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American Israeli Hostage on List to Be Released

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After 16 months in captivity, Israeli American hostage Keith Siegel is slated to be released Saturday.

Siegel is 65 and from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but moved to Israel decades ago. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas took Siegel and his wife Aviva Siegel from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and drove them in their own vehicle into Gaza. Siegel was shot in the hand and his ribs were broken when he was taken captive.

For 51 days, Aviva Siegel was held in Hamas tunnels with her husband until she was released in November 2023 during a brief ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

“You be strong for me, and I’ll be strong for you,” Aviva Siegel, 63, recalls saying to her husband when she parted from him in the tunnels beneath Gaza. Since her release, Aviva Siegel has dedicated her time and energy to advocating for her husband’s freedom, and the freedom of all the hostages.

“My heart will explode,” Aviva Siegel told The Daily Signal during an interview in December when asked about her hope for her husband’s release. “I will scream. I will jump into the air, and it’s just going to be … I don’t know, I’ll dance. I’m sure that I’ll dance and scream.” (Read more from “American Israeli Hostage on List to Be Released” HERE)

Shocking: Freed Israeli Hostages Say Hamas Used U.N. Facilities to Hide Them

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Outrage is intensifying after Israeli hostages recently freed from Gaza revealed they were held in U.N. facilities during their captivity, with critics calling UNRWA a “front for Hamas” that must be “disbanded” immediately.

Last weekend, three Israeli women — Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher — were released in a high-stakes prisoner swap, which saw Israel free 90 Palestinian detainees, including convicted terrorists.

The women, who endured nearly a year and a half of harrowing captivity under the terrorist group Hamas, described being detained in United Nations facilities, including tent camps and humanitarian zones administered by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Israel’s Channel 13 News reports.

Additionally, reports indicate they were held at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.

The former hostages are now undergoing rehabilitation, following severe conditions that included long periods in underground confinement without sunlight. One woman recounted being subjected to a medical procedure without anesthesia, underscoring the inhumane treatment they faced.

(Read more from “Shocking: Freed Israeli Hostages Say Hamas Used U.N. Facilities to Hide Them” HERE)

Joe Biden Suffers One Final Humiliation Before Being Wheeled Out of Office

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As Katie wrote earlier today, there’s been a tentative hostage deal struck between Israel and Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is still combing through the details, but it’s undoubtedly the most encouraging news about a ceasefire in months. Joe Biden and his ninny brigade have tried and failed to strike a deal to end the Israel-Hamas war, which was predictable. Joe and his team are neither feared nor respected:

Netanyahu’s office says the deal is not complete and is still being worked out, but hopes it will be finished in the coming hours. Netanyahu is facing pressure from members of his coalition who are against the deal and threatening to dissolve the government.

(Read more from “Joe Biden Suffers One Final Humiliation Before Being Wheeled Out of Office” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Trump Announces Gaza Hostage and Ceasefire Deal

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President-elect Donald Trump was the first to announce a ceasefire deal was reached in Gaza between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday.

Israeli officials soon confirmed an agreement was in place to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 atrocities.

“We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!” Trump said on Truth Social, his preferred social media platform, at just after noon Eastern.

“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could only have happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump elaborated in a follow-up message, with caps as in the original.

“With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven,” he said. (Read more from “Trump Announces Gaza Hostage and Ceasefire Deal” HERE)

Report: Trump Did More to Free Hostages, Reach Ceasefire Than Biden Did All Year

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President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly being praised by Arab officials for doing more to move Israel and Hamas closer to a hostage and ceasefire deal than President Joe Biden has done in more than a year since the last truce.

Trump warned Hamas at the beginning of December that there would be “ALL HELL TO PAY” if they did not release all 100 of the remaining hostages, including seven Americans (three of whom are alive) by his Inauguration.

Hamas began to show flexibility, then retreated. But Trump’s future Mideast envoys fanned out across the region, and Trump apparently pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show greater flexibility as well.

The Times of Israel reported Tuesday:

A “tense” weekend meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and incoming Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff led to a breakthrough in the hostage negotiations, with the top aide to US President-elect Donald Trump doing more to sway the premier in a single sit-down than outgoing President Joe Biden did all year, two Arab officials told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.

…

During the 42-day first phase, 33 of the remaining women, children, elderly and severely ill hostages will be released in exchange for roughly 1,000 Palestinian security prisoners. Israel will partially withdraw from Gaza, while helping facilitate the entry of 600 trucks of humanitarian aid into the Strip each day.

The second stage will see the release of the remaining living hostages and conclude with a declaration of a permanent end to hostilities. The third phase will see the release of bodies still held by Hamas.

(Read more from “Report: Trump Did More to Free Hostages, Reach Ceasefire Than Biden Did All Year” HERE)

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U.S., Israel Conduct Dozens Of Strikes, Hit Over 75 Targets In Wake Of Syria’s Regime Collapse

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The U.S. and Israel conducted dozens of airstrikes Sunday on targets in Syria following the dramatic collapse of the ruling Assad regime and amid concerns radical and terrorist groups could exploit Syria’s current situation.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it hit over 75 “known [Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham] ISIS camps and operatives in central Syria” using precision airstrikes.

CENTCOM added that it struck the targets to “disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS” and render it incapable of exploiting the nation’s current state to regroup in central Syria.

There was no indication of civilian deaths from the strikes, CENTCOM noted.

“There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” CENTCOM’s commander, General Michael Erik Kurilla, said. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.” (Read more from “‘They Came in Illegally’: Trump Clashes With ‘Meet the Press’ Host Over Deportation Promises” HERE)

Alleged U.S. Intel Docs Outlining Israel’s Plan To Strike Iran Leaked

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Leaked U.S. intelligence documents allege to outline how Israel plans to strike Iran soon, according to multiple reports.

Israel is expected to retaliate against Iran after the terror-supporting nation launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles into Israeli territory on Oct. 1; most of those missiles were intercepted. The timing and nature of Israel’s plan to retaliate against Iran have been shrouded in mystery, until now — U.S. intelligence documents that were leaked publicly in recent days revealed Israel’s preparatory actions ahead of the attacks, according to several reports.

It isn’t clear how the documents were leaked or who was behind the move to release them publicly. An investigation has been opened to determine how the documents were leaked, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson confirmed Sunday, according to Reuters.

“If it is true that Israeli tactical plans to respond to Iran’s attack on Oct. 1 have been leaked, it is a serious breach,” Mick Mulroy, former CIA officer, told CNN. “Future coordination between the U.S. and Israel could be challenged as well. Trust is a key component in the relationship, and depending on how this was leaked that trust could be eroded.”

The documents were highly classified and only meant to be seen by the U.S. and a handful of other Western nations, including the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, according to reports. The intelligence was created by the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. (Read more from “Alleged U.S. Intel Docs Outlining Israel’s Plan To Strike Iran Leaked” HERE)

Biden’s Latest Betrayal is ‘Deeply Disturbing’

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President Joe Biden’s administration is threatening the Israeli government with a full arms embargo if they don’t “improve” the humanitarian situation — sparked by Hamas’ decision to start a war on October 7 — in the Gaza Strip within 30-days.

In a letter sent to a number of Israeli ministers Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the demand.

The letter conveniently ignores that the majority of humanitarian aid delivered to Gaza, including by the United States through air drops and a disastrous, now defunct pier, is stolen by Iranian backed Hamas.

(Read more from “Biden’s Latest Betrayal is ‘Deeply Disturbing'” HERE)

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Poll Shows Palestinians Proud of Terrorism Against Israel

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A new polling reveals that it was not the “Hamas” atrocities inflicted on Israel’s innocent civilians, some 1,200 of whom were massacred often in horrific ways, just one year ago on Oct. 7, 2023.

It was the “Palestinian massacre.”

“Every poll of Palestinians since October 7, 2023, by both AWRAD – Arab World for Research and Development, and PSR – Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, shows that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians supported and continue to support the rapes, torture, beheadings, and murder of more than 1,100 people in southern Israel led by Hamas, and their kidnapping of 250 hostages,” explained a report from Palestinian Media Watch.

“Significantly, the polls found that the support in the West Bank was higher than that in the Gaza Strip. Asked if they supported the attack on Oct 7, the first poll in November 2023 found West Bank support at 83%. Half a year later, in June 2024, after the destruction in Gaza, 73% still said that the decision to attack Israel was correct. In the Gaza Strip, two months into the war support had already dropped to 63% and continued to fall to only 31% in March 2024, saying it was correct to attack. Astonishingly, the joy over the rape, torture, beheadings, and murder of Israelis was so great that even after much of Gaza was in rubble following Israel’s counter attack, for West Bank Arabs that one day of horror inflicted on Israelis, made the destruction of Gaza an acceptable price to pay.”

AWRAD, in November 2023, had asked, “Considering the ongoing events do you feel a sense of pride as a Palestinian?”

The report pointed out, “Incredibly, 98% of Palestinians felt ‘pride as Palestinians.'” (Read more from “Poll Shows Palestinians Proud of Terrorism Against Israel” HERE)

Biden Says U.S. Discussing Possible Israeli Strikes on Iran Oil Facilities

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Joe Biden has said the US is discussing with Israel the possibility of Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure.

When asked if he would support such strikes, Mr Biden said: “We’re discussing that. I think that would be a little… anyway.”

His off-the-cuff remarks, made as he left the White House, did not make clear Washington’s stance. Mr Biden has previously said he would not support Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The price of benchmark Brent crude oil shot up by 5% immediately after the remarks. It has now increased by 10% since Iran’s large-scale missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran “will pay a heavy price” for Tuesday’s attack, which saw at least 180 ballistic missiles fired at Israel. (Read more from “Biden Says U.S. Discussing Possible Israeli Strikes on Iran Oil Facilities” HERE)

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