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Marc Fogel, an American who had been detained in Russia since 2021, landed back in the U.S. on Tuesday.

Fogel, a history teacher who was working at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, returned to the U.S. after his release from Russia following talks with the Trump administration.

He was serving a 14-year sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possession of drugs, which his family said was medically prescribed marijuana.

Fogel was seen in a picture posted by the White House on social media smiling and raising his fist while wrapped in an American flag as he walked off the plane on U.S. soil.

MOTHER OF FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL THANKS PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: 'HE KEPT HIS PROMISE'

"MARC FOGEL IS BACK!!! PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT!!!" the White House wrote on X.

After his arrival in the U.S., Fogel, from Pennsylvania, met with President Donald Trump at the White House and called him a hero for securing his release.

"I want you to know that I am not a hero in this at all. And President Trump is a hero," Fogel said after meeting Trump.

"These men that came from the diplomatic service are heroes," Fogel continued. "The senators and representatives that passed legislation in my honor – they got me home – they are heroes."

AMERICAN MARC FOGEL RELEASED FROM RUSSIAN CUSTODY

Fogel added: "I am in awe of what they all did."

He said he feels "like the luckiest man on Earth right now."

Trump's national security advisor, Michael Waltz, had said the U.S. and Russia "negotiated an exchange" to ensure Fogel's release, although he did not disclose what the U.S. was giving up. Some previous negotiations have involved releases of Russians by the U.S. or its allies in exchange for a detained American.

When asked by reporters on Tuesday whether the U.S. had given up anything in return for Fogel, Trump replied "not much" without offering additional details.

Fogel's family thanked Trump and others who worked to secure his release.

"We are beyond grateful, relieved, and overwhelmed that after more than three years of detention, our father, husband, and son, Marc Fogel, is finally coming home," the family said in a statement.

"Thanks to the unwavering leadership of President Trump, Marc will soon be back on American soil, free where he belongs. This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal," the statement added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Marc Fogel, an American who had been detained in Russia since 2021, landed back in the U.S. on Tuesday.

Fogel, a history teacher who was working at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, returned to the U.S. after his release from Russia following talks with the Trump administration.

He was serving a 14-year sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possession of drugs, which his family said was medically prescribed marijuana.

Fogel was seen in a picture posted by the White House on social media smiling and raising his fist while wrapped in an American flag as he walked off the plane on U.S. soil.

"MARC FOGEL IS BACK!!! PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT!!!" the White House wrote on X.

An American teacher who was detained by Russia is heading back to American soil, the Trump administration announced Tuesday. 

"Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia," National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement. 

"President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the President’s advisors negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine," Waltz added. 

Marc Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was serving a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in possession of drugs, which his family and supporters said were medically prescribed marijuana.

RUSSIA SAYS US RELATIONS ‘ON THE BRINK OF A BREAKUP,’ WON'T CONFIRM TRUMP-PUTIN TALK

Fogel, 63, was designated as wrongfully detained by the U.S. government. In the nine years leading up to his arrest, he was teaching at the Anglo-American School in Moscow.

Fogel's mother, Malphine, told Fox News' "America Reports" that "it is absolutely a good day."

"He called me earlier today saying that he was in a Moscow airport and waiting to fly to Washington, D.C.," she added. "It was a total surprise when he called."

Fogel's relatives also told the Associated Press they were "beyond grateful, relieved and overwhelmed" that he was coming home.

"This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal," they said. "For the first time in years, our family can look forward to the future with hope."

TRUMP AND ‘NO ONE ELSE’ CAN END THE UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR, US ALLY SAYS

Waltz said in his statement that "Since President Trump’s swearing-in, he has successfully secured the release of Americans detained around the world, and President Trump will continue until all Americans being held are returned to the United States.

"By tonight, Marc Fogel will be on American soil and reunited with his family and loved ones thanks to President Trump’s leadership," Waltz added.

Former CIA station chief and Fox News contributor Dan Hoffman called the release Tuesday a "major foreign policy success.

"Any time we are able to extract one of our citizens from behind enemy lines in Russia, good on the administration for doing this. Steven Witkoff has got a lot on his plate right now dealing with the Middle East and it's incredibly impressive to me that on top of that, he was able to secure the release of Marc Fogel," Hoffman told Fox News' "America Reports."

Fogel had been left out of a massive prisoner swap in August 2024 that freed multiple Americans, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and corporate security executive Paul Whelan.

Fogel was a 1984 graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. 

"After graduating from IUP, Marc devoted his life – 36 years – to education," the school's president, Michael Driscoll, wrote last year. "He taught history courses at schools attended by children of U.S. diplomats in Colombia, Venezuela, Oman, and Malaysia."

Last summer, Malphine Fogel met with Trump before he took the stage at the rally in Butler, Pa., that ended early because of the assassination attempt, according to WTAE.

"I said, don't forget his name," Malphine Fogel told the station. "I probably had five minutes, and I have trouble walking, so I had a cane with me or walking stick with me, and he said hang onto my arm, and so I did, and I stood beside him, and then I told him what my mission was."

"He said, ‘We'll get him out.,'" she added.

Fox News' Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Israel’s security cabinet fully supports President Donald Trump’s demand that the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas release all of its hostages by noon on Saturday or that "all hell is going to break out," an Israeli official told Fox News. 

The declaration comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet Tuesday after Hamas announced it is delaying the next release of Israeli hostages. 

"The decision I passed in the Cabinet unanimously is this: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon – the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will resume intense combat until Hamas is decisively defeated," Netanyahu said in a statement following the meeting.

"In light of Hamas' announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, I instructed the IDF last night to amass forces inside and around the Gaza Strip. This operation is currently underway and will be completed as soon as possible," Netanyahu added.

TRUMP SAYS CEASEFIRE SHOULD BE CANCELED IF HOSTAGES AREN’T RELEASED BY SATURDAY 

"We also welcomed the President’s revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza," Netanyahu said.

Trump said Monday if Hamas does not return all hostages by noon on Saturday, he will call for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be canceled and "let all hell break out."  

"If all the Gaza hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire," Trump said in the Oval Office. "Let all hell break out; Israel can override it." 

Trump stressed that Hamas needs to release "all of them -- not in drips and drabs."  

"Saturday at 12pm and after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out," Trump said.   

Trump reiterated his demand on Tuesday and told reporters that he believes Hamas will listen to him.

ISRAEL SLAMS PALESTINIAN ‘DECEPTION SCHEME’ OVER CLAIM IT HALTED TERROR REWARDS PROGRAM 

A Hamas spokesperson said Monday that the terrorist group will delay the next planned release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement. 

"Over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy's violations and failure to fulfill its obligations under the agreement; including the delay in allowing the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with direct shelling and gunfire in various areas across Gaza, and denying relief supplies of all kinds to enter as agreed, while the resistance has implemented all its obligations," Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, said.  

Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. 

The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. The next exchange, scheduled for next Saturday, calls for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. 

Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel, Brooke Singman, Danielle Wallace, Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

JERUSALEM—The president of the Palestinian Authority (PA) apparently capitulated to the Trump administration by claiming to scrap its long-standing program known as "pay for slay," which provides payments to Palestinian terrorists and their families.

There are, however, conflicting reports about whether the PA ended the program or is trying to hoodwink the Trump administration. 

Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein released a statement on X saying, "This is a new deception scheme by the Palestinian Authority, which intends to continue paying terrorists and their families through alternative payment channels."

JUDGE LETS LAWSUIT CLAIMING BIDEN ADMIN KNEW US FUNDS WERE AIDING PALESTINIAN TERRORISTS MOVE FORWARD

On Monday, the Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) reported that Mahmoud Abbas "issued a decree law revoking the articles contained in the laws and regulations related to the system of paying financial allowances to the families of prisoners, martyrs, and the wounded, in the Prisoners' Law and the regulations issued by the Council of Ministers and the Palestine Liberation Organizations."

WAFA noted that, regarding Abbas’ decree, "powers of all protection and social welfare programs in Palestine have been transferred to the Palestinian Economic Empowerment Foundation." The Times of Israel reported that it had independently confirmed through sources that the revocation happened. 

The pay for slay policy gained public attention when Taylor Force, a West Point graduate who served in Afghanistan and Iraq was savagely knifed to death by a Palestinian terrorist on March 8, 2016, while on a tour of Israel. President Donald Trump signed the Taylor Force Act into law in October 2018, after a vigorous campaign by Force's parents, Robbi and Stuart Force.

"Abbas’ announcement seems to be a ruse aimed at pulling the wool over President Trump’s eyes," Asher Fredman, a former Israeli government official who now is the executive director of the Misgav Institute for National Security, told Fox News Digital.

'PAY FOR SLAY': PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY MAY HAVE TO COMPENSATE FAMILIES OF HAMAS TERRORISTS, REPORT SAYS

"It appears that the terrorists and families of terrorists who received payments under the PA’s ‘pay for slay’ program will continue to receive the same payments, simply via a ‘foundation’ under the control of Abbas, rather than via a ministry under the control of Abbas."

Fredman added, "It remains to be seen whether Abbas truly ends the pay for slay payments, as well as the virulent terror incitement and antisemitism in PA media, schools and summer camps."

He said the PA announced that the payments to convicted terrorists are moving from the Ministry of Social Development to an independent Palestinian National Economic Empowerment Foundation. The head of the foundation's board is the minister of social development. The foundation’s general director is also apparently an employee of the Ministry of Social Development, according to her LinkedIn profile. The linkage suggests that the foundation is closely tied to the PA. 

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told Fox News Digital, "We will rejoice when the PA stops financially rewarding Palestinian terrorists for murdering and injuring Israelis. Abbas’ statement makes no such commitment. Mr. Abbas, you either support and abet terrorism or oppose and help end it."

The Times of Israel reported that PA officials informed the incoming Trump administration about its plan to pull the plug on the "pay to slay" program.

The thinking behind the PA’s decision is to curry favor with the Trump administration and avoid the strained relations that existed during the first Trump presidency. After Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city in 2017, Abbas boycotted the Trump administration.

The Times of Israel wrote that Monday's "decree is Ramallah’s latest effort to improve ties with Washington and amounts to a major victory for Trump, who managed to secure a concession from the PA that repeated U.S. administrations had worked to bring about."

The PA is based in Ramallah in the West Bank (known in Israel as the biblical region of Judea and Samaria).

Fox News Digital reported after a late 2023 deal involving the exchange of Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel for the release of Israeli civilians held by Hamas in Gaza that the freed terrorists would receive monthly payments ranging from approximately $535 to $668 for Jerusalem residents.

Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), summed up a recent trend of foreign leaders caving to the Trump administration. "I think it speaks to the Trump effect. Foreign leaders fear crossing the president because he knows how to engage in coercive diplomacy, and it produces outcomes which advance U.S. interests like this. Iran and other countries are watching very carefully how the president pressures other governments, and this will shape their decision-making. Thus far, Tehran has been more risk-averse since President Trump has been in office," he told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital questions to the Palestinian Authority were not answered. 

President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Palestinians should leave Gaza to rebuild their lives after months of war has triggered a wave of reactions, exposing deep divisions within the enclave and across the Arab world.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House last week, Trump outlined his vision for Gaza’s future, describing it as "the Riviera of the Middle East." His proposal to relocate 1.8 million Palestinians sparked outrage among Palestinian leaders and drew mixed reactions from Gazans.

While some Gazans have rejected emigration, others see it as their only hope.

"I’m asking Donald Trump himself to relocate us as he suggested. And I’ll be the first one to go," one young man told the Center for Peace Communications team in Gaza during a camera interview. The man described his bleak reality, saying, "I want to leave because there’s no life left here. Life here is gone. I mean, just look around you."

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

Another Gazan called on neighboring Arab countries to provide an escape route. "To our brotherly Egyptian and Jordanian people and King Abdullah—we hope they open the crossing for the youth who are leaving, for the wounded, for the sick, and the elderly who need treatment."

Jordan's King Abdullah is set to meet with President Trump on Tuesday, having rejected his plan for annexing Gaza and displacing Palestinians, Reuters reported.

The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research poll conducted before the October 7 terror attacks found that 31% of Gazans were already considering emigration—44% among young people. The most popular countries were Turkey, followed by Germany, Canada, the United States and Qatar.

The poll's authors said, "The main drivers seem economic, political, educational, security and concerns about corruption."

Joseph Braude, founder and president of the Center for Peace Communications, told Fox News Digital that the number has grown significantly due to the ongoing devastation. "Through our daily contact with Gazans from all walks of life across the coastal strip, we have seen that proportion grow, amid the destruction of the present war, to a substantial majority of the population."

Ayman Khaled, a Palestinian journalist, echoed similar sentiments, pointing to the grim prospects for rebuilding Gaza after months of relentless Israeli bombardment. "Gaza will need to go through a very long period of reconstruction. In that long period of time, where will the youth go? Where will the wounded go? We have more than 100,000 wounded. Even before the last war, a stream of people were leaving Gaza—workers, students, business people. That’s how it looked then. Now, those trends will double. There is no hope for the reconstruction of Gaza, not in a year nor 10 nor 15."

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

He also warned that as long as Hamas remains in power, cycles of violence will continue, pushing more people to flee. "If Hamas remains on the scene, this will keep happening. Every day, we’ll have new killings. After every battle, they say they are victorious—but what is this victory? If we don’t seriously address the issue of Hamas leaving the political scene, we cannot talk about anything else. If Hamas remains, people will emigrate, whether willingly or unwillingly."

Hamas described Trump's plan as a "recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region," and for many Gazans, leaving is unthinkable. Speaking to The Associated Press, Mustafa al-Gazzar, a displaced Gazan, dismissed the idea of leaving. "You think you’ll expel me abroad and bring other people in my place? I would rather live in my tent, under rubble. I won’t leave. Put that in your brain."

Amna Omar, 71, who has been sheltering in central Gaza, was equally defiant. "Gaza is our land, our home. We as Gazans… I don't want to die in Egypt."

Another woman in Deir al-Balah told Israeli news agency TPS-IL, "We clung to our destroyed homes and we clung to the soil of Palestine." While voluntary emigration has been quietly discussed for years, Trump’s endorsement has turned it into a divisive issue. Arab governments, wary of being seen as complicit in Palestinian displacement, have been quick to condemn it.

However, with Gaza in ruins and no reconstruction in sight, the debate over emigration is no longer theoretical. The question is not whether Gazans want to leave, but whether they will have the opportunity to do so.

A Gazan man interviewed on-camera by the Center for Peace Communications said "In the end, people will accept reality. They’ll emigrate because they want to live. They want to live in a country that protects and supports them. A country where you can hold your head up high. If our country isn’t looking out for us, where should we go?"

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Two planes sent by Venezuela returned home Monday with nearly 200 Venezuelans who were in the U.S. illegally as part of President Donald Trump's mass deportation plan.

The 190 migrants returned to Venezuela signals a possible ease in tensions between the two longtime adversaries and a win for the Trump administration as it seeks to have countries take back their citizens found in the U.S. without authorization.

The Conviasa airline flights arrived in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas from Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army base in El Paso, Texas.

"Two planes of illegal immigrants left El Paso today headed to Venezuela - paid for by the Venezuelans," Trump envoy Richard Grennell, who oversaw the deportations, wrote on X.

FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM SENDING DETAINED VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANTS TO GUANTÁNAMO BAY

Deportation flights from the U.S. to Venezuela had been stopped for years, except for a brief period in October 2023 under the Biden administration.

Large numbers of Venezuelans began arriving at the southern border in 2021 and are still among the nationalities with the most people entering the U.S. illegally, which has made Venezuela's refusal to accept their return a major hurdle.

Venezuela's newfound willingness to take back the migrants came after Grennell visited Caracas a few weeks ago.

"This is the world we want, a world of peace, understanding, dialogue and cooperation," Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said.

TRUMP DEPORTING CRIMINAL ALIENS TO GUANTANAMO BAY: MEET THE HARDENED TERRORISTS THEY'LL JOIN

The Venezuelan government confirmed the flights earlier on Monday, criticizing in a statement the "ill-intentioned" and "false" narrative surrounding the presence of Tren de Aragua gang members in the U.S. The statement said most Venezuelan migrants are decent and hard-working people and that American officials are attempting to stigmatize the country.

The deportation flights on Monday came days after some illegal aliens were sent to the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp, where they are separated from 15 detainees who were already there, including planners in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.

A federal judge in New Mexico temporarily blocked the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan men to Guantánamo Bay on Sunday. Lawyers for the trio argued that their clients "fit the profile of those the administration has prioritized for detention in Guantánamo, i.e. Venezuelan men detained in the El Paso area with (false) charges of connections with the Tren de Aragua gang."

The flights also came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached agreements with El Salvador and Guatemala for those countries to accept their citizens and U.S. deportees of other nationalities.

Trump said after Grennell's visit that the Venezuelan government had agreed to accept "all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S., including gang members of Tren de Aragua," and pay for their flights home. Half a dozen Americans held in Venezuela were released at the time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ecuador will choose its next president in a runoff election in April between conservative incumbent Daniel Noboa and leftist lawyer Luisa González.

Neither won outright in Sunday’s first-round election, but they were both well ahead of the other 14 candidates and each within a percentage point of garnering 44% of the vote, according to results Monday.

The run-off election set for April 13 will be a repeat of the October 2023 snap election that earned Noboa a 16-month presidency.

EXCLUSIVE LOOK INTO TRUMP REPATRIATION FLIGHT ON C-17 MILITARY PLANE TO ECUADOR

Noboa and González are now vying for a full four-year term, promising voters to reduce the widespread criminal activity that upended their lives four years ago.

The spike in violence across the South American country is tied to the trafficking of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. So many voters have become crime victims that their personal and collective losses were a determining factor in deciding whether a third president in four years could turn Ecuador around or if Noboa deserved more time in office.

Noboa, an heir to a fortune built on the banana trade, and González, the protégée of Ecuador’s most influential president this century, were the clear front-runners ahead of the election.

Figures released by Ecuador’s National Electoral Council showed that with 92.1% of the ballots counted, Noboa received 4.22 million votes, or 44.31%, while González received 4.17 million votes, or 43.83%. The 14 other candidates in the race were far behind them.

Voting is mandatory in Ecuador. Electoral authorities reported that more than 83% of the roughly 13.7 million eligible voters cast ballots.

Under Noboa’s watch, the homicide rate dropped from 46.18 per 100,000 people in 2023 to 38.76 per 100,000 people last year. Still, it remains far higher than the 6.85 per 100,000 people in 2019, and other crimes, such as kidnapping and extortion, have skyrocketed, making people fearful of leaving their homes.

"For me, this president is disastrous," said Marta Barres, 35, who went to the voting center with her three teenage children. "Can he change things in four more years? No. He hasn’t done anything."

Barres, who must pay $25 a month to a local gang to avoid harassment or worse, said she supported González because she believes she can reduce crime across the board and improve the economy.

Noboa defeated González in the October 2023 runoff of a snap election that was triggered by the decision of then-President Guillermo Lasso to dissolve the National Assembly and shorten his own mandate as a result. Noboa and González, a mentee of former President Rafael Correa, had only served short stints as lawmakers before launching their presidential campaigns that year.

To win outright Sunday, a candidate needed 50% of the vote or at least 40% with a 10-point lead over the closest challenger.

More than 100,000 police officers and members of the military were deployed across the country to safeguard the election, including at voting centers. At least 50 officers accompanied Noboa, his wife and their 2-year-old son to a voting center where the president cast his ballot in the small Pacific coast community of Olón.

Noboa, 37, opened an event organizing company when he was 18 and then joined his father’s Noboa Corp., where he held management positions in the shipping, logistics and commercial areas. His political career began in 2021, when he won a seat in the National Assembly and chaired its Economic Development Commission.

As president over the past 15 months, some of his mano dura, or heavy-handed, tactics to reduce crime have come under scrutiny inside and outside the country for testing the limits of laws and norms of governing.

His questioned tactics include the state of internal armed conflict he declared in January 2024 in order to mobilize the military in places where organized crime has taken hold, as well as last year’s approval of a police raid on Mexico’s embassy in the capital, Quito, to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, a convicted criminal and fugitive who had been living there for months.

His head-on approach, however, is also earning him votes.

"Noboa is the only person hitting organized crime hard," retiree German Rizzo, who voted to get the president re-elected, said outside a polling station in Samborondón, an upper-class area with gated communities separated from the port city of Guayaquil by a river.

González, 47, held various government jobs during the presidency of Correa, who led Ecuador from 2007 through 2017 with free-spending socially conservative policies and grew increasingly authoritarian in his last years as president. He was sentenced to prison in absentia in 2020 in a corruption scandal.

González was a lawmaker from 2021 until May 2023, when Lasso dissolved the National Assembly. She was unknown to most voters until Correa’s party picked her as its presidential candidate for the snap election.

Quito’s University of the Americas professor Maria Cristina Bayas said Sunday's result was "a triumph" for Correa's party because pre-election polls projected a wider difference between Noboa and González.

Esteban Ron, dean of the Faculty of Social and Legal Sciences at the International University SEK in Quito, said Noboa will be forced to reengineer his campaign at the risk that he may have already reached his vote ceiling. Ron attributed the outcome to the problems Noboa faced during his administration.

Waiting for her turn to vote in Guayaquil, architecture student Keila Torres said she had not yet decided who to vote for. None, she said, will be able to lower crime across Ecuador due to deep-rooted government corruption.

"If I could, I wouldn’t be here," said Torres, who witnessed three robberies in public buses over the past four years and barely escaped a carjacking in December. "Things are not going to change."

An 11-year-old girl in France was found dead in a wooded area near her school hours after she went missing, officials said Saturday.

The girl, identified as Louise, disappeared around 2 p.m. Friday while on her way home from André Maurois middle school in northern France, officials in the commune of Épinay-sur-Orge said. Épinay-sur-Orge is located south of Paris.

Investigators searched the woods using tracking dogs, helicopters and drones before eventually finding the girl’s body, Le Parisien reported. 

"It was with great emotion that we learned that Louise's body had been found lifeless that night, in the Bois des Templiers," police wrote in French in a press release posted on Facebook. "As soon as her disappearance was reported, all means were deployed to try to find her."

HOLLYWOOD PRODUCER CONVICTED OF MURDER IN DEATHS OF MODEL AND HER FRIEND

An autopsy determined she suffered "numerous wounds committed with a sharp object," said Grégoire Dulin, the Evry public prosecutor, per Le Parisien. A murder weapon was not immediately recovered.

Dulin said authorities had opened an investigation for the "murder of a minor under 15." 

Police detained a 23-year-old man, who was seen on security footage walking behind Louise, and his 20-year-old girlfriend, according to French news outlets. Police released the pair from custody later Saturday.

IVY LEAGUE GRAD STUDENT, US ARMY VETERAN'S KILLER HAD EERIE MOTIVE: DETECTIVE

On Monday, police made two new arrests: a 23-year-old man and his 55-year-old mother, FranceInfo reported. The 23-year-old is suspected of murdering Louise, while his mother is accused of failing to report a crime.

French Minister of Education Élisabeth Borne issued a statement on X regarding the child’s death.

"Following the discovery of the body of young Louise last night in Essonne, I offer my condolences to her family, her loved ones, her classmates and her teachers," she wrote in French. "I am counting on investigators and the justice system to shed light on this tragedy."

Police said the murder investigation is ongoing.

A Hamas spokesperson said Monday that the terrorist group will delay the next planned release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.

"Over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy's violations and failure to fulfill its obligations under the agreement; including the delay in allowing the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with direct shelling and gunfire in various areas across Gaza, and denying relief supplies of all kinds to enter as agreed, while the resistance has implemented all its obligations," Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, said. 

"Therefore, the release of the Zionist prisoners next Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and provides compensation for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively," he said. "We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement, as long as the occupation remains committed to them."

Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

PARENTS OF AMERICAN MURDERED BY HAMAS MAKE 'PLEA' TO TRUMP AFTER LATEST HOSTAGE RELEASE 

The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. The next exchange, scheduled for next Saturday, calls for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

"Hamas’ announcement to stop the release of Israeli hostages is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and the hostage release deal," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday. "I have instructed the [Israeli Defense Forces] IDF to maintain the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and to fortify the defense of Israeli communities. We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding an immediate security assessment, Israeli media reported. 

HAMAS FREES 3 MORE HOSTAGES AS PART OF CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a volunteer group dedicated to bringing the surviving Oct. 7 victims home, released a statement. 

"In response to Hamas's recent announcement, we have urgently requested assistance from the mediating countries to help restore and implement the existing deal effectively," the forum said. "We stand with the Israeli government and encourage maintaining the conditions that will ensure the successful continuation of the agreement, leading to the safe return of our 76 brothers and sisters." 

"Recent evidence from those released, as well as the shocking conditions of the hostages released last Saturday, leaves no room for doubt - time is of the essence, and all hostages must be urgently rescued from this horrific situation," the forum added. 

On Sunday, President Donald Trump commented on the conditions of the released Israeli hostages, saying they "looked like Holocaust survivors" and "like they haven’t had a meal in a month."

"I don’t know how much longer we can take that," Trump said, referring to the treatment of the hostages, adding, "You know, at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience."

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

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing to meet with Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference later this week after confirming on Friday he is ready to "do a deal" with President Donald Trump.

According to an interview with Reuters, Zelenskyy said he was ready to supply the U.S. with rare-earth minerals in exchange for Washington’s continued backing of its war effort.

"If we are talking about a deal, then let's do a deal, we are only for it," Zelenskyy said. 

ZELENSKYY WANTS NUKES OR NATO; TRUMP SPECIAL ENVOY KELLOGG SAYS 'SLIM AND NONE' CHANCE

The Ukrainian president has made clear he is also open to engaging in peace talks with Russia to end the three-year-long war, though possible terms for securing a peace deal remain varied and unknown. 

Though Zelenskyy has said he is looking for "guarantees" when it comes to future security assurances for the war-torn country.

These security assurances will likely need to be more than a formal handshake paired with a signed document, as Russia has twice violated its last agreement with Ukraine, known as the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. 

The deal saw Kyiv hand over its nuclear arsenal to Moscow for dismantlement in exchange for sovereignty and independence guarantees from Russia, the U.S. and the U.K. However, the agreement did not stop Russia from invading Ukraine twice under Russian President Vladimir Putin.  

Zelenskyy apparently first floated the idea of trading Ukraine’s mineral resources – roughly 20% of which are located in now Russian controlled territory, including half of the rare-earth variety – under his "victory plan" first presented to Western allies last fall, reported Reuters. 

Rare-earth materials are used in the production of consumer electronics and electric engines. Zelenskyy has warned that Russia could give these resources to its allies like North Korea and Iran – the latter of which the U.S. just last week began to even more heavily sanction. 

TRUMP'S FOURTH WEEK IN OFFICE COULD INCLUDE MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY, IRONING OUT STEEL DEAL

"We need to stop Putin and protect what we have – a very rich Dnipro region, central Ukraine," Zelenskyy reportedly said.

While Trump will not attend the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy will lead the Ukrainian delegation there and is reportedly expected to meet with Vance and special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg.

Trump told reporters last week that Zelenskyy may travel to D.C. in the week following the security conference, which runs Feb. 14-16, at which time both presidents will once again meet to discuss the war. 

"I'd like to see that war end," Trump told reporters last week. "We're looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they're going to secure what we're giving them with their rare earth and other things."

Russia’s war effort in eastern Ukraine continues to rage, and Moscow on Friday claimed it had captured the mining town of Toretsk in the Donetsk region despite Ukraine’s months-long attempts to stop Russian advances. 

TRUMP PLANS TO MEET WITH ZELENSKYY AS HE LOOKS TO END UKRAINE WAR

As Moscow continues to see incremental gains in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv is also pushing forward with its own attempts to seize Russian territory, which security experts have told Fox News Digital could be an attempt to give it better bargaining leverage come the time for ceasefire talks with Moscow.

Zelenskyy also said on Friday that Ukraine had opened a new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv first began its incursion in August 2024.

"In the areas of the Kursk operation, new assaults have taken place," Zelenskyy said during his nightly address. "Russia has once again deployed North Korean soldiers alongside its troops."

It is unclear if North Korea has sent more troops to Russia after its initial deployment of as many as 12,000 men last October, though South Korean intelligence has warned Pyongyang is planning to do so.

Zelenskyy Sunday night said Ukrainian troops in Kursk "demonstrate highly effective enemy destruction," though he did not detail any casualty rates among Russian or North Korean troops. 

"We must hold all our positions firmly," he said. "The stronger we stand on the front lines, the stronger our diplomacy – our work with partners – will be."

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he remains committed to the U.S. purchasing and owning Gaza, but that he may allow Middle Eastern countries to rebuild sections of the area ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.

Trump made the comment when speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to New Orleans for the Super Bowl.

"I'm committed to buying and owning Gaza," Trump said. "As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it, other people may do it, through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back."

"There’s nothing to move back into. The place is a demolition site. The remainder will be demolished. Everything’s demolished," he said.

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

The president also said he was open to the possibility of allowing some Palestinian refugees into the U.S. but that those requests would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Trump said last week at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants the U.S. to take over Gaza 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 time. "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."

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

Several countries have criticized Trump's comments about taking over Gaza, which was bombarded by Israeli forces in the conflict sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack against the Jewish State.

Trump also said on Jan. 25 that he wanted Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from Gaza, 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.

Palestinians feared during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which is now under a ceasefire, that 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.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo when asked about Trump's plan to take over Gaza that the U.S. president was slated to meet with Jordan's King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and possibly Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"President Trump is due to meet with major, major Arab leaders, first and foremost the king of Jordan and the president of Egypt and I think also the crown prince of Saudi Arabia as well," Herzog said.

"These are partners that must be listened to, they must be discussed with. We have to honor their feelings as well and see how we build a plan that is sustainable for the future," he added.

Saudi Arabia is among the many countries that have rejected Trump's plan to take over Gaza. Jordan's King Abdullah II reportedly plans to tell Trump during their scheduled meeting on Tuesday that the proposal is a recipe for radicalism that will spread chaos throughout the Middle East and put at risk the kingdom's peace with Israel.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The Marine who died alongside three defense contractors last Thursday when their surveillance flight crashed in the Philippines has been identified as Sgt. Jacob M. Durham, according to officials.

Last week, a Department of Defense-contracted aircraft went down in the southern province of Maguindanao del Sur while "providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies," according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

There were no survivors, officials said, who added that there were four personnel on the plane, including a U.S. military service member.

On Sunday, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command identified Durham as the Marine on the plane. The three contractors have not been identified.

US MILITARY SURVEILLANCE FLIGHT CRASHES IN PHILIPPINES, KILLING 4

The California native was trained as an electronic intelligence/electromagnetic warfare analyst and assigned to the 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

In a press release, Indo-Pacific Command said Durham joined the Marine Corps in January 2021 and had just been promoted to his current rank on Feb. 1.

Durham earned numerous awards and decorations, including the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, a Meritorious Mast and Naval Aircrew Insignia.

US MILITARY FLYING SURVEILLANCE AIRCRAFT FOR RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS ALONG SOUTHERN BORDER WITH MEXICO

"We mourn the loss of Sgt. Jacob Durham, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," said Lt. Col. Mabel B. Annunziata, commanding officer of 1st Radio Battalion. "Sgt. Durham embodied the highest traditions of the Marine Corps – exemplifying composure, intelligence, and selfless leadership. He was deeply respected and loved by his fellow Marines. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and his fellow Marines during this profoundly difficult time."

The aircraft involved in the crash was a Marine Corps Beechcraft King Air 350, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.

Military officials say the plane crashed during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities.

Officials added that the aircraft was providing surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance support for the ally nation.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.

The chief executive of an Italian salami and prosciutto company died in a helicopter crash in north-central Italy on Wednesday, along with two other victims.

Lorenzo Rovagnati, who was the chief executive of the Rovagnati food company, in Noceto, near Parma, when his helicopter crashed, according to Biassono Mayor Luciano Casiraghi.

Video of the scene shows heavy fog around the area. The crash happened on the grounds of Castelguelfo di Noceto, a medieval castle owned by the Rovagnati family.

"I can't believe it: a sad day for Biassono," Casiraghi said in a Facebook post translated to English. "This evening, the mayor of Noceto called me and I learned with shock and deep sadness the news of the untimely demise of our fellow citizen Lorenzo Rovagnati, due to a tragic accident in Castelguelfo."

HISTORIC ROME LANDMARK'S TEMPORARY CLOSURE CAUSES UPROAR: 'SADDEST THING I’VE SEEN IN ITALY'

"Lorenzo was a good, honest and hardworking young man, loved and valued by all who knew him in the company and beyond."

Casiraghi described Rovagnati, 40, as a "young man who still had a great future ahead of him, as a father and as an entrepreneur."

"I am [in] disbelief by what happened," the local politician wrote. "I send my deepest condolences to the whole family and his beloved wife."

The city of Biassono observed a mourning period from Feb. 6 to Feb. 8. In another post, Casiraghi wrote that Lorenzo and his family "actively participated in the social and economic development of Biassono in the interest of our whole community."

ROME COULD CHARGE ENTRY TO HISTORIC LANDMARK IN LATEST ATTEMPT TO TACKLE OVERTOURISM

"We will never forget him and we will always be grateful!" the mayor said. "What I can say is: we are united in the pain of the tragic demise of our fellow citizen Lorenzo and we express closeness to the family."

Rovagnati produces various types of salumi, or Italian antipasto meat, including proscuitto, salami and mortadella. 

"Italian salumi is one of the foods that heavily represents Italian food culture and its values," Rovagnati's American website reads. "All our products are made with the typical methods of the Italian tradition: steam cooking, curing or brick oven cooking that preserves the properties and natural characteristics of the meat, by ensuring at the same time a high digestibility."

Authorities are investigating the crash. Fox News Digital reached out to Rovagnati for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Two unusual black wolves that are believed to be siblings, were caught on camera crossing a stream in a forest in Poland, according to a conservation organization.

The rare sighting, which was captured on video last year, has prompted the SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund Poland to retrieve scat droppings in the forest that the wolves were observed in, so scientists can learn more about the genetics of the black wolves.

The Associated Press reported that the video camera was set up by Joanna Toczydlowska, a project coordinator with the wildlife organization, to study beavers.

But she was surprised when she reviewed the recorded footage and saw wolves instead. She decided to leave the camera in place to learn more about the rare animals.

COLORADO RANCHERS CALL ON OFFICIALS TO LETHALLY REMOVE WOLVES

"It’s something new and unusual," Toczydlowska told the wire service.

In one of the clips captured, a gray wolf and black wolf crossed a stream in the forest, though slowly as the water was nearly up to their bellies. Once near the other side, the two wolves jumped onto the bank before walking away.

In another clip recorded in the fall, two black wolves and a gray wolf were seen crossing the same stream.

The researchers would not disclose the location of the sightings, in order to protect the rare wolves.

WOLVES REINTRODUCED IN COLORADO BLAMED FOR REPEATED ATTACKS ON LIVESTOCK

In Poland, the majority of the nearly 3,000 wolves are gray with red or black accents.

The black fur is likely from a genetic mutation that occurred with domesticated dogs thousands of years ago.

In Europe, dark fur is rare, though in Yellowstone National Park in the United States, at least half of the wolf population has black fur.

WOLF FIGHT PITS RANCHERS AGAINST WILL OF THE PEOPLE IN STORY RIPPED FROM THE PAGES OF A ‘YELLOWSTONE’ SCRIPT

Toczydlowska said the two black wolves were likely siblings and about a year old, which she hypothesized on the basis that wolves travel in families and the two were about 66 pounds. She also said at least one of the black wolves spotted was a male.

Wolves were nearly extinct in Poland by the 1950s, though the population has rebounded in recent years, particularly in the central part of the country.

Toczydlowska and her colleagues help educate the public on how to safely live in areas inhabited by packs of wolves.

"For people, it’s a new phenomenon," Roman Gula, head of the organization's wolf monitoring project, told the AP. "Education is one of our major, major goals."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

JOHANNESBURG — President Donald Trump’s executive order penalizing South Africa released on Friday has hit a raw nerve in the African nation. The order primarily aimed at land seizures comes as Pretoria has faced ongoing U.S. criticisms that it has operated against U.S. interests, including its support of the Palestinians in the International Criminal Court and its warm relations with China, Russia and Iran.

Friday’s executive order stated in part, "In shocking disregard of its citizens' rights, the Republic of South Africa recently enacted Expropriation Act 13 of 2024, to enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners' agricultural property without compensation."

"It is the policy of the United States that, as long as South Africa continues these unjust and immoral practices that harm our Nation:
(a) the United States shall not provide aid or assistance to South Africa; and
(b) the United States shall promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation."

TRUMP FREEZES AID TO SOUTH AFRICA, PROMOTES RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES FACING RACE DISCRIMINATION

Friday’s executive order pointedly took aim at Pretoria’s foreign policy: "South Africa has taken aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice, and reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements … The United States cannot support the government of South Africa's commission of rights violations in its country or its undermining United States foreign policy, which poses national security threats to our Nation, our allies, our African partners, and our interests."

On Saturday the South African government responded, "It is of great concern that the foundational premise of this order lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid," Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the country’s International Relations Department, posted on X.

Phiri added that "we are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation. It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favor among decision-makers in the United States of America."

Although it lost its majority in last year’s elections, the African National Congress (ANC) is still the main party in South Africa’s present government of national unity. The party’s secretary general reacted to the offer that White Afrikaners can go become U.S. citizens by posting a photo on X. In it, a black man is standing by an open door and gesturing with both arms outside the door, suggesting Afrikaners should leave.

The government has claimed Whites of all backgrounds, not just Afrikaners, still own approximately 70% of South Africa’s land. The government is on record saying the Expropriation Act will only be used to take land needed for public purposes – such as for a new school – from people of any color when the owner refuses to sell, and even then there would be "fair and equitable compensation."

Emma Powell, the international relations spokesperson for South Africa’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, told Fox News Digital that "for decades, the DA has opposed the ANC’s race-based policies. These policies have benefited the political elite while the vast majority of South Africans continue to languish in poverty."

SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL LAND SEIZURE BILL, ERODING PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS 

She continued that the DA "will be pursuing legal action to safeguard property rights. It is now time for the ANC to re-evaluate both their domestic and foreign policy positions, which actively undermine our national interests."

Powell told Fox News Digital about "a high-level delegation to Washington, D.C., in coming weeks to engage with decision makers. The DA remains committed to protecting private property rights, fostering economic growth, and strengthening diplomatic ties with the U.S."

Afrikaners, descendants of predominantly Dutch settlers who landed in Southern Africa in 1652, became the country’s rulers and are widely believed to have developed the apartheid system that separated Whites and Blacks, treating Blacks as second-class citizens.

In a statement released on Saturday, AfriForum, a civil rights group that largely represents Afrikaners, expressed "great appreciation" for Trump’s action, which it said was "a direct result of President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government’s irresponsible actions and policies."

It continued, "However, the civil rights organization and its sister institutions in the Solidarity Movement remain committed to Afrikaners’ future at the southern tip of Africa and insist that urgent solutions must therefore be found for the injustices committed by the South African government against Afrikaners and other cultural communities in the country."

One of the more outspoken and extreme members of the government of national unity, Julius Malema, head of the South African minority party Economic Freedom Fighters, said on X, "In light of the aggression by the USA against South Africa, we must as a nation seriously consider strengthening ties with Russia, China and nations who belong to (the international trade body) BRICS to avoid unnecessary confrontations with maniacs such as Donald Trump."

Malema has been taken to court on hate crime charges. In one instance, he sang the genocidal anti-apartheid struggle song "Kill the Boer, the farmer," referring to the White descendants of Dutch settlers or "Boers" in South Africa.

The parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American kidnapped from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and murdered by Hamas terrorists after surviving 11 months in captivity, made a video plea to President Donald Trump after the latest hostage release. 

In a video message shared on Instagram, Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin reacted to the release of civilians Eli Sharabi, 52; Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56. They were among the 250 people who were taken during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli hostages were forced to speak during a Hamas handover ceremony, igniting outrage, as Israel in turn released nearly 200 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday. 

"We received the wonderful news that Eli, Or and Ohad we released today," Rachel Goldberg-Polin said in a video shared to the "Bring.Hersh.Home" account, which has garnered more than 173,000 followers. "We also felt this real connection to Or and his family because Or and Hersh were both kidnapped together from the same bomb shelter on the same pickup truck on Oct. 7. And in fact, Or's brother, Mikha'el, contacted us right after Shabbat today to tell us that one of Or's first questions he asked his brother this morning was ‘how is Hersh doing?’ Because he had assumed that Hersh had been released long ago, and his brother had to explain to him that Hersh had been murdered five months ago." 

Jon Polin then addressed Trump, as well as U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, imploring them to secure the release of the remaining 76 hostages this week. 

HAMAS FREES 3 MORE HOSTAGES AS PART OF CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL

"Seeing the condition of these three hostages, hearing that Or had no idea what happened to Hersh, that Eli was unaware of the fate of his wife and his daughters, is just a gut punch to all of us that we need to do more," Jon Polin said. "And I'm turning directly to President Trump and to Mr. Witkoff, you have shown that you are the only ones who are able to get this situation moving, moving forward, and my plea to you, our plea to you right now is – now that you've done the hard part in getting movement, getting a deal started, let's not think about Phase 1 and Phase 2 and Phase 3 in many months. Let's think bigger and faster. All 76 hostages out this week. End of war. Who benefits from dragging it out for so long? Not the people of this region. Let's get it done right now. Thank you." 

"Godspeed," Rachel Goldberg-Polin added. 

Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages were murdered by Hamas terrorists last August shortly before Israeli troops reached the tunnel where they were being held in southern Gaza. Israeli troops recovered the six bodies from the tunnel, and Israeli forensic experts said they had been shot at close range after surviving nearly a year in captivity. 

Goldberg-Polin, a native of Berkeley, California, was attending a music festival when Hamas-led terrorists stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. He lost part of his left arm to a grenade blast during the attack. In April, a Hamas-issued video showed him speaking under duress with his left hand missing, sparking new protests in Israel.

TRUMP UNVEILS SANCTIONS AGAINST INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT FOR NETANYAHU ARREST WARRANT

In their first hours as free men, the three Israeli hostages released on Saturday were beginning to confront the tragic realities to which they returned

Sharabi returned to Israel after 16 months of captivity. He was told only after his return that his wife and two daughters had been killed in the Oct. 7 attack, according to reports in Israeli media.

Levy "was not sure" what happened to his wife on that day, his mother, Geula, told Israeli media on Saturday, adding that he was not exposed to media reports while in Gaza. Levy was taken from a bomb shelter near the Nova music festival in southern Israel and his wife, Einav, was killed in the attack. His mother said he also asked about Goldberg-Polin, who was abducted from the same bomb shelter. Levy was reunited Saturday with his 3-year-old son.

A third released hostage, Ben Ami, sat huddled with his wife and three daughters in a hospital corridor. He told them: "I have a lot of things to catch up on." Ben Ami is a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest hit communities on Oct. 7. "I need to get answers to a lot of things, and I know some of them will be difficult answers," he said in footage released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office. "I need to know what happened on that day."

It was the fifth swap of hostages for prisoners since the current Israel-Hamas ceasefire began on Jan. 19. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

After the release of British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari, she and her mother, Mandy, revealed Emily was held captive in a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) center in Gaza, a location tied to Hamas operations. 

During a phone call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Emily, 28, and Mandy described how Emily was denied proper medical care while being detained in one of UNRWA’s schools, where Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) later discovered tunnels and ammunition linked to Hamas. 

Emily was abducted Oct. 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists who shot her in the hand and leg. She was denied treatment, with only an outdated bottle of iodine provided as medical aid. The IDF’s discovery of Hamas infrastructure beneath UNRWA buildings, including tunnels linked to terror activities, has raised serious concerns about the agency’s role in Gaza. 

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

Emily and Mandy emphasized the need for international pressure on Hamas and UNRWA to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to the remaining 82 hostages.

"We are asking for maximum pressure to be placed on Hamas and UNRWA to allow the ICRC access to the remaining hostages," Mandy Damari told Starmer. "The suffering is far from over for those still in captivity, many of whom are elderly or severely injured." 

This followed revelations the U.K. government is still an active supporter of the controversial U.N. agency.

Last week, President Donald Trump reinforced his administration's stance on UNRWA by continuing a freeze on U.S. funding to the agency. Trump's decision, initially enacted during his first term, remains in effect amid ongoing investigations into the agency’s ties to Hamas. This move reflects growing concerns over UNRWA’s failure to meet international standards of neutrality and accountability.

The troubling allegations of UNRWA facilities being used by Hamas to hold hostages emerged early in the crisis, but the U.N. and UNRWA initially dismissed the claims. Despite growing evidence, both have been criticized for their slow response. 

When the accusations surfaced, the U.N. dismissed them as "big accusations," failing to conduct a thorough investigation. It wasn’t until significant public pressure mounted that UNRWA, in a tweet Jan. 21, acknowledged the claims and said it was taking them "extremely seriously."

Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner-general, expressed relief at Emily's release in his Jan. 21 tweet but continued to downplay the gravity of the allegations. 

"Claims that hostages have been held in UNRWA premises are deeply disturbing & shocking. We take any such allegations extremely seriously," Lazzarini wrote.

However, Lazzarini also said UNRWA was forced to vacate its northern Gaza facilities, including those in Gaza City, Oct. 13, 2023, and had no control over them after military evacuation orders were issued. 

He added, "UNRWA has not been involved in any negotiation related to hostage release as it is not within its mandate."

Peter Gallo, a former U.N. investigator, questioned his statement. 

"So who has control? UNRWA has 12,000 staff in Gaza, and the agency has been begging for money and aid to support people sheltering in its premises. Does UNRWA want it both ways? Yes, they want funding to support those in the facilities, but they also claim no responsibility for what goes on inside them," Gallo said.

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

"Somebody must have been distributing — even if it was just two sacks of potatoes among 1,000 people. Somebody must have been reporting the conditions, the numbers of people in these facilities while UNRWA tried to function. And you're trying to tell me that nobody knew about a young Israeli woman with gunshot injuries? We didn’t know where she came from?" Gallo added, emphasizing the inconsistency in UNRWA’s position.

The continued lack of transparency and accountability from both the U.N. and UNRWA in response to the allegations has drawn widespread criticism. Gallo has heavily criticized the internal investigation carried out by UNRWA, describing it as a "farce." 

"The U.N. investigation FAILED to actually prove that ANY of them were involved in acts of terrorism," Gallo said. 

He claimed the staff members who were "fired" by the U.N. after being seen on cameras participating in the Oct. 7 massacre were not actually terminated for misconduct. Instead, they were made redundant and received severance payments. 

"You’ve had U.N. staff members engaged in crimes, crimes recognized by the ICC as crimes against humanity, and the U.N. is now going to give them a severance package because they were dismissed from their positions," Gallo said.

While an UNRWA spokesperson did not respond to Fox News Digital's questions on Gallo's allegations, Lazzarini released a statement Friday in response to critics.

"UNRWA has the most robust systems in place to ensure adherence to neutrality compared to other similar UN organizations and entities," Lazzarini said. "This applies to both the Agency’s staff and our programs across the region, as confirmed by an independent review conducted last year under the leadership of France’s former foreign minister. 

"Safeguarding the Agency’s neutrality is central to our ability to continue delivering lifesaving aid in Gaza, as well as education and primary health services across the region. As one of the largest U.N. agencies in the world, UNRWA is committed to U.N. values and principles, which strengthens our response during one of the most challenging periods in the history of the Palestinian people. We remain dedicated to staying and delivering."

Yona Schiffmiller, director of research at NGO Monitor, further illuminated Hamas’ involvement in the humanitarian aid process. 

"Hamas used the Ministry of Social Development (MOSD) to direct aid distribution. The head of MoSD, Ghazi Hamad, who was recently designated by the U.S. Treasury as a Hamas leader, met with U.N. officials and international NGOs while promoting Hamas interests," Schiffmiller explained. 

"The data from MoSD influenced aid distribution across various organizations, solidifying Hamas’ grip on Gaza’s humanitarian aid. We’ve got pictures of Hamad meeting with U.N. officials, and if you look closely in the background, you can actually see the Hamas logo on the map on the wall where they’re meeting."

The Israeli Knesset passed legislation banning UNRWA from operating in Israel, which took effect at the end of January. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its position on UNRWA’s ties to terrorism.

"Humanitarian aid doesn’t equal UNRWA, and UNRWA doesn’t equal humanitarian aid. UNRWA equals an organization infested with Hamas terror activity," its statement said. "Israel remains committed to facilitating humanitarian aid through alternative organizations that are independent and not complicit in terror."

The Shoah Museum in Rome has acquired a piece by reserved contemporary pop artist aleXsandro Palombo after it was defaced in an apparent act of antisemitism.

The mural, which depicts Liliana Segre and Sami Modiano, the last two Italian survivors of Auschwitz, was defaced multiple times and even erased by vandals.

Segre and Modiano are shown in striped clothing under green bullet-proof vests with yellow Stars of David on them, and there are even representations of the serial numbers tattooed on them by the Nazis. The perpetrators vandalized Segre and Modiano’s faces, as well as the stars on their chests, but left the numbers on their arms untouched.

"They took away my face, my identity, they erased the yellow star, but they left the number tattooed on my arm," Segre said.

ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS VANDALIZE HOME OF JEWISH MEDIA SUPER AGENT

Palombo eventually reproduced the piece, and it is now part of the museum’s permanent collection.

"Art is the highest expression of freedom, and repeatedly attacking a work that portrays two survivors of Auschwitz highlights how the very value of democracy and all our freedoms is in danger," Palombo said in a statement. "The gesture of courage and resistance of the Shoah Museum of Rome and the Italian Jewish community is a great and precious lesson in civilization for all of us, who responded to the antisemitic violence and hatred of these new forms of social and cultural terrorism with a powerful action of the Risorgimento."

Palombo has made several pieces honoring the Holocaust, and his other works have not been spared from vandalism.

A piece entitled "Arbeit macht frei," which shows Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor Edith Bruck wrapped in an Israeli flag was also defaced, with much of the flag being erased. The title of this mural is the same phrase the Nazis put on the gates of Auschwitz, and it translates to "work makes you free."

Bruck told Italian newspaper La Stampa that she was saddened but not surprised by the vandalism, saying that "antisemitism is a tsunami."

The mural of Bruck has also been acquired by the Shoah Museum in Rome.

'SURROGATES' FOR HAMAS: UNIVERSITY REGENT SLAMS 'APPALLING' LETTER FROM ETHNIC STUDIES FACULTY

Another one of Palombo’s pieces that was vandalized was entitled "Halt! Stoj!," which depicted Segre, Modiano and Burk alongside Pope Francis, who is outfitted with a cross and a sign reading "antisemitism is everywhere." The four are depicted as Simpsons characters, a common motif for Palombo. While the image of the pope was not damaged, vandals defaced the Stars of David on the three Holocaust survivors.

Palombo, a contemporary pop artist and activist, used pop culture references in his artwork, including celebrities and cartoon characters from the Simpsons and Disney. One of his most iconic works is the "Simpsons deported to Auschwitz," which shows Marge, Homer, Maggie, Bart and Lisa before and after the concentration camp, referencing the emaciated state of Holocaust survivors liberated from Nazi camps.

President Donald Trump’s revelation this week that he wants to negotiate with Iran raised eyebrows in the security sector. A former national security advisor cautioned the president against forming a Kim Jong Un-type relationship with the Ayatollah. 

Trump has described his relations with Kim as a "love" affair, but his first-term efforts at diplomacy with the hermit kingdom failed to prevent North Korea from advancing its nuclear program.

"On the question of negotiations, we'll see where this goes," said John Hannah, former national security advisor to Dick Cheney and current Randi & Charles Wax senior fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA).

Hannah spoke Thursday evening during a discussion hosted by JINSA in Washington, D.C., on Trump’s new plans to start negotiations with Iran. 

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"Trump and Kim Jong Un — that’s a worst-case [scenario] — he comes out hot and heavy against. He gets engaged and snared in a negotiation. He gets sweet talked to. It's dragged out for the rest of his presidency," Hannah said. "And we make absolutely zero progress on dismantling or neutralizing the North Korean nuclear program.

"That’s the nightmare." 

Trump’s decision to pursue negotiations with Iran to dismantle its nuclear program was announced by the president in a post Wednesday night on his Truth Social media platform, when he stated his desire for a "Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement."

"We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed," he wrote. "God Bless the Middle East!" 

His post came one day after Trump signed an executive order directing the Treasury Department to begin a "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran through sanctions targeting the regime's oil exports in a move to deter Tehran from continuing its nuclear development. 

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But, after the order, he told reporters he was "torn" about signing the directive and added he was "unhappy to do it." 

The Trump administration has not released details on who will lead these negotiations, how they will differ from the negotiations attempted by the Biden administration or what a new deal would include that wasn't in the international deal reached during the Obama administration under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). That deal was finalized by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S.

The so-called Iran nuclear deal, which Trump pulled out of in 2018, was also signed onto by Germany and the European Union.

Hannah said Trump’s change in tune on securing a nuclear deal with Iran could be a negotiating tactic, though he warned that "25 years of negotiations with the Iranians on the nuclear program have led nowhere except an Iran right on the cusp of having nuclear weapons."

The former national security advisor, along with the former special representative for Iran and Venezuela Ambassador Elliott Abrams, together warned that the Trump administration is facing a serious deadline when it comes to taking on negotiations with Iran.

Come October, Russia, a top ally to Iran, will take on the lead role of the United Nations Security Council, filling the presidency for one month, which could pose its own security concerns.   

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But there is another October deadline looming over international attempts to block Iran’s nuclear development. The ability for the nations remaining in the JCPOA to apply "snapback" sanctions on Tehran will expire Oct. 18, 2025.

"There have to be negotiation discussions between Trump and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu on how long are we going to wait to see this negotiation drag on," Abrams said, referring to the years-long talks by the Biden administration that proved fruitless. 

"I'm sure the Iranians will say if you impose snapback [sanctions] the negotiations are over, and we will leave the nuclear nonproliferation treaty."

Iran, particularly in recent years, has been found to have repeatedly violated the treaty, though proponents of a nuclear deal argue it is a useful tool to keep Tehran involved in nuclear nonproliferation discussions. 

But Abrams also warned that the U.S. and Israel should engage in military drills to remind Iran of what it is potentially facing should it move forward with nuclear development. 

Retired Israel Defense Forces Major General Yaakov Amidror echoed this sentiment and said he believes it is unlikely that Iran completely ignores the threat of U.S.-Israeli strike force capabilities because it relies on the legitimate aspects of this nuclear program for economic stability.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday rejected the possibility of engaging in any future negotiations with the Trump administration.