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Ukraine's air force indicated in a Facebook post on Thursday that the Eastern European nation had been targeted in a drone attack overnight.

"85 ENEMY UAVS SHOT, 52 DRONES FAILED TO REACH THEIR TARGETS (LOCATIONALLY LOST)," the top of the post read, according to a Google translation of the Ukrainian text.

The announcement came after U.S. President Donald Trump noted on Wednesday that he had spoken to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

TRUMP SAYS RUSSIA AGREES TO ‘IMMEDIATELY’ BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS TO END WAR IN UKRAINE

In a Truth Social post, the president described his call with Putin as "lengthy and highly productive." 

During President Joe Biden's White House tenure, the U.S. provided billions worth of assistance to Ukraine as the embattled nation has been contending with a Russian onslaught.

But Trump is pushing for an end to the years-long war between the two foreign nations.

UKRAINE REGAINING PRE-2014 BORDERS IS ‘UNREALISTIC OBJECTIVE,’ HEGSETH SAYS IN FIRST NATO VISIT

He said in the post that he and Putin "both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine."

"We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now," he noted.

In a post later on Wednesday, Trump said his talk with Zelenskyy had gone "very well." 

PUTIN VIEWED AS ‘GREAT COMPETITOR’ BUT STILL A US ‘ADVERSARY’ AS UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS LOOM, LEAVITT SAYS

"He, like President Putin, wants to make PEACE," Trump noted.

A group led by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (RRPFI) has issued a series of takeaways following its recent visit to Taiwan. The takeaways can be seen as a roadmap of ideas for the Trump administration.

The eight-member delegation consisting of U.S. national security and business leaders concluded their strategic visit to Taiwan last month amid the presidential transition in Washington, D.C., a new administration in Taipei and ongoing Chinese coercion and aggression in East Asia.

The series of meetings was designed to strengthen ties between the United States and Taiwan across Taiwan’s political leaders and business elite. Members of the RRPFI delegation identified several key takeaways from the trip that could compliment the Trump administration's policies toward strengthening the U.S.-Taiwan partnership.

TRUMP MUST DUMP 'ONE CHINA' POLICY AND RECOGNIZE 'FREE' TAIWAN, HOUSE REPUBLICANS SAY

The delegation said that while a number of President Donald Trump's selections for top administration roles have expressed previously held views about policy involving Taiwan, there is a general mix of optimism and uncertainty over the direction the administration will take on security and economic matters relating to Taiwan.

Increasing defense spending, particularly with NATO allies, was a centerpiece of Trump's first term. The delegation stressed national unity on defense and said elected officials from all parties need to live up to the intent to increase defense spending. The delegation emphasized to Taiwanese partners that the American public expects U.S. allies and partners to shoulder the primary burden of their own defense, a notion that will certainly appeal to the Trump administration.

The delegation asserted that Russia’s war in Ukraine and how the West handled it since Russia’s full-scale invasion are on the minds of Taiwanese leaders. The Biden administration used the Presidential Drawdown Authority on at least 55 occasions since August 2021 to provide Ukraine with military assistance from Department of Defense stockpiles, according to the State Department. The RRPFI delegation argue that the Presidential Drawdown Authority along with Foreign Military Sales are valuable tools for enhancing Taiwan’s capabilities and ensuring peace and stability in the region.

TAIWAN FM HAILS IMPORTANCE OF US RELATIONSHIP, SAYS GROUP VISITS 'CONTRIBUTE TO PEACE AND STABILITY'

At last month's meeting, David Trulio, president and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, told Taiwanese leaders that, "especially with President Trump’s mandate in returning to office, Taiwan, the PRC, and the world are watching how the United States addresses China’s ongoing aggression in the South China Sea and malign online influence."

He said that the security situation across the Taiwan Strait demands a continued commitment to peace through strength, including through robust partnership with Taiwan and sustained U.S. deterrence.

TRUMP CABINET PICKS DELIGHT TAIWAN, SEND STRONG SIGNAL TO CHINA

"Taiwan has made, and is making, serious investments in its security," Trulio told the audience.

"That said, given President Trump’s and the American public’s expectation that U.S. allies and partners shoulder the primary burden of their own defense, it is critical that Taiwan’s leaders deliver on their stated intent to increase defense spending and enhance their operational capabilities," Trulio added. 

Taiwan currently spends 2.45% of its GDP on defense, and Taiwanese leaders have expressed their intention to continue to increase their defense budget. Defense spending has increased by 80% since 2016, and their defense budget accounted for 15% of its total budget in 2024, according to Taiwan’s government.

The U.S. has been arming Taiwan for seven decades and Taiwan has consistently been one of the largest purchasers of U.S. weapons through the Foreign Military Sales process.

The delegation warned that not receiving weapons diminishes Taiwan’s security and enables the PRC to claim that the United States is an unreliable partner.

China takes these arm sales very seriously. China warned the U.S. that it was making "dangerous moves" by providing Taiwan with an additional $571 million in defense materials, which was authorized by then-President Joe Biden in December just prior to leaving office.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement at the time urging the U.S. to stop arming Taiwan and to cease what it referred to as "dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

At least 20 people were injured on Thursday when a car driver drove into a crowd in Munich, Germany, the BBC reported. Police say the driver was detained at the scene and there is no further danger at this time.

This incident comes just hours before Vice President JD Vance and other world leaders will arrive in the city for a security conference that is set to take place on Friday.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

Hamas announced on Thursday it will free Israeli hostages as originally planned, according to The Associated Press.

The move comes days after President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to the terrorist group threatening to end the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip if they did not release the hostages by Saturday, adding that he would "let hell break out."

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

Hamas had threatened to delay freeing Israeli captives, accusing the Jewish State of failing to live up to obligations.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Egypt has apparently released the initial details of a proposal Cairo has put together to rebuild the Gaza Strip within three to five years, though there’s no mention of a plan to work with the Trump administration or Israel.

According to a reporter for i24 News, Egyptian sources told Qatari Al Araby TV the plan is a move to counter the proposal first put forward by President Donald Trump last week suggesting the U.S. would "take over" Gaza and forcibly displace all Palestinians living there. 

The Egyptian proposal for reconstruction will reportedly be carried out in cooperation among Arab countries, the European Union and the United Nations.

Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the White House, U.N., Qatari or Egyptian officials to confirm details of the plan.

MY SON IS IN HAMAS TUNNELS – PRESIDENT TRUMP, YOU HAVE THE POWER TO GET HIM OUT

Sources within the European Union confirmed that while they were aware a plan would be released later this month at a summit with fellow Arab nations, they were not aware of the EU's or the U.N.'s involvement in the reconstruction plans.

More details of the proposal will reportedly lay out a two-phase project that will first focus on rubble removal and residential building construction. 

Details of the plan were reported less than 24 hours after the Egyptian foreign ministry released a statement saying it has "aspirations" to "cooperate" with President Donald Trump and the U.S., but that it also condemned Trump's proposal to take over the Gaza Strip.  

In addition, the ministry said the only way to achieve regional peace was to address the "root cause of conflict" by ending "Israel's occupation" and implementing a two-state solution, a proposal that would look vastly different from what Trump has said he plans to do. 

TRUMP MEETS WITH JORDAN’S KING AMID TENSE TALKS ABOUT RESETTLING PALESTINIANS

While speaking alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah in the Oval Office Tuesday, Trump reaffirmed his plans to take over the Gaza Strip, telling reporters, "We're going to take it. We're going to hold it. We're going to cherish it."

Though both Jordan and Egypt have pushed back on Trump’s plan to "take over" Gaza, Richard Goldberg, senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former National Security Council official during the first Trump administration, pointed out that the president’s comments got them moving to take action.

Abdullah on Tuesday announced he will accept up to 2,000 children from Gaza who have cancer or require other medical treatment. Neither Jordan nor Egypt had previously agreed to accept Gazans after the war that ensured Gaza in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.

"These governments are most certainly scrambling to respond to a president who outlined a pretty clear vision and a determination to make it happen," Goldberg told Fox News Digital. "I’d expect their first round of responses to be wholly unserious, hoping they can put lipstick on a pig and make Trump go away.

"But this president doesn’t fall for those old tricks." 

Trump has claimed there is potential to turn the Gaza Strip into the "Riviera of the Middle East" and on Tuesday said it could be a "diamond."

But King Abdullah would not directly answer reporters' questions on his position regarding the U.S. takeover.

"I think the point is, how do we make this work in a way that is good for everybody?" Abdullah wondered. "Obviously, we have to look at the best interests of the United States, of the people in the region, especially to my people of Jordan.

"We will be in Saudi Arabia to discuss how we can work with the president and with the United States. So, I think let's wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the president and not get ahead of ourselves."

Later Tuesday, Abdullah confirmed Jordan’s position on X. And while he thanked the president for a "warm welcome" and "constructive meeting," he said, "I reiterated Jordan’s steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. This is the unified Arab position.

"Rebuilding Gaza without displacing the Palestinians and addressing the dire humanitarian situation should be the priority for all," he added, echoing a statement released by Egypt’s foreign ministry. "Achieving just peace on the basis of the two-state solution is the way to ensure regional stability."

Idit Ohel, the mother of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel, urgently pleaded for President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the release of the remaining Oct. 7 captives held by Hamas amid fears the current ceasefire deal is disintegrating.

"They have no more time. And please don't go back to war. Please. Because if that happens, if we go back to war, the hostages could die. The hostages that are alive could die," she told Fox News Digital. "That's what happened last time. Last time we saw that after the hostages came out and war started, so many hostages died and were murdered by Hamas. So we cannot let this happen. Please do everything in your power and do something for my son. He's in the tunnels. He's crying for help." 

Idit Ohel said she received confirmation that her son is still alive from released hostages Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, two of the three gaunt, frail-looking Israelis forced to speak Saturday during a Hamas hand-over ceremony in Gaza. 

The mother said the released hostages, who were held with her son for part of their nearly 500 days in captivity, told her that Alon Ohel is unable to see out of an eye after being struck by shrapnel when Hamas was closing in on Oct. 7, 2023. Alon Ohel, a civilian, was attending the Nova music festival when terrorists attacked, and he took cover in a bomb shelter. Hamas pounded the shelter with grenades and gunfire, and he "was taken, wounded, with blood all over him," Idit Ohel said. 

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

Alon Ohel's ancestors survived the Holocaust, including his great-grandfather who weighed just 30 kilos [about 66 pounds] when he was released from the Auschwitz concentration camp, Idit Ohel said. "So if he was alive today, he would probably die instantly just knowing that his great-grandson in the year of 2025 is starving," she said. "Alon has these genes. So he's fighting. He's fighting for his life every day." 

Under the deal, another three hostages were due to be released by next Saturday, but Hamas said Monday that the group would not let them go, accusing Israel of violating terms of the ceasefire agreement. 

Concerns that fighting will resume are rising. Trump has since said that Hamas must release all remaining 76 hostages by noon Saturday, or he would demand the ceasefire deal be canceled and "let all hell break out." Netanyahu backed the demand. 

Israeli media is reporting that Trump’s envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is being dispatched to Israel and Qatar this week to prevent the ceasefire deal from unraveling. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected in Israel on Saturday. 

To Trump and Netayanhu directly, Idit Ohel said, "Do something and bring them home. Please. Please." 

"Give him a chance. It's unbearable. Something has to change. You have to do everything in your power to bring him home to me, to his family," she said. "There's still hostages alive. There's still hostages alive. Please. Please, do something." 

Idit Ohel said she learned her son is being held in tunnels without medical attention and little food and has been "tortured, chained and starved." 

"It's not humane. There's so much food getting into Gaza, and he's not getting any of it," she said.

HAMAS SAYS IT'S DELAYING NEXT HOSTAGE RELEASE, CLAIMING CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS

"Alon, right now as we speak, is still being not fed, sleeping on the floor, being chained, constrained. So he cannot move for 494 days," Idit Ohel said. "My son is important. My son is only an innocent civilian. He went to the Nova festival to have fun. He's a pianist. He loves music. He did nothing wrong to nobody. We need to get him out now. He cannot continue. This is humanitarian." 

Days before Trump took office, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement. Former President Joe Biden said at the time that the first phase involved a "surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza" – something Idit Ohel stressed her son is not getting. 

She said the International Committee of the Red Cross "have never seen Alon and have never seen any of the hostages – [he] didn't get any treatment." 

"Where is he? Why is he not coming?" Idit Ohel added. "I do not understand it. I will never understand it. This is wrong. This is not moral." 

Ohel rallied thousands in Tel Aviv over the weekend on her son's 24th birthday – the second birthday he has spent in captivity since the Oct. 7 attacks. 

"I wanted to say happy birthday to my son. I couldn't even talk [to him] and see and hear his voice," she said. "When I heard about his condition, I fainted … I haven't been sleeping for days … I cannot control what Hamas is doing to my son." 

"Every mother in this world. Think just for a second. If there's one night that your son or daughter doesn't eat, you can't even live with yourself," Ohel added. "My son has not been getting food for 494 days."

The mother also delivered a message directly to her son. 

"If you're listening to me, you know I love you and your father loves you. And we're doing everything in our power to make sure that you're home alive. You're coming home. And there's so many people all over the world and in Israel that are with you and are praying for you," Ohel said, asking fellow musicians to play songs in her son's honor in the coming days. "And you are not alone, Alon. You are not alone." 

The United States is releasing Russian prisoner Alexander Vinnik as part of the deal to secure Marc Fogel's freedom, a Trump administration official told Fox News on Wednesday.

Fogel, an American teacher who had been detained in Russia since 2021, was freed on Tuesday. A plane carrying him landed in the U.S. late last night. 

Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges. He was later extradited to the United States where he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said the Russian prisoner’s name would be revealed when he returns home. 

FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL LANDS IN US AFTER YEARS IN RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY 

"Recently, work has been intensified through the relevant agencies, there have been contacts," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters, according to the Associated Press. "And these contacts have led to the release of Fogel, as well as one of the citizens of the Russian Federation, who is currently being held in custody in the United States. This citizen of the Russian Federation will also be returned to Russia in the coming days." 

The State Department did not immediately respond Wednesday morning to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

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. 

Anne Fogel, his sister, told "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday that she is "so happy to have this massive boulder" lifted off her shoulders with her brother’s release. 

"I am so incredibly grateful to the president," she added. "Just amazing." 

Fogel said her brother's situation has "taken a toll" on her family but they "can’t even believe that he is safe and at home and can get medical attention." 

AMERICAN MARC FOGEL RELEASED FROM RUSSIAN CUSTODY 

After his arrival in the U.S., Fogel 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." 

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. 

Fox News’ Pat Ward, Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The United Nations said Monday it suspended its humanitarian operations in the stronghold of Yemen’s Houthi rebels after they detained eight more U.N. staffers, affecting the global response to one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

In a statement, the U.N. said the "extraordinary" decision to pause all operations and programs in northern Saada province was due to the lack of necessary security conditions and guarantees.

A spokesman for the Houthis didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

UN CHIEF SOUNDS THE ALARM AMID FEARS OVER POSSIBLE DOGE-INSPIRED CUTS AFTER TRUMP'S ORDER

The rebels in recent months have detained dozens of U.N. staffers, as well as people associated with aid groups, civil society and the once-open U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. None of the U.N. staffers has been released.

The U.N. statement said the pause in operations is meant to give the Houthis and the world body time to "arrange the release of arbitrarily detained U.N. personnel and ensure that the necessary conditions are in place to deliver critical humanitarian support" in rebel-held areas.

It said the latest detained U.N. staffers — taken late last month — included six working in Saada, on Yemen’s northern border with Saudi Arabia.

US STRIKES UNDERGROUND HOUTHI WEAPONS DEPOTS USED TO HIT AMERICAN SHIPS

Seven U.N. agencies operate in Saada, including the World Food Program, the World Health Organization and UNICEF, along with several international aid organizations, according to the U.N. humanitarian agency.

The U.N. late last month suspended all travel into Houthi-held areas.

The war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians. The Iranian-backed Houthis have been fighting Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, since 2014, when they descended from their stronghold in Saada and took control of Sanaa and most of the north.

The U.N. had projected that over 19 million people across Yemen will need humanitarian assistance this year as many deal with climate shocks, malnutrition, cholera and the economic effects of war.

The rebels have imprisoned thousands of people during the war. In recent months, they also intensified their crackdown on dissent, including recently sentencing 44 people to death.

In January, the Houthis unilaterally freed 153 war detainees as one of several overtures to ease tensions after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Such prisoner releases have been viewed as a means to jump-start talks over permanently ending Yemen’s war.

Two Australian healthcare workers are being investigated after threatening to kill an Israeli man on camera, claiming they had previously killed Jews in their care.

The man and woman, who said they were doctors, spoke with the man via Chatrouletka, a website where strangers are matched internationally to have conversations.

After the Israeli man revealed his nationality, the female worker said "it's Palentine's country, not your country you piece of s---," according to the video.

JEWISH CHILDREN, TEENS VIOLENTLY ATTACKED IN LONDON: ‘STREETS ARE NO LONGER SAFE’

As the Israeli man asked for peace, the conversation escalated, and the woman said "when the time comes, I want you to remember my face, so you can understand that you will die the most disgusting death."

The pair went on to say they wouldn't treat the man, and would kill him if he came to their hospital.

The man in scrubs said "you have no idea how many Israelis came to this hospital and…," while sliding his arm across his neck in a throat slashing motion.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns confirmed the two individuals are workers at Bankstown Hospital.

Minns and Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the pair were identified quickly and were "stood down" by NSW authorities. 

"They have rightly been referred to the NSW Police for criminal investigation," Albanese wrote in a statement Tuesday on X. "Individuals found to have committed criminal antisemitic acts will face the full force of our laws."

Albanese described the comments as "vile," and condemned the healthcare workers' actions.

"The antisemitic video circulating today is disgusting," he wrote. "The footage is sickening and shameful. These antisemitic comments, driven by hate, have no place in our health system and no place anywhere in Australia."

A synagogue was fire-bombed in Melbourne on Dec. 6, which authorities are now investigating as a likely terrorist attack. Other reports indicate cars have been set aflame and buildings have been vandalized in Sydney Jewish communities.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) reported more than 2,000 antisemitic incidents in Australia since Palestinian militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Data was collected between Oct. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024.

In a news conference on Tuesday, Alexander Ryvchin, ECAJ co-chief executive officer, said members of the community have felt unsafe at Australian hospitals.

COLUMBIA GROUP’S ANTISEMITIC NEWSPAPER DRAWS OUTRAGE FROM NY LAWMAKER, AS UNIVERSITY INVESTIGATES

"Hospitals are a place where people should never feel unsafe," Ryvchin said. "It's the exact contrary. People should feel entirely comfortable that they'll be treated based on their condition and humanity, not in the way that we saw in that video."

He added the incident was the "tip of the iceberg," and he believes there are many Australians with the same ideology.

"Antisemitism has sadly taken root in Australia, and we need to expunge it root and branch," Ryvchin said. "There need to be consequences."

On Wednesday, Australia enacted a hate crimes bill imposing minimum mandatory penalties for certain hate-related crimes, including six years for terrorist offenses, three years for financing terrorism and one year for displaying hate symbols.

"There have been similar instances of such behavior in Sydney and Perth where perpetrators have been convicted and given only a token fine," the ECAJ wrote in a statement posted on its website. "That is also unacceptable because perpetrators come to regard such fines as merely the cost of "doing business" and not as a real deterrent."

Though it has faced more intolerance, the Jewish population of Australia is substantially smaller than the Muslim population, which accounts for 3.2%, according to previous reporting. Jews account for just 0.4% of the population.

The Australian Federal Police was previously tasked with conducting an operation that would "focus on threats, violence, and hatred" targeting the Jewish community, Fox News Digital reported. 

In addition, the Prime Minister allocated $25 million, about $15 million in the U.S., beginning in 2022 to increase security for Jewish organizations, according to a Reuters report. He also took a stand against hate speech and banned the Nazi salute.

Fox News' Beth Bailey contributed to this story.

Canada appointed a fentanyl czar on Tuesday in accordance with a deal made with U.S. President Donald Trump to avoid additional tariffs on Canadian imports.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chose Kevin Brosseau, who spent decades with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, for the position aimed at working with the U.S. to "detect, disrupt and dismantle" the fentanyl trade. His appointment is effective immediately.

Brosseau has extensive law enforcement experience, having served as deputy commissioner and the commanding officer in Manitoba during his career as a Mountie. He most recently worked with Trudeau as his deputy national security and intelligence advisor.

"Mr. Brosseau navigated Canada’s most sensitive security challenges. His demonstrated expertise tackling drug trafficking, organized crime networks, and other national security threats will bring tremendous value to this position," Trudeau said in his announcement.

TRUMP AGREES TO PAUSE TARIFFS ON CANADA IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE BORDER ENFORCEMENT

Brosseau's appointment comes days after Trump threatened to impose an additional 25% tariff on Canadian imports, citing the flow of illegal aliens and drugs, such as fentanyl, across the northern border.

Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on the tariffs in order to assess Canada's response to his demands, which revolved around creating a stronger border.

In addition to appointing a fentanyl czar, Trudeau said the country will implement a $1.3 billion border plan that utilizes Black Hawk helicopters, drones, mobile surveillance towers and nearly 10,000 frontline personnel to protect the U.S.-Canada border.

He also said organized crime cartels will be listed as terrorist entities in order to enforce criminal investigations in Canada.

TRUDEAU SAYS TRUMP IS SERIOUS ABOUT CANADA BECOMING 51ST STATE: REPORTS

Focusing on fentanyl production and trafficking, Canada will be adding new and expanded detection capacity at border entry points and building a Canadian Drug Analysis Center where authorities will study illegal drug samples to identify where and how they are manufactured.

"While less than 1% of the fentanyl intercepted at the U.S. border comes from Canada, any amount of fentanyl is too much," Trudeau said, adding that "fentanyl must be wiped from the face of the Earth, its production must be shut down, and its profiteers must be punished."

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While the fentanyl that comes through the northern border is significantly less than what comes from Mexico, U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year.

Agents at the U.S.-Mexico border seized 21,100 pounds of fentanyl during the same time period.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Marc Fogel, an American who had been detained in Russia since 2021, was released because the U.S. has a "strong president" in President Donald Trump.

Rubio made the comments during an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity."

"We have a great team here … but none of this is possible without President Trump," Rubio said. "This is the 10th American that has come home after being detained somewhere overseas in just three weeks. And for the White House, it's an extraordinary achievement. This is what happens when you have a strong president."

"Look, anytime an American comes home, we should be excited about it. This is a case that languished under the Biden administration, they really didn't give it priority. And so tonight is really a happy occasion. It should be for all Americans, but certainly for Mr. Fogel and his family," he continued.

FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL LANDS IN US AFTER YEARS IN RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY

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.

After his arrival in the U.S., Fogel, from Pennsylvania, met with Trump at the White House and called him a "hero" for securing his release. His family, in a statement, also thanked Trump for his "unwavering leadership" that helped free Fogel.

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.

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

Rubio stressed the importance of having a strong leader as president when handling sensitive matters with other leaders around the world.

"We have a strong president, I think people forget how important that is," Rubio told host Sean Hannity. "At the end of the day, we are dealing all over the world with strong leaders. We may not like them or what they do, but these are strong leaders that respect strength. And that's what we have with Donald Trump in the White House. And, he also made this a campaign priority. So, I think you're beginning to see the fruits of what happened. We were led by a strong president who does what he says he's going to do and doesn't just give it lip service."

He also suggested that with Trump in office, the U.S. government could achieve other foreign policy goals, including ending the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war, which is now under a ceasefire.

"I think that the reason why this might be linked to so many other things over time is because of that strength," the secretary said. "When you have a president that's strong, like Donald Trump, you're going to have a chance to achieve things, whether it's in Ukraine and ending that war, whether it's some of the conflicts that we're now seeing in the Middle East or anywhere in the world, because they know he's not playing around."

"He says he's going to do it, and then he does it," Rubio added. "And this is not some president that wastes a lot of time talking about things that he's never going to do or doesn't mean to do. If he says he's going to do something, he'll do it. And these leaders know it. And so, and hopefully, they'll bear fruit in a bunch of places beyond just what we're seeing tonight."

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.