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"We are way closer to the beginning than we are to the end," former CIA Moscow station chief Dan Hoffman said as Ukraine entered a fourth year of war on Monday. 

Since the Nov. 5, 2024, re-election of President Donald Trump, the Western world has been scrambling to understand what the future holds for Russia’s war in Ukraine as Washington looks to re-establish ties with Moscow in a move to end the conflict and secure a peace deal.

In the span of a week, Trump held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin; Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov; retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparked international debate by pronouncing that Ukraine would unlikely be permitted to join NATO.

TRUMP ENVOY FOR RUSSIA AND UKRAINE CALLS ZELENSKYY A 'COURAGEOUS LEADER' AFTER TRUMP LAMBASTS FOREIGN FIGURE

But far from bringing a sense of optimism that an end to the brutal war in Ukraine could be on the horizon, questions erupted across the globe as the geopolitical atmosphere descended into a state of confusion.

"What a ceasefire would look like? I have no idea," Hoffman said, highlighting the numerous and almost indeterminable factors that will shape whether Moscow and Kyiv agree to terms under a deal.

"It’s getting the Russians to stop. That's the key," he explained. "The Russians are intrigued by the idea that they could make a grand bargain with this administration and eliminate the sanctions that are causing so much harm. 

"But what hangs over this is Vladimir Putin – he’s a KGB guy. He hates Donald Trump just as much as he hates Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, and every one of us, because the United States is the main enemy," Hoffman explained. "He's going to try to get a great deal. 

"Putin's going to try to frame negotiations as if Russia is going toe to toe with the United States, he will want to make it look like Russia got the better of us, to enhance his own image and the Kremlin's [to] throw weight against us globally, including in the MIddle East and Africa," Hoffman explained. 

TRUMP SOUNDS OFF ON ZELENSKYY'S INSULTS AS US WORKS TO BROKER UKRAINE PEACE DEAL WITH RUSSIA: 'I'VE HAD IT'

Some of the biggest factors that will be involved in negotiating a ceasefire will be security guarantees for Ukraine, including whether Russia has the right to influence who can be permitted into the alliance. 

"Ukraine's NATO membership should not be a negotiation tactic, because we don't want Russia to have, you know, de facto veto power over who joins NATO," Catherine Sendak, director of transatlantic defense and security with the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), said during a discussion on Ukraine on Thursday. 

Some nations like Britain and France have said they may be willing to send in troops to serve as a deterring force should a ceasefire be agreed to, though Russian officials have already said NATO forces in Ukraine would be unacceptable to Moscow.

Though even with European forces in Ukraine, it remains unclear in what capacity as a deterring force they would serve.

Questions over whether European forces would help police Ukrainian borders shared with Russia or merely act as air and naval support for Kyiv remain.  

Experts involved in the CEPA discussion were unanimous in their agreement that the U.S. should be involved, though the Trump administration has already suggested that not only will the possibility of the U.S. sending in troops to Ukraine not be an option, but it may look to remove American forces currently positioned around Europe. 

"Many European nations just have not had any experience in leading a force of that size," said William Monahan, senior fellow with CEPA and former deputy assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs during the previous Trump administration.

UKRAINE WAR 'WILL END SOON' UNDER TRUMP'S LEADERSHIP, US NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR VOWS

"Determining where the U.S. could be providing key enablers, I think, would be an essential element of any force, and determining its credibility and deterrence capability," he added.

Putin has made clear that his latest war objective is the ownership of four Ukrainian regions, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which he illegally "annexed" in 2022 but none of which have his forces been able to fully seize.

Zelenskyy has said he will not agree to cede any land to Russia, including Crimea, which Russia has illegally occupied since 2014, but which Hegseth said this month would be an "unrealistic" objective at the negotiating table. 

Though some Western experts have argued that Ukraine does not necessarily need to cede land in order to reach a ceasefire agreement. 

This proposal suggests that the Ukrainian territory would remain internationally recognized as "occupied" by Russia, which would allow the fighting to stop, though Kyiv and its international partners would then need to attempt to renegotiate land releases at a later time. 

What has become clear is the Trump administration’s push for Europe to be more heavily involved in providing military support to Ukraine. But as European nations look to ramp up defense on the continent without Washington’s support, security experts are warning this is changing geopolitical views of the U.S. and its reliability as an ally.

"I think there is a group of European countries now, I think increasingly, including the U.K. potentially, and France, that actually are beginning to see the U.S. as part of the problem," said Sam Green, director of democratic resilience at CEPA and professor of Russian politics at King's College London.

EU WARNS TRUMP AGAINST LETTING PUTIN DIVIDE THE US AND EUROPE: 'LET’S NOT DO HIM THE FAVOR'

Green said European nations may need to come up with their own solution to counter a U.S.-Moscow proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine. 

Ultimately, the security experts warned that the increasingly apparent divisions between Washington under the Trump administration and Europe are playing into one of Putin's longtime chief aims.

"I think there's a need to get a coordinated approach that brings in our allies and partners [and] maintains that source of strength," Monahan said. "I think Putin is very happy he has been able to achieve one of his strategic goals, which is create disunion and division among the United States and its allies in the transatlantic relationship."

When asked by Fox News Digital if some of the controversial comments made by Trump, like calling Zelenskyy a dictator, claiming he has low internal approval ratings and seeming to suggest he was to blame for Russia’s illegal invasion, are aiding Putin in his negotiating calculus, Hoffman said, "I don't know what damage, if any, it's causing, but the intelligence community can assess that."

"What Vladimir Putin thinks about the U.S. and Ukraine, about Zelenskyy and Trump going, rhetorically at least, toe to toe in the Octagon against each other – it's not a great look," he added. 

"[Putin] thinks he can break Europe. He doesn't think Europe is going to be strong enough without the United States," Hoffman argued. "That's certainly the past. The history during the Soviet-Evil Empire, it was the U.S. strength, our nuclear umbrella, that deterred the Soviet Union from expanding.

"NATO has always been an alliance to deter Russian aggression," he said. "We're nowhere close to knowing how all this is going to play out. 

"Right now, you're just hearing a lot of noise," Hoffman cautioned. 

An Afghan radio station produced entirely by Afghan women will resume broadcasts after the Taliban lifted a suspension that was imposed over alleged cooperation with a foreign country's TV channel.

Radio Begum launched on International Women’s Day in March 2021, just five months before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan during the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the region.

The station’s sister satellite channel, Begum TV, operates from France and broadcasts content on Afghanistan's school curriculum from grades seven through 12.

The Taliban banned education for women and girls in the country after sixth grade.

RUBIO DEMANDS ANSWERS WITH 2 MORE AMERICANS REPORTEDLY HELD BY TALIBAN

On Saturday, the Taliban's Information and Culture Ministry said in a statement that Radio Begum had repeatedly requested permission to resume broadcasts.

The suspension was lifted after the station made commitments to Taliban officials, the ministry said.

Radio Begum agreed to conduct broadcasts "in accordance with the principles of journalism and the regulations of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and to avoid any violations in the future," the statement said. The ministry did not offer details on what those principles and regulations may be.

VETERANS GROUPS ASK TRUMP TO RECONSIDER IMMIGRATION EXECUTIVE ORDER, CITE IMPACTS ON AFGHAN PARTNERS

The station confirmed it had been given permission to resume broadcasting, without providing additional details.

Taliban officials imposed the suspension after they raided the Kabul-based station on Feb. 4 and seized computers, hard drives and phones, and took into custody two male employees who do not hold any senior management positions, the outlet said in a statement at the time.

The Taliban have prohibited women from education, many fields of work and public spaces since they seized control of the country in the summer of 2021. Journalists, especially women, have lost their jobs as the Taliban control the media in the region.

Reporters without Borders ranked Afghanistan 178 out of 180 countries in the 2024 press freedom index, a dip from the year before when it ranked 152.

The ministry did not identify the TV channel it accused Radio Begum of working with, but its statement cited alleged collaboration with "foreign-sanctioned media outlets."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pope Francis remained in critical condition in an Italian hospital on Sunday, as officials shared that he is suffering from :mild renal insufficiency" amid his treatment for bilateral pneumonia.

Francis, who is currently staying at the Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, remains alert and attended Mass on Sunday, according to the Vatican. The pope has been fighting pneumonia and a complex lung infection since being hospitalized on Feb. 14.

The Holy See Press Office published a detailed statement about the 88-year-old pope's health on Sunday, noting that his condition "remains critical, but since [Saturday] evening, he has not experienced any further respiratory crises."

"He received two units of concentrated red blood cells with benefit, and his hemoglobin levels have risen," the report noted.

POPE FRANCIS' MEDICAL CONDITION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BILATERAL PNEUMONIA

"The thrombocytopenia remains stable; however, some blood tests show early, mild renal insufficiency, which is currently under control."

The Holy See also noted that Pope Francis is receiving oxygen and "remains alert and well-oriented."

"The complexity of the clinical situation and the necessary time for the pharmacological treatments to show results require that the prognosis remain reserved," the statement concluded. "This morning, in the apartment on the tenth floor, he participated in the Holy Mass, together with those who have been taking care of him during these days of hospitalization."

POPE FRANCIS IS 'FINE,' CONDITION NOT LIFE-THREATENING, DOCTORS SAY

The statement came after Pope Francis published a message of his own on X, thanking the international Catholic community for their prayers. He had suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday, a condition worsened by the fact that he had part of one of his lungs removed when he was younger.

"I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," Pope Francis posted on X Sunday. "Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!" 

"I urge you to continue your apostolate with joy and to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, as the #GospelOfTheDay suggests," another post of his read. "May we transform evil into goodness and build a fraternal world. Do not be afraid to take risks for love!" 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This report has been updated to clarify the Vatican's comments about Pope Francis' condition.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pope Francis remained in critical condition in an Italian hospital on Sunday, as officials shared that he is suffering from early-stage kidney failure amid his treatment for bilateral pneumonia.

Francis, who is currently staying at the Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, remains alert and attended Mass on Sunday, according to the Vatican. The pope has been fighting pneumonia and a complex lung infection since being hospitalized on Feb. 14.

The Holy See Press Office published a detailed statement about the 88-year-old pope's health on Sunday, noting that his condition "remains critical, but since [Saturday] evening, he has not experienced any further respiratory crises."

"He received two units of concentrated red blood cells with benefit, and his hemoglobin levels have risen," the report noted.

POPE FRANCIS' MEDICAL CONDITION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BILATERAL PNEUMONIA

"The thrombocytopenia remains stable; however, some blood tests show early, mild renal insufficiency [kidney failure], which is currently under control."

The Holy See also noted that Pope Francis is receiving oxygen and "remains alert and well-oriented."

"The complexity of the clinical situation and the necessary time for the pharmacological treatments to show results require that the prognosis remain reserved," the statement concluded. "This morning, in the apartment on the tenth floor, he participated in the Holy Mass, together with those who have been taking care of him during these days of hospitalization."

POPE FRANCIS IS 'FINE,' CONDITION NOT LIFE-THREATENING, DOCTORS SAY

The statement came after Pope Francis published a message of his own on X, thanking the international Catholic community for their prayers. He had suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday, a condition worsened by the fact that he had part of one of his lungs removed when he was younger.

"I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," Pope Francis posted on X Sunday. "Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!" 

"I urge you to continue your apostolate with joy and to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, as the #GospelOfTheDay suggests," another post of his read. "May we transform evil into goodness and build a fraternal world. Do not be afraid to take risks for love!" 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displayed images of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, during an address at a combat officers' graduation ceremony on Sunday, delivering a solemn message.

"I want to show you something. I want to show you this picture of Shiri Bibas and her tender children, Ariel and Kfir Bivas. This picture says it all; I ask that you engrave it on the board of your hearts, so that you will always remember what we are fighting for and against whom we are fighting," Netanyahu told the graduates, according to Fox News' translation of the Hebrew speech. "We are fighting to secure our existence against man-monsters who have risen to annihilate us." 

"Already in the first days of the war, they murdered Shiri and her children in cold blood; they strangled the tender children with their own hands," Netanyahu said, holding up a photo of the Bibas family. "And if they could, they would have killed us all with the same cruelty, until our very last man. Against this we fight, and these monsters we must and can defeat – and defeat them we will. This is our mission, and this is your mission!" 

"As the defenders of our homeland, each of you is imbued with purpose, wielding sword and shield," he added. "We have high expectations of you, but I know that above all, you have expectations of yourselves." 

TRUMP ENVOY WITKOFF SEEKING 'EXTENSION' OF PHASE 1 OF ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE DEAL, TO HEAD BACK TO MIDDLE EAST

Hamas handed over the bodies of the two young brothers on Thursday, but initially returned the wrong remains for Shiri in what Netanyahu had decried as a "brazen violation of their agreement." The Israeli mother's actual remains were handed over on Saturday and identified by Israeli forensic authorities to be Shiri following a standoff with the terrorist group. Also returned was the body of Oded Lifshitz, a fellow resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and who Israel says was murdered in captivity. The Israel Defense Forces said the boys' bodies proved they were "murdered by terrorists in cold blood," despite Hamas previously claiming the brothers were killed in an airstrike.

In his speech Sunday, Netanyahu said President Donald Trump "sees eye to eye with us on everything related to Gaza." 

"We support President Trump’s groundbreaking plan to allow free exit for Gazans, and to create a different Gaza," Netanyahu told the graduating combat officers. 

"I thank President Trump for his directive to supply Israel with vital weapons," Netanyahu said. "The new defensive and offensive arms will greatly aid us in achieving absolute victory. At the same time, we have approved enormous budgets for the domestic development of weapon systems – systems that will enhance our ability to stand up to our enemies on our own." 

ISRAEL DELAYS PALESTINIAN PRISONER RELEASE AFTER HAMAS' 'HUMILIATING' TREATMENT OF HOSTAGES, NETANYAHU SAYS 

The prime minister also laid out his government's objectives. Netanyahu said Israeli forces "have eliminated most of Hamas’s organized strength" in Gaza. 

"But let there be no doubt: we will complete the war objectives, including this one, to the very end," he said. "It can be achieved through negotiation, and it can also be achieved by other means. From the start of the war, the conditions we set for its conclusion were clear – and they remain clear. All of our abductees, without exception, will return home. Hamas will not govern Gaza. Gaza will be purged, and its combat capability will be dismantled." 
 

Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said he plans to return to the region on Wednesday to negotiate an "extension" of Phase One of the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. 

Phase Two, Witkoff noted, includes ensuring Hamas will never return to government leadership in Gaza, which he predicts will not be a safe living environment for another 15 to 20 years and will require a lengthy reconstruction plan. 

Fox News' Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.

Israel sent tanks into the West Bank on Sunday for the first time since 2002, telling its military to prepare for "an extended stay" as the Jewish state remains determined to stamp out terrorism in the territory’s refugee camps.

Several tanks were seen moving into Jenin as a fragile ceasefire between the terrorist organization Hamas and Israel remains in place.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to "increase the intensity of the activity to thwart terrorism" across the West Bank.

Katz said troops will remain "for the coming year" in parts of the territory and indicated that Palestinians who have fled cannot return.

HAMAS RELEASES MORE HOSTAGES IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE THAN 600 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL

"We will not allow the return of residents, and we will not allow terrorism to return and grow," he said.

Earlier, Katz said he instructed the military to prepare for "an extended stay" in some of the West Bank's urban areas, from which he said about 40,000 Palestinians have fled, leaving the areas "emptied of residents." That figure was confirmed by the United Nations.

Netanyahu said Israeli forces will remain "as long as needed."

The Palestinian foreign ministry called the Israeli moves "a dangerous escalation of the situation in the West Bank."

MEET EDAN ALEXANDER, THE LAST LIVING AMERICAN HOSTAGE IN HAMAS CAPTIVITY

Tanks were last deployed in the territory in 2002, when Israel fought against deadly Palestinian violence.

The move on Sunday comes as the delicate ceasefire deal that was reached a month ago between Hamas and Israel remains in place.

Hamas freed six hostages on Saturday in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement. Netanyahu has said 63 hostages remain, including the remains of a soldier captured in 2014.

The conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip led an assault in southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people and abducting about 250 more.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

German voters cast their ballots in Sunday’s election, with opposition leader Friedrich Merz claiming victory. Exit polls also indicate that Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is heading for the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.

The election came as Germany and the rest of Europe grapple with the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent.

Here’s the latest:

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has conceded defeat in his country’s national election after exit polls showed painful losses for his party.

Scholz told supporters that "this is a bitter election result" for his center-left Social Democrats and "this is an election defeat."

Center-right opposition leader Friedrich Merz claimed victory in Germany’s national election after exit polls showed his bloc in the lead.

Merz said that he was aware of the dimension of the task he faces and said that "it will not be easy."

Merz said he aims to put together a governing coalition as quickly as possible.

German exit polls show opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservatives leading in the election, while Alternative for Germany is heading for the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.

The exit polls for ARD and ZDF public television show Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats on track for their worst postwar result in a national parliamentary election, and expected to be in third place.

The election was dominated by worries about the years-long stagnation of Europe’s biggest economy, pressure to curb migration and growing uncertainty over the future of Ukraine and Europe’s alliance with the United States.

Polls across Germany will close at 6 p.m. local time (1700 GMT).

Exit polls are expected to be released immediately afterward.

The candidates for chancellor will also likely address their members at parties across the country.

Citizens in the German capital are casting their votes in traditional polling stations like schools, kindergartens, gyms or retirement homes.

But there are also some unusual voting locations in Berlin, local broadcaster RBB reports, including car dealerships, restaurants and pubs.

About 2.43 million people are eligible to vote in the city.

Election workers in Munich are preparing to count postal votes by spreading pink envelopes on a big table.

Letters can be opened starting at 3 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) and the actual count begins at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) when polling stations have closed.

Germany’s election authority says 52% of eligible voters had cast their ballots four hours before polling stations close.

The authority said the figure for turnout by 2 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) didn’t include people who voted by postal ballot. It compares with 36.5% at the same time in the 2021 election, but many people cast absentee ballots in that vote, which took place during COVID-19 restrictions.

Turnout is typically high in German elections. The final turnout figure in the 2021 election was 76.4%.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition was an alliance of the Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats.

The grouping is known as the "traffic light" coalition because of the combination of red, green and yellow party colors.

The colors of the parties running in Sunday’s election are black (Union bloc), red (Social Democrats), green (the Greens), yellow (Free Democrats) and blue (AfD).

The new government could be a "Kenya" coalition (Union bloc, Social Democrats, the Greens) or a "Germany" coalition (Union bloc, Social Democrats, Free Democrats).

Almost a third of the new Germans are originally from Syria. Most of them left their home countries in the last decade, fleeing war, political instability and economic hardship. In 2015-2016 alone, more than 1 million migrants came to Germany, most from Syria, but also from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Since the last national election in 2021, the number of naturalizations in Germany has risen sharply.

For the new Germans originally from Syria, the election is weighted with extra significance. Many of them fled their country because of the civil war that followed former President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on protests calling for greater democratic freedom. He was toppled in November, but whether Syria will now become a democracy remains unclear. In the meantime, they are able to vote in multi-party elections in their new home.

There is no formal referee for the process of forming a new government, and no set time limit.

Conservative leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz has said he hopes to form a new government by mid-April if he wins.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s outgoing government will remain in office on a caretaker basis until the Bundestag elects the new chancellor.

Mainstream German parties say they won’t work with any far-right parties threatening democracy, a postwar stance often referred to as a "firewall."

That includes the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Sunday’s election.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Munich earlier this month said there is no place for "firewalls," drawing strong criticism from German leaders.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party first entered parliament eight years ago on the back of discontent with the arrival of large numbers of migrants in the mid-2010s, and curbing migration remains its signature theme.

But the party has proven adept at harnessing discontent with other issues, too: Germany’s move away from fossil fuels, restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and support for Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly three years ago.

Bayern Munich powerbroker Uli Hoeness says he would speak with any of the club’s players who support the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Hoeness, Bayern’s honorary president after more than 40 years at the forefront of the club, told Kicker magazine in an interview published Sunday that he would question any AfD-supporting player "and ask him if he still has all his tools in his toolbox."

Hoeness previously spoke against AfD at a memorial service for Bayern great Franz Beckenbauer, arguing for the continuation of club projects that fight racism and discrimination.

"Bayern is a wonderful role model for migration and integration. More than half of our youth players have a migration background," Hoeness told Kicker.

Germany’s next government will be central to Europe’s response to U.S. President Donald Trump and his assertive new administration.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last month that a second Trump presidency will be "a challenge."

Far-right leader Alice Weidel has vowed to "make Germany great again" in an echo of Trump’s campaign slogan.

Tens of thousands of people across Germany in recent weeks have protested against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and conservative front-runner Friedrich Merz for sending to parliament proposals for tough new migration rules that received AfD’s backing.

The demonstrators — and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel — say Merz broke "the firewall" against cooperation with anti-immigrant, far-right parties.

Merz insists his position is unchanged and that he didn’t and won’t work with the party.

Conservative leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz has cast his vote in the German election.

Merz is the leader of the center-right Union bloc, which has by far the best chance of forming a new government.

Merz voted Sunday in Arnsberg in western Germany, just minutes after his main rival, Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He is also facing environmentalist Greens candidate Robert Habeck and far-right leader Alice Weidel in the race for chancellor.

Habeck and Weidel voted early.

Sunday’s election comes as Germany and the rest of Europe grapples with the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has voted in a German election that comes after his governing coalition collapsed last year.

Scholz then lost a confidence vote, forcing President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve the parliament and schedule a new election.

Scholz voted Sunday in Potsdam, a city outside Berlin, and is facing opposition leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz, Vice Chancellor and environmentalist Greens candidate Robert Habeck and far-right leader Alice Weidel in the race for chancellor.

Friedrich Merz, the current opposition leader, is the front-runner in the country’s election campaign.

His center-right Union bloc is leading polls.

The 69-year-old became leader of the Christian Democratic Union after Chancellor Angela Merkel stepped down in 2021, though he joined the party decades before.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has cast his vote at a polling station in Berlin, according to the German news agency dpa. He is in his second term as president and hails from the center-left Social Democratic Party.

Germany is the most populous country in the 27-nation European Union and a leading member of NATO. It will be central to shaping the continent’s response to the challenges of the coming years, including the Trump administration’s confrontational foreign and trade policies.

Merz vowed to revive the stagnant economy and defend Europe’s interests in the face of a confrontational U.S. administration. Scholz, meanwhile, insisted that he still hopes for an improbable last-minute comeback.

German citizens aged 18 and up can vote. At least 59.2 million people in the nation of 84 million are eligible, about 2.3 million of them for the first time.

Polling stations are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.

Exit polls will be announced and vote-counting will begin immediately after voting ends. A final official result is expected early Monday.

Four candidates are bidding to be Germany’s next leader in Sunday’s election.

The candidates are incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz, opposition leader Friedrich Merz, Vice Chancellor and environmentalist Greens candidate Robert Habeck and co-leader of the AfD Alice Weidel.

Polls are now open across Germany in an election that could shape Europe’s response to the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent.

The election comes seven months ahead of schedule following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition in early November.

It’s only the fourth time the Bundestag has been dissolved ahead of schedule following a confidence vote under Germany’s post-World War II constitution.

A first-person written message from Pope Francis was shared Sunday as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church continues his hospitalization in Rome.  

"I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," Pope Francis posted on X Sunday. "Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!" 

"I urge you to continue your apostolate with joy and to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, as the #GospelOfTheDay suggests," another post said. "May we transform evil into goodness and build a fraternal world. Do not be afraid to take risks for love!" 

The language was similar to part of Pope Francis' longer homily, which Archbishop Rino Fisichella read on his behalf while celebrating the Holy Mass for the Jubilee of Deacons on Sunday. 

POPE FRANCIS HAD PEACEFUL NIGHT'S REST AT HOSPITAL FOLLOWING RESPIRATORY CRISIS, VATICAN SAYS

The Vatican released a copy of the text "prepared by the Holy Father." 

"Brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!" the pope's homily began. "This morning, in Saint Peter’s Basilica, the celebration of the Eucharist with the Ordination of some candidates to the diaconate was celebrated. I greet them and the participants in the Jubilee of Deacons, which has taken place in the Vatican in these days; and I thank the Dicasteries for the Clergy and for Evangelization for the preparation of this event." 

Pope Francis urged the deacons "to continue your apostolate with joy and – as today’s Gospel suggests – to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, that transforms evil into goodness and engenders a fraternal world." 

"Do not be afraid to risk love!" the homily continued. "On my part, I am confidently continuing my hospitalization at the Gemelli Hospital, carrying on with the necessary treatment; and rest is also part of the therapy! I sincerely thank the doctors and health workers of this hospital for the attention they are showing me and the dedication with which they carry out their service among the sick." 

In the pre-prepared statement, Pope Francis added that Monday "will be the third anniversary of the large-scale war against Ukraine: a painful and shameful occasion for the whole of humanity!" 

"As I reiterate my closeness to the suffering Ukrainian people, I invite you to remember the victims of all armed conflicts, and to pray for the gift of peace in Palestine, Israel and throughout the Middle East, Myanmar, Kivu and Sudan," the message said. 

POPE FRANCIS' MEDICAL CONDITION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BILATERAL PNEUMONIA

"In recent days, I have received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," the pope added. "Thank you for this closeness, and for the prayers of comfort I have received from all over the world! I entrust you all to the intercession of Mary, and I ask you to pray for me." 

The Vatican said Pope Francis was conscious but still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen on Sunday, following a respiratory crisis and blood transfusions. He remains in critical condition with a complex lung infection. 

The Holy See Press Office's brief statement early Sunday did not mention if Pope Francis was out of bed or eating breakfast, which it had on previous days. 

"The night passed quietly, the pope rested," it said.

The Vatican later said Francis was conscious, continuing to receive supplemental oxygen and that further clinical tests were being conducted. A more detailed medical update was said to be later Sunday.

The 88-year-old pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 due to a worsening case of bronchitis.

On Saturday, doctors said Pope Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, was in critical condition after suffering a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection.

The Saturday statement also said that the pontiff "continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more discomfort than yesterday." Doctors said the prognosis was "reserved," and that the pope's condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease. His condition has revived speculation about what might happen if he becomes unconscious or otherwise incapacitated, and whether he might resign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pope Francis, 88, rested during a peaceful ninth night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after a respiratory crisis and blood transfusions, the Vatican said Sunday.

The update came after doctors said Francis, who had part of one lung removed when he was younger, was in critical condition.

It is unclear if he was awake and eating breakfast.

The pope suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday while being treated for double pneumonia and a complex lung infection.

He received "high flows" of oxygen to help him breathe, and he received blood transfusions after tests revealed low counts of platelets, which are needed for clotting, according to the Vatican.

Francis "continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more pain than yesterday," the Vatican said.

Doctors said Francis' prognosis was "reserved." Doctors have said his condition is touch-and-go, given his older age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease.

The main threat is if the infection enters the bloodstream, a serious condition known as sepsis, the doctors said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Israel will delay the seventh hostage-prisoner exchange in protest of Hamas' "humiliating" treatment of hostages, according to Israeli officials.

The release of 620 Palestinian prisoners, which was scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Sunday morning, Netanyahu's office issued a statement condemning Hamas propaganda generated during the exchange.

"In light of Hamas’s repeated violations, including the ceremonies that humiliate our hostages and the cynical exploitation of our hostages for propaganda purposes, it has been decided to delay the release of terrorists that was planned for yesterday until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies," the office's statement said.

The statement came after reports of Hamas fighters exploiting Israeli prisoners while they were being released. On Saturday, five of the six freed hostages were accompanied by armed militants in front of a crowd, including three Israeli hostages who posed alongside terrorists.

HAMAS FREES THREE MORE HOSTAGES IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE THAN 300 PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL WITH ISRAEL

Omer Wenkert, Omer Shem Tov and Eliya Cohen were among the hostages forced to pose with the terrorists. Shem Tov was also forced to appear cheerful, kiss two militants on the head and blew kisses to the crowd. 

The three also wore fake army uniforms, though they were not enlisted when they were captured by Hamas.

In another recent ceremony orchestrated by Hamas, four coffins were placed in front of a caricature of Netanyahu with a banner that said, "The war criminal Netanyahu & his Nazi army killed them with missiles from Zionist warplanes."

REMAINS OF SHIRI BIBAS, MOM OF TWO KILLED, ALLEGEDLY RETURNED TO ISRAEL FOLLOWING HAMAS' BROKEN PROMISE

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Israeli United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon called the gesture "evil and depraved."

"For 16 months, Israel has been fighting a deranged terrorist organization that places no value on human life, especially if it is Israeli or Jewish — all while international institutions like the U.N. refrained from condemning Hamas and formally demanding the immediate return of our hostages," Danon said.

The United Nations also condemned the coffin incident.

"Under international law, any handover of the remains of [the] deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families," the United Nations Geneva said on X, attributing the quote to High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital's Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.

After 16 months of war between Israel and Hamas, five Americans are still being held hostage in Gaza, but only one of them is alive. Israeli American Edan Alexander, who hails from Tenafly, New Jersey, is the last living American hostage in Gaza.

Though he spent most of his life in New Jersey, Alexander was born in Israel a few months before his parents moved to the U.S., according to the American Jewish Committee (AJC). 

In many ways, Alexander grew up like many American kids. He went to Tenafly High School, was a swimmer and loved the New York Knicks. All that separated him from most American teenagers was his frequent trips to Israel to visit family and the fact that he spoke Hebrew at home.

After graduating from high school, Alexander decided he would enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rather than enroll in college.

IRAN TESTS TRUMP AS REGIME GENERAL SAYS IT WILL WIPE ISRAEL OFF THE MAP

On Oct. 7, Alexander, who was serving in the IDF’s Golani Brigade, an infantry unit, was patrolling near Gaza when Hamas’ attacks on Israel began. The attacks ended with 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 hostages taken, including Alexander.

Yael Alexander, Edan’s mother, recounted the day he was taken hostage in a recent interview with AJC’s "People of the Pod." Yael was in Israel in early October 2023, visiting her family and hoping to see Edan. On the morning of Oct. 7, she spoke with Edan, who said that he was seeing "terrible stuff," but he assured her that he was safe. Then he was taken hostage.

Yael says she spent days on the phone and visiting hospitals, trying to figure out what happened to her son after their brief Oct. 7 phone call. Then the IDF informed her her son had been taken hostage.

On Nov. 30, 2024, more than a year after Alexander was captured, Hamas released a video of him speaking in Hebrew and Arabic. Alexander, like other hostages forced to make propaganda videos, delivered messages about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President-elect Donald Trump.

A few days after the video’s release, Adi Alexander, Edan’s father, spoke with "Fox & Friends First," calling the film "very emotional" and "disturbing." He said it was the first time they had seen a sign of life from their son since he was taken hostage.

WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO DISTURBING EDAN ALEXANDER HOSTAGE VIDEO, DENOUNCES HAMAS

Lawmakers in Israel and the United States have been fighting for his release over the last 16 months, but Alexander was not included in the list of people to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire deal.

U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., met with Alexander’s parents, who are his constituents, just a few weeks after the Tenafly High School graduate was taken hostage.

"No family should ever have to experience this unfathomable pain, and I will do everything I can to reunite Edan with his family safely," Gottheimer said in a statement about the meeting.

On Alexander’s 300th day in captivity, Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., said, "We must see Edan reunited with his family and community as soon as possible."

In addition to Alexander, Hamas is holding the bodies of four dead American hostages. Hamas released six more hostages Saturday in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners as part of its ongoing ceasefire deal with Israel. This is still the first phase of the ceasefire, and the second phase is expected to be negotiated soon.

After his whirlwind two-day visit to Ukraine, President Donald Trump's special envoy for Russia and Ukraine retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg is within striking distance of sealing a rare-minerals agreement with the country under attack by Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. 

"Minerals deal nearly done," a well-placed source told Fox News.  

The Ukrainian side made suggestions to the agreement text and sent it back to the American side, another source involved in the talks told Fox News.

Trump is seeking the rights to access Ukraine's natural resources in exchange for the United States having provided billions of dollars in support for the Eastern European country against Russia’s invasion. Trump said on Friday that the mineral deal is "pretty close."

SPECIAL ENVOY RALLIES BEHIND TRUMP AMID BACKLASH FOR ZELENSKYY ‘DICTATOR’ COMMENT

The White House stresses that the deal would not be a guarantee of future aid for the war with Russia.

Ukraine has been engulfed in an existential war. Ukraine’s efforts to counter Russia’s occupation are viewed as a test case for free democratic nations to preserve the rule-based global order.

Kellogg visited wounded Ukrainian troops and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he termed a "courageous leader." Trump, on the other hand, lashed out earlier this week at Zelenskyy, blasting him as "A Dictator without Elections."

Trump walked back his comment on Friday that Russia did not invade Ukraine. He told Fox News Radio that Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.

TRUMP AND ZELENSKYY WAR OF WORDS HEATS UP EVEN AS US LOOKS TO WIND DOWN WAR IN UKRAINE

Rebekah Koffler, a former Defence Intelligence Agency officer, told Fox News Digital "The outcome of Trump's play for the rare earth minerals is uncertain now, as the situation on the battlefield is by all means favouring Russia and on the diplomatic front, there are too many moving parts. It is the battle of the wills between the master of manipulation Putin and the master of the Art of the Deal, President Trump. And Zelenskyy is caught in the middle, just trying to survive, figuratively and literally."

Koffler, who is the author of Putin’s Playbook and the host of the Trump’s Playbook podcast, warned about flaws in the minerals deal. "The problem is that a large share of these deposits is in Donbas, Eastern Ukraine, controlled by Russia. And Putin is acutely aware of Trump’s unconventional approaches to business deals. So, the Russian armed forces are now rushing to take over the Shevchenko region, containing Europe’s largest lithium deposits."

Russia sent military forces into Ukraine nearly three years ago on February 24, 2022, to illegally absorb the independent nation into Russian territory. Russian forces have committed war crimes against Ukrainian citizens, according to UN experts.

Kellogg visited wounded Ukrainian troops at the Irpin Military Hospital. The New York Post’s Caitlin Doornbas accompanied Kellogg on his tour. She reported that Kellogg and Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink had visited the hospital on Friday "where Ukrainian troops with leg and arm amputations were receiving treatments and getting outfitted with prosthetics."

The New York Post reported that Kellogg said "The biggest reason I wanted to come here was President Trump has said he wants to stop the killing, and you’ve got to go to the place where you see what killing looks like — what death looks like — and see young men and women who have been wounded and combat. As a soldier, you owe them that respect. As a leader, you owe that respect. And that's one of the reasons I wanted to come here to do that, and this gives me an opportunity to see them."

According to the Post, "Kellogg visited roughly 20 troops, sitting with each one and having individual discussions. One, named Andrii, had lost both legs, an eye, his hearing and suffered a traumatic brain injury." 

A Ukrainian soldier named Denis, according to the Post, asked Kellogg, "In your opinion, can we trust Russia? That they will negotiate?" 

Kellogg responded "You almost have to look back in history, and you have to have an ability to negotiate. All wars end through negotiation, the ultimate victory on the battlefield ends with diplomacy, and today’s world is no different."

The retired General continued, "I think a better question would be: Can you trust the people that you are with to make sure that they're with you? It's sort of like you ask a deeper question: Are you with us? And the answer is, yes, we are."

REPUBLICAN SENATORS BACK TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR UKRAINE ELECTIONS, BUT WON’T CALL ZELENSKYY ‘DICTATOR’ 

Kellogg said, "I think the nations of the world recognize aggression. Sometimes diplomacy for a soldier is messy, but what the soldier does is he gives time for the politicians and the diplomats to come to a conclusion, and that's the reason why I make that comment that Ukraine owes you — the world owes you — because you basically sacrifice to allow diplomats to find . . . a good conclusion — a conclusion you fought for. We, in that position, we owe you that. We need to make sure that we end this right."

The death toll of the Ukraine-Russia war is stomach-turning. According to the Wall Street Journal, the number of dead and wounded—based on estimates in September — is nearly one million.

ZELENSKYY LAMBASTES PUTIN OVER CHRISTMAS STRIKES: 'WHAT COULD BE MORE INHUMANE?'

The wounded Ukrainian soldier, Denis, told Kellogg that Ukraine must have "a strong army," because he worried that after negotiations, it could be "five, maximum 10 years of peace, and then it could get back to the next phase of war," reported the Post.

Kellogg answered, "Well, I think the intent is there’ll be no next war."

Kellogg also the visited the Irpin Bridge on Friday, the scene of a powerful setback for Russian jingoism. "Ukrainian soldiers blew up the bridge during Russia’s initial 2022 invasion, playing a key role in stopping Moscow’s advance toward Kyiv," wrote the Post.

Kellogg told the Post at the bridge, "I know how soldiers fight for freedom and the people fight for people. I know what I mean. Anybody who fought for freedom understands what they did. [Coming here] was just a chance to see one of the places that they fought and give them the respect that they deserve — their soldiers — and that's why I wanted to come out to do it. That seems one of the things I can do, is just pass on my respects.

RUSSIAN PARAMILITARY SOLDIERS KILLED IN FRIENDLY FIRE ATTACK BY NORTH KOREANS AFTER ENLISTING DPRK HELP

Kellogg added, "I know how soldiers fight for freedom, I know what that means. Anybody who fought for freedom understands what they did. [Coming here] was just a chance to see one of the places that they fought and give them the respect that they deserve — their soldiers.

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The retired General paid tribute at the historic site to the soldiers who fought against Russian imperialism. 

He noted that "One thing that you can never really understand until you see it is the intangible heart [of soldiers] and what they showed here was heart. And that's something you can't measure. And that's what really saved Ukraine. It wasn't necessarily the weapons, it wasn't necessarily the fact that the world was against Russia’s invasion — it was the fact that soldiers decided to fight for their country."

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, NaNa Sajaia and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.

Pope Francis is in critical condition after suffering an asthmatic respiratory crisis that required doctors to administer oxygen, The Associated Press reported, citing the Vatican.

Additionally, the pope received blood transfusions after tests showed he had a low platelet count, according to Reuters.

POPE FRANCIS’ MEDICAL CONDITION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BILATERAL PNEUMONIA

"The Holy Father continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more pain than yesterday. At the moment the prognosis is reserved," the Vatican said in a statement quoted by The Associated Press.

Vatican News reported that medical professionals say the pope is not "in danger of death," but is not completely "out of danger" and will need to be hospitalized for "at least" all of next week. Physicians are worried about the threat of sepsis, a dangerous infection that can be fatal. 

POPE FRANCIS DIAGNOSED WITH BILATERAL PNEUMONIA, VATICAN SAYS

On Saturday, the Vatican held its Holy Year celebrations without Pope Francis. The Vatican also announced that he would not be making public appearances on Sunday, which he also did not make last week.

The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 after experiencing respiratory issues that were thought to be related to bronchitis at the time. Doctors later diagnosed him with double pneumonia.

Pope Francis has suffered from respiratory issues for many years. When he was 21, he had part of his lung removed after developing pleurisy, which is an inflammation of the membranes that cushion the lungs.
In his recently released autobiography, Pope Francis downplayed his health issues and chalked up his struggles to his age.

"The Church is governed using the head and the heart, not the legs," the pope wrote.

Houthi rebels for the first time fired surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) at a U.S. F-16 fighter jet on Feb. 19, three senior U.S. defense officials tell Fox News.

The jet was flying off the coast of Yemen over the Red Sea when the SAM was fired. The missile did not strike the jet.

Houthis fired another SAM at an American MQ-9 Reaper drone that the U.S. was flying over Yemen outside Houthi-controlled areas on Feb. 19.

This is the first time the Houthis have fired a SAM missile at an American F16 fighter jet, a significant escalation in the ongoing military interactions between the Iranian-backed group and the U.S. Navy and Air Force, according to senior U.S. defense officials. 

US NAVY SHIPS REPEL ATTACK FROM HOUTHIS IN GULF OF ADEN

Under the Biden administration the U.S. military defended its warships patrolling the Red Sea and Bab al Mandab Strait, escorting and preventing attacks on commercial ships by the Houthis following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel by Hamas.

The Houthi attacks began shortly after the Israeli military responded to Oct. 7 in Gaza. U.S. Central Command then escalated its attacks on the Houthis to degrade infrastructure and weapons-storage facilities. 

Now there is a policy debate at the highest levels of the U.S. military about what is the best way to counter the Houthis, which the Trump administration has put back on the State Department’s terror list.

The debate now is whether to carry out a more traditional counterterrorism approach to the Houthis, with persistent strikes targeting the individuals planning and carrying out the ongoing attacks, or whether to take a more defensive approach and keep going after Houthi infrastructure and weapons-storage facilities.

DISAPPROVAL MOUNTS BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD AS US AVOIDS DIRECT ACTION AGAINST HOUTHI REBELS

A counterterrorism approach would be a significant – and, some say, expensive – escalation at a time when military resources, including MQ-9 Reaper drones, are being diverted to the southern border.

The policy decision will eventually have to be decided by the White House. 

Senior military leaders believe that it could be only a matter of time before a Houthi missile hits a U.S. Navy vessel, which could cause devastating injuries and damage to the aircraft carriers and destroyers that have been patrolling the Red Sea since shortly after the Oct. 7 attacks.

So far, the Navy has shot down or intercepted all of the missiles and drones fired at their warships by the Houthis, but sometimes the interceptions have occurred seconds before impact.

There have been numerous close calls, and the U.S. Navy in essence has been at war in the Red Sea for the past two years, facing near-constant attacks by Houthi ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, and firing expensive SM-2 and SM-3 missiles to counter the Houthi harassment.

JOHANNESBURG – Seventy Christians have been beheaded with machetes or large knives, according to multiple groups that monitor terrorism and persecution, by Islamist militants in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – and yet the world remains mostly silent.

The 70 Christians were first rounded up by Islamist rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces, a group affiliated with the terror group Islamic State, or ISIS, according Open Doors U.S., which monitors Christian persecution around the world. The Christians, reportedly all from the Lubero district, were forced out of their homes allegedly early in the morning of Feb. 13, with the rebels shouting, "Get out, get out."

They were taken hostage, and moved to a small Christian church in the village of Kasanga. There, inside the building that had until then been considered a sanctuary, they were first tied up, and then all 70 were beheaded, the groups say.

Vianney Vitswamba, coordinator of a local community protection committee, is quoted by the Global Fight Against Terrorism Funding organization, (GFATF) as saying, "70 bodies were discovered in the church. They were (found) tied up."

THOUSANDS OF CHRISTIANS ‘DELIBERATELY TARGETED’ AND KILLED IN NIGERIA, NEW REPORT SAYS

Sources report that local Islamist militants wouldn’t let Christian leaders bury the dead for some five days.

Open Doors U.S. reports that 95% of people living in the DRC are Christian. Yet the Islamist ADF, analysts say, are bent on turning this community in the troubled North East of the country into an Islamic Caliphate, forcing this majority-Christian community to follow extreme Muslim practices.

"The violence takes place in a context of impunity, where almost no one is held accountable," John Samuel, Open Doors legal expert for sub-Saharan Africa, stated. "This massacre is a clear indicator of widespread human rights violations against civilians and vulnerable communities, often targeting Christians, perpetrated by ADF – a(n) Islamic State affiliate."

Tristan Azbej, Hungary's State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians posted on X, "Horrified to learn about the 70 Christian martyrs beheaded by terrorists in a church . . . . Hungary stands in solidarity with the persecuted Christians . . . the world needs to recognize and act against Christian persecution."

CHRISTIANS IN AFRICA FACE WORRYING RISE IN KILLINGS, PERSECUTION AND DISPLACEMENT

Open Doors UK declared in a recent statement that Christians in the DRC "face severe persecution and violence frequently from Islamist militants, the ADF, especially in the eastern region. Allied with the Islamic State group, the ADF abduct and kill Christians and attack churches, leading to widespread terror, insecurity and displacement."

Worldwide, and particularly in Africa, Christians face increasing persecution. In a January 2025 report, Open Doors US stated that "over 380 million Christians worldwide experienced at least a "high level" of persecution and discrimination because of their faith."

Local Christians are said to be in despair. "We don’t know what to do or how to pray; we’ve had enough of massacres," an elder of the local CECA20 church told reporters. "May God’s will alone be done."

But despite the shocking nature of the killings, and the large number of those murdered, there has been little reported in the media. Posting on X, American political commentator Liz Wheeler wrote, "70 Christian men, women & children were beheaded . . . because they’re Christian. Their decapitated bodies were left in a church . . . because they’re Christian. The terrorists who murdered them have ties to ISIS. MSM, where’s your outrage? Are you silent . . . because they’re Christian?"

Also in North-Eastern DRC, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are reported to have entered the region’s second-largest city of Bukavu on Friday, after taking over the major city of Goma on the Rwanda border.

Germans go to the polls Sunday as the conservative Christian Democrats, led by Friedrich Merz, are expected to oust current Chancellor Olaf Scholz. But the potential incoming chancellor has already signaled he will not rule with Germany’s right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Germany's election has also caught the attention of Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk. Musk has championed the AfD as the best political party to fix Germany's economic woes. Musk's comments drew the ire of German politicians, and Chancellor Scholz accused the billionaire of interfering in Germany's elections. 

Following a stabbing in Munich on Friday, Musk once again tweeted his support for AfD on X stating, "Only AfD can save Germany."

Vance met with the leader of the AfD, Alice Weidel, at the Munich Security Conference and criticized the German government's "firewall" policy of not cooperating with the AfD.

GERMANY ACCUSES ELON MUSK OF TRYING TO INTERFERE IN ITS NATIONAL ELECTIONS

"The main political parties governing Germany have established a ‘firewall’ between themselves and the AfD, which essentially means they refuse to endorse, collaborate with or support far-right parties like the AfD," Anna Hardage, fellow in European Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council, told Fox News Digital.

The AfD expects to have its best performance in an election, doubling its vote count from 2021, and could become Germany’s second-biggest political party.

GERMANY BRACES UNDER COLLAPSING GOVERNMENT AND LOOMING TRUMP TRADE WAR

If Merz and his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party refuse to work with the AfD, Germany may end up with a coalition of parties that have fewer shared priorities, except a shared desire to avoid partnering with the AfD.

Hardage noted that while the AfD will most likely be shut out of any governing coalition, the party’s success in mobilizing public opinion means its positions will shape public debates around the biggest issues facing Germany. 

AfD has been able to capitalize on the German public's fears over migration after a spate of violent incidents involving migrants. The party champions stricter immigration laws as the number of migrants across Germany and the EU has soared in recent years from various global conflicts.

The economy, security and immigration are the biggest issues, and they are successful because many voters attribute these big issues to the missteps of past leaders. Rafael Loss, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told Fox News Digital Merz has moved the CDU to the right on these issues to win back AfD-curious voters.

AfD might find common ground with President Donald Trump’s desire to end the war in Ukraine. The party has called for an end to security assistance to Ukraine and the lifting of sanctions on Russia. Loss said, however, that transatlanticism is at the core of the CDU’s identity, and Merz is convinced that Russia is an existential threat to German and European security, and it remains a priority for Ukraine to emerge victorious.

The sentiment is shared by Merz’s European counterparts.

"Conversations between European leaders of the past weeks, many of whom have also been consulting with Merz, suggest that German and European support for Ukraine will further increase rather than decrease," Loss said.

Merz’s party has led in the polls for at least three years, with most polls showing a consistent lead for the CDU of around 30%. The election comes after Chancellor Scholz’s "traffic light" coalition fell apart in November over disagreements on fiscal issues. 

Economic issues have also led to a deterioration of Scholz’s popularity, and his government struggled to combat the post-pandemic rise in inflation and stagnating growth.

The AfD has faced a barrage of criticism and controversy and was placed under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency in 2021 and labeled a suspected right-wing extremist group because some members have reported ties to neo-Nazi groups. The party appealed the designation but was unsuccessful. Björn Höcke, the co-leader of the AfD in the state of Thuringia, and the party's most prominent member of its extreme right wing, has been convicted several times for using Nazi rhetoric and symbols.

Loss noted that, at the state level, of the 16 AfD state-level organizations, three are being considered as confirmed extremist groups, six are under surveillance as suspected extremist groups and another one is under investigation.

Germany’s Constitutional Court has only banned two political parties since 1949 — the Socialist Reich Party in 1952 and the Communist Party of Germany in 1956.

JERUSALEM — After President Donald Trump announced he was reimposing his maximum economic sanctions pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic of Iran, a high-level Iranian general declared Thursday his nation will wage an attack designed to obliterate Israel.

Tehran’s rogue regime launched two massive aerial attacks against the Jewish state, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, in 2024.

According to Iranian regime media outlets, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) General Ebrahim Jabbari said, "Operation True Promise 3 will be carried out at the right time, with precision, and on a scale sufficient to destroy Israel and raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground."

IRAN ‘TERRIFIED’ OF TRUMP PRESIDENCY AS IRANIAN CURRENCY FALLS TO AN ALL-TIME LOW

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar fired back at Jabbari’s threat on X, saying, "If the Jewish people have learned anything from history, it is this: if your enemy says his goal is to annihilate you - believe him. We are ready."

Tom Gross, a Middle East expert, told Fox News Digital, "The Israeli foreign minister is right, of course. Genocidal threats from Iran need to be taken seriously. If previous threats by Iran and its Hamas terror allies had been taken more seriously, the Oct. 7 onslaught might have been prevented."

Jabbari’s remarks seem to also be aimed at setting up a showdown between Trump and Iran’s regime. Jabbari made his declaration to destroy Israel when he spoke to paramilitary forces during military drills called "The Great Exercise of Prophet Mohammad's Power."

"The United States can do nothing against Yemen," Jabbari said in an apparent reference to the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.

INTELLIGENCE REPORT SAYS IRAN WILL KEEP TRYING TO KILL TRUMP REGARDLESS OF ELECTION OUTCOME

The Islamic Republic has Trump in its crosshairs with assassination plans since the president ordered a military strike that eliminated IRGC General Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

"If they are trying to send a message to Trump, they should be careful," Gross said. "The U.S. president had no problem dispatching the previous head of the revolutionary guards in his first term, and, since then, the regime has tried to assassinate Trump, who now has unfinished business with the regime in Tehran."

Fox News Digital reported that the U.S. State Department said Soleimani was responsible for 17% of U.S. troops killed during the Iraq war — over 600 military personnel.

Trump responded to Iran’s plan to murder him by declaring if Tehran assassinated him, "That would be a terrible thing for them to do.

"If they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. … There won't be anything left."

Gross said "Iran’s Islamic regime may be nervous, having lost its allies Hezbollah and Assad, and perhaps Russia too. The regime may be threatening Israel to try and scare off Washington and Jerusalem from moving against the regime’s nuclear weapons program." 

Banafsheh Zand, an Iranian-American expert on the Islamic Republic, told Fox News Digital, "The Khomeinist regime has never hidden its intentions, yet the West has continually chosen to ignore these threats. Even as the Shia regime destroyed Iran and its people and launched terrorist attacks around the world, Western leaders ignored it. They could have stood with the people of Iran, the region, and the Islamic world but willfully chose not to."

Ali Khamenei is the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic Iran, a regime the U.S. State Department classified as the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism.

Zand complained that "Western leaders have proven to be short-sighted, entirely out of touch, greedy and penny-wise and pound-foolish. And here we are, 46 years later, and the cycle of slipshod choices goes on and on, putting Western citizenry in impending harm's way as well." 

Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, believes a "political revolution" will sweep through Europe as it did the U.S. with the re-election of President Donald Trump.

In answer to questions about controversial comments made by Vice President JD Vance during the Munich Security Conference last week, Farage told Fox News Digital in an interview he "loved every word of what he said" and argued Vance was "speaking ahead of his time."

"He was talking to an audience of a European political class who are on the way out," Farage said at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London this week. "It’s a political revolution, and it swept through America. And it's going to sweep through the rest of Europe too."

NIGEL FARAGE RESPONDS AFTER ELON MUSK DECLARES HE 'DOESN'T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES' TO LEAD REFORM UK PARTY

Vance, who argued the biggest threat facing Europe was not from Russia or China, but rather from alleged government efforts to silence freedom of speech, drew international rebuke from some who argued his comments were misleading or inaccurate. Others praised his comments, including those who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday, where he was reportedly given a standing ovation.

Farage said Vance reminds him of where he was a decade ago when he served in the European Parliament and remembered "getting up and giving speeches and being screamed at and shouted at and hated."

NIGEL FARAGE: 'OUR COUNTRY IS CHANGING FUNDAMENTALLY'

Farage left the European Parliament in 2020 after the UK’s decision to leave the European Union under the 2016 Brexit referendum, which he ardently supported as leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP).

He then launched the Brexit Party in 2019, before renaming it Reform UK, which he told Fox News Digital has leaped in popularity over the last seven months and is "leading consistently in the national opinion polls."

"It is quite remarkable. It's a reflection, I think, on what we call the Uni-Party," he added, arguing there are no differences between the UK’s Labor Party, which is currently in power under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and the Conservative Party. 

"We're upbeat, we're optimistic, we've got a good vibe, and we believe, with the right leadership, we can and will turn this country around," he said. 

According to a report by Reuters, Reform UK has just five members of parliament out of 650. But members of the party came in second place in roughly 100 races during the last election in July 2024.

The report noted the party was "benefiting from a growing anti-establishment" sentiment rising across Europe by which both far-right and far-left parties are seeing increasing support. 

"We're in societal decline," Farage said, pointing to statistics relating to knife crime, immigration and the economy. "Now, can it be fixed? Not under this government."

"They're talking us into a recession. We're in for a couple of very, very tough years, but the turnaround will come at the next election," he added.

The U.K. has been dipping in and out of technical recessions since 2023 and has struggled to economically recover from the coronavirus pandemic, a fact that likely cost the Conservative Party its 14-year reign to the Labor Party in July. 

Hamas freed two hostages on Saturday in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners as part of the fragile ceasefire agreement with Israel.

The men were identified as Tal Shoham, 40, and Avera Mengistu, 39. Video footage showed the two men looking frail and scared as they were taken to a stage in front of a crowd while flanked by masked gunmen. They were handed over to the Red Cross and were on their way to IDF forces. 

An additional four hostages – Omer Wenkert, 23; Omer Shem Tov, 22; Hisham Al-Sayed, 36; and Eliya Cohen, 27 – were expected to also be released later Saturday. 

Two of the hostages — Mengistu and Al-Sayed — are civilians who have been held since entering Gaza on their own more than a decade ago, long before the war sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel, which prompted military retaliation from Israeli forces.

This comes as the delicate ceasefire deal reached a month ago remains in place despite recent revelations that hostage Shiri Bibas' body was not initially returned to Israel as promised by Hamas.

REMAINS OF SHIRI BIBAS, MOM OF TWO KILLED, ALLEGEDLY RETURNED TO ISRAEL FOLLOWING HAMAS' BROKEN PROMISE

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would "pay the full price" for allegedly handing over the body of a Palestinian woman from Gaza instead of the body of the Israeli hostage. The hostage's sons — Ariel and Kfir Bibas — along with Oded Lifshitz were returned by Hamas on Thursday as expected.

Late Friday, Hamas said it handed over Shiri Bibas’ body to the Red Cross, which confirmed it had received human remains inside Gaza and transferred them to Israeli authorities. Bibas' family confirmed her identity early Saturday. 

TERROR GROUP RESPONDS AFTER FAILING TO RETURN THE BODY OF MURDERED HOSTAGE SHIRI BIBAS

Hamas said it "has no interest in withholding any bodies in its possession." The terror group said the dead hostages handed over on Thursday had been killed by an Israeli airstrike in November 2023 and that the bodies could have been misidentified due to bombardments in the area.

The terror group also killed Ariel and Kfir Bibas "with their bare hands," according to the Israeli military, which did not offer evidence to support the claim.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari alleged that forensic analysis of the Bibas boys’ bodies showed that Hamas "did not shoot the boys," but "killed them with their bare hands" and then "committed horrific acts to cover up these atrocities." Hagari said Lifshitz was killed by captors inside Gaza.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The body of a woman who was presumed to have been one of four dead hostages killed by Hamas and handed over to Israel this week was positively identified Saturday morning.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters confirmed the identification of Shiri Bibas, who was returned to Israel on Friday after Hamas initially instead handed over a Palestinian woman from Gaza on Thursday.

Hamas on Friday handed over a coffin carrying Bibas' remains to the Red Cross, which turned the coffin over to Israeli authorities. The coffin was then taken to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification.

"Last night, our Shiri was returned home," the family said in a statement. "Following the identification process at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, we received this morning the news we had dreaded – our Shiri was murdered in captivity and has now returned home to her sons, husband, sister, and all her family for rest."

REMAINS OF SHIRI BIBAS, MOM OF TWO KILLED, ALLEGEDLY RETURNED TO ISRAEL FOLLOWING HAMAS' BROKEN PROMISE

"Despite our fears about their fate, we continued to hope that we would get to embrace them, and now we are in pain and heartbroken," it continued. "For 16 months we sought certainty, and now that it's here, it brings no comfort, though we hope it marks the beginning of closure."

The family said "Shiri was a wonderful mother to Ariel and Kfir, a loving partner to Yarden, a devoted sister and aunt, and an amazing friend."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Hamas would "pay the full price" for allegedly handing over the body of a Palestinian woman from Gaza instead of Bibas' remains.

TERROR GROUP RESPONDS AFTER FAILING TO RETURN THE BODY OF MURDERED HOSTAGE SHIRI BIBAS

The Israeli military earlier said it had positively identified the remains of Bibas' two sons — Ariel and Kfir Bibas — along with Oded Lifshitz. Four bodies were returned on Thursday, but the one expected to be holding Shiri Bibas was not holding any hostage.

Hamas said it "has no interest in withholding any bodies in its possession." The terror group said the dead hostages it handed over on Thursday had been killed by an Israeli airstrike in November 2023 and that the bodies could have been misidentified due to bombardments in the area.

After the return of Shiri Bibas, the family is calling for the return of the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Six are being released on Saturday.

"In this difficult hour, we continue to demand and call for the immediate return of the remaining hostages still in captivity. There is no more important goal. There can be no rehabilitation without them," the Bibas family said.

Fox News' Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.