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El Salvador's Bukele announces plan to free up to half of prisoners jailed in gang crackdown
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has unveiled a plan that could allow the conditional early release of up to half of those detained under a state of emergency that authorities used to arrest more than 90,000 people in the past four and a half years as part of an effort to curb violent criminal gang activity.
Bukele's plan to cut the prison population was announced on Tuesday night. It would focus on freeing prisoners who were deemed gang collaborators, a broad term that can include various people, including gang lookouts and those who make extortion payments.
"There are many people who have indeed committed crimes, but their crime was collaborating with gangs," Bukele said. "They deserve to be in jail, but we come from a country where collaborating with gangs wasn’t so unusual, and if we were to arrest everyone who collaborated with gangs, we would have to arrest 20% of the population."
Without offering details, the president indicated that authorities plan to analyze cases to determine potential early release with monitoring, which could apply to half of the people detained during the state of emergency.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS FEDERAL AUTHORITIES HAVE ARRESTED MORE THAN 10,000 SUSPECTED GANG MEMBERS
The state of emergency was declared in March 2022 after a surge in violence left more than 60 people dead in a single day. The measure was initially imposed for 30 days but has been repeatedly extended.
The emergency declaration has coincided with a dramatic decline in the country's homicide rate and helped make El Salvador a more appealing tourist destination while also suspending or restricting certain constitutional protections, including the right to be informed of the reasons for detention, the right to access legal counsel and the right to visitation.
El Salvador's president has maintained that the measure was needed to rein in rival gangs MS-13 and Barrio 18.
Human rights groups, meanwhile, have denounced the declared emergency, arguing that it has sparked widespread arbitrary arrests. The groups have repeatedly demanded that Bukele scrap the measure.
NICOLAS MADURO AND WIFE CILIA FLORES FACE NEW CHARGE OF CONSPIRACY TO TORTURE AMERICANS
Human rights organizations have recorded more than 6,000 complaints during the emergency declaration and documented the deaths of at least 575 people in government custody.
The potential release of thousands of prisoners, some argue, is not enough to repair the damage of their prolonged imprisonment.
"The victims of arbitrary detentions don’t just deserve to recover their freedom, but they also deserve to be compensated for the harms caused by the State of El Salvador: the physical and mental harm that imprisonment causes, family suffering, loss of work or studies, reputational damage, among others," exiled Salvadoran lawyer Bertha Deleón wrote on X.
Bukele dismissed widespread criticism from national and international human rights groups, suggesting that they should take the side of the victims of gang violence.
The president also defended the need to keep the state of emergency while also indicating his goal of ending it eventually.
El Salvador's homicide rate has fallen dramatically over the past decade, including during Bukele's presidency, according to government figures. The rate dropped from a peak of more than 100 murders per 100,000 residents in 2015, four years before Bukele took office, to 1.3 per 100,000 in 2025.
But the government has narrowed the definition of homicide to exclude killings by police, murders in prisons and bodies found in unmarked graves.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pentagon sends hundreds of Army troops to Latin America for training as drug-trafficking campaign expands
The U.S. military is deploying several hundred Army soldiers to Latin America for training and joint exercises with regional forces as the Trump administration expands its campaign against drug-trafficking networks, Fox News confirmed.
The deployment involves soldiers from the Army's 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, New York, with the first troops from a roughly 600-soldier battalion expected to deploy to Panama, according to The New York Times, which first reported the deployment.
A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the troops are being forward-staged under U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which will determine where they are ultimately deployed.
According to The Times, the troops will first deploy to a new jungle training facility in Panama before eventually training with local forces in Colombia and Honduras.
The troops could also support U.S. special operations personnel who are advising local militaries conducting raids against suspected drug traffickers, the outlet reported.
Separately, several hundred soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division are expected to help staff a new Western Hemisphere military command based in Miami.
The deployment comes as the Pentagon continues military operations targeting suspected drug traffickers across Latin America and the Caribbean.
US MILITARY STRIKES ALLEGED NARCO-TRAFFICKING VESSEL IN CARIBBEAN, KILLING 4 'NARCO-TERRORISTS'
Since the campaign began more than a year ago, U.S. forces have conducted dozens of strikes, with more than 235 people killed.
Gen. Francis Donovan, commander of SOUTHCOM, previously said the military was considering operations against trafficking networks on land.
"Do I see land strikes as options? Yes. We want all options at the table," Donovan said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
"Those actions might be strikes, arrests, or the takedown of a safe house," he continued. "It could even be something as routine as increasing the use of cargo scanners at border checkpoints."
TRUMP ADMIN'S LIST OF US-DESIGNATED 'FOREIGN TERRORIST' GROUPS IN LATIN AMERICA EXPANDS TO 21
Donovan added that the goal was to create "total systemic friction" for the cartels.
The Trump administration has pursued agreements with allied nations that could allow it to expand military operations against trafficking networks onto land in multiple Latin American countries.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth previously said during a visit to Panama in August that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the U.S. to carry out joint military operations against criminal groups within their borders, although Guatemala denied reaching such an agreement.
Trump wishes Pope Leo speedy recovery after lung cancer diagnosis, speaks highly of pontiff's brother
President Donald Trump wished Pope Leo XIV a speedy recovery Wednesday following his lung cancer diagnosis, revealing that he is friends with the pontiff's brother, whom he described as an enthusiastic MAGA supporter.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling from Arizona to Montana, Trump expressed optimism about the 71-year-old pontiff's recovery following surgery to remove part of his right lung.
"I want to see Pope Leo get well. I hear the prognosis for that type of a problem. It's a cancer. It's big stuff. Anytime you have cancer," the president said. "But the prognosis seems to be good, I've watched. And we just want to wish him our love and our best wishes."
POPE LEO XIV BEGINS HISTORIC 4-DAY VISIT TO FRANCE
Trump then discussed his friendship with the pope's brother and his wife, describing them as enthusiastic supporters of the president.
"His brother is a friend of mine, who's a great — he's a fantastic guy — and his wife. You know, they're big Trump supporters. They have MAGA all over their house," he continued. "And I can say that his brother loves him a lot. Loves the pope a lot, and that's good, but I just want to wish him well. Get better fast."
The president's remarks came one day after the Vatican announced that Leo had been diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer, following surgery at Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome.
According to the Holy See Press Office, doctors removed the lower lobe of the pontiff's right lung during a procedure that lasted approximately 90 minutes. Doctors reported no complications.
TRUMP TAKES AIM AT POPE LEO XIV MEETING WITH 'USELESS' CHICAGO MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON AT VATICAN
The Vatican said the cancer diagnosis was confirmed through an examination of tissue collected during surgery, consistent with findings from tests conducted before the procedure.
Leo had previously disclosed that doctors discovered a small lump in his lung at an early stage and recommended surgery. Following the operation, he awoke normally and returned to his hospital room after a brief observation period, according to the Vatican.
Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
Woman found floating in sea after going overboard Royal Caribbean ship
A woman who went overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship was rescued after spending 20 hours in the water clinging to a lifebuoy, the Hellenic Coast Guard said.
The 44-year-old Salvadoran national was traveling aboard Odyssey of the Seas as it sailed through the Ionian Sea near the island of Zakynthos on Saturday, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs told USA Today.
The cargo ship MSC Rossella III was assisting in the search and spotted the woman inside the bright orange lifebuoy in dark waters. The vessel alerted authorities, and a Greek Coast Guard crew arrived to toss her ropes and pull her to safety.
CRUISE PASSENGER JUMPS FROM BALCONY AND DIES AFTER FALLING OVERBOARD INTO OCEAN
The woman reportedly told authorities she jumped off the ship because she "wanted to disembark," a Coast Guard spokesperson told Agence France-Presse, adding that "she was 20 hours at sea."
Following her rescue, she was transported to the port of Katakolo and brought to a local hospital, where a prosecutor ordered a psychiatric evaluation, according to the Hellenic Coast Guard.
CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER DIES AFTER FALLING FROM BALCONY – FBI INVESTIGATES HIGH-SEAS HORROR
Fox News Digital reached out to Royal Caribbean for comment.
The incident follows a similar stunt last year when a man jumped off Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in an attempt to evade nearly $17,000 in gambling debt.
The passenger, Jey Gonzalez-Diaz, survived the jump and was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
Cartels use drones to scout border agents and map smuggling routes, expert warns
MEXICO CITY — Mexican cartels are said to be using commercial and modified drones to watch U.S. security personnel, map patrol routines and support smuggling corridors along the southern border as authorities expand efforts to disable the aircraft.
The U.S. military detected 378 drone incursions along the border during the previous 30 days, Brig. Gen. Brian Filler of Joint Task Force-Southern Border recently told reporters. He said the trend was increasing, and the aircraft were typically commercial drones with cameras used for surveillance tied to smuggling and human trafficking.
"On the border, the most common application is surveillance and reconnaissance as cartels look to establish a pattern of life for U.S. security personnel and support smuggling outcomes across the border," Austin Doctor told Fox News Digital.
Doctor directs strategic initiatives at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center and teaches criminology and criminal justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson confirmed the growing threat, telling Fox News Digital, "Rapidly advancing Unmanned Aircraft System technology presents persistent threats, including counter-surveillance, illicit cargo movement and potential kinetic attacks.
"Cartels increasingly exploit UAS for surveillance, illicit activities, monitoring law enforcement, scouting crossing points and coordinating smuggling operations. CBP detected over 42,000 near-border UAS flights in (fiscal 2025) and over 37,000 in (fiscal 2026), underscoring the scale of this challenge.
"Under congressional authority (6 USC 124n), the Department of Homeland Security has approved Counter-UAS authorities for CBP. U.S. Border Patrol C-UAS operations, with DHS Secretary approval, cover the entire Southwest border and areas extending 100 miles inland for detection, identification, monitoring, and tracking of UASs. USBP C-UAS operates in all Southwest border sectors to detect, track, and mitigate these threats."
Doctor explained how the cartels are using drones.
"Most cartels and cartel associates still rely on commercial-off-the-shelf drones," he said. More sophisticated aircraft are emerging, however, including "larger agricultural drone devices."
He added, "Cartels continue to innovate their drone designs, often focused on increasing payload sizes, improving resistance to countermeasures and boosting operational capabilities."
He identified surveillance and logistics as the dominant border roles, with weaponized use more frequently documented inside Mexico.
"Cartels and cartel affiliates use drones for a wide range of tactics and operations. … That includes kinetic attacks on rival factions, civilians in Mexico and local security forces."
Doctor said NCITE research identified the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, as "a key driver of drone innovation and adoption within the Mexico cartel ecosystem," although drone use has spread among cartels and across Mexican states.
FBI WARNS BATTLEFIELD-STYLE DRONE ATTACKS COULD REACH US: 'ONLY A MATTER OF TIME'
A 2025 seizure in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, shows how border regions can support those programs. Mexico’s security cabinet said soldiers and state police detained a man and seized 18 drones, 151 explosive objects, two improvised explosive devices, a drone detector and three counter-drone devices. The official announcement did not identify a cartel. Doctor said the safehouse "was reported as linked to the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel."
Weaponized drones have also reached a Mexican border city. In October 2025, Baja California’s prosecutor said a drone dropped homemade explosive devices at an anti-kidnapping prosecutor’s office in Tijuana, damaging four vehicles but causing no injuries. Authorities described it as criminal retaliation but did not publicly identify a cartel.
Doctor said Tijuana was among the exceptions to the pattern of attacks occurring farther inside Mexico. Border regions, he said, remain "critical facilitation hubs," and the risk of increased kinetic attacks there "remains credible."
Mexico says it is responding with interdictions, counter-drone equipment, military operations and new criminal penalties. During last month's Águila Alta operation in the Tijuana-San Diego area, the defense ministry said Mexican forces neutralized five drones, detained one person and seized a gun, magazines and ammunition.
One aircraft was initially detected in the U.S. and later neutralized in Mexico following information-sharing with Customs and Border Protection. Officials said the operation deterred criminal activity and strengthened coordination but released no before-and-after data showing whether drone traffic subsequently declined.
Mexico made certain drone-related conduct a federal crime in 2024, including dropping explosives, adapting aircraft to carry weapons or drugs and surveilling public officials.
CBP OFFICERS SEIZE $67 MILLION IN ILLEGAL DRUGS AT SAN DIEGO BORDER PORTS, DHS SAYS
Earlier this month, Mexico deployed 500 soldiers and National Guard members, two helicopters, drones and mobile and fixed counter-drone systems in five Tamaulipas municipalities. The Navy separately reported 159 personnel, 11 vehicles and two drones under Operation Sable.
In response to Fox News Digital's questions, a Department of War spokesperson said Joint Task Force-Southern Border, CBP and the Department of Homeland Security use layered monitoring and detection systems to "observe, evaluate and, if needed, engage threats."
What remains unknown is the number of cartel-operated drones, which groups control individual flights and whether Mexico’s countermeasures are producing results.
Doctor said increased counter-drone resources are important but cautioned that "it is almost certain that cartels will continue to innovate and adapt."
Pope Leo undergoes blood tests, X-ray following cancer surgery, Vatican says
Pope Leo XIV underwent blood tests and a chest X-ray Wednesday following surgery to remove a small nodule on his lung, with his recovery going "as expected," the Vatican announced.
The development comes after the Holy See Press Office said "the night passed calmly for the Pope" at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
The 71-year-old pontiff on Tuesday underwent thoracic surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung with doctors confirming he had lung adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer, according to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office.
"This morning, the Holy Father underwent the blood tests and chest X-ray scheduled after surgery. The results confirm that his postoperative recovery is progressing normally: the values are within the expected range for the type of operation performed," it attributed Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora as saying.
POPE LEO DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER AFTER SURGEONS REMOVE PART OF RIGHT LUNG, VATICAN SAYS
"The Holy Father has undergone respiratory physiotherapy and has begun walking around his room. He has resumed eating normally and had breakfast and lunch," their statement added. "His recovery is proceeding as expected."
The pope's diagnosis was confirmed through a tissue examination conducted during the operation, consistent with findings from preoperative tests, the Vatican said.
The pope spent approximately three hours in the operating room, although the surgery itself lasted about 90 minutes.
Doctors said the procedure was successful and there were no complications.
"Doctors found a small lump in the lung," Leo said after an Angelus address at St. Peter's Square on Monday. "It was identified at a very early stage and well situated."
"The doctors consider it appropriate to intervene and so, following their advice, I decided to have surgery to remove it," he continued. "The surgery is already scheduled for the next few days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and I rely on your prayer."
Fox News' Courtney Walsh, Anders Hagstrom and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
African nations on ‘knife’s edge’ as US embassy warns Americans of long-range attacks
The entire Horn of Africa region is said to be on a knife’s edge. As explosions reportedly claimed to be caused by drones hit Ethiopia's capital city in early October, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa warned U.S. citizens of the danger of "long-range attacks."
Analysts say there’s a high probability that Ethiopia and Eritrea are about to erupt in a new war, with worrying regional backing for both sides.
Former CIA analyst and National Security Council Africa Director Cameron Hudson says the Trump administration needs to become more involved. He told Fox News Digital, "Regional leaders will say privately that they don’t want a regional war. But with so many armed actors and so much meddling going on in each other’s countries, a regional conflagration becomes increasingly likely. It is this kind of miscalculation that the Trump administration needs to be working now to guard against."
The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa took to its website to caution Americans in Ethiopia that it "is aware of reports of possible long-range attacks directed at Ethiopian military installations on several instances in October of this year. U.S. citizens should accordingly exercise caution and follow the advice of local authorities."
The Embassy also hit out at reported disinformation, "some social media accounts contain false and misleading reports about the security situation in Ethiopia. U.S. citizens are urged to verify information using multiple sources or reliable information."
Indeed, although explosions in and around Addis Ababa, mainly at military installations, can be confirmed as having taken place, it cannot be established that the frightening spectacle of drones crashing into buildings in a major African city which houses the headquarters of the African Union happened.
Requests for comment to the Ethiopian government were not returned.
TRUMP GETS MAJOR WIN AGAINST CHINA IN AFRICAN RARE EARTH MINERALS RACE
Dr. Jalale Getachew Birru, regional expert of the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data research group, told Fox News Digital this is potentially a worrying development. "If identified as an aerial or drone attack, they exceed the capabilities of Ethiopia’s domestic insurgent groups, confirming Ethiopia's allegation of foreign state involvement."
The rebel groups opposing Ethiopia’s government have joined together to form the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival. This coalition claimed responsibility for the Addis Ababa attacks, stating they used drones.
Blen Mamo, executive director of the Ethiopian Horn Review thinktank, is also concerned about a new phase of conflict using drones. Mamo told Fox News Digital, "should the Alliance for Survival possess drone capabilities, it could fundamentally alter the dynamics of the conflict, refocusing strategic control on aerial dominance."
In early October, Ethiopian troops pushed out rebel groups who had occupied the Tigrayan capital, Mekelle. This operation ended a four-year-long ceasefire between Ethiopia and Tigray, the northernmost province of Ethiopia.
Last week, reports claimed Eritrean troops had entered Ethiopia. Although the allegations have not been independently verified, Fox News Digital has seen multiple videos showing what appears to be large convoys of trucks carrying uniformed soldiers passing through the Ethiopian city of Adigrat. Addis Ababa is said to have subsequently launched drone attacks and pushed the Eritreans back over the border.
The latest fighting was sparked principally by Ethiopia’s statements that it wants to get access to Red Sea ports. The country became landlocked when Eritrea became independent in 1993. In a speech as he was sworn in for a new five-year term Oct. 5, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said sea access was "of vital importance to Ethiopia’s civilization."
He added, "Based on the principle of give and take, we will work diligently to ensure that Ethiopia has an outlet to the sea."
US VISA CLASH EXPOSES SUDAN’S FORGOTTEN WAR AS FOREIGN POWERS COMPETE FOR STRATEGIC FOOTHOLD
Possible regional expansion of any conflict also comes from the creation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt and Sudan are at odds with Addis Ababa, after it built the dam across the Blue Nile, affecting access to water to these countries which are downstream. Egypt this month took up a formal position against Ethiopia, when it created a coalition with Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia.
The State Department has been active diplomatically to try and resolve the situation. A spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker met this month with Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh and spoke with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timotheos.
Also, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Frank Garcia met with Minister Saleh. The spokesperson added, "Both U.S. officials underscored the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity for all countries in the Horn of Africa."
Following these discussions, State Department spokesman Thomas "Tommy" Piggott released a statement, saying, "Increasing cross-border tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea have the potential to affect the entire region. The Horn of Africa cannot sustain another military conflict and humanitarian crisis. A conflict jeopardizes ongoing U.S. collaboration on shared interests with both countries."
Piggott added, "We strongly urge Ethiopia and Eritrea to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their neighbors, exercise maximum restraint and return to dialogue and cooperation as agreed in their 2018 peace framework. Peace through dialogue is the only path toward sustainable security, economic growth, and prosperity."
The Horn Review’s Mamo told Fox News Digital the reality on the ground is "increasingly pointing toward a conflict that may prove impossible to avoid," and warned of Egypt’s motives: "Parallel military and technical cooperation with Asmara (the capital of Eritrea) also adds strategic depth along Ethiopia’s northern frontier, while Egypt’s expanding role in Somalia and Red Sea port initiatives extends its regional influence."
"The situation in Ethiopia and in the region is extremely dynamic," analyst Cameron Hudson told Fox News Digital. Hudson added, "The question remains, given the weakness of the internal (rebel) coalition, will external forces attempt to step in and exert greater leverage against Abiy."
He continued, "We are seeing Eritrea begin to move forces into Ethiopia, while a coalition of regional states including Somalia, Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea have issued a statement that amounts to a veiled threat against Ethiopia and its regional ambitions to establish a Red Sea naval presence and expand a series of hydroelectric dams on the Nile. The entire Horn of Africa region is on a knife’s edge and it is being made only more complicated by Houthi efforts to shut Red Sea shipping and the war in Iran."
"The risk of regional conflict remains high," Hudson said. "Egypt would be happy to see Ethiopia bogged down in internal conflict and unable to pursue its ambitions on the Nile and in the Red Sea. Similarly, Sudan hopes that internal conflict in Ethiopia distracts Addis from its support of the rapid support forces militia in Sudan’s war."
"Local disputes can quickly become regional and international disputes with global consequences very quickly in this corner of the world," Hudson added, "Closure of the Bab el Mandab Strait, owing to unchecked tensions and violence across the Red Sea, will quickly be felt in the U.S."
Greta Thunberg joins massive French student protests as cars burn, police fire tear gas
Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined student protesters in France on Tuesday after weeks of violent confrontations with police, thousands of arrests and widespread school closures over demands for education reform.
The 23-year-old Swedish activist appeared outside a high school in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, where students were demanding more teachers, better facilities and shorter school days, Reuters reported.
More than 6,800 people have been detained since the protests began in September, according to French authorities. Demonstrators have set fires, erected barricades and confronted riot police in cities across France, although many protests have remained peaceful.
FRANCE EXPLODES AGAIN AS STUDENTS RIOT OVER EDUCATION
Thunberg, who rose to prominence organizing school strikes over climate change, criticized the French government's response to the demonstrations.
"We are inspired by the young people who are demanding their basic rights," Thunberg told reporters, according to Reuters. She also described the police response as "extremely violent."
About 161,500 people marched across France on Tuesday, including 41,500 in Paris, according to Interior Ministry figures. The Education Ministry said 214 schools were closed.
FRENCH SCHOOL RIOTS DEEPEN AS EXPERTS POINT TO FAR-LEFT ALLIANCE FUELING ‘BROADER CONFRONTATION’
President Donald Trump weighed in on the turmoil last week, blaming mass migration rather than complaints about education.
"What’s happening in France is nothing less than out of control mass migration. This isn’t about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on Oct. 6.
The demonstrations have become a political flashpoint ahead of France's presidential election next May, with far-left presidential hopeful Jean-Luc Mélenchon accusing the government of excessive force against young protesters.
FRANCE IS DEVOURING ITSELF AS SCHOOL RIOTS REVEAL A CRISIS FAR BIGGER THAN BROKEN CLASSROOMS
Mélenchon joined demonstrators in Paris on Tuesday, while right-wing National Rally leader Marine Le Pen has condemned violence by protesters and called for those responsible for damaging schools to pay for repairs.
The police response has drawn criticism following an incident last week in which a 15-year-old boy lost his hand and part of his lower arm after picking up a police dispersal grenade that detonated during a demonstration in Lens.
French authorities subsequently suspended the use of the type of stun grenade involved in the incident.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for restraint and dialogue as the demonstrations continue.
Students have complained about deteriorating buildings, teacher shortages and school days that can stretch from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has asked ministers to address their demands.
Fox News Digital's Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.
‘Peace through strength’: Trump Gaza plan gains global backing one year on
A year has passed since President Donald Trump made history by brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, setting in motion an ambitious peace plan aimed at bringing lasting stability to the region.
In the days and months since the ceasefire and Trump’s 20-point peace plan took hold, progress has drawn support from across the globe — including from unexpected quarters.
Senior advisor to the Board of Peace Josh Gruenbaum told Fox News Digital that the success of the last 12 months was largely attributable to President Donald Trump’s leadership and commitment to seeking peace.
"The unlock was somebody who came in, who really knew the file because they had the chance to study it and understand it," Gruenbaum said. Trump and his team, including U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, "created working relationships with regional actors with trust, overlaid with peace through strength," while also forcing Hamas to finally understand that "this was either going to end the very hard way for them, or there was an off-ramp and a way to do this in a more dignified way, which is what the 20-point-plan was."
He said this has been achieved by "building consensus through the world, including through Europe, that this is the only game in town. This is the only pragmatic approach to make this thing stop." A particular point of strength for the Board of Peace, Gruenbaum added, has been "cultivating really strong relationships with the United Nations."
In Nov. 2025, the United Nations endorsed the Board of Peace through Resolution 2803.
European Union Commissioner for the Mediterranean and for Demography, Dubravka Šuica, announced at a high-level briefing at the Board of Peace in September that the European Union had "gathered about $1 billion for early recovery in Gaza," and would sign recovery projects with the UNDP and UNICEF. "We are doing this in alignment with the priorities of the Board of Peace and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG)," Suica stated.
US URGES DONORS TO ABANDON UNRWA FUNDING AS UN DEFENDS AGENCY'S MISSION
The International Stabilization Force, which will train a future police force in Gaza and oversee demilitarization, has received commitments from Kazakhstan, Morocco, Albania and Kosovo, with other countries said to be in the pipeline for admission.
Notably absent from Gaza’s future, per the Board of Peace plan, is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The Board of Peace has been unequivocal that UNRWA will have no involvement in Gaza. One U.S. agency, the USAID Office of the Inspector General, is currently investigating over 1,500 UNRWA employees for involvement in terror groups.
On X, the Board of Peace recently stated that it "will only work with trusted partners who deliver for the people of Gaza and contribute to a deradicalized Strip," and emphasized that "UNRWA fails on those litmus tests."
The Board of Peace’s effort has support from unlikely corners. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in a June editorial in the Financial Times that while the plan was "not the one many of us would have drafted," she believes "it remains the only framework backed by sufficient leverage, political engagement and potential resources to move parties towards implementation."
The Board of Peace has received about $18 billion in pledges for reconstruction, the BBC recently reported. A Board of Peace official told Fox News Digital that next steps in the reconstruction program include a six-month program with 66 recovery initiatives, including rubble clearance, unexploded ordnance clearance, construction of temporary housing and destroying tunnel infrastructure. The initiatives are expected to cost $2.45 billion, and tenders for some projects have been submitted.
KUSHNER GIVES HAMAS STARK ULTIMATUM: DISARM OR ISRAEL GETS US BACKING TO ‘FINISH THE JOB’
In the year ahead, the Board of Peace must clear a number of hurdles, including a full demilitarization and de-radicalization of Hamasin Gaza. Gruenbaum says that the Board of Peace is "realistic and sober" but is also "in a historic place with Hamas," having secured verbal agreements and offering a path to amnesty for those who qualify.
Gruenbaum also says that the 20-point plan is Hamas’ best path forward and that regional dynamics leave them with few remaining options. Mediators are increasingly supporting the Board of Peace, Tehran is focused on its current war, and Israel is continuing to apply pressure, though Gruenbaum says the Board of Peace continues to stress that they must comply with the ceasefire.
Gruenbaum said that deradicalization will never be a top-down process led by the U.S., but will be managed through the NCAG. He said that the NCAG’s members "have kids that have been brought up" under the current UNRWA-run system, so "they understand the situation." The approach will involve the new technocratic government, whose members have extensive experience in civil service, taking the lead on "vetting teachers" and "vetting people who are involved in civil governance."
Gruenbaum celebrated the potential of bringing together the NCAG and Israeli authorities through the transformation of Gaza. "This is a monumental opportunity for the Palestinian people of Gaza where their governing body is going to be uniquely focused on delivering services for its constituents and if we could create this amazing relationship where we build trust between Israel and the NCAG, we deliver on both sides of the equation – security for Israel and freedom and a better life, self-determination and prosperity-building inside of Gaza. That’s a two-way trust building system."
Gruenbaum added that the successes in Gaza could lead to successes elsewhere. "Maybe these best practices get learned by the Palestinian Authority. Maybe Israel starts adding more trust with different people in the system. I think this is a huge moment in the history of the Middle East."
Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer after surgeons remove part of right lung, Vatican says
Pope Leo XIV underwent a procedure at Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome to remove a small nodule on his lung Tuesday, the Vatican said.
The 71-year-old pontiff underwent thoracic surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung and doctors confirmed he had lung adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer, according to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office.
The diagnosis was confirmed through a tissue examination conducted during the operation, consistent with findings from preoperative tests, the Vatican said.
The pope spent approximately three hours in the operating room, although the surgery itself lasted about 90 minutes.
Doctors said the procedure was successful and there were no complications.
POPE LEO ANNOUNCES TUMOR ON LUNG, SURGERY PLANNED IN 'NEXT FEW DAYS'
Leo awoke normally following surgery and, after a brief observation period, returned to his room on the hospital's 10th floor, according to the statement from Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora.
"Doctors found a small lump in the lung," Leo said after an Angelus address at St. Peter's Square on Monday. "It was identified at a very early stage and well situated."
"The doctors consider it appropriate to intervene and so, following their advice, I decided to have surgery to remove it," he continued. "The surgery is already scheduled for the next few days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and I rely on your prayer."
The Vatican's latest statement confirmed that the surgery involved the removal of the lower lobe of the pope's right lung using a video-assisted technique.
POPE LEO XIV BEGINS HISTORIC 4-DAY VISIT TO FRANCE
The announcement comes as a surprise for the American-born pontiff, who has no previously known health problems and is known for maintaining an active lifestyle.
POPE LEO VISITS SITE OF MIRACLE CURES, MEETS PEOPLE WHOSE UNEXPLAINED HEALINGS STUNNED DOCTORS
Leo regularly plays tennis and swims at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, according to The Associated Press.
Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York offered his support to the pope, saying that the Holy Father is "in our prayers."
"We thank God that the surgery on Pope Leo was, by all accounts, successful, and that he continues his recovery and recuperation," Archbishop Hicks said. "I know that I join with people from all corners of this archdiocese, across the country, and around the world in keeping the Holy Father in our prayers."
The pope is also scheduled to embark on a major international trip from Nov. 6–17, with planned stops in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. It remains unclear whether his surgery and recovery will affect those travel plans.
In addition to addressing his health, Leo used his Sunday remarks to renew his appeal for peace in war-torn Ukraine, warning that the conflict continues to inflict suffering far beyond the country's borders.
"The war in the martyred Ukraine continues to create suffering, even beyond its borders, especially in the poorest countries, where many people depend on the exports of cereals and grains," the pope said.
Fox News' Courtney Walsh and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
Pope Leo surgery to remove lung nodule was successful, Vatican says
Pope Leo XIV underwent a successful procedure at Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome to remove a small node on his lung on Tuesday, the Vatican said.
The 71-year-old pontiff said Monday that doctors discovered the nodule at a "very early stage" and recommended its removal. The surgery went as planned and on schedule, and the pope is expected to remain hospitalized for approximately one week, according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.
"Doctors found a small lump in the lung," Leo said after an Angelus address at St. Peter's Square on Monday. "It was identified at a very early stage and well situated."
POPE LEO ANNOUNCES TUMOR ON LUNG, SURGERY PLANNED IN 'NEXT FEW DAYS'
"The doctors consider it appropriate to intervene and so, following their advice, I decided to have surgery to remove it," he continued. "The surgery is already scheduled for the next few days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and I rely on your prayer."
The surgery is likely to take place within a few days at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, which is known as the "Pope's" hospital, Vatican sources told Fox News.
POPE LEO XIV BEGINS HISTORIC 4-DAY VISIT TO FRANCE
The Vatican has not disclosed whether the nodule is cancerous, and no further details about the pope's diagnosis or the planned procedure were immediately available.
The announcement comes as a surprise for the American-born pontiff, who has no previously known health problems and is known for maintaining an active lifestyle.
POPE LEO VISITS SITE OF MIRACLE CURES, MEETS PEOPLE WHOSE UNEXPLAINED HEALINGS STUNNED DOCTORS
Leo regularly plays tennis and swims at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, according to The Associated Press.
The pope is also scheduled to embark on a major international trip from Nov. 6–17, with planned stops in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. It remains unclear whether his surgery and recovery will affect those travel plans.
In addition to addressing his health, Leo used his Sunday remarks to renew his appeal for peace in war-torn Ukraine, warning that the conflict continues to inflict suffering far beyond the country's borders.
"The war in the martyred Ukraine continues to create suffering, even beyond its borders, especially in the poorest countries, where many people depend on the exports of cereals and grains," the pope said.
Fox News' Courtney Walsh and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
Pope Leo arrives at hospital for surgery to remove lung nodule
Pope Leo XIV arrived at Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome for a procedure to remove a small node on his lung on Tuesday.
The 71-year-old pontiff said Monday that doctors discovered the nodule at a "very early stage" and recommended its removal. The surgery is not expected to last long, and the pope is expected to remain hospitalized for approximately one week, according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.
"Doctors found a small lump in the lung," Leo said after an Angelus address at St. Peter's Square on Monday. "It was identified at a very early stage and well situated."
POPE LEO ANNOUNCES TUMOR ON LUNG, SURGERY PLANNED IN 'NEXT FEW DAYS'
"The doctors consider it appropriate to intervene and so, following their advice, I decided to have surgery to remove it," he continued. "The surgery is already scheduled for the next few days. I thank you for your spiritual closeness and I rely on your prayer."
The surgery is likely to take place within a few days at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, which is known as the "Pope's" hospital, Vatican sources told Fox News.
POPE LEO XIV BEGINS HISTORIC 4-DAY VISIT TO FRANCE
The Vatican has not disclosed whether the nodule is cancerous, and no further details about the pope's diagnosis or the planned procedure were immediately available.
The announcement comes as a surprise for the American-born pontiff, who has no previously known health problems and is known for maintaining an active lifestyle.
POPE LEO VISITS SITE OF MIRACLE CURES, MEETS PEOPLE WHOSE UNEXPLAINED HEALINGS STUNNED DOCTORS
Leo regularly plays tennis and swims at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, according to The Associated Press.
The pope is also scheduled to embark on a major international trip from Nov. 6–17, with planned stops in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. It remains unclear whether his surgery and recovery will affect those travel plans.
In addition to addressing his health, Leo used his Sunday remarks to renew his appeal for peace in war-torn Ukraine, warning that the conflict continues to inflict suffering far beyond the country's borders.
"The war in the martyred Ukraine continues to create suffering, even beyond its borders, especially in the poorest countries, where many people depend on the exports of cereals and grains," the pope said.
Fox News' Courtney Walsh and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
NATO warns Russia: 'We will break' forces, destroy 'anything and everything' if you attack
NATO's top military commander warned Monday that what he called the "lethal alliance" would destroy "anything and everything" supporting an attack on allied territory and "break" enemy warfighting systems to thwart any potential future Russian assault.
"Should the adversary choose to press the attack or commit his reserves, we will break the warfighting system engaged against us," U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland, in an apparent warning to Moscow.
"This includes not just the attacking force itself, but anything and everything that supports, sustains, and controls that force," he said during a panel titled "Theory of Victory: How Do We Achieve Military Success Against Russia in Deterrence and Defence?" on the first day of the forum.
US ALLIES NEED TO SHOOT DOWN RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT TESTING NATO BOUNDARIES, CZECH PRESIDENT WARNS
Grynkewich, NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe, also outlined a three-pronged strategy of "blocking, blunting and breaking" enemy forces, making clear that while NATO is a defensive alliance, it is prepared to respond decisively to an assault on any of its 32 members.
"If someone is foolish enough to attack us, we will fight," he said. "We will stop the attack and deny them the ability to achieve their objectives, whatever those might be. We will, in short, ensure any attack, against any ally, proves utterly futile."
The warning came amid heightened tensions between Russia and Western nations following a series of drone incursions and suspected sabotage operations that European countries have linked to Moscow.
"We stand here together in Poland today stronger than ever united in our common vision of a more balanced, more ready and more lethal alliance," Grynkewich also said.
European officials have accused Russia of waging a campaign of hybrid warfare involving sabotage, arson and cyberattacks, alongside increasingly provocative military activity near NATO territory.
I’M PRESIDENT OF ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST RELIABLE ALLIES. HERE’S HOW WE STAND UP TO RUSSIA
In 2025, multiple Russian drones entered Polish airspace during a large-scale attack on Ukraine, prompting a response from Polish and allied aircraft.
NATO launched Operation Eastern Sentry to strengthen defenses along its eastern flank.
Romania has also reported Russian drone incursions, while Estonia has accused Russian military aircraft of violating its airspace.
Grynkewich's remarks had followed a tense weekend between Russia and Ukraine, with Moscow launching fresh strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure despite diplomatic efforts to reduce hostilities.
President Donald Trump had announced that he had reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase Russian diesel supplies to the U.S. and global markets.
ZELENSKYY ACCUSES PUTIN OF DEFYING TRUMP'S CEASEFIRE PUSH, SENDS POINTED MESSAGE TO WHITE HOUSE
The reported agreement included a waiver of certain U.S. sanctions on Russian energy exports.
Zelenskyy went on to accuse Russia of continuing attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, casting doubt on prospects for a broader ceasefire.
The tensions have also been accompanied by recent nuclear warnings from Moscow.
On Sept. 30, Russia warned NATO that it could use nuclear weapons if the alliance attempted to isolate Kaliningrad, its heavily militarized Baltic Sea exclave between Poland and Lithuania.
In a diplomatic note obtained by Reuters, Moscow accused NATO of pursuing a "dangerous and reckless course" that carried "high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict."
According to the note, Russia warned it could use its full military arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend Kaliningrad and raised the possibility of strikes against decision-making centers in NATO countries at the outset of a conflict.
RUSSIA'S NEIGHBOR REVEALS PERSONAL APPEALS TO TRUMP AS US WEIGHS NATO TROOP PULLBACK IN EUROPE
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte rejected the threats, emphasizing the alliance's defensive mission and calling on Moscow to end its war in Ukraine.
"Putin knows that he can never win from NATO," Rutte said during a Sept. 30 appearance at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit.
Putin has also maintained that Russia has no plans to attack European countries and wants peaceful coexistence with its neighbors.
Grynkewich did not mention Russia by name during his Warsaw address, but his warning appeared directed at Moscow and with NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept also identifying Russia as the most significant and direct threat to allied security.
"My theory of victory is simple: we will block the initial attack. If the attack persists, we will blunt it and prevent enemy advance," Grynkewich said on Monday.
"And if required, we will break the enemy's forces and the operational warfighting system that is arrayed against us."
Grynkewich said NATO was already putting the strategy into action through military exercises, enhanced military readiness and investments in new capabilities.
"If attacked, we are ready to fight tonight, but we are not complacent," he said.
The general made clear that NATO's response would not necessarily be limited to enemy troops directly involved in an assault, but could extend to the broader military infrastructure enabling the attack.
Meanwhile, Trump has pressed European allies to increase defense spending and has questioned whether countries that fail to meet their obligations should expect U.S. protection.
Grynkewich sought to downplay concerns about Washington's commitment, recalling Trump's positive remarks about the alliance during the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands.
"I was in the room and I felt the love," Grynkewich said of the 2025 event.
"What I want to do is assure the one billion citizens of our alliance that we've got this. We know what we need to do. We know how we would do it," he added.
He also indicated a willingness to discuss suspected hybrid attacks more openly if individual NATO governments wanted him to address their concerns.
"If a nation wants me to, I'm happy to talk about it," he said.
The Warsaw Security Forum brought together European political and defense leaders as the continent grappled with Russia's continuing war in Ukraine and the growing threat of confrontation along NATO's eastern flank.
British adventurer returns home after 28-year walk around the world
Adventurer Karl Bushby has finally stepped foot on UK soil after a 28-year journey across the world.
On Oct. 5, he announced he swam the English Channel, from France to England. While resting in Dover, he said, "I’m staring at the Union Jack flying outside this hotel. I’ve seen many flags over the days, but that one is special."
On social media he shared one of his first meals back, overjoyed to have authentic British fish and chips again.
DALE 'GREY BEARD' SANDERS RECLAIMS TITLE AS OLDEST PERSON TO THRU-HIKE THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL AT 91
His journey is not over yet. He hopes to reach the finish line — his mother’s home in Hull — by the end of the month.
According to his website, he received a birthday card in the 1990s from his father about two soldiers arguing over an impossible feat, walking from London to New York via the Bering Strait. Karl grabbed a map and drew a single line, knowing he found his life’s mission.
NAVY VETERANS REUNITE AFTER 30 YEARS FOR 'GRUELING' CROSS-COUNTRY BIKE CHALLENGE HONORING 9/11
On Nov. 1, 1998, the ex-paratrooper started his journey in Chile, with only a few hundred dollars in his pocket "South America, you were young, it was all new, it was the boys adventure dream," Bushby said.
He walked north to the United States, waiting for the Bering Strait to freeze to cross from Alaska into Russia. In April 2012, Russia denied his next visa, pausing his expedition. So he started walking in the wrong direction, in protest, to the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. The ban was overturned and he carried on with his journey. From Russia he entered Mongolia, China, and swam the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.
Then it was on to Europe.
"You’ll find that you are way more capable than you think you are, people always underestimate themselves. The world always looks bigger and scarier than it actually is," Bushby said.
MAN WHO BEAT RARE CANCER CELEBRATES BY CANOEING 2,000 MILES WITH HIS DOG
He originally expected the journey to take 12 years, but visa restrictions, the 2008 financial crash, COVID-19, geopolitics, detention and some close calls slowed his progress. He says it’s the people that kept him going.
"The world is an incredible place, and it’s the people, the strangers that I have met along the way, that have kept me upright and moving forward," Bushby said.
Bushby has roughly 240 miles left to walk. He covered more than 30,000 miles, across 29 countries. "We went at a reasonable pace, we did what we needed to do and it has worked. I know it’s time to stop, I know that much because I feel that in the knees and ankles."
Zelenskyy accuses Putin of defying Trump's ceasefire push, sends pointed message to White House
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Fox News on Monday that Russia continued attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure despite President Donald Trump's announcement of what he called an immediate energy ceasefire, accusing Vladimir Putin of rejecting Washington's peace efforts and calling for greater pressure on Moscow.
"We are ready today for energy ceasefire, as President Trump said. But I'm not sure that Putin is ready because even after yesterday's messages from the president about energy ceasefire, Putin attacked our gas infrastructure," Zelenskyy told Bill Hemmer in a live interview on "America's Newsroom."
Asked whether Ukraine would honor the ceasefire, Zelenskyy answered, "Of course," insisting that Kyiv had already refrained from striking Russian energy facilities overnight.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE ENERGY CEASEFIRE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE
"We didn't attack any energy objects on the territory of Russia because President Trump said that there will be an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. And we didn't attack, but Russia attacked our gas stations, energy infrastructure, infrastructure and other things," he said.
The Ukrainian leader described the attacks as Putin's response to Trump's initiative.
"It was his answer to President Trump. He attacked our energy infrastructure," Zelenskyy said. "The communication from Russia was very clear that they don't know anything about energy ceasefire."
Trump announced Sunday on Truth Social that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an immediate halt to attacks on energy facilities. But Moscow has not confirmed accepting such an agreement, and the precise scope of Trump's proposal remains disputed.
According to Axios reporting Sunday, a White House official said the proposal initially focused on halting attacks on oil refineries, with a broader ceasefire covering power plants and electricity grids potentially following. The official acknowledged that Russia had not yet agreed.
UKRAINE STRIKES DEEP INTO RUSSIA’S ARCTIC GAS HEARTLAND AS TRUMP PUSHES PUTIN TOWARD PEACE
During the interview, Hemmer pressed Zelenskyy on whether Ukraine would halt attacks on Russia's extensive oil-refining network, which has become a point of contention between Washington and Kyiv amid rising global fuel prices.
Zelenskyy argued that a ceasefire limited to refineries would fail to address Ukraine's greatest vulnerability: its electricity supply.
"When we speak about energy ceasefire, it means only one thing: that they don't attack our energy infrastructure, and we don't respond to their energy infrastructure. This is called energy ceasefire."
Asked again whether Ukrainian forces would refrain from targeting Russian refineries, Zelenskyy gave a conditional commitment. "If Russia will not attack our energy, we will not attack the energy," he said.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries, arguing that they contribute to higher fuel prices. On Friday, he announced an agreement with Russia to release diesel supplies to the U.S. and global markets, a decision that drew criticism from lawmakers concerned about providing Moscow with additional revenue.
Zelenskyy challenged Trump's assessment of what is driving diesel prices, pointing instead to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
"Everybody understands that the price on diesel doesn't depend on our attacks on diesel in Russia," Zelenskyy told Hemmer. "Everybody understands that it depends on the blocking of Hormuz Strait."
NEW RISK FOR US CONSUMERS AS IRAN-BACKED ATTACKS THREATEN A SECOND MAJOR OIL CHOKEPOINT
The interview also exposed tensions over Trump's calls for Ukraine to hold new presidential elections.
Over the weekend, Trump criticized Zelenskyy and suggested Ukraine needed a new president, arguing that Kyiv had missed opportunities to reach a negotiated settlement with Russia.
"If President Trump wants to change the leader in Ukraine, he has to know that only our people can change," Zelenskyy responded.
The Ukrainian president said he was willing to organize an election but argued that voting remained impossible without a substantial pause in hostilities.
"I'm ready for elections. Really, we need a minimum 60 days for security of infrastructure to prepare for elections," he said.
Zelenskyy described continuing Russian drone and missile attacks as an immediate threat to voters. "We are speaking about thousands of drones, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, how can people vote?" he asked.
"It's not even about the law. The law is very important. But we speak first of all about security."
He also said he last spoke directly with Trump in New York during the U.N. General Assembly in late September.
The interview came after another series of Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities and residential areas.
Ukraine's charge d'affaires in Washington, Denys Sienik, said Sunday that Russian forces struck a power plant in Kyiv, disrupting electricity and water supplies, before attacking a thermal power plant in Kharkiv following Trump's announcement.
"In total, over the course of the week, Russia struck electricity generation and transmission facilities more than 200 times," Sienik wrote on X on Oct. 11, 2026.
East2West News agency reported Monday that three civilians — a 16-year-old boy and two women, ages 19 and 51 — were killed in a strike near a grocery store in the Kharkiv region. The agency also reported that five people were wounded in an attack on a residential high-rise.
In Pisochyn, a woman described witnessing the bombardment of a power plant shortly after Trump's announcement, according to East2West. "We believed the statement that they wouldn't strike energy infrastructure," she said. "Just ten minutes after that promise was made, there were already five strikes."
The agency also reported a Ukrainian strike on a Russian military base in occupied Khrustalnyi, in the Luhansk region, where three large fires were reportedly visible. The damage and casualty figures could not be independently confirmed.
Reuters separately reported Monday that Russia continued striking Ukrainian energy targets despite Trump's announcement, while Kyiv maintained that it had refrained from attacking Russian refineries.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, meanwhile, rejected the prospect of a 60-day ceasefire to facilitate Ukrainian elections, arguing that European countries would use the pause to replenish Ukraine's weapons supplies.
"I don't think he deserves a respite," Lavrov said Monday, according to the BBC.
The latest developments have intensified scrutiny of Trump's decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel, which critics argue could provide Moscow with additional revenue while it continues its military campaign.
Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and a former deputy assistant secretary of state during Trump's first administration, questioned whether the arrangement would undermine U.S. leverage over Putin.
"Both Russia and Ukraine seemed surprised by the announcement of an energy ceasefire, and unsurprisingly, Russia has continued to attack Ukrainian energy facilities — reportedly as recently as a few hours ago," Filipetti told Fox News Digital.
"Putin probably hopes the new diesel deal — which directly undermines recent US legislation calling for an increase in tariffs and sanctions against Russian energy — will discourage President Trump from holding Putin accountable for these continued violations and attacks."
Filipetti argued that Russian energy revenue remains a critical source of financing for Moscow's war effort. "If we want a real ceasefire, paying directly for Putin's war machine through this new diesel deal is not the way to do it," she said.
"President Trump's goal of a ceasefire could be a real win — but it's only going to happen if we stop the diesel deal."
Morgan Murphy, former head of public diplomacy for the Special Presidential Envoy to Russia and Ukraine, offered a different assessment, defending Trump's efforts to secure a negotiated settlement. "President Trump has consistently prodded both sides toward the only realistic outcome — negotiation," Murphy told Fox News Digital.
"Both sides are losing right now: Ukraine doesn’t have the combat power to retake seized land, and Russia is destroying its future demographics with every passing day."
Murphy argued that prolonging the fighting would only deepen the human toll: "Trump is right to push for a ceasefire. An endless war of attrition benefits only the makers of weapons and coffins."
In his Fox News interview, Zelenskyy also emphasized the human cost of the war, saying Russian strikes were killing between 20 and 30 civilians a day, a figure Fox News has not independently verified.
"We want to end this war as quickly as possible," he said.
"Ceasefire is a good first step from both sides. This is very important."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment but didn't receive a response in time for publication.
Benjamin Netanyahu's legacy and political future on the line in Israel's Oct 27 election
TEL AVIV, Israel: As Israel prepares to hold national elections on Oct. 27 for the first time since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and the ensuing wars, Benjamin Netanyahu’s long political career and legacy are once again at the center of a vote some describe as the most fateful in the country’s history.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu, has overseen the country’s transformation into a free-market, high-tech economy and a regional military powerhouse.
Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, told Fox News Digital that people under 20 "don’t even know an Israel without him being prime minister," aside from the brief period from 2021 to 2022 when a government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid was in power for over a year. The two are running again on a joint slate in the upcoming elections.
FLYDUBAI PILOT STABS FELLOW PILOT, ATTEMPTS TO CRASH PLANE, NETANYAHU SAYS
Gadi Taub, co-host of Tablet’s Israel Update podcast, said Israeli voters will have one central question in mind when they cast their ballots: who is best positioned to continue the work begun under Netanyahu, foremost prosecuting the wars that have, to a large extent, dismantled the Iranian-led Shiite axis surrounding Israel.
"The job is not finished. On the one hand, you have Netanyahu, who from the first moment, two days after Oct. 7, said that we are going to change the Middle East," he said.
Eylon Levy, a former spokesman for the State of Israel, told Fox News Digital, the election represents, for many Israelis, a critical opportunity to change course following what he described as the country’s biggest disaster. Benjamin Netanyahu, who has cumulatively served some two decades in office, is fighting for both his political future and his legacy.
"He doesn’t want to go down in history books as the man on whose watch the Oct. 7 massacre happened; he wants to have a long political career ahead of him and take the really incredible military achievements of the last few years as a credit to his leadership," he said.
NETANYAHU REVEALS HE WANTS AMERICAN FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL TO 'DRAW DOWN TO ZERO'
This is an election with a lot of anger about responsibility for the Oct. 7 massacre and about the social and economic cost of sustaining the war since," Levy stated.
Few polls are projecting a majority for either the current government or the opposition bloc led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot. The most likely outcome of the upcoming elections, Levy said, would be some form of deadlock, in which case Netanyahu would continue serving as caretaker prime minister until a new government is sworn in. Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022, amid prolonged political instability.
Unlike the United States, Israel operates under a parliamentary system, with voters casting ballots for parties to represent them in the Knesset. The legislature has 120 seats and uses a system of proportional representation, with each party receiving seats based on the percentage of the vote it garners. The electoral threshold for parties to enter the Knesset is around 3.25%.
No party has ever won more than half of the vote. As a result, after each election, leaders of the larger parties seek to persuade smaller parties to join them in forming a governing coalition.
"If one can get 61 of the members of Knesset, basically half plus one, to support them as prime minister, then they become prime minister and their teammates from the other parties join as government ministers," said Levy, who hosts Israeli Channel 16’s flagship international magazine program, "From Here to There" and its election podcast "EYLON:Israel Electioncast."
Klein said this is the first time in several decades that an Israeli government has completed its full term.
"There is a group called ‘Rak Lo Bibi,’ translated as ‘anyone but Bibi,’ and that’s the opposition groups, which includes Eisenkot’s party Yashar, BeYachad, headed by Naftali Bennett [and] Yair Lapid, and Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu, all [of whom] have worked with Netanyahu in the past in different capacities," Klein said.
The loose alliance also includes The Democrats, which Klein described as the most left-wing party in the so-called "change" alliance.
NETANYAHU REJECTS BOARD OF PEACE'S GAZA PLAN: NO 'WITHDRAWAL UNTIL HAMAS IS GENUINELY DISARMED'
The conservative commentator Taub said, "When you look at the candidates on the left, one after the other, they wanted to stop the war very early already in Gaza. Gadi Eisenkot, the leading contender on the left, wanted to finish the war after the pager operation, where he said we should cut a deal with Hezbollah. Netanyahu kept saying total victory," he added.
The vulnerability on the right, Taub said, is that victory has not been total.
"We have an existential danger. That danger is Iran, with the support of Russia and China, rehabilitating its nuclear program, which we can’t let happen. It is not all up to us; there is the U.S. dealing directly with this, but this is going to be the decisive issue," Taub concluded.
Fox News' Sydney Finver contributed to this report.
Pope Leo denounces death penalty as 'inadmissible' ahead of Pentagon's planned livestreamed execution
Pope Leo XIV condemned the death penalty as "inadmissible" as the Pentagon faces criticism over plans to livestream an execution later this year.
Leo, the first American pope, shared his opposition to capital punishment Saturday in a social media post marking World Day Against the Death Penalty.
Citing Catholic doctrine revised under his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo emphasized that the death penalty violates human dignity.
"The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person. The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment: effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while at the same time do not completely deprive those who are guilty of the possibility of redemption," Leo wrote on X.
"#NoDeathPenalty," he added in the post.
VETERAN SHOT 7 TIMES IN FORT HOOD MASSACRE HAS A WARNING FOR AMERICANS PLANNING TO WATCH EXECUTION
In 2018, Francis revised the Catholic Church's official position on capital punishment, declaring the death penalty "inadmissible" in all circumstances.
"Consequently the church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person," the revised Catechism states.
Before the change, Catholic teaching permitted the death penalty in cases where it was deemed the only effective means of protecting human life from a dangerous offender.
Earlier popes had maintained that exception, though Pope John Paul II increasingly advocated ending capital punishment, stressing that those convicted of crimes retain their human dignity.
Although Leo did not specifically mention the U.S. government's plans in his statement, his post comes after the Pentagon announced on Thursday that it had scheduled a firing squad execution for a man convicted of a mass shooting at a military base.
Nidal Malik Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 shooting at the Fort Hood military base. He is set to be executed at Fort Hood on Dec. 3, which would make him the first person to be executed by firing squad by the U.S. military since 1945.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday he had not yet decided whether to allow the livestream plan, pushed by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, to move forward.
Vice President JD Vance, who is a Catholic, expressed skepticism about whether the Pentagon would proceed with a public execution. He said he would not watch the livestream if it were carried out.
Several lawmakers, including Republicans, have spoken out against plans to broadcast the execution.
CHRISTA PIKE DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL, RETURNED TO PRISON AFTER BOTCHED EXECUTION, ATTORNEYS SAY
"Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do," Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said on Thursday. "It should not be happening in America."
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, criticized the proposed broadcast, calling it "truly incomprehensible" and warning that it was "unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle."
"The Church’s position is one of total opposition to the death penalty; it is incompatible with human dignity and serves as no deterrent," Parolin told reporters on Friday. "It is truly incomprehensible that anyone would want to use this system today — I don’t know for what purpose. It is certainly unacceptable to turn death into a spectacle; even if the person is guilty, of course, there are other methods."
He added that the death penalty "is incompatible with human dignity and does not serve as a deterrent."
The head of the U.S. bishops conference, Archbishop Paul Coakley, expressed "shock" and "great sorrow" about the public execution plan and urged the U.S. to reconsider.
"In no way can Hasan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered," he said in a statement on Friday. "The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people."
Leo's statement also did not mention the botched lethal injection of Christa Gail Pike in Tennessee. Pike survived the attempted execution despite two doses of pentobarbital being administered late last month.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
At least 139 migrants dead, 84 missing after overcrowded boat capsizes off Djibouti
At least 139 migrants, including 15 children, died when a boat carrying more than 300 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti, according to the United Nations' migration agency.
The vessel was carrying 305 people from Djibouti toward Yemen when it capsized Thursday night or early Friday near Guhere, north of Obock, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Sunday.
At least 84 people remained missing as of Sunday, while more than 80 survived. All of the survivors were Ethiopian nationals, according to the agency.
"No one gets into a boat like that unless they believe there is no other safe way," IOM Director General Amy Pope said in a statement.
DRAMATIC FOOTAGE SHOWS ALLEGED NARCO BOAT ERUPT IN FIREBALL DURING US MILITARY STRIKE
"We cannot keep treating these deaths as normal. Safe and legal pathways save lives. I am asking governments and donors to act before the next boat goes down," Pope added.
The confirmed death toll includes only victims buried by authorities in Djibouti and could rise as additional bodies are verified, IOM Chief of Mission in Djibouti Alexandre Coissac told The Associated Press.
Some victims were buried by fellow migrants but will not be added to the official count until authorities can verify the bodies, the outlet reported.
"What is terrible is that they were buried with no names, in a common grave, like in a war situation," Coissac said. "They all have a mother, a father, and we may never learn what happened."
Coissac said the boat sank shortly after departing on the evening of Oct. 8, "mainly because it was overcrowded."
Survivors were taken to an IOM rescue center in Obock, where they were receiving medical treatment after swallowing seawater as well as psychological support, according to The Associated Press.
FEDERAL AGENTS INTERCEPT BOAT CARRYING 14 ILLEGAL ALIENS BEFORE UNLOADING IN WEALTHY COASTAL ENCLAVE
"They're all in a state of shock," Coissac said.
The crossing from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula is a common but dangerous route for migrants seeking work in Gulf countries.
More than 900 migrants died or went missing along the route last year, according to the IOM.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Houthis kill 14 at Saudi airport as expert warns of 'rapid targets' amid Middle East war
Iran-backed Houthis launched a series of attacks on Saudi Arabian airports through Sunday, reportedly killing at least 14 people, including an American, and injuring more than 300 others, according to reports.
The attacks heightened fears of a wider Middle East war as regional experts warned of "cross-domain escalation" amid heightened tensions over Washington's September actions against Iran's aviation sector.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for earlier attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, while U.S. officials blamed the Iran-backed group for Saturday's strike, which reportedly killed 13 people and injured more than 300.
SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER WARNS HOUTHI THREAT GOES GLOBAL AS TRUMP HOLDS FIRE
Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said another attack on Sunday killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 others. Meanwhile, an airport in Dammam, in the kingdom's Eastern Province, was also reportedly targeted by the Houthis.
"Cross-domain escalation by Iran and its proxies will continue to be a primary strategy," Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran Program and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital on Sunday.
"The emphasis on aviation targets connects directly to the closing of Iran's aviation sector and sanctions imposed on its commercial airlines under the U.S. maximum pressure campaign," he warned.
RUBIO ACCUSES IRAN OF FLYING IRGC PERSONNEL INTO YEMEN AS HOUTHI THREAT ESCALATES
The Houthis also renewed warnings Sunday, urging airlines, airport workers and travelers to avoid Saudi airports as Saudi Arabia vowed to retaliate for the deadly attacks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Saturday's attack, confirming that an American was among those killed and calling for an immediate end to the violence.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, left open the possibility of U.S. involvement in Saudi Arabia's military campaign against the Houthis, saying, "We may. We're gonna look at it. We move very quickly."
The escalation comes nearly three weeks after a senior Iranian official threatened to paralyze neighboring countries' airports if they cooperated with U.S. efforts to restrict Iranian flights.
THE HOUTHIS AREN'T SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROBLEM. AMERICA CAN'T AFFORD TO LOOK AWAY
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, warned Sept. 23 that Iran would prevent neighboring countries' airports from operating if they cooperated with Washington's efforts to restrict Iranian flights, according to Reuters.
"This rapid targeting reflects earlier threats made by Iranian officials, including a veiled threat from the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, warning that U.S. sanctions on Iran's aviation sector would lead to retaliatory threats against neighboring aviation infrastructure," Taleblu said.
Iran has long supported the Houthis, but the extent of Tehran's involvement in the latest airport attacks has not been independently established.
The escalation has also renewed scrutiny of reports that Russia has provided intelligence and technical assistance to the Houthis.
FOILED TERROR PLOT AT BOMBER BASE SIGNALS WIDER THREAT TO US MILITARY INSTALLATIONS: EXPERT
At a Sept. 1 House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing , lawmakers pressed experts on allegations that Russia is providing intelligence and technical support to the Houthis.
"Beyond offering diplomatic cover, there are persistent reports of Russian satellite collaboration, advisory support, and intelligence targeting assistance, as well as unproven allegations regarding select anti-ship systems."
HOUTHIS ENTER US 'KILL BOX' AFTER SEIZING RED SEA 'CORK,' FORMER PENTAGON OFFICIAL WARNS
But he also linked the latest attacks to a broader military escalation as the Houthis expand their territorial control in Yemen.
"This surge did not occur in a vacuum," Taleblu said. "Since April, the Houthis have made territorial gains and pushed back against Saudi forces despite a period of diplomatic lull."
"Airport attacks allow Iran and its regional proxies to inflict pain on Arab states, Israel, and remaining U.S. forces," Taleblu said.
Trump Russia deal could fuel Putin's war, ex-NATO commander warns as Zelenskyy says 'nyet'
President Donald Trump's efforts to reach a diesel agreement with Russia could provide Russian President Vladimir Putin with fresh revenue to fund his war against Ukraine while allowing Moscow to buy time through negotiations it has little intention of honoring, a former NATO commander warned Sunday.
Retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, former NATO supreme allied commander Europe and head of U.S. European Command, told Fox News Digital that Washington also risks undermining Ukraine's war effort by striking a deal with what he called "the enemy."
"And so we are cutting a deal with the enemy," Breedlove said, warning that "all of this money will go into fueling Mr. Putin's continued attacks in Ukraine."
The Russian government said Saturday it had partially lifted a ban on diesel exports with immediate effect, following the new agreement between Putin and Trump for Russia to supply the U.S. and global markets, Reuters reported.
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, Trump's package calls for the release of 300,000 tonnes of diesel "to the American and global marketplace," followed by 500,000 tonnes in November and another 1 million tonnes afterward.
KATIE ZACHARIA HITS GROUND RUNNING, PROMISES TRUMP DIESEL DEAL DELIVERS CHEAPER GAS FOR AMERICANS
The diesel agreement preceded Trump's announcement Sunday of what he called an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine, with the president saying both sides had agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure.
"Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed. Do not break it!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, indicated that Ukraine had not been informed of a finalized ceasefire agreement but expressed willingness to halt attacks on Russian energy facilities if Moscow reciprocated. He also accused Putin of repeatedly rejecting peace proposals and continuing strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
"Ukraine has proposed many de-escalatory steps. Putin had one answer to all of them – 'nyet,'" Zelenskyy wrote on X.
"We do hope that he will finally say something to America, Ukraine, and the entire world that will lead to a real and dignified peace," he added.
Zelenskyy also said Russian forces had carried out more than 200 strikes on Ukraine's electricity generation and transmission facilities over the past week, along with 17 strikes targeting gas and oil infrastructure.
He said the attacks had killed more than 150 people and wounded more than 700 over the past week.
Trump's "energy ceasefire" announcement followed tension between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, a component of Ukraine's strategy to weaken Moscow's ability to finance its military campaign.
UKRAINE TARGETS RUSSIA WITH OVER 1,000 DRONES, KILLING 2 AS MOSCOW HOLDS LAST DAY OF ELECTIONS
Breedlove argued that Russia and Ukraine are pursuing different objectives, accusing Moscow of targeting Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure while describing Kyiv's attacks on Russian energy facilities as an effort to disrupt the revenue sustaining Putin's war.
"Russia is carrying on a campaign of what we call counter value. In other words, Russia is attacking the Ukrainian people and trying to force their society to separate themselves from their president, President Zelenskyy," Breedlove said.
Breedlove also predicted Washington would pressure Zelenskyy to suspend attacks on Russia's oil industry despite their strategic importance.
"What I expect will happen is the United States will force or try to force Zelenskyy to stop bombing the petrochemical business in Russia," he said.
TRUMP'S DIESEL IDEA COULD HAVE UNLEASHED A PROBLEM AMERICANS NEVER SAW COMING
Trump has vehemently criticized Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, arguing that they are disrupting global diesel supplies and driving up costs for American farmers and ranchers.
Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the administration's efforts to increase diesel supplies.
"We're going to do it with all the legal authorities we have," Bessent said Sunday on Fox News. "This is good for the American people, bringing these diesel prices down," he said of the new deal.
Separately, appearing on ABC News' "This Week," Zelenskyy offered to organize Ukrainian elections if Putin agreed to a reciprocal 60-day ceasefire, although holding a vote would face legal and logistical obstacles under Ukraine's martial law.
Breedlove also expressed deep skepticism that Putin would honor any such ceasefire, citing what he described as a pattern of Russian attacks following negotiations with Trump. "Russia has never kept a promise to this president in this war," Breedlove said.
"He's never changed his expectations, and he's never delivered on his promises. Three out of four of the big cases, the very next day or that same night after the president and Mr. Putin talked, Mr. Putin launched huge attacks in Ukraine," Breedlove continued.
Breedlove also called for a tougher U.S. response.
"We now need an administration that leads from power. We say all the time, 'strength through power,' but when it comes to Russia, our demonstrated position is continued conflict through weakness," Breedlove warned.
"He started this war. This war is to benefit Russia, and this war is to keep Mr. Putin in power. And our administration needs to tell him to stop."
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