements the ceasefire.

Blurb:

Democrat Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has publicly congratulated President Donald Trump on securing a historic peace plan between Israel and Hamas.

The senator made the remarks after the president announced the first phase of the peace deal on Wednesday.

Fetterman is one of the few members of his party who has consistently backed Israel.

In a post on X, Fetterman  wrote:

“I congratulate @POTUS on this historic peace plan that releases all the hostages.

“Now, enduring peace in the region is possible.

“Our parties are different, but we have a shared ironclad commitment to Israel and its people.”

Blurb:

  • The prime minister has said that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas will be seen as a moment of “profound relief”. Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has echoed Keir Starmer’s sentiment, saying the UK “stands ready to play our part” in implementing a peace plan, whe she said should be “implemented as swiftly as possible”.

Blurb:

It’s official!

President Trump just announced that the first phase of his peace deal has been signed by both Israel and Hamas.

Check it out:

Read President Trump’s full announcement on Truth Social here:

I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!

DONALD J. TRUMP
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

During Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Marco Rubio gave President Trump a note that tipped everyone off that this big announcement was coming.

More on that here:

Did We Just Find Out What Marco Rubio’s Note To President Trump Said?

Blurb:

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. on Thursday, endorsed US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, following the US president’s announcement of a ceasefire agreement and hostage release arrangement between Israel and Hamas.”Give @realDonaldTrump the Nobel Peace Prize — he deserves it!” was posted as a message on the official X platform from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, just a day before the winner is set to be announced by the Nobel committee.The Israeli PM’s office also shared an AI image of Trump celebrating while wearing the Nobel Peace Prize medal, standing alongside a cheering Netanyahu and other supporters.Neanyahu formally sent the letter for Trump’s nomination in July, citing his role in “forging peace in one region after another.”

Presenting a letter to Trump during talks at the White House, Netanyahu had said (at the time), “I want to present to you, Mr President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee. It’s nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well deserved, and you should get it.”Meanwhile, while actively campaigning for the honour in the past, Trump seemed to downplay the hopes in the most recent statement. When asked about his chances of winning the prize, Trump told reporters, “I have no idea… Marco would tell you we settled seven wars. We’re close to settling an eighth. I think we’ll end up settling the Russia situation… I don’t think anybody in history has settled that many. But perhaps they’ll find a reason not to give it to me.

Blurb:

For two years now, the suffering of the 251 hostages snatched by Hamas terrorists during the October 7th massacre in Israel has been a stain on the conscience of the civilised world. Now the first phase of President Donald Trump’s peace deal promises the speedy release of the 48 remaining hostages held in Gaza – up to 20 of whom could still be alive.

Their release will be a joyful day for former British hostage Emily Damari, whose family I tried my best to support whilst she was in captivity. If his confident prediction that they will all be released “very soon” is fulfilled, then President Trump will deserve huge congratulations and heartfelt thanks — not only from the hostages’ desperate families — but from everybody who wants to see an end to terrorism and war in the Middle East.

If this happens, President Trump will surely also deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. He has proved again that he is an instinctive peacemaker, not a warmonger like too many of his predecessors in the White House.

Before Trump US policy was dominated by neo-cons, from both the Democratic and Republican parties, who seemed all for foreign wars and launched disastrous military campaigns in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.

Blurb:

Jerusalem — Indirect peace talks between Israel and Hamas aimed at ending the war in Gaza and freeing the remaining Israeli hostages resumed Wednesday in Egypt. President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were expected to arrive in Egypt on Wednesday to join the conversations, a source familiar with the matter told CBS News.

The war was sparked by the Hamas-led, Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken as hostages. Israeli officials believe 48 of those people remain captive, though only 20 are believed to still be alive.

Since that day, the Gaza Strip’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health says Israel’s retaliatory war has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians. Israel disputes that figure but provides no estimate of its own, and the United Nations considers the health ministry’s count the most reliable information available, as Israel has barred foreign journalists from operating independently in Gaza.

Ricardo Pires, a spokesman for the United Nations children’s charity UNICEF, said this week that what he calls Israel’s “disproportionate response” in Gaza has killed or maimed at least 61,000 children since the war started.

Blurb:

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir risk​ed ​d​erailing hopes of peace in the Middle East by ​d​eclaring he wants to see Hamas ​”destroyed​”. Speaking in Jerusalem he said: “I only pray that our Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) will allow a complete victory in Gaza…to destroy Hamas. With God’s help we will return the hostages, and we will win a complete victory.”

His inflammatory statement came as Israel and Hamas negotiators exchanged lists of the prisoners and hostages who would be released under the terms of any peace deal. Negotiations currently taking place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, are focussed on the “mechanisms for implementing the end of the war, the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners”. The release of 48 Hamas-held hostages – 20 of whom are thought to be dead – and 1,950 Palestinian prisoners are critical parts of US President Donald Trump‘s 20-point pathway to peace plan. Under the blueprint, Hamas must free all Israeli hostages, dead and alive, before Israel frees 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained since the 2023 attacks, including all women and children.

President Trump wanted an agreement reached by the end of the week, but the implementation of the first phase of his roadmap has not yet been agreed.

Blurb:

Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nounou said on Wednesday that negotiators from his group and Israel have exchanged lists of prisoners and hostages who would be released should a deal be reached during the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks in Egypt.

According to Reuters, al-Nounou also said Hamas expressed optimism about reaching a deal, stating that the group has demonstrated the necessary positivity.

Trump's Gaza proposal has rattled the Middle East. More surprises ...

Trump's Gaza proposal has rattled the Middle East. More surprises ...

Israel and Hamas meet in Egypt to hash out Trump peace plan– www.foxnews.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

Chief negotiators from Israel and Hamas convened in Egypt on Monday to hash out details on President Donald Trump’s peace plan to end the yearslong war and return the 48 hostages still held.

The talks come one day ahead of the second anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel, when some 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were dragged into the Gaza Strip, where dozens of dead and alive remain hostage.

Egypt announced on Saturday that the high-level negotiations would occur Monday in the coast resort city of Sharm El Sheikh, located in the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, after Hamas leadership appeared to accept part of the 20-point blueprint.

Einav Zangauker, the mother of Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker, speaks during a solidarity protest, calling for an end to the war and the release of all remaining hostages on Oct. 04, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Greta Thunberg among 171 flotilla activists deported from Israel after failed bid to reach Gaza– www.euronews.com
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Excerpt:

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau are amongst 171 flotilla activists deported by Israel to Greece and Slovakia on Monday after a failed bid to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza last week.

The activists were detained by Israel in an operation which started last Wednesday night after its navy intercepted 44 civilain boats carrying a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza.

The flotilla’s goal had been to break Israel’s long-standing blockade of the Strip and to bring crucial aid into the war-ravaged enclave.

“The deportees are citizens of Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, Serbia, and the United States,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote on X, attaching photograhs of the released activists in white T-shirts and grey sweatpants.

Several activists were already released over the weekend by Israel to Turkey, Spain and Italy. They spoke to reporters about the harsh conditions Thunberg and other prisoners were subjected to. Earlier, Swiss and Spanish activists said they were subject to inhumane conditions.

“We were detained in a maximum security prison where there was no rule of law, they didn’t respect any of our rights,” former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau claimed.

Why did Israel resume the war in Gaza? : NPR

Why did Israel resume the war in Gaza? : NPR

Potential hurdles litter road as Israel and Hamas head to Gaza peace talks | Israel-Palestine conflict News– www.aljazeera.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

Delegations from Hamas, Israel and the United States are due to convene in Egypt for talks on US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the 20-point plan are due to begin in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.

The talks, which come on the eve of the second anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel that led to the war, have raised hopes that the devastating conflict, which has killed tens of thousands in Gaza, could soon end. But at the same time, there are plenty of potential obstacles to sealing a deal.

Trump has insisted that both sides are on board with his peace framework and has called for the negotiations to “move fast” in reaching an agreement.

Despite the failure of several initiatives to try to end the conflict, including two brief ceasefires that collapsed, the bombardment of Gaza, which has now killed at least 67,160 people, wounded 169,679, and pushed the enclave’s two million or so people towards starvation, Trump said “the first phase should be completed this week”.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said there had been “very positive discussions with Hamas” and other governments over the weekend “to release the Hostages, end the War in Gaza but, more importantly, finally have long sought peace in the Middle East”.

Trump Says Israel Stopped Bombing Gaza To Give Peace Deal A ‘Chance To Be Completed’– dailycaller.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

President Donald Trump noted Israel has “temporarily stopped the bombing” to “give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed” in a Truth Social post Saturday.

Trump urged Israel to stop bombing Gaza on Friday as he gave Hamas an ultimatum to accept the terms of a peace deal by Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The terrorist group tentatively agreed to release the remaining hostages and relinquish power with certain conditions, though Trump urged Hamas Saturday to “move quickly” or “all bets will be off.”

“I appreciate that Israel has temporarily stopped the bombing in order to give the Hostage release and Peace Deal a chance to be completed,” Trump wrote. “Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off. I will not tolerate delay, which many think will happen, or any outcome where Gaza poses a threat again. Let’s get this done, FAST. Everyone will be treated fairly!”

Hamas said there could be an agreement to relinquish its power and release the remaining hostages, though it also noted that other terms of the peace deal would need further discussion and to be in accordance with a “unanimous Palestinian stance,” multiple outlets reported Friday.

“If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” Trump wrote Friday.

Gaza protests under way in Europe as arrests made in London | Gaza News– www.aljazeera.com
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Excerpt:

Protests take place in Barcelona, Rome, Lisbon and London, where police made more than 100 arrests.

Tens of thousands of people are marching in major cities across Europe to protest against Israel’s war on Gaza, with mass rallies taking place in urban centres across the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Protests in Spain’s second-largest city, Barcelona, as well as in Madrid, were planned weeks ago, while calls for demonstrations in Rome and Lisbon followed widespread anger after Israeli forces intercepted a humanitarian aid flotilla – the Global Sumud Flotilla – that had set sail from Barcelona for Gaza, trying to break Israel’s blockade of the famine-struck Palestinian territory.

‘Flotilla vessel blocked’: Switzerland lodges protest over Israel stopping Gaza-bound ship; demands unhindered access to citizens– timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Excerpt:

Police officers work during the protest in Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla after ships were intercepted by the Israeli navy (AP image)

Switzerland on Friday announced that it will file a diplomatic protest with Israel after Israeli security forces curtailed a visit by Swiss diplomats to detainees from the Gaza aid flotilla.The Swiss foreign ministry in a statement said the visit was interrupted, preventing embassy representatives from speaking at length with the detained Swiss nationals, news agency Reuters reported.Nineteen Swiss citizens were among dozens of activists on a flotilla attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli naval blockade since the October 2023 Hamas attacks. The flotilla was initially intercepted by Israeli forces on Wednesday as it approached Gaza.

Israeli air strikes hit Gaza despite Trump’s ‘stop bombing’ demand | Gaza News– www.aljazeera.com
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Excerpt:

“It was a very violent night, during which the (Israeli army) carried out dozens of air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City and other areas in the Strip, despite President Trump’s call to halt the bombing,” civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told AFP.

Basal, who works for a rescue force, said 20 homes were destroyed in the overnight attacks.

Gaza City’s al-Ahli Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital, reported receiving casualties from a strike on a home in the city’s Tuffah neighbourhood, including four deaths and multiple people injured.

At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, officials confirmed two children were killed and eight people were wounded when a drone struck a tent in a displacement camp.

Rubio says release of hostages from Gaza is “most emergent and immediate phase” of Trump peace plan– www.cbsnews.com
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Excerpt:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that the release of hostages from Gaza is the “most emergent and immediate phase” of the peace plan that President Trump outlined last week, which negotiators are set to discuss this week in Cairo.

“Let’s discuss through the mediators the logistics and the mechanics behind how that happens, and that has to happen very quickly. That cannot drag on,” Rubio said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

On Friday, Hamas agreed to parts of the peace proposal, including the release of all the Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that he has sent a delegation to Egypt “to finalize technical details,” outlining a goal to limit the negotiations to “a time frame of a few days.”

U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, are expected to represent the U.S. at talks in Egypt on Monday. Rubio said conversations are underway ahead of Monday’s meeting in Egypt, and he outlined that the talks should center on the logistics behind the release of the hostages.