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The terrorist group Hamas released four additional hostages from Gaza on Saturday after a ceasefire deal with Israel took effect nearly a week ago.

Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag — all of whom are members of the Israeli Defense Forces —were freed on Saturday in the second round of hostage releases.

In exchange, Israel was expected to free 200 Palestinian prisoners or detainees, including 120 militants serving life sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks.

The first round of hostage releases on Sunday freed Romi Gonen, Emily Demari, and Doron Steinbrecher.

Video from Palestine Square in Gaza shows the four newly released women hostages being taken from the cars. They are alive and walking, wearing uniforms.

HAMAS RELEASES NAMES OF 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES TO BE RELEASED NEXT, POSSIBLY VIOLATES DEAL

"The Red Cross has communicated that four Israeli hostages were transferred to them and are on their way toward IDF and ISA forces in the Gaza Strip," the IDF and Israeli Securities Authority said in a joint statement.

The four female soldiers were believed to have been, at least at one time, held all together.

Under the ceasefire deal, a total of 33 hostages are to be set free over the course of six weeks, including those already released, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Hamas agreed to release three female hostages on the first day of the deal, four on the seventh day and the remaining 26 over the next five weeks.

This is the second cease-fire achieved during the war that began more than a year ago.

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The 15-month-long war in Gaza started when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, prompting military retaliation from Israeli forces. Nearly 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has formally notified U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of Israel’s demand for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate its premises by January 30, 2025. 

The directive follows recent legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset, terminating Israel’s agreements with UNRWA and citing national security concerns.

In a letter addressed to Guterres, Danon outlined the rationale behind the decision, emphasizing "the acute national security risks posed by the widespread infiltration of UNRWA’s ranks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations." He also accused the agency of failing to address Israel’s long-standing concerns and of compromising its "fundamental obligation to impartiality and neutrality beyond repair."

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President Donald Trumphas also been a vocal critic of UNRWA, withholding funding for it during his first term as president. The United States had previously been UNRWA’s largest donor, contributing more than $350 million annually. In March, Congress agreed to cut funding to the controversial agency for a year. 

A spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General told Fox News Digital, "The Secretary-General has been clear in the need to maintain support for UNRWA, which is the backbone of U.N. operations in the occupied Palestinian Territory."

Danon's letter stated that "months of good-faith engagement" with the United Nations had failed to produce results, accusing UNRWA of abusing its immunity to bypass local laws and regulations. He underscored Israel’s legal position, asserting that "no state is required to assist and cooperate with an entity that undermines its national security."

Anne Bayefsky, Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and President of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital said Israel's move is a long time coming. "UNRWA is a cash cow for the United Nations, and also for Palestinian so-called refugees who—in marked contrast to refugees everywhere else in the world—supposedly inherit their refugee status as long as the Jews are still there. UNRWA schools have taught generations of Palestinians to hate the Jews next door and to spend their lives seeking to terminate Israel instead of cohabiting in peace."

NEW REPORTS CLAIM UNRWA WORKS WITH TERRORISTS, TEACHES HATE AS AGENCY HITS BACK AT CRITICS

The legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset includes two complementary bills that sever all ties between Israel and UNRWA, including the termination of diplomatic visas and services provided to the agency. The bills received overwhelming support from both coalition and opposition members of the Knesset.

Critics of the legislation, including the Biden administration, have warned that it could create a humanitarian crisis for the millions of Palestinians who rely on UNRWA for education, healthcare, and basic services. 

During a U.N. press briefing on Friday, a spokesperson responded to questions regarding the situation, stating, "We are in touch, but we have continued to emphasize the indispensability of UNRWA." When asked about contingency plans should the Israeli legislation be implemented, the spokesperson said, "We will see what the future brings. Obviously, we are doing our utmost and UNRWA will do its utmost to continue to provide aid to the people under our mandate, as much as we can."

Before the Israeli letter was made public, an UNRWA spokeswoman had previously told Fox News Digital they didn't have a plan in place for ongoing operations once the ban starts. 

The spokesperson claimed that, "UNRWA has the most robust systems in place in comparison to other United Nations agencies when it comes to the adherence to the principle of neutrality with regards to our programs that we do and our staff."

In August, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini confirmed the probable involvement of UNRWA employees in the Oct.7 massacre. He later confirmed that at least nine UNRWA staffers were fired after an internal probe.

Danon called on the United Nations to "put an end to the unprecedented infiltration and abuse of a U.N. organ by terrorist organizations" to restore the U.N.’s credibility.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law a bill that will allow the government to seize land without having to pay compensation, which some in the government say is a threat to private ownership.

The law, which replaces the pre-democratic Expropriation Act of 1975, "outlines how expropriation can be done and on what basis" by the state, the government says, according to the BBC. 

Ramaphosa's party, the African National Congress, or ANC, hailed the law as a "significant milestone." However, some members of the government have signaled they will challenge the legality of the law. 

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The country's majority Black citizens own just a small fraction of farmland more than 30 years after the end of apartheid. Most landowners are part of the White minority, according to the news report. 

The new law allows for the expropriation of land without compensation only in circumstances where it is "just and equitable and in the public interest."

That includes when the property is not being used and there's no intention to either develop it or if it poses a public safety risk. 

"In terms of this law, an expropriating authority may not expropriate property arbitrarily or for a purpose other than a public purpose or in the public interest," Vincent Magwenya, the president's spokesperson, said in a news release. 

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"Expropriation may not be exercised unless the expropriating authority has without success attempted to reach an agreement with the owner or holder of a right in property for the acquisition thereof on reasonable terms," he added. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party in the government, said it "strongly opposes" the law and was consulting with its lawyers.

It says that while it supports legislation addressing land restitution, it takes issue with the process followed by the country's parliament to enact the law, the BBC report states. 

The Freedom Front Plus party, which defends the rights of South Africa's White minority, vowed to challenge the law and do "everything in its power" to have it amended if it is found to be unconstitutional.

Colombia’s president issued a decree Friday giving him emergency powers to restore order in a coca-growing region bordering Venezuela that has been wracked in recent days by a deadly turf war among dissident rebel groups.

President Gustavo Petro's decree, which can be extended, gives him 90 days to impose curfews, restrict traffic and take other steps that would normally violate Colombians' civil rights or require congressional approval.

AT LEAST 80 PEOPLE KILLED IN NORTHEAST COLOMBIA AS PEACE TALKS FAIL, OFFICIAL SAYS

It is the first time in more than a decade that a Colombian president has used such an extreme measure and underscores the seriousness of the current conflict in a country that for decades was paralyzed by political violence.

However, it applies only to the rural Catatumbo region near the border with Venezuela, where the Colombian state has struggled for decades to gain a foothold. In the past week, at least 80 people have been killed and an estimated 36,000 more displaced as fighting intensifies between the National Liberation Army, or ELN, and holdouts from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Petro's conservative opponents have criticized the move, accusing the former guerrilla of riding roughshod over the constitution. But some activists have celebrated it, saying they are hopeful the move translates into better infrastructure, health care and schools in the traditionally lawless region.

"Why are the armed groups here? Because the last government hasn't made investments. They've abandoned us," Jaime Botero, an activist in the town of Tibu, told The Associated Press.

Earlier this week Petro reactivated arrest orders against 31 top ELN commanders that had been suspended as part of an effort to woo the the Cuban revolution-inspired insurgency into a peace deal to end its 60 year war against the state. Petro also suspended all peace talks, which have advanced slowly since he took office in 2022.

The ELN has traditionally dominated in Catatumbo but has been losing ground to holdouts from the FARC, a guerrilla group that largely disbanded after signing a peace deal in 2016 with the government.

The current conflict is spilling across the border into Venezuela, where some of those fleeing the violence have sought refuge.

The current whereabouts of the ELN peace negotiators is unknown. But Cuba's government this week said they are not there, leading some to speculate they may be hiding in Venezuela, which is one of the sponsors of Petro's peace initiative with the ELN.

The families of Israeli hostages Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag have been informed that that their daughters, held in Gaza for 475 days, are slated to be freed on Saturday in the second round of hostage releases. 

Hamas revealed the names of the four women, all of whom are members of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Friday, though the media was asked to wait until their families had been informed before releasing their identities. 

While the exchange of another four hostages under the deal is a positive step forward in the continued ceasefire, it also could be in direct violation of the agreement as female civilians were supposed to be released ahead of all female soldiers, followed by the elderly and wounded men. 

SURVIVOR OF NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL HAMAS TERROR ATTACK WINS SLOT TO REPRESENT ISRAEL AT EUROVISION

Of the 30 remaining people Hamas has agreed to release in the first phase of the ceasefire following the release of three women last week, two others were female civilians, including Arbel Yehud and Shiri Bibas, along with her two sons Kfir, who was just 9 months old when he was abducted with his 4-year-old brother Ariel. 

Israel had instructed Hamas to release Yehud this week amid concerns that her captivity may be prolonged as she is believed to be held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, not Hamas.

The world has also been waiting for news of the Bibas family. 

Hamas claimed in November 2023 that Shiri, Kfir and Ariel were killed in an Israeli airstrike, though Israel has said it has no intelligence to support these claims. 

Shiri and her sons have therefore never been assessed by Israeli officials to be deceased, and many have held out hope they will be reunited with Yaren Bibas, husband to Shiri and father to the two boys, who was separated from his family following their abduction on Oct. 7, 2023. 

He is also slated to be released within the first phase of the ceasefire. 

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Israeli officials reportedly told the families of the four women that though their daughters have been listed by Hamas for release tomorrow, this could still change. 

Officials also apparently spoke with the family of a fifth female IDF soldier still held by Hamas, Agam Berger, as well as Yehud’s family, though it is unclear what was discussed in either conversation. 

The four female soldiers set for release on Saturday were believed to have been, at least at one time, held all together along with Berger. 

The state of the young women has long remained unknown and concerns of sexual violence against the female Israeli soldiers has remained a persistent issue since their brutal capture from the Nahal Oz post in October 2023. 

Video footage on the day of the attack showed the women lined up, bloodied and injured as the Hamas terrorists yelled at them. 

The women were then loaded into a truck as Hamas terrorists fired guns into the air, and then driven into Gaza.

In exchange for their freedom, Israel has agreed to release a reported 50 Palestinian prisoners per female soldier, including those facing life sentences. 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday confirmed that it will keep its forces in southern Lebanon as the 60-day truce comes to an end on Sunday.

Under the ceasefire deal agreed to in November, Jerusalem was to begin withdrawing troops from its northern neighbor – where it launched operations last fall in an effort to dismantle Hezbollah – and have all troops removed within 60 days. 

But Israeli officials have argued that the IDF will not withdraw its forces, because stipulations under the deal, including the removal of Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from the southern region of Lebanon, and the deployment of Lebanese and U.N. troops to the area, have not been adequately fulfilled. 

LEBANON'S NEW PRESIDENT STRIKES A NATIONALISTIC TONE AMID REGIONAL SHIFTS, FURTHER WEAKENING OF HEZBOLLAH

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Friday, "Since the ceasefire agreement has not yet been fully enforced by the Lebanese government, the gradual withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States.

"The State of Israel will not endanger its communities and citizens," the statement added, noting that the withdrawal of Israeli forces was "conditional" on the security guarantees from Hezbollah and Beirut. 

The U.S. backed Israel's decision and in a statement first reported by The Times of Israel said, "President Trump is committed to ensuring Israeli citizens can safely return to their homes in northern Israel, while also supporting President Aoun and the new Lebanese government.

"All parties share the goal of ensuring Hezbollah does not have the ability to threaten the Lebanese people or their neighbors. To achieve these goals, a short, temporary ceasefire extension is urgently needed," White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes told the outlet. 

"We are pleased that the IDF has started the withdrawal from the central regions, and we continue to work closely with our regional partners to finalize the extension," he added.

The news that Israel may not be pulling all troops from Lebanon by the intended Jan. 26, 2025 deadline first emerged on Thursday. 

Hezbollah, in return, issued a statement and called on the Lebanese government and the nations that helped broker the truce, including the U.S. and France, "to move effectively" to "[ensure] the implementation of the full withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the last inch of Lebanese territory and the return of the people to their villages quickly."

The statement urged governments "not to give room to any pretexts or arguments to prolong the occupation."

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More than 1.2 million people were reportedly displaced in Lebanon after fighting erupted amid Israel's October incursion – a move prompted following months of missile exchanges with Hezbollah in the aftermath of the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. 

According to Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer, "There have been positive movements where the Lebanese army and UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] have taken the place of Hezbollah forces, as stipulated in the agreement."

However, these movements in southern Lebanon "have not been fast enough, and there is much more work to do," he told reporters on Thursday, according to Reuters. 

Israeli reports on Friday suggested that Jerusalem had petitioned the Trump administration to grant it a 30-day extension on fully withdrawing its forces from its northern neighbor. 

Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the White House, State Department or Lebanese government for comment. 

TEL AVIV - The Trump administration will do more than its predecessor to combat the tidal wave of Jew-hatred unleashed by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli told Fox News Digital. 

Chikli noted that, when confirmed, the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, former Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., will enter into one of the epicenters of the global assault on the Jewish people and their state.

"We saw Stefanik at the hearing on campus antisemitism in Congress," he said, noting that once confirmed as a senior member of the Trump administration she will be "stationed in one of the most hostile arenas: the U.N." Chikli added that she's "A warrior against antisemitism, we are very happy with her appointment."

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In December 2023, Stefanik was widely praised during a congressional hearing on the explosion of antisemitism at American universities. She asked the presidents of Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts Institute of Technology if calling for genocide against Jews violated their codes of conduct.

A year later, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled the U.S. House of Representatives Staff Report on Antisemitism, compiled by six congressional committees.

Chikli told Fox News Digital four actionable measures to curb the phenomenon: "Enforcing strict compliance with Title VI to prohibit discrimination and address antisemitism on campus; withholding federal funding to institutions that boycott Israel or tolerate antisemitic behavior; requiring universities to disclose foreign contributions and tightening government oversight; and revoking funding and tax exemptions for groups and universities that propagate antisemitism or support terror-related activities."

"This report from the speaker of the House shows that this [Trump] administration is highly committed to countering antisemitism," Chikli said.

In her new role, Stefanik has also promised to fight Jew-hatred at Turtle Bay, which she described as a "den of antisemitism."

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"Even before the barbaric terrorist attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7, the U.N. has continuously betrayed Israel and betrayed America, acting as an apologist for Iran and their terrorist proxies," Stefanik said in November after her nomination.

During her Senate confirmation on Tuesday, she said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a conduit for international aid to the Palestinians, should be "at the bottom of the list" of organizations to receive American funding.

In January 2024, then-President Joe Biden halted funding to UNRWA after Israel released evidence that the agency's staff participated in the Oct. 7 massacre. 

According to Chikli, UNRWA effectively serves as Hamas's educational system, which in turn makes it the engine fueling antisemitism throughout Gaza and Palestinian-administered territories in the West Bank, known by Israelis as Judea and Samaria.

"It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a village to raise a terrorist. And if you put a child in UNRWA schools, you can be sure that he will graduate with the mindset of a terrorist," Chikli told Fox News Digital.

NEW REPORTS CLAIM UNRWA WORKS WITH TERRORISTS, TEACHES HATE AS AGENCY HITS BACK AT CRITICS

"[Palestinian children] will learn to admire suicide bombers, Hamas Nukhba terrorists who butchered innocent people. They go to schools named after terrorists, with textbooks that include math problems about how many Israeli soldiers were attacked or how many stones were thrown at them," he continued.

"That is why it is critical to make sure UNRWA is shut down," he added. 

In October, the Israeli parliament banned UNRWA from operating in the Jewish state. The law takes effect on Jan. 30.

A spokesperson for Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid told Fox News Digital that "the government and the international community has had 90 days to find alternatives to UNRWA."

He declined to say whether Lapid was in contact with the Trump administration to discuss "day after" plans once UNRWA ceases operations. 

In August, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini confirmed the probable involvement of at least 19 UNRWA employees in the Oct.7 massacre, saying that "the evidence – if authenticated and corroborated – could indicate that the UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the attacks."

He later confirmed that at least nine UNRWA staffers were fired after an internal probe.

UNRWA Director of Communications Juliette Touma told Fox News Digital that "we are committed to staying and delivering [aid] in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, until we cannot."

"UNRWA has the most robust systems in place in comparison to other United Nations agencies when it comes to the adherence to the principle of neutrality with regards to our programs that we do and our staff," she said. 

Asked whether the organization has put together a plan for ongoing operations once the Israeli ban kicks in, she said, "We have not."

Ayelet Samerano’s son, Yonatan, was kidnapped by a terrorist who also reportedly worked for UNRWA on Oct. 7, 2023. A video of the terrorist dragging Yonatan's lifeless body into a car went viral. 

"I will not let it go. I am pressuring the government very hard for the law, which passed in the Knesset, to be implemented," Samerano told Fox News Digital. "I didn’t know UNRWA before, but then I investigated and found many documents that prove it's involved in terror. That they were involved in taking hostages on Oct. 7 and holding kidnapped Israelis in their homes and buildings means there is no reason for this organization to continue to exist."

"We must ensure that UNRWA will be replaced by another organization that will help the Gazans and make sure terror does not infiltrate them," she continued. "People outside of Gaza and interested in real peace must teach a new curriculum that will create opportunities for Gazans, not terror."

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon told Fox News Digital that Stefanik is "a staunch ally of Israel and of the Jewish people."

"She leads with moral clarity and a strong commitment to justice and truth," he said. "I am looking forward to working with her at the U.N., where the demonization and distortions about Israel are out of control."

A marble statue of a woman believed to be more than 2,000 years old was found abandoned in a garbage bag near the Greek city of Thessaloniki, police said Wednesday.

A resident discovered the 80-centimeter (31-inch) headless statue beside a trash bin in Neoi Epivates, outside Greece’s second-largest city. The man turned it over to local authorities, who contacted archaeologists to assess its significance.

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Police said experts, following an initial evaluation, determined the piece dates to the Hellenistic era, a period roughly between 320 and 30 B.C. that was marked by a flourishing of art and culture following the conquests of Alexander the Great.

The statue was sent for further examination by archaeologists. It will ultimately be handed over to the local antiquities authority for preservation and study.

Police opened an investigation to determine who discarded the statue and briefly detained a man for questioning who was later released without charge.

Accidental archaeological discoveries are relatively common in Greece, a country renowned for its ancient heritage, and often made during building construction or public works. In December, workers installing natural gas pipelines near Athens uncovered a Roman-era statue of Hermes buried upright in a brick-lined pit near the Acropolis.

Thessaloniki weeks ago unveiled a trove of antiquities found during the decades-long construction of its metro system, which officially opened in November. Key finds, including a marble-paved Roman thoroughfare and tens of thousands of artifacts spanning the Greek, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods, are now showcased at subway stations.

A survivor of the Nova music festival terrorist attack by Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, has channeled her therapeutic journey through music and on Thursday secured the slot to represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland.

Yuval Raphael, 24, reportedly began singing as a way to cope with the trauma she endured after she, four of her friends and roughly 40 others attempted to hide in a roadside bomb shelter near Kibbutz Re'im after they fled the festival by car after the attack. 

Raphael, who was forced to hide under the bodies of those killed in front of her for about eight hours before help arrived, has shared her story and described how Hamas terrorists repeatedly returned to the bomb shelter and opened fire on those hiding inside. 

Eventually, the terrorists began throwing grenades into the concrete shelter, a story similar to what dozens endured that day, including American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

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"Music is one of the strongest ingredients in my healing process," she said during the competition Thursday, The Times of Israel reported.

Despite having no previous experience as a singer, Raphael secured her top spot after singing "The Writings on the Wall" followed by a rendition of ABBA’s "Dancing Queen" dedicated to "all the angels" killed in the October 2023 terrorist attack.  

Raphael had previously garnered international attention not with her powerhouse voice but by sharing her experience with the United Nations Human Rights Council in a move she said was not politically motivated but an attempt to bring attention to what innocent civilians endured that tragic day. 

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"I want to tell them the story of the country, of what I went through, of what others went through," she reportedly said ahead of the final. "I want to tell the story, but not from a place of seeking pity. I want it to be from a place of standing strong in the face of this and in the face of the boos I’m 100% sure will come from the crowd."

Raphael’s comments were in reference to the pushback she and other Israelis have faced during the international competitions, including in 2024, following the terrorist attack and subsequent Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) operations in Gaza.

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Israel has faced calls to be banned from the international competition, but the European Broadcasting Union has rejected the push, affirming that Eurovision is a non-political music event. The 2024 Israeli contestant, Eden Golan, faced anti-Israeli protests and had to be granted a Shin Bet security detail.

Golan was also required to change the name of her song, "October Rain," to "Hurricane" because event officials believed it was too political, The Times of Israel reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended Elon Musk after media outlets described a gesture that the Tesla CEO made at President Donald Trump’s inauguration rally on Monday as a Nazi salute.

Netanyahu took to X on Thursday to post that Musk is "being falsely smeared."

"Elon is a great friend of Israel," the prime minister said. "He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. He has since repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state." 

Netanyahu went on to thank Musk for his support.

MEDIA OUTLETS ACCUSE ELON MUSK OF GIVING ‘FASCIST SALUTE’ AT TRUMP INAUGURATION RALLY

Musk made the gesture in question while speaking to a crowd of MAGA faithful at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

"This is what victory feels like! And this was no ordinary victory, this was a fork in the road for human civilization… I just want to say thank you for making it happen, thank you. From my heart to yours," an ebullient Musk said as he placed his hand over his own heart and reached out to the crowd.

PBS News Hour fired out a post on X that said the Tesla CEO "gave what appeared to be a fascist salute," while the Jerusalem post wrote, "US billionaire Elon Musk appeared to make a Heil Hitler salute at the Washington DC Trump parade on Monday, following Trump's inauguration."

CNN host Erin Burnett played the clip of the gesture and called it an "odd salute."

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Musk addressed the controversy Wednesday on X, which he owns, writing, "The radical leftists are really upset that they had to take time out of their busy day praising Hamas to call me a Nazi."

On Thursday, Musk poked fun at the reports in another post on X.

"Don’t say Hess to Nazi accusations! Some people will Goebbels anything down! Stop Gőring your enemies! His pronouns would’ve been He/Himmler! Bet you did nazi that coming," Musk wrote, adding a crying laughing emoji.

The Anti-Defamation League also defended Musk in a statement saying that the tech billionaire had made an "awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute."

"In this moment, all sides should give each one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt and take a breath," the statement said. 

Fox News Digital's David Spector contributed to this report.

At least 12 train passengers were killed in western India Wednesday after being struck by another train on an adjacent track after they jumped from their coaches in panic to escape a rumored fire incident, the Press Trust of India reported.

At least six other people were injured, the news agency cited police officer Dattatraya Karale as saying.

The accident occurred in Maharashtra State, near the Pardhade railroad station, 255 miles northeast of Mumbai, India’s financial capital.

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PTI said the victims jumped off the Pushpak Express train, which had stopped after some passengers pulled an emergency chain. Those who disembarked were hit by another express train on the adjacent railroad track, PTI quoted railway spokesman Swapnil Nila as saying.

"Our preliminary information is that there were sparks inside one of the coaches of the Pushpak Express due to either a ‘hot axle’ or ‘brake-binding’ (jamming), and some passengers panicked. They pulled the chain, and some of them jumped down on the tracks. At the same time, Karnataka Express was passing on the adjoining track," a senior railway official told PTI.

Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, hundreds of accidents occur every year on India’s railways, which comprise the largest train network under one management in the world.

In 2023, two passenger trains collided after derailing in eastern India, killing more than 280 people and injuring hundreds in one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes in decades.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is focusing on the modernization of the British colonial-era railroad network in India, which has become the world’s most populous country with 1.42 billion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly worried about the state of his country’s economy as President Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office. According to a Reuters report citing five sources, Trump's push to end the war in Ukraine is only adding to Putin's concerns.

Throughout his campaign, Trump pushed to end world conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war, which began with Putin’s 2022 invasion.

"I really do have a lot of confidence in his [Trump’s] ability to actually get to a position where this war is actually over," Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's pick for envoy to Ukraine & Russia, told "America Reports."

Russia’s economy has thrived despite international sanctions due to its oil, gas and mineral exports, but, according to Reuters, labor shortages and high interest rates have put strain on the economy. These challenges have allegedly led Russia’s elite to see a negotiated settlement with Ukraine as prudent, Reuters reported, citing two sources.

"There are problems, but unfortunately, problems are now the companions of almost all countries of the world," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters. "The situation is assessed as stable, and there is a margin of safety."

In the same conversation with Reuters, Pskov reportedly acknowledged "problematic factors" in Russia’s economy, but said it was able to meet "all military requirements incrementally."

PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA READY TO COMPROMISE WITH TRUMP ON UKRAINE WAR

Last month, Putin said he was ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on ending the war and had no conditions for starting talks with the Ukrainian authorities.

"We have always said that we are ready for negotiations and compromises," Putin said at the time, after saying that Russian forces, advancing across the entire front, were moving toward achieving their primary goals in Ukraine.

"In my opinion, soon there will be no one left who wants to fight. We are ready, but the other side needs to be ready for both negotiations and compromises."

PUTIN, XI VOW TO ‘DEEPEN’ ALLIANCE HOURS AFTER TRUMP RE-ENTERS THE WHITE HOUSE

Putin has made major foreign policy moves in preparation for the possible consequences of Trump’s return, including fortifying ties with Iran and China. On Jan. 21, less than a day after Trump entered office, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to "deepen strategic coordination."

Recently, Russia and Iran signed a partnership pact, which caused concern with the US and its allies. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed the treaty was "not directed against anyone," comparing it to the country’s 2024 agreement with North Korea.

Two people, including a 2-year-old boy, were killed and three others injured in a stabbing attack in Bavaria on Wednesday. The suspect, a former asylum-seeker who was supposed to be leaving Germany, was arrested.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that authorities must clear up why the suspect was still in the country. He said the attack, a month before a national election in which curbing irregular migration is a major issue, must have consequences.

'RANDOM' STABBING SPREE AT FESTIVAL IN GERMANY LEAVES 3 DEAD, OTHERS INJURED: REPORT

The attack occurred just before noon in a park in Aschaffenburg, a city of about 72,000 people. Bavaria's top security official, Joachim Herrmann, said the assailant attacked the boy, who was part of a group of kindergarten children, with a kitchen knife.

He said the 2-year-old of Moroccan origin was killed, along with a 41-year-old German man who was passing by and appeared to have intervened to protect the other children. Bavarian officials said two adults and a 2-year-old Syrian girl were injured and taken to a hospital for treatment, and none of their lives were in danger.

Other passers-by chased the suspect and he was arrested 12 minutes after the attack, Herrmann said.

He said the suspect, a 28-year-old Afghan national, had come to authorities' attention at least three times because of acts of violence. On each occasion, he was sent for psychiatric treatment and later released.

The suspect is believed to have arrived in Germany in November 2022 and applied for asylum in early 2023, Herrmann said. On Dec. 4, he told authorities that he would leave the country voluntarily and would seek papers from the Afghan consulate. A week later, German authorities formally closed asylum proceedings and told him to leave.

Police will work over the coming days to identify his motive, Herrmann said, adding that suspicions so far point to his psychiatric illness. A first search of his room at a refugee home found no evidence that he had radical Islamic views, and only turned up medicine that would fit with his psychiatric treatment, he said.

The attack is politically sensitive a month before Germany's national election.

Scholz issued a strongly-worded statement condemning what he called "an incomprehensible act of terror."

"I am tired of such acts of violence happening here every few weeks — by perpetrators who came to us to find protection here," he said. "Mistaken tolerance is inappropriate here. Authorities must clear up at high pressure why the attacker was still in Germany at all."

That must lead to "immediate consequences — it is not enough to talk," Scholz added. He didn't elaborate.

Following a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant in Mannheim in May that left a police officer dead and four more people injured, Scholz vowed that Germany would start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again. He vowed to step up deportations of rejected asylum-seekers following a knife attack in Solingen in August in which a suspected Islamic extremist from Syria is accused of killing three people.

At the end of August, Germany deported Afghan nationals to their homeland for the first time since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

A Taiwanese Air Force officer died after being sucked into the engine of a fighter jet, officials said. 

The incident reportedly happened at Ching Chuan Kang Air Base on Tuesday while the master sergeant was performing a pre-shutdown inspection of the aircraft. 

Taiwan’s Air Force said the officer was "inhaled by the engine for unknown reasons." She later was pronounced dead after life-saving efforts were unsuccessful. 

"In response to media reports that ‘it is suspected that an instructor's throttle application caused a female officer to be inhaled by a fighter jet,’ the Air Force Command stated that the case is currently being investigated by a task force in cooperation with prosecutors to clarify the cause," it added. 

TAIWAN HAILS IMPORTANCE OF US RELATIONSHIP, SAYS GROUP VISITS ‘CONTRIBUTE TO PEACE AND STABILITY’ 

Officials say they are "deeply saddened" by the death. 

Taiwan’s Air Force also said that it will "fully assist the family in handling the aftermath" and that it will "conduct a comprehensive review and improve the work process to prevent similar cases from happening again." 

CHINA WARNS US TO STOP ARMING TAIWAN AFTER BIDEN APPROVES $571 MILLION IN MILITARY AID 

The plane involved in the incident was an Indigenous Defense Fighter, the Taipei Times reported, adding that the victim served in the military for around 17 years. 

A source familiar with the aircraft told the Taipei Times that the chance of a ground crew member being sucked into its engine – which has a fairly small intake opening -- is "miniscule."  

The source said after the plane lands, its motor speed is on a slow rotation and should have been stopped by the time the wheel chocks were being deployed at the base. 

Security cameras installed in the hangar of the base should provide the full picture as to what happened, the source added. 

Debra Tice has spent more than 12 years searching for her son, Austin Tice, a Marine veteran and journalist who was kidnapped in Syria in August 2012. 

Through four presidential administrations, she has not lost hope that her son will come home alive. In fact, she calls the new Trump administration a "breath of fresh air."

"They are thinking about what they need to do, making suggestions, standing ready, having ideas. The burden isn’t on me the way it has been in the past," Tice told Fox News Digital, referring to the Trump administration.

The Marine veteran’s mother’s first trip back to Damascus, Syria, in over 10 years comes on the heels of a revolution within the war-torn country. Debra Tice has been in Syria for only a few days, but she has already managed to meet with the country’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the group that overthrew Bashar al-Assad.

"It was really quite a surprise that we were able to get a meeting with al-Sharaa. It was a very good meeting," Tice said.

SYRIA RESCUE-MISSION OPERATOR BELIEVES AUSTIN TICE IS ALIVE AND WILL BE FOUND SOON

Hostage Aid Worldwide, a non-profit organization coordinating Tice’s visit to Syria, was able to take her inside some of the prisons that have been abandoned since the fall of Assad. She said that seeing the conditions in these prisons was "really challenging," but that she appreciated getting a sense of "what Austin was up against."

Tice also issued a challenge to those in the U.S. government who "feel like Austin can wait" to go see the prisons for themselves.

"I think if they had to come over here – and I wouldn’t even ask them to spend the night in one of those prisons – but I think if they had gone to see what he may have gone through, maybe they would’ve been more motivated to get Austin out of there."

TREY YINGST ENTERS ABANDONED SYRIAN DETENTION SITE IN SEARCH FOR MISSING AMERICAN JOURNALIST AUSTIN TICE

During a press conference on Monday, Tice offered praise for the incoming Trump administration and confirmed that they have "already reached out" regarding Austin’s case.

"I haven’t experienced that in the past four years, but I am optimistic about their help and involvement. I believe they will act quickly," Tice said.

Tice also used the press conference to send an emotional message to her missing son. "Austin, if you can hear this somehow, I love you. I know you won’t give up, and I won’t give up either," Tice said.

Tice added she has "never had any doubt about the fact that Austin is going to walk free. It’s a matter of time, and in my faith it’s God’s timing."

When speaking about her hope and optimism about finding her son, Tice credited her faith as "100 percent." She added that, "if I didn’t have my faith, I just think I would crumble into a bunch of really small pieces."

COLLAPSE OF SYRIA’S ASSAD REGIME RENEWS US PUSH TO FIND AUSTIN TICE

A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "intensive efforts are still underway to find Austin Tice." Additionally, the spokesperson said that the department is "working to get U.S. officials into Damascus" to aid in the search but is waiting for confirmation that the"conditions are safe and local authorities can accommodate the visit."

"We have used relevant information, as well as declassified intelligence, to inform the search efforts of Syrian and international partners on the ground in Damascus who are searching for Austin every day," the spokesperson added.

"They have visited and searched numerous now-uncovered secret prisons, but to date they have not found Austin or any additional information that would help us locate him."

Last month, after receiving a letter from Debra Tice, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to ask Assad for help finding Austin. However, as of now, there are no signs that this has happened.

The United Nations atomic watchdog on Wednesday sounded the alarm that Iran has hit the "gas pedal" on its nuclear development and urged diplomacy just two days after President Donald Trump re-entered the White House. 

The Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told world leaders at the Davos World Economic Forum that Iran has roughly enough uranium, if enriched further, to develop nearly five nuclear weapons.

Rafael Grossi warned that Iran currently possesses roughly 440 pounds of near-weapons grade uranium that has been enriched to the 60% purity threshold, shy of the 90% purity levels needed to develop a nuclear bomb. Roughly 92 pounds of weapons-grade uranium is enough to create one nuclear bomb, reported Reuters.

TASK FORCE CREATED IN AFRICA TO COUNTER TERROR FEARS FROM IRAN AND JIHADI GROUPS

"One can gather from the first statements from President Trump and some others in the new administration that there is a disposition, so to speak, to have a conversation and perhaps move into some form of an agreement," Grossi said.

Conservative allies of Trump have called on the president to continue with his maximum pressure campaign that was implemented against Iran during his first presidency. Mark Levin, host of Fox News show "Life, Liberty & Levin," on Tuesday urged the president to "not appease" Tehran when it comes to its nuclear deal.

"Do not embrace the discredited ‘diplomatic solutions’ of the Biden and Obama regimes and think deals can be made with mass murdering terrorists," Levin said in a post on X. "You do not negotiate with genocidal maniacs, pure and simple.  

"Do not appease, as their bloodthirsty ideology cannot be appeased only destroyed," he warned. 

According to the Grossi, Iran has increased its production of uranium enriched to 60% purity levels from an average of 15 pounds each month to more than 65 pounds. 

"I think this is a clear indication of an acceleration. They are pressing the gas pedal," Grossi told reporters, according to Reuters.

The IAEA chief said that while it will take time for Iran to develop the extra centrifuges needed to create more enriched uranium, he believes the international community can expect "to start seeing steady increases from now."

It is unclear what comments issued by the new Trump administration led Grossi to believe that it might be open to diplomacy given Trump's repeated commitments to hit Iran with stiff sanctions in a move to end Tehran’s support of state-sponsored terrorism and counter its nuclear program. 

Republicans have ardently objected to diplomatic efforts in the past, and Trump, in 2018, pulled the U.S. out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an international deal that looked to limit Iran’s nuclear program.

Reports this week claimed that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had prohibited the development of a nuclear weapon in an apparent olive branch to Trump, though Fox News Digital could not independently confirm this. This alleged ban also would not necessarily prohibit Tehran from developing its nuclear program. 

JOHN FETTERMAN AND LINDSEY GRAHAM ADVOCATE FOR THE DESTRU

Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the White House to confirm whether Trump plans to pursue any diplomatic efforts to counter Iran’s nuclear program. 

A pair of NFL legends and former Kansas City Chiefs teammates recently traveled to Israel to press the case for Israeli and American hostages held captive by Hamas.

Nick Lowery, one of the league's all-time greatest placekickers, and former star fullback Tony Richardson returned from the five-day trip, sponsored by Athletes for Israel, earlier this month. Weeks later, a diplomatic breakthrough resulted in the release of three hostages and the promise of more to come. Lowery, the Chiefs' all-time leading scorer and, like Richardson, a member of the team's Hall of Fame, told Fox News Digital that making a difference off the field is more important than what he achieved in his illustrious gridiron career.

ISRAEL RELEASES 90 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASE-FIRE DEAL TO FREE HOSTAGES

"What is a Hall of Famer?" said Lowery, who played college football at Dartmouth and went on to earn a graduate degree from Harvard. "There’s one on the field, and then there’s your contribution to your community. In the end, that’s your legacy."

The 68-year-old Lowery's focus these days is on combating antisemitism and racism, and advocating for the release of Hamas hostages, such as Naama Levy, 20. Levy was abducted from the Nahal Oz base, less than a kilometer from Gaza, where she was stationed as a surveillance soldier on October 7, 2023. The Times of Israel reported that 15 surveillance soldiers were killed that day, and six were taken hostage.

Footage released by Hamas shows a terrorist dragging Levy by her hair into a Jeep. Her hands were bound, her ankles cut, her face bleeding and her sweatpants were blood-stained.
Lowery stated in a video posted to social media, "Naama can’t speak. But we, athletes of the world, must speak for her now."

Lowery is part of the #SportSpeaksUp campaign, led by Eric Rubin, CEO of Project Max, a movement dedicated to fighting racism, antisemitism and intolerance through sports. The campaign is supported by Athletes for Israel, a nonprofit organization that brings legendary sports figures to the Holy Land.

In Israel, Lowery met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana and Israel Defense Forces soldiers. He also visited the site of the Nova music festival massacre, which he called "overwhelming." He said, "There are the pictures of these people, full of life, two thirds of them women, absolutely beautiful, full of life, and there were flowers and offerings of love and support for their memory."

Lowery was re-baptized at the Sea of Galilee and visited the Western Wall, which he said was a deeply spiritual experience.

"As a Christian, simply touching the wall, it feels like you're connecting to God," Lowery said.

Lowery and Richardson also took a tour of Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, where they observed an extended dinner table with 200 seats decorated to honor each hostage. The chair for Levy was decorated with flowers.

They sat with Levy’s father, Yoni, and her brother, Amit, 22. Lowery said Yoni Levy spoke of how much his daughter loves to bring light and laughter to people, her vision to become a peacemaker, and her strong will and competitive spirit.

Amit Levy told Fox News Digital that he could tell Lowery enjoyed hearing about his sister.

"I think everyone who hears about her can feel her strength and is really inspired by her," Amit Levy said.

Levy is a fun-loving teenager who grew up in Israel and India and is close with her family, which also includes her mother, who is the doctor for the Israeli national soccer team; 16-year-old sister, Michal; and brother, Omri, 12, according to Amit Levy. He said his sister loves attending parties and laughing with friends, in addition to being "a very moral girl" with a caring nature, devoted to helping others and advocating for peace.

Levy was a diplomacy major in high school and later volunteered once a week at a kindergarten for African refugees in southern Israel for 10 months.

"She had a great connection with the children there," Amit Levy recalled.

Levy is an idealist who participated in the "Hands of Peace" delegation that encouraged Israeli and Palestinian youth to work together to create change, according to her brother.

"I would tell her that maybe in certain points she might be a bit naïve, because the world sometimes isn’t such a pleasant place," he said.

He also recalled how, as an elementary school student, his sister used to awaken their parents at 5 a.m. to take her to triathlon competitions, like their father and grandfather, who continues to compete as he approaches the age of 80.

The last time her family received news about Levy was in December 2023, when newly released female hostages recounted seeing her in the tunnels beneath Gaza. "They said she was injured from grenade shrapnel still in her leg, because there were grenades thrown at her and her friends at the bomb shelter on October 7," Amit Levy said.

It has been nearly 500 days since Levy and more than 100 others were abducted. Amit Levy described how the released hostages "could feel her strength and her amazing personality from the short time they got to meet her," which gave him and his family "air to breathe." 

However, there have been no subsequent reports about her.

Levy's family members find hope by reminding themselves of how strong she is "physically and especially mentally" and that she knows her mission is to survive.

Lowery also visited the soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, where 12 Druze children and teenagers were killed, and at least 42 injured by a Hezbollah rocket on July 27, 2024. There, Lowery comforted Jwan Ibraheem, a 13-year-old boy who was crying because he blamed himself for not being able to save his friend who was killed.

Rubin described how the group went onto the field where tragedy struck and started playing soccer with the kids, and suddenly, even if just for a moment, they forgot about their sadness and grief. He said it felt like half of the town came out and "the darkness evaporated."

Lowery marveled at the resilience of the Israelis he met, characterizing their collective attitude as "no one’s going to take my light." Even right after air raids, people were surfing and having cocktails at the beach, he noted.

Lowery said that standing up for Jewish people is in his "emotional DNA," because his grandmother documented atrocities at the Dachau concentration camp in Germany. He is dedicated to bringing Jews and Christians together, and he and Rubin expressed how they are committed to continuing to meet with these families.

"I feel so honored to know these people. They’re in my heart now," Lowery said. "Maybe football is a tough sport, but this is the most important work we've ever done.... We’re bonded for life."

JOHANNESBURG - To counter the perceived threat of terror from Iran and jihadi groups, South Africa’s chief rabbi is setting up a specialist task force. 

Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein was spurred into creating the group after a bomb attack at a Jewish center in Cape Town last month. An improvised explosive device was thrown at the Samson Community Center but failed to detonate. The center is home to several South African Jewish organizations. 

The "Counter-Terror Task Force" will make recommendations to protect places of worship, schools and community centers.

"South Africa's Jewish community, like other Jewish communities globally, faces heightened risk of terror attacks," Goldstein told Fox News Digital. "The Iranian regime is the world’s chief exponent of state-sponsored terror, and have made it their strategy to target Jewish communities worldwide. With this in mind, the findings of the task force will be applied not just in South Africa, but globally." 

GLOBAL RISE IN ANTISEMITISM LEAVES JEWISH COMMUNITY ISOLATED, RABBI SAYS WORLD AT 'A TIPPING POINT'

He added, "In addition, Africa has over the past decade become a hub for global jihadi terror, with the threat indices dramatically increasing as groups such as al-Shabab, Boko Haram and ISIS operate throughout the continent." 

The task force comprises global authorities on terror: Admiral Mike Hewitt, former deputy director for Global Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the U.S. Defense Department, Dean Haydon, former senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism in the United Kingdom, Major General David Tsur, former commander of the counter-terrorism unit in the Israeli Police, and Andre Pienaar, co-founder of South Africa’s Directorate of Special Operations, also known as the Scorpions. 

The chief rabbi added, "They will be marshalling additional resources and personnel as and when needed." 

Goldstein said the force’s immediate objective "is to secure the South African Jewish community against attacks. The broader objective is to better ensure the safety of all South Africans, and citizens of countries around the world." 

He continued, "Across Africa, especially, it is Christians far more than Jews who suffer the consequences of Jihadist terror. Each year, Jihadists murder thousands of Christians for their faith." 

Goldstein told Fox News Digital that the South African government’s stance at the International Court of Justice, where it has accused Israel of genocide over the war in Gaza, has "stigmatized Jews not only within the country but globally." 

INCOMING TRUMP ADMIN, CONGRESS SHOWDOWN LOOMS WITH SOUTH AFRICA OVER SUPPORT FOR RUSSIA, US FOES

However, Goldstein added that the views of the government here are not necessarily the views of the people. "Against that it must be understood that the South African public generally holds moderate and pragmatic views on Israel, and levels of domestic antisemitism remain very low by Western standards."

"There were 128 recorded antisemitic incidents in 2024 in South Africa," Professor Karen Milner, national chair of the Jewish Board of Deputies in South Africa, told Fox News Digital. "This makes it the second-highest number of incidents since record keeping began in 1998. The highest number of incidents was recorded in 2023 (182). However, 63% of these occurred immediately following the events of October 7 (the Hamas attack in Israel).

"The early months of 2024 were impacted greatly by the wave of antisemitism that immediately followed the October 7 attacks in Israel," Milner continued. "It is worth noting that the majority of the antisemitic incidents recorded in 2024 were verbal assaults, targeted hate mail, or antagonism, with very few incidents graduating into physical assault."

Milner concluded, adding, "with that said, antisemitism remains much lower than other comparable countries, and South Africa remains a safe space in which Jews can identify as Jewish and practice their religion in relative security."

Fox News Digital reached out to the South African Justice and Police Departments but did not receive a response.

More than 80 people were killed in the country’s northeast over the weekend following the government's failed attempts to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian official said.

Twenty others were injured in the violence that has forced thousands to flee as Colombia's army scrambled to evacuate people on Sunday, according to William Villamizar, governor of North Santander, where many of the killings took place.

COLOMBIA'S PRESIDENT SAYS COUNTRY WILL BREAK DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH ISRAEL OVER WAR IN GAZA

Among the victims are community leader Carmelo Guerrero and seven people who sought to sign a peace deal, according to a report that a government ombudsman agency released late Saturday.

Officials said the attacks happened in several towns located in the Catatumbo region near the border with Venezuela, with at least three people who were part of the peace talks being kidnapped.

Thousands of people are fleeing the area, with some hiding in the nearby lush mountains or seeking help at government shelters.

"We were caught in the crossfire," said Juan Gutiérrez, who fled with his family to a temporary shelter in Tibú after they were forced to leave behind their animals and belongings. "We had no time to grab our things. ... I hope the government remembers us. ... We are helpless here."

Colombia’s army rescued dozens of people on Sunday, including a family and their pet dog, whose owner held a pack of cold water against the animal’s chest to keep it cool as they evacuated by helicopter.

Defense Minister Iván Velásquez traveled to the northeast town of Cúcuta on Sunday where he held several security meetings and urged armed groups to demobilize.

"The priority is to save lives and guarantee the security of communities," he said. "We have deployed our troops throughout the entire region."

Officials also prepared to send 10 tons of food and hygiene kits for approximately 5,000 people in the communities of Ocaña and Tibú, the majority of them having fled the violence.

"Catatumbo needs help," Villamizar said in a public address on Saturday. "Boys, girls, young people, teenagers, entire families are showing up with nothing, riding trucks, dump trucks, motorcycles, whatever they can, on foot, to avoid being victims of this confrontation."

The attack comes after Colombia suspended peace talks with the National Liberation Army, or ELN, on Friday, the second time it has done so in less than a year.

Colombia’s government has demanded that the ELN cease all attacks and allow authorities to enter the region and provide humanitarian aid.

"Displacement is killing us here in the region," said José Trinidad, a municipal official for the town of Convención, located in the North Santander region. "We're afraid the crisis will worsen."

Trinidad called on insurgent groups to sit down and hammer out a new agreement so "us civilians don't have to suffer the consequences that we're suffering right now."

The ELN has been clashing in Catatumbo with former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a guerrilla group that disbanded after signing a peace deal in 2016 with Colombia's government. The two are fighting over control of a strategic border region that has coca leaf plantations.

In a statement Saturday, the ELN said it had warned former FARC members that if they "continued attacking the population ... there was no other way out than armed confrontation." The ELN has accused ex-FARC rebels of several killings in the area, including the Jan. 15 slaying of a couple and their 9-month-old baby.

Army commander Gen. Luis Emilio Cardozo Santamaría said Saturday that authorities were reinforcing a humanitarian corridor between Tibú and Cúcuta for the safe passage of those forced to flee their homes. He said special urban troops also were deployed to municipal capitals "where there are risks and a lot of fear."

The ELN has tried to negotiate a peace deal with the administration of President Gustavo Petro five times, with talks failing after bouts of violence. ELN demands include that it be recognized as a political rebel organization, which critics have said is risky.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pledged to "deepen strategic coordination" in a video call less than a day after President Donald Trump re-entered the White House.

A transcript of the call posted to the Kremlin’s website showed that both Putin and Xi referred to one another as "friends" and vowed to back one another’s strategic interests, no matter the "current global situation."

"This year, I am ready, together with you, to elevate Chinese-Russian relations to a new level, to counter external uncertainties by preserving stability and resilience of Chinese-Russian relations," Xi said while addressing Putin.

TRUMP WANTS TO VISIT CHINA AGAIN AFTER HE TAKES OFFICE: REPORT

The pair both vowed to back the U.N.-centered international system ahead of the 80th anniversary this year, and to defend the post-World War II global order – a nod to Putin’s pursuit to reclaim Ukraine in what many have argued is an attempt to re-establish the Soviet Union. 

Xi also told Putin about a call he had with Trump on Friday regarding TikTok, trade and Taiwan, according to a report by Reuters.

The Chinese and Russian leaders also reportedly "indicated a willingness to build relations with the United States on a mutually beneficial, mutually respectful basis," Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, adding this will happen "if the Trump team really shows interest in this."

"It was also noted from our side that we are ready for dialogue with the new U.S. administration on the Ukrainian conflict," he added.

RUSSIA, IRAN TO SEAL PARTNERSHIP TREATY DAYS BEFORE TRUMP TAKES OFFICE

Neither readouts of the call issued by China or Russia directly mentioned Ukraine, though Russia highlighted that Beijing has remained a major supporter of Moscow’s economy as it is the largest consumer of Russian energy resources – a major earner for Putin’s war effort.

"Five years ago, we launched the Power of Siberia gas pipeline together, and today, Russia has become the leading supplier of natural gas to China," the Kremlin said in a readout.

Though according to Beijing, Moscow did directly address China’s interests in Taiwan and, according to the readout issued by the Chinese Communist Party, "Russia firmly supports Taiwan as an integral part of China's territory and firmly opposes any form of ‘Taiwan independence.'"

"I believe that the past year was very good for us," Putin said. "It can be said confidently that our foreign policy ties and Russia and China's joint efforts objectively play a major stabilizing role in international affairs."