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Last month, the United Nations (U.N.) released its "Action Plan to Enhance Monitoring and Response to Antisemitism," partially in response to a "surge in antisemitic incidents targeting Jews and Jewish institutions in Europe, the United States of America and elsewhere.

Anne Bayefsky, the director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and the president of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital that the Action Plan was a "phony exercise in futility," that was "produced by what she claimed is the leading global purveyor of antisemitism…to pretend to do something to combat antisemitism." 

Developed by the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the U.N.'s Action Plan emphasizes that "the ability to understand and identify antisemitism is crucial to global efforts to combat hatred and prejudice." Despite the critical nature of understanding antisemitism, the plan wholly fails to define what constitutes antisemitism.  

The Action Plan mentions, but does not adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, which 45 member states have endorsed and which Bayefsky said "the vast majoriy of major Jewish organizations and institutions around the world accept," because it "recognizes the connection with Zionism and Israel." 

ISRAELI PRESIDENT HERZOG HIGHLIGHTS ANTISEMITISM IN UN SPEECH AS NEW REORT SHOWS SHOCKING TREND

"The U.N. champions the idea that victims of hate and intolerance define their own experience of discrimination, isolation, and violence – except when it comes to Jews," she said.

UNAOC Director Nihal Saad was asked by Fox News Digital why the Action Plan does not define antisemitism and whether lacking this definition would hinder efforts to identify and curtail anti-Jewish prejudice.

Saad said that "the Action Plan underlines the importance of understanding antisemitism rather than focusing on the definition of antisemitism and entering into a debate about it, which proved distracting from the real goal here, which is enhancing our responses to antisemitism."

Referencing other issues where there is no consensus over "definition of the subject matter," Saad explained that a lack of a "definitive agreement among member states on the definition of terrorism" had not hindered the development of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which Saad called "a unique global instrument to enhance national, regional and international efforts to counter terrorism."

Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior advisor to the Counter Extremism Project and a former U.N. Monitoring Team coordinator, told Fox News Digital that "the CT[counterterrorism] strategy is a mess." 

ISRAEL ORDERS UNRWA TO CEASE OPERATIONS IN COUNTRY OVER TERROR TIES: ‘MISERABLY FAILED IN ITS MANDATE’

Though he said that some U.N. efforts to counter terrorism are effective, he said that given the lack of agreement over what constitutes terrorism, the U.N. particularly struggles with identifying groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis as terrorists. "If something really dramatic happens, then often a group will find it is being accused of being a terrorist group," Fitton-Brown said, noting how the U.N. condemned the Houthis in the aftermath of their 2022 attack on Abu Dhabi airport but failed to designate them as a terror group. "On Hezbollah, the U.N. has been hopelessly weak," he explained. 

He said that Hamas was "a good example of where the absence of a definition is problematic because you get something like the 10/7 attack…and the U.N. just completely failed in its response to that, and that is partly because of its failure to judge that a group that adopts terrorist tactics is a terrorist group." 

Bayefsky said that the U.N. Security Council "has never condemned Hamas for October 7th because they can’t agree on what counts as terrorism. That isn’t a success story. It’s a malevolent dereliction of duty."

Among the Action Plan’s proposals are the implementation of training modules to help staff "recognize and understand antisemitism," and the requirement that senior U.N. officials "continue to denounce antisemitic manifestations as and when they occur." 

Bayefsky questioned the implementation of these plans. "The U.N. says it is committed to educating U.N. staff about antisemitism without knowing what counts as antisemitism. Any actual educator gives that lesson plan an ‘F,’" she explained.

ISRAEL BANS UN SECRETARY-GENERAL OVER ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIONS: ‘DOESN’T DESERVE TO SET FOOT ON ISRAELI SOIL’

From the highest levels, Bayefsky claimed that the world body is not currently standing up against anti-Jewish prejudice. Though U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the world on International Holocaust Remembrance Day that "we must condemn antisemitism wherever and whenever it appears," Bayefsky said that "if the when and the who are inside the U.N., [Guterres is] not only sitting down, he goes mute." 

"Take the cases of U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and U.N. Commission of Inquiry head Navi Pillay, both widely condemned for egregious antisemitic behavior," Bayefsky claimed. "The Secretary-General claims their ‘independence’ leaves him impotent. Nothing prevents him from using his platform to speak out about right and wrong. He’s mute by choice."

Fox News Digital asked Saad whether the Action Plan would allow for the U.N. to make critical comments when special rapporteurs make antisemitic remarks in the name of the institution. "Special Procedure Mandate Holders/Special Rapporteurs are independent human rights experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council," Saad responded. "They act in an individual capacity, and exercise their functions in accordance with their mandate, through a professional, impartial assessment of facts based on internationally recognized human rights standards. The views expressed by special procedures mandate holders remain those of the mandate holder and may not represent positions held [by] the wider United Nations system."

Fox News Digital asked Farhan Haq, spokesperson for Guterres, whether the Action Plan would allow him to comment on antisemitism emanating from the U.N., including from its special rapporteurs. "The Secretary-General has no authority over the independent experts who report to the Human Rights Council, and he does not comment on their activities or remarks," Haq said. "But the UNAOC plan is designed to educate U.N. staff about antisemitism."

Bayefsky said that the U.N. "can’t combat antisemitism without acknowledging its guilt and starting with ‘mea culpa.’"

Neither Navi Pillay nor Francesca Albanese responded to Fox News Digital questions concerning the allegations of antisemitism leveled against them. 
 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week said that if the U.S. cannot guarantee a quick path toward NATO membership, then there are alternative security options Kyiv would accept: nuclear weapons. 

But don't think the United States is eager to agree to those terms. 

"The chance of them getting their nuclear weapons back is somewhere between slim and none," retired Lt. General Keith Kellogg, special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, told Fox News Digital. "Let's be honest about it, we both know that's not going to happen."

In 1994, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine agreed to give Russia its nuclear arms in exchange for reassurances from Russia, the U.S. and the U.K. that its sovereignty and independence would be respected – a treaty Moscow has violated with its repeated invasions – and in an interview on Tuesday, Zelenskyy argued that Ukraine should be given its arms "back" if a timely NATO membership is off the table.

TRUMP UNIQUELY PLACED TO ‘WHISPER’ IN ERDOGAN’S EAR OVER TURKISH REGIONAL AMBITIONS: GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER

But Kellogg, the man tasked by President Donald Trump to help bring an end to the three-year war, said rearming Ukraine with nuclear weapons is a non-starter.

"Remember, the president said we're a government of common sense," he said. "When somebody says something like that, look at the outcome or the potential. That's using your common sense."

Zelenskyy on Tuesday confirmed his willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face if that is the best option for bringing an end to the war, though the Kremlin chief has not agreed to any in-person meeting with the Ukrainian leader.

Trump on Sunday said that initial talks had begun with both Ukraine and Russia, and Kellogg this week confirmed that Kyiv and Moscow will need to make concessions if there is going to be a peace deal.

TRUMP'S ‘RARE’ PRICE FOR US MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE CALLED ‘FAIR’ BY ZELENSKYY

The administration has been tight-lipped on what sort of compromises will need to be made, particularly when it comes to the biggest hot-button issue for both Zelenskyy and Putin: Ukrainian NATO membership. 

Kellogg wouldn’t comment on where Trump lands when it comes to backing either Ukraine with a membership in the security alliance or Russia in denying its southern neighbor access to the top coalition.

"That’s one of the reasons I’m going next week to Europe, to actually see them face-to-face," he said. "I can bring that back to the president and say, ‘OK, Mr. President, this is their concern. This is what the issues are.’"

Kellogg is set to travel to the Munich Security Conference, which runs Feb. 14-16, where he said he will meet with world leaders to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine and get a better idea of where nations like the U.K., Germany and Denmark, along with other top providers of military aid to Ukraine, stand on negotiations to end the war.

ZELENSKYY WARNS PEACE TALKS WITHOUT UKRAINE 'DANGEROUS' AFTER TRUMP CLAIMS MEETINGS WITH RUSSIA 'GOING WELL'

"As you develop the plans to end this carnage, you have to make sure that you've got the feel of everybody in play," Kellogg said. "Once we get to have these face-to-face discussions, then you can really kind of work … on concessions."

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last month urged member nations to increase their support for Ukraine, an issue he said is vastly important when it comes to bolstering NATO deterrence in the face of the Russia, China, North Korea, Iran bloc.

"If we get a bad deal, it would only mean that we will see the president of Russia high-fiving with the leaders of North Korea, Iran and China, and we cannot accept that," Rutte said. "That will be geopolitically a big, a big mistake."

Rutte has urged NATO nations to ramp up defense spending and warned that if Russia comes out on top in this war, it will cost NATO allies "trillions" not "billions."

Kellogg will also press NATO allies to increase defense spending and, as directed by Trump, to start shouldering the burden of the war in Ukraine.

MANILA, Philippines — The lower house in the Philippines impeached Vice President Sara Duterte Wednesday, accusing her of a wide range of crimes that included plotting to assassinate the president, large-scale corruption and failing to strongly denounce China’s aggressive actions against Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea.

The move by legislators in the House of Representatives, many of them allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., deepens a bitter political rift that involved the two highest leaders of one of Asia’s most rambunctious democracies.

Marcos has boosted defense ties with his country’s treaty ally, the United States, while the vice president’s father, Rodrigo Duterte, nurtured cozy relations with China and Russia during his stormy term that ended in 2022.

At least 215 legislators in the lower house signed the impeachment complaint against the vice president, significantly more than the required number to allow the petition to be rapidly transmitted to the Senate, which would serve as a tribunal to try the vice president, House of Representatives Secretary-General Reginald Velasco told a plenary House meeting in the body’s last session before a four-month recess.

US FLIES JOINT PATROL WITH THE PHILIPPINES NEAR SHOAL REGION GUARDED BY CHINA

Among the signatories of the impeachment complaint was the president’s son, Rep. Sandro Marcos, and cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The petition urged the Senate to shift itself into an impeachment court to try the vice president, "render a judgement of conviction," remove her from office and ban her from holding public office.

"Duterte’s conduct throughout her tenure clearly displays gross faithlessness against public trust and a tyrannical abuse of power that, taken together, showcases her gross unfitness to hold public office and her infidelity to the laws and the 1987 Constitution," the complaint said of Duterte.

The vice president didn’t immediately comment on the House decision to impeach her, but her brother, Rep. Paolo Duterte said that the move was "a clear act of political persecution." Rival lawmakers maneuvered to quickly collect signatures and push a "baseless impeachment case" to the Senate, he said.

Duterte ran as Marcos’s vice-presidential running mate in 2022 on a campaign battle cry of unity in a deeply divided Southeast Asian country. Both were scions of strongmen long in the crosshairs of human rights groups, but their strong regional bases of support combined to give them landslide victories.

'THIS IS ABOUT FENTANYL': TARIFFS ARE CRUCIAL TO COMBATING 'DRUG WAR,' TRUMP AND CABINET OFFICIALS SAY

Marcos is the son and namesake of the late dictator, who was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising. The vice president’s father and Marcos’s predecessor, Duterte, launched a deadly anti-drug crackdown that is being investigated by the International Criminal Court as a possible crime against humanity.

The whirlwind political alliance rapidly frayed after their electoral victories.

The impeachment complaint against the vice president, regarded as a possible presidential contender after Marcos’s six-year term ends in 2028, focuses on a death threat that she made against the president, his wife and the House speaker last year, irregularities in the use of her office’s intelligence funds and her failure to stand up to Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea.

She said in an online news conference on Nov. 23 that she has contracted an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife and Romualdez if she were killed, a threat she warned wasn’t a joke.

She later said that she wasn’t threatening him, but was expressing concern for her own safety. However, her statements set off an investigation and national security concerns.

CHINA IS ‘AGGRESIVE’ AND ‘INTRUSIVE’ IN THE WEST, HOUSE INTEL CHAIR SAYS

Allegations of graft and corruption against her also emanated from a monthslong and televised House investigation on the alleged misuse of 612.5 million pesos ($10.5 million) of confidential and intelligence funds received by Duterte’s offices as vice president and education secretary. She has since left the education post after her political differences with Marcos deepened.

She has also been accused of unexplained wealth and failure to declare her wealth as required by the law. She has refused to respond to questions in detail in tense televised hearings last year.

The impeachment complaint accused Duterte of undermining the Marcos government’s policies, including her description of the administration’s handling of territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea as a "fiasco." The complaint also mentioned her silence over China’s increasingly assertive actions in the disputed waters.

"Her sheer evasiveness and silence on the West Philippine Sea issue, an issue that strikes at the core of Philippine sovereignty, is diametrically opposed to her being so loquacious as to other issues," the impeachment petition said, using the Philippine name for the disputed waters.

Duterte has repeatedly accused Marcos, his wife and Romualdez of corruption, weak leadership and attempting to muzzle her because of speculation she may seek the presidency in 2028.

The world reacted in unified shock on Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced his intention that the U.S. develop the Gaza Strip to create a "Riviera of the Middle East," and that millions of Palestinians living there would be relocated. 

The bombshell proposal was made during a press conference on Tuesday when Trump, standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, refused to rule out U.S. military intervention and said Washington "will take over the Gaza Strip."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt looked to ease concerns on Wednesday and said the president has not "committed to putting boots on the ground" or to paying for the reconstruction plans. 

But her assurances came after the president's proposal was met with swift resistance from leaders across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, South America and Oceania. 

RAND PAUL RECOILS AT TRUMP'S GAZA TAKEOVER PLANS: 'I THOUGHT WE VOTED FOR AMERICA FIRST'

Saudi Arabia, which Trump has pushed to "normalize ties" with Israel, flatly rejected Trump’s proposal and in a statement issued by the foreign ministry said there could be no diplomatic relations with the Jewish state without a two-state solution for the Palestinians. 

"Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom’s position in ‘a clear and explicit manner’ that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances."

The UAE, which did sign on to the Abraham Accords during the first Trump administration, responded to his remarks in a statement from the foreign ministry and issued a "categorical rejection of violating the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and attempting to displace them, and called for the need to stop settlement activities that threaten regional stability and undermine opportunities for peace and coexistence."

The ministry "stressed the importance of avoiding everything that could lead to the expansion of the conflict in the region, and explained that the priority now after the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip must focus on ending extremism, tension and violence, protecting the lives of all civilians, and delivering urgent, safe and sustainable humanitarian aid."

A senior official with the terror group Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said, "Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass. What is required is to end the [Israeli] occupation and aggression against our people, not to expel them from their land."

SAUDI ARABIA CONTRADICTS TRUMP, VOWS NO TIES WITH ISRAEL WITHOUT CREATION OF PALESTINIAN STATE

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas echoed the shared sentiment and said, "The Palestinians will not relinquish their land, rights and sacred sites, and that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the land of the State of Palestine, along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem."

A senior Iranian official told Reuters, "Iran does not agree with any displacement of Palestinians and has communicated this through various channels."

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been toeing the line when it comes to relations with the U.S. amid the second Trump administration, for the first time on Wednesday broke with Trump and said Palestinians "must be allowed home." 

"They must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution," he added, speaking from the House of Commons, Politico EU reported.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock took a more direct approach and, in a statement, said, in accordance with international law, "It is clear that Gaza – just like the West Bank and East Jerusalem – belongs to the Palestinians. It forms the basis for a future state of Palestine.

"A displacement of the Palestinian civilian population from Gaza would not only be unacceptable and in breach of international law. It would also lead to new suffering and new hatred," she added.

'LEVEL IT': TRUMP SAYS US WILL 'TAKE OVER' GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed Russia’s support for a two-state solution and said, "This is the thesis that is enshrined in the relevant U.N. Security Council resolution, this is the thesis that is shared by the overwhelming majority of countries involved in this problem. We proceed from it, we support it and believe that this is the only possible option."

French foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine also released a statement warning that anything but a two-state solution would have destabilizing consequences for the entire region. "France reiterates its opposition to any forced displacement of Gaza’s Palestinian population, which would constitute a serious violation of international law," he said. 

"Gaza’s future must lie not in the prospect of control by a third State but in the framework of a future Palestinian State, under the aegis of the Palestinian Authority." 

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, "China has all along believed that ‘the Palestinians governing Palestine’ is the fundamental principle of post-conflict governance of Gaza. 

"We oppose the forced displacement of the people in Gaza, and hope that relevant parties will take the opportunity of the ceasefire and post-conflict governance in Gaza to bring the Palestinian question back to the right track of a political settlement based on the two-state solution, so as to realize lasting peace in the Middle East," he added, during a Wednesday press conference. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told local news outlets that Trump’s proposal was "unacceptable" and argued that plans to leave Palestinians "out of the equation" would lead to more conflict. 

Turkish President Recep Erdoğan does not appear to have publicly commented yet, though his strong stance against Israel’s deadly operations in Gaza could signal the two leaders may geopolitically butt heads over how to handle the post-war era in the Gaza Strip. 

Australia, which has become a chief ally of the U.S. in countering China – a push Trump has named one of his top priorities – made its position on Trump’s comments clear after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, "Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year. The Australian government supports on a bipartisan basis a two-state solution."

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called Trump’s comments "bravado" and said in an interview with local radio stations, "No country, no matter how important, can fight the entire world all the time."

"It makes no sense," he argued while defending a two-state solution. "Where would Palestinians live? This is something incomprehensible to any human being.

"Palestinians are the ones who need to take care of Gaza," he added. 

Reuters contributed to this report. 

UNITED NATIONS — President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. "take over" the Gaza Strip has garnered negative reactions across the globe and even from within his own party.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó, however, doesn’t think the world should be so quick to dismiss President Trump’s proposal. Szijjártó compared the Gaza proposal to another one of Trump’s "shockingly innovative" ideas to a paradigm-shifting move the president made shortly before leaving office in 2020.

"I would like to remind everyone that when President Trump announced his plan regarding the Abraham Accords, there was hardly anyone in the world who would have believed in the success in those agreements, right? And at the end of the day, he made it, and the Abraham Accords have brought a totally new dimension to the life of the Middle East," Szijjártó told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

TRUMP SAYS US WILL 'TAKE OVER' GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

The Abraham Accords saw Israel sign treaties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. There was speculation that had President Trump won the 2020 election, Saudi Arabia would have been next to sign a treaty. However, the Saudis made it clear on Tuesday that the country would not forge ties with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state.

"This is maybe the most complicated issue nowadays in the world, how to make long-term peace in the Middle East," Szijjártó said, adding that "when it comes to President Trump, I would not exclude anything."

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first foreign dignitary to visit the White House since President Trump’s return to the Oval Office. His visit came as Israel continues to grapple with the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre nearly 16 months later.

During a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Trump announced his proposal to have the U.S. "take over" the Gaza Strip, saying it would give the Palestinians an opportunity to "live out their lives in peace and harmony."

HAMAS, WHICH SPARKED WAR WITH ISRAEL, SAYS TRUMP'S REBUILD GAZA PLAN IS A 'RECIPE FOR CREATING CHAOS'

"The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too," Trump said. "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site."

"Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area," he added. "Do a real job, do something different, just can't go back. If you go back, it's going to end up the same way it has for 100 years."

Hamas, the terrorist organization currently ruling over the Gaza Strip, broke its silence on Wednesday and slammed Trump’s proposal as a "recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region."

President Donald Trump made a massive shift in Washington’s stance towards Israel and the Middle East, proposing a U.S. takeover of the Gaza Strip.

"The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area," President Trump said during a joint presser with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.  

TRUMP'S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY EXPLAINS GAZA TAKEOVER PROPOSAL: 'MORE HOPE' FOR PALESTINIANS' FUTURES

Nearly 16 months after Hamas’ surprise attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has been grappling with the aftermath of the onslaught as it continues to fight the terror regime in control of Gaza. For much of the war, the question has been what will happen when Hamas is no longer in control, but through his surprise declaration, President Trump has given the Israelis an answer.

Even before he was officially in the Oval Office, Trump’s threat of "all hell to pay" seemed to work on Hamas, as the terror organization released hostages for the first time since November 2023.

"There is clearly a sense that Jerusalem and Washington are on the same page, illustrated by Netanyhu's upcoming visit to DC and being the first foreign dignitary to be invited to the White House since the election," Scholars for Peace in the Middle East Executive Director Asaf Romirowsky told Fox News Digital on Monday.

"The Trump administration is clearly helping on the hostage front and part of the discussions in DC this week will center on resuming the war and the rest of the hostages," Romirowsky added.

Despite the multiple rounds of hostage releases, Romirowsky is skeptical whether the terror organization is feeling the weight of the U.S. government.

"As far as Hamas goes it is not in their nature to be deterred by any U.S. government and they will try to push their agenda through Qatar and others," Romirowsky said. "That said, Israel seems to be getting the military support they need and the hope is that it also continues as it relates the war in Gaza and the Middle East at large."

Prior to leaving office in 2020, President Trump launched an initiative that seemed to have peace breaking out in the Middle East. Aimed at creating peaceful relationships between Arab nations and Israel, the Abraham Accords included the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. Many speculated that a treaty with Saudi Arabia was on the horizon.

"There is no doubt that the goal is to expand the Abraham Accords especially as it relates to Saudi Arabia," Romirowsky said. "Saudi-Israel relations are also linked regarding their shared security concerns as they relate to Iran."

IF IRAN ATTEMPTS ASSASSINATION, 'THEY GET OBLITERATED': PRESIDENT TRUMP

Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Trump signed an executive order ending U.S. engagement with the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Former President Joe Biden halted the funding of UNRWA following reports that some of the agency’s staff participated in the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel. Additionally, freed hostage Emily Damari, who was taken from her home in Kfar Aza, said she was held in UNRWA facilities, and that Hamas denied her medical care after shooting her twice.

In the joint presser with Netanyahu, Trump described the UNHRC as "antisemitic." President Trump also withdrew from the UNHRC during his first term. In 2021, the Biden administration rejoined the controversial international body.

The Palestinian terrorist group whose attack on Israel launched the war in Gaza is now calling President Donald Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to rebuild the territory a "recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region." 

Trump sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East after announcing last night that the U.S. will "take over the Gaza Strip," level it and rebuild the area. 

"Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished," Hamas told the Associated Press Wednesday. 

Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, led to the Israeli military entering the Gaza Strip in their mission to eliminate the Palestinian terrorist group. As a result, the conflict has rendered much of the territory uninhabitable. The U.N. estimated late last year that 1.9 million people – around 90% of Gaza’s population – have been internally displaced. 

SAUDI ARABIA CONTRADICTS TRUMP, VOWS NO TIES WITH ISRAEL WITHOUT CREATION OF PALESTINIAN STATE 

Hamas added to the AP that Trump’s plan is a "recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region." 

"What President Trump stated about his intention to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip outside it and the United States' control over the Strip by force is a crime against humanity," a senior Hamas official also told Fox News on Wednesday.

"We demand that the mediators, especially the United States, oblige the occupation to implement the ceasefire agreement in its three stages without procrastination or manipulation, as we are committed to implementing the agreement as long as the occupation commits to it, and any manipulation in implementing the agreement may cause it to collapse," the official added.

THE HISTORY OF GAZA AMID TRUMP’S PLAN TO REBUILD ENCLAVE 

Trump announced in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Tuesday that "The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,"

 "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site," he continued.

"Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area," Trump also said. "Do a real job. Do something different. Just can't go back. If you go back, it's going to end up the same way it has for 100 years." 

Fox News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst said the timing of Trump’s comments "raises huge questions about the current ceasefire agreement that is supposed to see the remaining hostages released from Gaza."

"There are dozens of living hostages inside the Gaza Strip right now being held by Hamas, the group that is currently in control of Gaza. And it would not be surprising if tomorrow, Hamas threatens to step back from the current agreement or puts more pressure at the negotiating table," Yingst said in a video posted on X last night.

"But the timing of these remarks is very significant remembering that these hostages remain in Hamas captivity and Palestinians being removed from Gaza has been a red line not only for Hamas but for regional countries including Egypt, Jordan and others as it relates to the Palestinian people there," he added. 

Fox News’ Trey Yingst and Emma Colton contributed to this report. 

JERUSALEM—President Donald Trump’s decision to restore his maximum pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic of Iran jolted the clerical regime in Tehran and established a clean break with the Biden administration’s concessionary policy toward the rogue nation, according to Mideast experts.

Trump also warned the regime on Tuesday that if it carries out his assassination, advisers will ensure that the country is "obliterated."

Trump's message to the Iranians seemingly got their attention. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that "If the main issue is ensuring that Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons, this is achievable and not a difficult matter." He also added that "maximum pressure is a failed experiment, and trying it again will only lead to another failure." He did not respond Trump’s sanction order targeting Iranian oil exports and Tehran’s support for jihadi terrorist organizations. 

IRAN'S WEAKENED POSITION COULD LEAD IT TO PURSUE NUCLEAR WEAPON, BIDEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WARNS

Yossi Mansharof, an Iran analyst at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy in Israel, told Fox News Digital, "Despite oil sanctions on Iran, data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals that Iran's oil revenue surged to $144 billion in the first three years of Biden's presidency (January 2021–January 2024), $100 billion more than during the last two years of the Trump administration. "

Mansharof continued, "While Biden tightened sanctions, he did not enforce them, allowing Iran to continue profiting from oil exports, providing critical support to its economy. This approach reflects a flawed strategy of attempting to engage Ali Khamenei [the supreme leader of Iran] diplomatically while ignoring Iran’s oil smuggling."

Fox News Digital also reported extensively on Biden’s decision to extend sanctions waivers that enabled repeated payments of $10 billion to be delivered into Iran’s coffers. 

Mansharof welcomed the reinstatement of the maximum economic pressure campaign. He warned, however, that in light of Iran’s progress on building a nuclear weapon "it is unclear whether this strategy is sufficient." He said, "Military pressure on Iran is needed to disrupt its activities, send a clear message on its nuclear ambitions, and prevent further destabilizing actions."

Both the Republican and Democratic administrations have classified Iran’s regime as the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism. Trump’s Tuesday signing of the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) restoring maximum pressure on Iran states its aims are to deny "Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon, and countering Iran’s malign influence abroad." Iran’s regime funds the U.S.-designated terrorist movements Hamas and Hezbollah.

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs President Dan Diker told Fox News Digital, "President Donald Trump's reimposed maximum pressure campaign  to cripple the Iranian regime is another differentiator from the former Biden administration’s defensive and even conciliatory approach to the Iranian regime."

He added, "The first Trump administration maximum pressure that came in parallel with canceling its participation in the ill-fated JCPOA had essentially bankrupted the regime and Trump's continuation of economic warfare against the regime underscores his commitment to U.S. primacy and power projection in the terror-ridden Middle East short of direct military intervention."

TRUMP'S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL 

The JCPOA, an acronym for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was former President Obama’s signature foreign policy deal. It was supposed to slow down Iran’s drive to build an atomic bomb in exchange for massive economic benefits for Iran. In 2018, President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and famously termed it "the worst deal in history." Trump said at the time of the withdrawal, "At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program."

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According to the Trump administration, the JCPOA did not prevent Iran from securing a nuclear weapons device and allowed Tehran to finance global terrorism.

Diker said, "Trump will face an Iranian regime octopus that is still extending its terror tentacles across the region, particularly in the Israeli controlled Judea and Samaria (West Bank) while prosecuting charm offensive with European and other powers to fend off the US initiative to strangle the Iranian regime."

Fox News Digital's Alexandra Koch contributed to this story. 

In an audacious move that stunned the world, President Donald Trump unveiled a proposal to relocate 1.8 million Palestinians from Gaza, seeking to rebuild their lives in new places. Addressing the media alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump outlined his ambitious vision for the Gaza Strip.

"I strongly believe that the Gaza Strip, which has been a symbol of death and destruction  … for so many decades—devastating for the people living there and for those anywhere near it—should not go through another cycle of rebuilding and occupation by the same people who have fought, lived, died, and suffered in that place."

The president emphasized the importance of learning from history. "History, you know, just can’t keep repeating itself," Trump remarked, urging a departure from the failed approaches of the past.

'LEVEL IT': TRUMP SAYS US WILL 'TAKE OVER' GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

"Dating back nearly 4,000 years, since the time of the Patriarchs Abraham & Isaac, to the time of the mighty Biblical Judge Samson and the Philistines; from the rule of Solomon and the kings of the Davidic Dynasty, and for millenia onward; the territory of modern-day Gaza has been a place of both conflict and hope, trading hands from one ruler to another, with the potential for prosperity just over the horizon, but aside from brief periods, peace for her inhabitants and neighbors remained elusive," Ze'ev Orenstein, the director of international affairs for the City of David Foundation in Jerusalem, told Fox News Digital

The history of Gaza that Trump was referring to is both a long and tumultuous one. 

Gaza’s history dates back nearly 4,000 years, frequently appearing in biblical narratives. It was one of the five key cities of the Philistines, who arrived from the Aegean, known for their clashes with the Israelites. The story of Samson, who tore down a Philistine temple, is one of the earliest recorded tales of destruction and rebuilding in Gaza. Over centuries, it was conquered by the Egyptians, Babylonians and Persians, each bringing new rulers and forcing population shifts. Even then, Gaza was a land where people came and went, often not by choice.

Under the Ottoman Empire (1517–1917), Gaza was a military stronghold. The Ottomans used it as a buffer zone, and while some periods saw growth, it was frequently abandoned during wars. In 1799, Napoleon’s forces briefly occupied it before retreating. Once again, Gaza was left in ruins, and its population had to start over.

TRUMP EYES ABRAHAM ACCORDS EXPANSION, GAZA REBUILD WITH NETANYAHU MEETING ON DECK

When the British took control in 1917, Gaza became part of the British Mandate for Palestine. Tensions between Jews and Arabs escalated, leading to violent clashes. By 1948, when Israel declared independence, thousands of Palestinian refugees fled to Gaza, turning it into an overcrowded enclave under Egyptian rule.

From 1949 to 1967, Egypt controlled Gaza but never integrated it. Palestinians living there were not granted Egyptian citizenship, and Gaza remained impoverished and politically unstable. When Israel captured it in the Six-Day War, the cycle of displacement and destruction resumed.

After Israel took over Gaza in the Six-Day War in 1967, Jewish settlements were built within the coastal enclave, creating economic interactions between the two peoples - but also increasing the level of tension. 

Amir Tibon, himself a survivor of the October 7 attack, describes in his book "The Gates of Gaza," Palestinians found out what life looked like for their Israeli neighbors, who enjoyed a significantly higher standard of living. Soon, hundreds of thousands of Gazans would enter Israel daily for work, and Gaza's economy became tied to Israel's, but hostility persisted. In the 1980s, the Islamist organization Hamas became a rising force among Palestinians in Gaza, eventually succeeding in taking over the enclave and turning it into a fortress of terror.

'PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH': TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING

After the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) took administrative control of Gaza in the 1990s. For the first time, there was hope for Palestinian self-rule, but corruption and internal strife plagued the PA’s governance. During the Second Intifada (2000–2005), terrorist attacks from Gaza escalated, leading to Israeli military operations that devastated the region once again.

In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza, removing all settlements. In 2007, elections were held, and Hamas took control, ousting the PA. Since then, Hamas has engaged in repeated attacks on Israel, leading to destruction and humanitarian crises. With Hamas prioritizing terrorism over governance, Gaza has remained in a state of war and siege. Today, it is one of the most densely populated places in the world, with 2 million residents.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital, "Israel withdrew unilaterally 20 years ago. Egypt wants nothing to do with Gaza. Hamas is a terrorist group, not a government. Gaza is no man’s land, with 2 million people used as political pawns instead of human beings."

Trump’s idea of relocating Gaza’s population and rebuilding new communities echoes patterns from the past. Whether it was the Philistines, Ottomans, the British, or Egyptians, Gaza has frequently seen its population displaced, only to return or be reshaped under new rulers. While today’s political realities make mass relocation unlikely, history shows that radical shifts in Gaza’s demography are not unprecedented.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres seems to be bracing his staff ahead of possible changes in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump. In a letter distributed to UN staff, Guterres warned of the "difficult challenge" facing the international body.

"I assure you that we are working closely with colleagues throughout the United Nations system to understand and mitigate the extent of its impact on our operations," Guterres wrote in the letter.

"Now, more than ever, the work of the United Nations is crucial. As we face this difficult challenge, your dedication and support will help us to overcome and move forward. Together, we will ensure that our Organization continues to serve people in need around the world with unwavering commitment."

In response to a Fox News request for comment, Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, "From day one, US support for the United Nations has saved countless lives and advanced global security.  The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing his productive relationship with President Trump and the US Government to strengthen that relationship in today’s turbulent world."

WHITE HOUSE DETAILS USAID PROGRAMS UNDER ELON MUSK'S MICROSCOPE

"As President Trump has indicated, the UN plays a crucial role in taking on big challenges so that individual countries don’t have to do it on their own at far greater expense. With the letter, the Secretary-General was keeping staff informed," Dujarric added.’

Former Principal Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Hugh Dugan told Fox News Digital that "UN entities from the top down are feeling very anxious," citing someone extremely senior in the UN. Dugan believes that DOGE and his own organization DOGE-UN are causes of concern for Guterres due to "heightened accountability" from Washington. 

"And I think that they’re going to have to scramble to show that they’ve been trustworthy with those resources and have been careful in accounting for their ultimate disposition, because I expect that we’re going to find that’s not been the case," Dugan said.

This letter was sent just over two weeks after President Trump issued his Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid.

"It is the policy of the United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States," Trump’s order reads.

While the order calls for a 90-day pause in foreign programs, it includes a clause giving Secretary of State Marco Rubio the authority to "waive the pause in Section 3(a) for specific programs."

Trump administration officials claim to have uncovered several areas of government waste when it comes to foreign funding. This includes a $1.5 million US Agency for International Development (USAID) project aimed at advancing DEI in Serbian workplaces and a $2 million program promoting "LGBT activism" in Guatemala.

In her first briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that DOGE and OMB found "that there was about to be $50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza."

"That is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money. So that's what this pause is focused on, being good stewards of tax dollars," Leavitt told reporters at the briefing.

At first glance, the funding for condoms in Gaza could seem like it would be aimed at public health. However, Hamas has used condoms in the past to fly incendiary devices and IEDs into Israel, as the Jerusalem Post reported in 2020.

TRUMP CUTS US OFF FROM UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, BANS UNRWA FUNDING

During his 2024 campaign, Trump took aim at government spending, ultimately introducing DOGE to tackle waste.

Following Trump’s order, Secretary Rubio paused all US foreign assistance programs funded by or through the State Department and USAID pending review.

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"Reviewing and realigning foreign assistance on behalf of hardworking taxpayers is not just the right thing to do, it is a moral imperative," the State Department statement read. "The Secretary is proud to protect America’s investment with a deliberate and judicious review of how we spend foreign assistance dollars overseas."

In the same statement, the State Department emphasized Secretary Rubio’s focus on ensuring the programs his department funds are working for Americans and are "consistent with US foreign policy under the America First agenda."

Mexico will not allow the U.S. government to send Mexican migrants to the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp, Mexico's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente said Mexico would rather directly receive the migrants.

The Mexican government sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. embassy in Mexico to explain its position.

This comes after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that the Trump administration has begun flying detained illegal migrants from the U.S. to Guantánamo Bay, although she did not specify the nationalities of the people on those flights.

US BEGINS FLYING MIGRANTS TO GUANTANAMO BAY

"I can also confirm that today the first flights from the United States to Guantánamo Bay with illegal migrants are underway," Leavitt said.

"And so President Trump, Pete Hegseth and Kristi Noem are already delivering on this promise to utilize that capacity at Gitmo for illegal criminals who have broken our nation's immigration laws and then have further committed heinous crimes against lawful American citizens here at home," she continued.

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to expand the detention camp to hold up to 30,000 "criminal illegal aliens." The U.S. military base has been criticized around the world for its inhumane abuse and torture of detainees, including in interrogation tactics.

One flight from Fort Bliss to Guantánamo Bay has roughly a dozen migrants on board, according to the Pentagon. An additional flight left the U.S. on Monday.

The migrants will be held in the detention camp that was set up for detainees in the aftermath of 9/11. The migrants will be separated from the 15 detainees who were already there, including planners in the 2001 terrorist attack.

EL SALVADOR AGREES TO ACCEPT US DEPORTEES OF ANY NATIONALITY FOLLOWING MEETING WITH RUBIO

Last week, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called Trump's effort to send 30,000 migrants to Guantánamo an "act of brutality."

"In an act of brutality, the new US government announces the imprisonment at the Guantánamo Naval Base, located in illegally occupied territory [of Cuba], of thousands of migrants that it forcibly expels, and will place them next to the well-known prisons of torture and illegal detention," he said in a translated post on X.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Saudi Arabia said it would not establish ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is created, shooting down U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that the Saudis were not demanding a Palestinian homeland when he floated the idea of the U.S. government taking control of the Gaza Strip.

Trump said on Tuesday at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war, after Palestinians are resettled in other countries.

"The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too," Trump said at the White House. "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site."

"Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area," he said. "Do a real job. Do something different. Just can't go back. If you go back, it's going to end up the same way it has for 100 years."

'LEVEL IT': TRUMP SAYS US WILL 'TAKE OVER' GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the country rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their homeland, stressing that its position on the Palestinians is not up to negotiation.

The statement noted that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom's position in "a clear and explicit manner" that does not make other interpretations possible under any circumstances.

TRUMP'S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY EXPLAINS GAZA TAKEOVER PROPOSAL: ‘MORE HOPE’ FOR PALESTINIANS' FUTURES

Any proposed displacement of Palestinians, an idea Trump has suggested multiple times since retaking office last month, is a highly sensitive matter for both Palestinians and Arab countries.

Trump said on Jan. 25 that he wanted Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from the Gaza Strip, potentially moving out enough people to "just clean out" the area.

"You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, 'You know, it’s over,'" he said at the time.

Amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Palestinians feared they would suffer from another "Nakba," meaning catastrophe in Arabic, which refers to the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 war at the birth of the State of Israel.

'PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH': TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING

The U.S. had led months of diplomacy to convince Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel and recognize the Middle Eastern country. But the war in Gaza, which began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish State, prompted the Saudis to abandon the matter amid Arab anger over Israel's offensive.

Trump wants Saudi Arabia to follow in the footsteps of countries including the United Arab Emirates, a Middle East trade and business hub, and Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords in 2020 and normalized ties with Israel.

Saudi Arabia establishing ties with Israel would be a grand prize for the Jewish State because the kingdom has huge influence in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world, and it is the world's biggest oil exporter.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The White House on Monday released a list of projects overseen by the top U.S. aid agency it identified as "waste and abuse" as Elon Musk's cost cutters seek to dismantle the decades-old provider of foreign aid. 

Musk, a "special government employee," according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, oversees the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Despite its title, DOGE is not a government agency but has been tasked by the White House’s executive office with dismantling top spending initiatives, and the billionaire's most recent target is the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

"For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight," the White House said Monday. 

According to a list released by the White House, USAID allocated millions of dollars for programs the Trump administration considers controversial and that frequently involved diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives launched during the Biden administration.

WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS?

At the top of the list was a $1.5 million program slated to "advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia's workplaces and business communities" and a $70,000 program for a "DEI musical" in Ireland.

Initiatives that supported LGBTQI programs were also flagged as an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds, including $47,000 for a "transgender opera" in Colombia, $32,000 for a "transgender comic book" in Peru and $2 million for sex changes and "LGBT activism" in Guatemala.

Fox News Digital could not independently verify the initiatives detailed by the White House in Colombia or Guatemala. The White House referenced reports about these programs by the Daily Mail, the Daily Caller News Foundation and other outlets. 

The White House also detailed spending initiatives that launched during Trump’s previous administration, including a 2017-2019, $6 million agreement that it said was intended to "fund tourism" in Egypt. 

MUSK'S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST' FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

However, the link referencing the Egyptian program detailed how it was intended to build on previous investments in North Sinai that provided potable water and wastewater services to hundreds of thousands of people and would provide further "access to transportation for rural communities and economic livelihood programming for families."

The White House also outlined USAID’s funding for coronavirus research, including millions of taxpayer dollars supplied to EcoHealth Alliance for coronavirus research, support for contraceptive initiatives and programs that it said benefited terrorists in several countries. 

The future of USAID remains unclear, though the doors to its headquarters were closed Monday, and thousands of employees across the globe sat waiting to hear whether they still had jobs after the apparent Musk takeover.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been named the acting director, and he agreed Monday with the White House that the agency needed an overhaul.

"The president made me the acting administrator," he told Fox News. "I’ve delegated that power to someone who is there full-time, and we’re going to go through the same process at USAID as we’re going through now at the State Department."

Questions remain over whether the White House has the legal authority to dismantle an independent agency, and Democratic lawmakers on Monday joined agency employees who stood outside the headquarters protesting the shutdown despite having been told to remain at home. 

Rubio took issue with the protests and referred to them as "rank insubordination."

"The goal was to reform it, but now we have rank insubordination," he said. "Now we have basically an active effort — their basic attitude is, ‘We don’t work for anyone. We work for ourselves. No agency of government can tell us what to do.’"

Hundreds of earthquakes that have rattled the Greek islands since last week have prompted the evacuation of thousands from the tourist hotspot Santorini.

Santorini Mayor Nikos Zorzos told The Associated Press that the tremors are a "seismic swarm" and could continue for weeks before eventually diminishing.

"This phenomenon may play out with small quakes or a single, slightly stronger one, followed by gradual subsidence," Zorzos said, adding he was cautiously optimistic after speaking to seismologists.

More than 200 undersea earthquakes up to magnitude 5 have been recorded in the volcanic region since Friday.

EMERGENCY CREWS DEPLOYED ON SANTORINI AS EARTHQUAKE SWARM WORRIES GREEK EXPERTS

Roughly 9,000 people have left Santorini since Sunday, with more emergency flights and ferries adding services to accommodate departures, the BBC reported.

Santorini has canceled public events, restricted travel to the island and banned construction work in certain areas. The quakes have caused cracks in some older buildings, but no injuries have been reported. The island has a population of approximately 15,500 residents.

EARTHQUAKE OFF COAST OF MAINE SHAKES NORTHEAST

Efthimios Lekkas, head of the state-run Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, said the epicenter of the earthquakes in the Aegean was moving northward away from Santorini, and emphasized there was no connection to the area's dormant volcanoes.

"This may last several days or several weeks. We are not able to predict the evolution of the sequence in time," Lekkas told state-run television.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen repeated on Monday that Greenland is "not for sale," but she remained open to bolstering the American "footprint" on the Arctic island.

As European Union leaders convened for a meeting in Brussels, Frederiksen addressed President Donald Trump's prospect of acquiring control of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, a U.S. ally, through military or economic force. 

"I think we have been very clear from the Kingdom of Denmark, with great support from the European partners and the European Union, that everybody has to respect the sovereignty of all national states in the world, and that Greenland is today a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, it is a part of our territory, and it's not for sale," Frederiksen told reporters, speaking in English. "The chairman, the leader of Greenland, has been very clear that they are not for sale." 

Frederiksen signaled that Denmark would welcome Trump sending more troops to Greenland, where the U.S. Space Force already has a base to monitor missile threats. 

US FLIES JOINT PATROL WITH THE PHILIPPINES NEAR SHOAL REGION GUARDED BY CHINA

"I totally agree with the Americans that the High North, that the Arctic region is becoming more and more important when we are talking about defense and security and deterrence," Frederiksen said, as China and Russia have both been increasingly active in the region. "And it is possible to find a way to ensure stronger footprints in Greenland. They [the U.S.] are already there, and they can have more possibilities. And at the same time, we are willing to scale up from the Kingdom of Denmark. And I think NATO is the same. So if this is about securing our part of the world, we can find a way forward." 

Frederiksen also responded to Trump's threat of implementing tariffs on imports from the European Union. The Danish leader said EU members "are willing to help each other and to stick together, and I will never support the idea of fighting allies, but of course, if the U.S. puts tough tariffs on Europe, we need a collective and robust response."

Last week, her government announced a nearly $2 billion agreement with parties, including the governments of Greenland and the Faeroe Islands, to "improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty in the region." It would include three new Arctic naval vessels, two additional long-range surveillance drones and satellite capacity, the Danish Defense Ministry said.

Meanwhile, European Council President Antonio Costa, noting that the EU has stood beside Ukraine in defense of its borders, said of Greenland on Monday: "Of course, we will stand also for these principles, all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned."

Trump has said the United States needs control of Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal, for "national security purposes." While Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Panama this week, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino pledged to end his country's key Belts and Road project agreement with China. Trump had lamented Beijing's increased control of the strategic waterway, built by the United States, connecting the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO CONFIRMS BECOMING ACTING USAID CHIEF

In Brussels on Monday, Frederiksen also reacted to Vice President JD Vance recently asserting that Denmark has "not been a good ally." In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Vance repeated that Greenland is "really important to our national security," as China and Russia increasingly traverse sea lanes near the island, and "frankly, Denmark, which controls Greenland, it's not doing its job, and it's not being a good ally." 

"You have to ask yourself, how are we going to solve that problem, solve our own national security if that means that we need to take more territorial interests in Greenland? That is what President Trump is going to do, because he doesn't care about what the Europeans scream at us. He cares about putting the interests of America's citizens first," Vance said, adding, "You've got probably 55,000 people living on Greenland who are not actually happy with Danish government. They've got great natural resources there. They've got an incredibly bountiful country that the Danes aren't letting them develop and explore. Of course, Donald Trump would take a different approach if he was the leader of Greenland." 

Speaking in Danish, Frederiksen told reporters that Danes "have fought side by side with the Americans for many, many decades," according to reports and an online translation. 

"We are one of the United States’ most important and strongest allies – and I will not accept the notion that Denmark is a bad ally. We are not, we never have been, and we never will be in the future. The Arctic Cooperation is important. It is something we are willing to prioritize," Frederiksen said, arguing that it would align with the interests of Denmark, the U.S. and NATO. 

"It is sensible, but it is also important that we work together against terrorism, against the destabilization we see in the Baltic Sea right now with sabotage, and it is important that we work together on NATO’s Eastern flank and thereby holding firm in relation to Russia," she added, turning to the Ukraine war. "So we would be able to work together in many ways, but I do not want to be sitting on Denmark’s name and remuneration that we should be a bad ally, because we are not." 

Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland's capital Nuuk, to meet with locals last month, weeks before his father took office.

Trump's 10% tariffs on Chinese imports into the U.S. took effect this week, as the administration aims to hold Beijing accountable for precursor chemicals said to be fueling the fentanyl crisis. He agreed to suspend a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tax on energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity, by 30 days after both countries agreed to send additional troops to their borders with the U.S., among other stipulations. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The FBI released posters Tuesday seeking information about two senior Iranian intelligence officers involved in the disappearance of retired FBI Special Agent Robert Levinson as the agency is vowing to "hold every Iranian official involved in his abduction accountable." 

Levinson was working as a private investigator when he vanished in 2007 after traveling to Iran’s Kish Island. He had reportedly taken part in an unauthorized CIA mission and was presumed dead in 2020. 

"The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to return Bob to his family," Sanjay Virmani, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterterrorism Division, said in a statement. "Our extensive investigation continues to develop new leads and intelligence, and we will pursue all options to hold every Iranian official involved in his abduction accountable." 

The FBI said the two Iranian officers in the posters – Mohammed Baseri and Ahmad Khazai -- "allegedly acted in their capacity as officials of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security during Bob’s abduction, detention, and probable death." 

IRAN’S COVERT NUCLEAR AGENCY FOUND OPERATING OUT OF TOP SPACE PROGRAM LAUNCH SITES 

"For nearly 18 years, the Iranian government has denied knowledge of Bob's whereabouts despite senior intelligence officials authorizing Bob's abduction and detention and launching a disinformation campaign to deflect blame from the Iranian regime," the FBI added. 

The Treasury Department sanctioned both officers in December 2020. 

TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING 

"According to the designation, Baseri has been involved in counterespionage activities inside and outside Iran, as well as sensitive investigations related to Iranian national security issues. He has worked directly with intelligence officials from other countries to harm U.S. interests," the FBI said. "Khazai has led MOIS delegations to other countries to assess security situations." 

A $5 million reward is still being offered by the FBI for information leading to Levinson's location, recovery and return. 

Uganda has begun a trial vaccination program for the strain of Ebola viral infection that is behind the country's latest outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), while the number of confirmed cases has risen to three.

Last week, the east African country announced an outbreak of Ebola in the capital, Kampala, with a single case, a nurse who died on Jan. 29.

CDC ORDERED TO IMMEDIATELY STOP COLLABORATING WITH WHO AFTER TRUMP BEGINS PROCESS FOR US WITHDRAWAL

The total number of cases has now risen to three, with the two additional cases from the family of the deceased man, Ministry of Health spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona told Reuters late on Monday.

In a post on the X platform late on Monday, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO director for Africa, said Uganda had also started a clinical trial of a vaccine against the Sudan strain of Ebola.

Currently, there is no approved vaccine for that strain. The existing vaccination is for the Zaire strain, which is behind a recent outbreak in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

"This marks a major milestone in public health emergency response and demonstrates the power of collaboration for global health security," Moeti said. "If proven effective, the vaccine will further strengthen measures to protect communities from future outbreaks."

Bruce Kirenga, who heads Makerere Lung Institute, a research organization that is doing the trial, told local media during the launch of the vaccination that it had been developed by the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and that the institute had received about 2,460 doses.

The health ministry last week said that the trial would target contacts of confirmed cases.

A high-fatality disease, Ebola infection symptoms include hemorrhage, headache and muscle pains. The virus is transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids and tissue.

At least four people were injured during a school shooting in central Sweden on Tuesday, according to police reports.

The condition of those injured remains unclear, and it is not known whether the shooter is among them. Police say the shooting took place at the Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden, and they are urging local residents to stay away from the area.

"A major operation is currently underway at a school in Västhaga, Orebro," Swedish police said in a statement online, urging residents "to stay away from the Västhaga area."

"The operation concerns threats of deadly violence," police added.

THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS RALLY ACROSS IRAQ FOR A 2ND DAY TO CONDEMN THE BURNING OF A QURAN IN SWEDEN

Police have made no statements regarding a potential motive for the shooting.

Police said they were alerted to a shooting Wednesday night at an apartment building in Sodertalje, near Stockholm, and found a man with gunshot wounds who later died.

Prosecutors said five people were arrested the following night on suspicion of murder. They said all were adults but gave no further details.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

TEL AVIV – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday is geared toward bolstering ties with and securing guarantees from the Trump administration primarily over Iran and the war against Hamas, according to current and former Israeli officials.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu’s historic visit to Washington will mark a significant moment in Israel-U.S. relations, setting a tone of close cooperation and friendship between the Israeli government and the Trump administration," Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter told Fox News Digital.

"The prime minister will be the first foreign leader to visit the White House in President Trump’s second term, and his visit will spur bilateral efforts to promote security and prosperity in the U.S., Israel and the Middle East," he added.

AMERICAN AMONG THREE HOSTAGES FREED FROM TERROR'S GRIP AFTER NEARLY 500 DAYS

Leiter, appearing on "America's Newsroom" last week, told Dana Perino that Iran would be front and center during the Trump-Netanyahu meeting. "We will make the point that to allow Tehran to maintain its nuclear capabilities, which they can raise very quickly toward nuclear weapons, is simply unacceptable," he stated.

Netanyahu was last at the White House on July 25, 2024, with then-President Biden having only invited the Israeli leader some 20 months after his re-election. This was widely viewed as a snub by Biden, whose party has increasingly distanced itself from traditional bipartisan support for the Jewish state.

Netanyahu told reporters ahead of his departure that it was "telling" Trump chose to meet him first, describing it as "a testimony to the strength of the American-Israeli alliance."

"This meeting will deal with important issues, critical issues facing Israel and our region, victory over Hamas, achieving the release of all our hostages and dealing with the Iranian terror axis and all its components – an axis that threatens the peace of Israel, the Middle East and the entire world," he said. 

There are currently 79 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including six dual US-Israeli citizens. "Regarding agenda terms, Trump will want Netanyahu to proceed to the second phase of the truce agreement with Hamas. This is very difficult for Israel, since this basically leaves the terror group in power in Gaza," former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren told Fox News Digital.

While Trump has said he was "not confident" the ceasefire deal would hold, his Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff visited Israel last week and reportedly pushed for the implementation of all three phases. According to Netanyahu, Trump has committed to supporting the resumption of the war if negotiations with Hamas prove "futile."

"There may also be discussion about the future of the Palestinian issue and ways in which the Trump peace plan unveiled during his first term can be revived, as well as how a normalization push between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be concluded," Oren said. "I think the major pressure point would be the ‘P’ word, which refers to the Saudis insisting on a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Parts of Netanyahu’s coalition and even some within his own party will not discuss the ‘P’ word."

IRAN HIDING MISSILE, DRONE PROGRAMS UNDER GUISE OF COMMERCIAL FRONT TO EVADE SANCTIONS

On this point, the two leaders may be aligned, with Trump insisting that Gaza be rebuilt "in a different way." He also indicated his desire to relocate Gazans to Arab countries. "You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out [Gaza] and say, ‘You know, it’s over,’" he said.

During his first term, Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, which was orchestrated by the Obama administration. However, the Biden administration undid most of Trump’s "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran – consisting primarily of crippling sanctions – by rehashing many Obama-era policies.

"I believe that Trump is prepared to immediately snap back paralyzing sanctions and issue a credible military threat to bring Iran back to the negotiating table for an agreement on its nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile testing and terror financing," Danny Ayalon, former Israeli deputy foreign minister and ambassador to the U.S., told Fox News Digital.

"If not, the Iranians will be subject to a major operation that may be through an American-led coalition or different structures with or without Israel," he added, while referencing an Axios report last month that the U.S. president might "either support an Israeli military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities… or even order a U.S. strike." However, Ayalon said Trump will express a preference for a diplomatic solution, possibly placing him at odds with Netanyahu.

BUSY WEEK AHEAD FOR TRUMP, CABINET PICKS

Ayalon also noted Netanyahu’s appreciation for Trump’s initiative to punish the International Criminal Court, which in November issued arrest warrants for the Israeli premier and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the prosecution of the war against Hamas, while suggesting that normalization between Jerusalem and Riyadh would be raised as part of a broader effort to reshape the Middle East.

"A potential economic corridor from Asia to Europe through Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, maybe even the Palestinian Authority, works very well with Trump’s agenda of countering aggressive Chinese expansionism through the Belt and Road Initiative," Ayalon said.

Other agenda items might include a possible U.S.-backed push to apply Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, also known by Israel as Judea and Samaria – a prospect Netanyahu shelved during Trump’s first term in favor of forging the Abraham Accords – and expanding overall defense ties, including by advancing the American president’s goal of developing an Iron Dome-like missile shield for the United States.

"It is very different from the Biden administration. Of course, it is more aggressive but that’s only part of it. Trump sees the problem of Gaza in a wider perspective" that includes the Saudis, Qataris, Egyptians and other regional players, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Hannan Gefen, the former commander of IDF's elite Unit 8200, told Fox News Digital.

"Trump, in his second term, is repeating his willingness to withdraw from the Kurdish-controlled northeastern part of Syria, which may contrast with Israel’s interest," he explained. "In Lebanon, there might be a disagreement if Israel sees Hezbollah [violating the ceasefire and] regaining power, and wants to strike terror bases. Regarding the Houthis in Yemen, Israel and the Saudis will try to direct Trump's policy to be more assertive than Biden was toward the Iranian proxy."

While any gaps between the sides will be overshadowed by the pomp and circumstance accompanying a visit by Netanyahu to D.C., Likud lawmaker Boaz Bismuth told Fox News Digital that the prime minister "won’t make any concessions on issues that relate to Israel’s national security.

"Our national interests come above all else – the state has an obligation toward its civilians and the right to defend itself," Bismuth said. "Fortunately, Trump has a thriving relationship with Israel and is a great friend of ours."

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has offered for illegal immigrants – of any nationality – facing deportation in the U.S. to be booked in his country's prison system in exchange for a fee.

This proposal comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Bukele at his lakeside country house outside San Salvador on Monday.

"We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system," Bukele wrote on X Monday night. "We are willing to take in only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee. The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable."

Rubio said the Salvadoran president "has agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world."

RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP'S 'GOLDEN AGE' AGENDA

"We can send them, and he will put them in his jails," Rubio told reporters, referring to illegal immigrants behind bars in U.S. prisons. "And, he’s also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States, even though they’re U.S. citizens or legal residents."

While Bukele did extend the offer to include violent American criminals, it is highly unlikely that part of the offer would actually happen, since it is illegal to deport U.S. citizens. A U.S. official said the Trump administration has no plans to deport American citizens, but noted that Bukele's offer was significant.

The proposal with El Salvador, known as a "safe third country" agreement, could potentially be an option for Venezuelan gang members convicted in the U.S. if Venezuela refuses to accept them, and Rubio said Bukele offered to accept detainees of any nationality.

Bukele also said he would take back all Salvadoran MS-13 gang members in the U.S. illegally, and promised to accept and incarcerate criminal illegal aliens from any country, especially those affiliated with Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang.

Manuel Flores, the secretary general of the leftist opposition party Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, argued that the "safe third country" plan would paint the region as the U.S. government's "backyard to dump the garbage."

TRUMP ANNOUNCES VENEZUELA WILL TAKE CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BACK

Rubio was visiting El Salvador to push for more help in supporting President Donald Trump's mass deportation plan. He arrived in San Salvador shortly after watching a U.S.-funded deportation flight carrying 43 illegal immigrants leave from Panama for Colombia.

The deportation flight had 32 men and 11 women detained by Panamanian authorities after illegally crossing the Darien Gap from Colombia. The State Department said the deportations send a message of deterrence.

"Mass migration is one of the great tragedies in the modern era," Rubio said afterward. "It impacts countries throughout the world. We recognize that many of the people who seek mass migration are often victims and victimized along the way, and it’s not good for anyone."

Rubio's trip comes during a sweeping freeze on U.S. foreign assistance and stop-work orders that have shut down taxpayer-funded programs targeting illegal immigration and crime in Central America. The State Department said that the secretary had approved waivers for certain critical programs in countries he is visiting.

The secretary will continue to urge foreign leaders to do more to help the U.S. combat illegal immigration, including in his next stops in Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, which are part of his five-nation Central American tour following the visits to Panama and El Salvador.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.