NORTH GAZA EVACUATION ORDER-DEATH CULT HAMAS ON LAST LEGS.
INVENTION OF THE ATOMIC BOMB.
2 PETER 3:10-11
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements (NUKES) shall melt with fervent heat,(BLAST) the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.(BUT ITS NO END OF THE WORLD HOGWASH)
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,(BY NUKES INCLUDING 3 BILLION PEOPLE) what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.
JESUS SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FOREVER.AND DURING WW3 PEOPLES BLOOD WILL BE SHED AS A JUDGEMENT FOR HATING HIM AND ISRAEL.GOD IS NOT MOCKED.
ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
EZEKIEL 5:15-17
15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the (ARAB/MUSLIM) nations that are round about thee,(ISRAEL) when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
16 When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
17 So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts,(WHEN RUSSIA/MUSLIMS GET DEFEATED THIER BODIES GET EATEN BY BIRDS,ANIMALS IN ISRAEL MIGRATION SEASON) and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee;(NUKES) and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.
REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)
ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire,(NUKES) and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:(GOD/ISRAEL HATE AND BRAKING OF HIS COMMANDMENTS) the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die - 3 BILLION).
ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.
JOEL 2:3,30
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
REVELATION 9:18
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(ATOMIC BOMBS)(RUSSIA CHINA DESTROYED BY ISRAELS ATOMIC BOMBS)
REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
NAHUM 3:13
13 Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars.
DR DOCTORION-ANGEL OF THE MIDEAST
"The angel showed me that the United Nations shall be broken in pieces because of the crisis in the Middle East. There shall be no more United Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.
UN to pull a third of its international staff from Gaza, after one killed last week-Some 30 of 100 foreign workers to leave enclave; six were wounded in explosion for which Israel denies responsibility, but which UN says was likely caused by IDF tank fire By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 11:44 pm-MAR 24,25
The United Nations said Monday it will “reduce its footprint” in the Gaza Strip after an incident at one of its compounds last week, in which one staffer from Bulgaria was killed and five other employees were wounded.UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a regular news briefing the move was taken for security and operational reasons and would involve the withdrawal of about 30 of the 100 or so international staff currently in Gaza.“What we’re doing is reducing the number of international staff members by about one third this week, maybe a bit more likely to come. It’s a temporary measure. We hope to have people return to Gaza as soon as practicable,” he said.He stressed that the UN was not leaving Gaza.“The secretary-general has taken the difficult decision… even as humanitarian needs soar and our concern over the protection of civilians intensifies,” he said. “The organization remains committed to continuing to provide aid that civilians depend on for their survival and protection.”Dujarric said that based on information currently available, explosions at a UN compound in Deir Al Balah on March 19, killing a Bulgarian UN worker and leaving six others — from France, Moldova, North Macedonia, the Palestine territories and the United Kingdom — with severe injuries, came from an Israeli tank.“The location of this UN compound was well known to the parties to the conflict,” he said, noting that UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres had demanded “a full, thorough and independent investigation.”Israel has denied it was behind the March 19 explosion at the UN guesthouse in central Gaza.Asked if the UN believed the compound had been deliberately targeted, Dujarric said: “I think that’s one of the reasons we need to have a pretty clear and transparent investigation. The point is that the Israelis knew exactly where this UN facility was, and it was hit by a shell from one of their tanks.”IDF says forces mistakenly fired at ICRC building-Separately, the Israeli military said its forces fired at a building on Monday belonging to the Red Cross in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah as a result of incorrect identification, after an office belonging to the aid organization was damaged by an explosive projectile.The war in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.Fighting stopped briefly in November 2023 amid a hostage-ceasefire agreement and then stopped again for some two months starting mid-January 2025, when another hostage-truce deal was reached.The fighting resumed last week, though talks are ongoing to secure the release of more hostages in exchange for another truce.After rocket fire from Gaza, IDF orders evacuation of northern neighborhoods in Strip.
US cabinet officials accidentally add journalist to group chat, share war plans-Trump adviser Mike Waltz inexplicably includes Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg in encrypted messaging chat to plan bombing campaign against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen-By ToI Staff Today, 11:39 pm-MAR 24,25
Trump administration officials earlier this month accidentally added the editor of The Atlantic magazine to an encrypted group chat, in which they discussed highly sensitive plans for the military to strike Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.The incident was made public on Monday, in an article by Jeffrey Goldberg, who was included in the chat. The US National Security Council confirmed the messages appeared to be authentic, and said it was investigating how Goldberg was inadvertently added.The group, on the Signal messaging app, included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, and 12 other officials.US President Donald Trump, asked Monday about the story, was apparently unfamiliar with it, and said he was “not a big fan of The Atlantic,” and that the leak must not have caused problems, because the attacks were successful.The officials used the chat — to which Goldberg was added, for reasons unclear, on March 13 — to debate the merits of striking the Houthis and how to present the attacks to the public.As part of the chat, Goldberg received, some two hours before the bombing began on March 15, a “plan [that] included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.”That post, sent to the group by Hegseth at 11:44 a.m., “contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the US would be deploying, and attack sequencing,” Goldberg wrote.The plans were sent to the group following a lengthy discussion between the vice president, the defense secretary, and a user identified as “S M” — presumably Trump confidant Stephen Miller — in which Vance complained about “bailing Europe out again” and insisted that “messaging [be] tight” and that risks to Saudi oil facilities be mitigated.They were followed up with confirmation that the strikes had been successful, and a series of congratulatory messages, and celebratory emojis, from the various cabinet officials.On Sunday, Goldberg exited the group, triggering a notice to the group’s creator, Waltz. No one from the group reached out to him about the situation, however, and it was not until he emailed Waltz and sent him a message on Signal that NSC Spokesman Brian Hughes reached out to Goldberg to confirm the veracity of the chat.“This appears to be an authentic message chain, and we are reviewing how an inadvertent number was added to the chain,” Hughes wrote.“The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security,” he added.National security lawyers interviewed by The Atlantic said that sharing classified information over Signal — a commercial messaging app known for its encryption, and, according to the magazine, used by national security officials for lower-level purposes such as scheduling — was unheard of and potentially illegal.In addition, Waltz set some of the messages to disappear after one week, and others to disappear after four, raising questions about whether the messages were records that the government is obligated to preserve.The US launched military strikes against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on March 15 over the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping, and have continued airstrikes against the group in the weeks since, as the Houthis have claimed to fire at American warships.The Houthis — whose slogan is “God is the greatest, death to America, death to Israel, a curse upon the Jews, victory to Islam,” and who control much of Yemen, but are at war with the country’s internationally recognized government — have fired six missiles at Israel in the past week, all of which have been intercepted and none of which have caused any injuries or deaths.The Houthis began attacking the ships in the Red Sea in November 2023, a month after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.While the Houthis have said they were attacking Israeli-linked shipping in support of Gaza, they have also targeted vessels with no known Israeli connections.They stopped their attacks on Israel while the hostage.ceasefire deal in Gaza, reached in January, was in effect, and resumed launching missiles in response to Israel’s renewed offensive there.
Lebanon appeals to US, France to prevent Israeli strikes on Beirut-Hezbollah denies involvement in attack on northern Israeli border town as IAF jets strike terror group’s sites in southern Lebanon; Lebanese president, PM call for de-escalation-By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 8:16 pm-MAR 24,25
Lebanese leaders have been in intensive contact with Washington and Paris to prevent Israel from bombing Beirut, a Lebanese official said Monday, after Israel retaliated to rocket fire from southern Lebanon with heavy strikes on the country over the weekend.Israel launched two waves of airstrikes on Lebanon on Saturday in response to rocket fire from southern Lebanon at the northern border community of Metula, marking the first strike on Israel from Lebanese territory since a ceasefire took effect on November 27.The IDF said its air defenses intercepted three projectiles that crossed the border, while the other three rockets fell short in Lebanon.Israeli strikes targeted several Hezbollah sites in the region, including rocket launchers, killing eight people. The Iran-backed terror group denied involvement in the rocket fire.Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, the official said Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam “made diplomatic contact with France and the United States… as well as with the UN to achieve de-escalation following Israeli threats to target Beirut.”The US, France and the United Nations belong to a ceasefire monitoring mechanism.During the two months of full-scale war leading up to the ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes pounded the south Beirut bastion of Hezbollah, while occasionally striking the city center.Salam “emphasized the need to control security and prevent a repeat of rocket fire” against Israel, the official added.No party has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, which a military source said was launched from an area north of the Litani River, between the villages of Kfar Tebnit and Arnoun, near the zone covered by the ceasefire agreement.The agreement stipulates that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers may be deployed south of the Litani River, with Hezbollah required to dismantle its infrastructure and withdraw north of the river.Israel missed two deadlines to withdraw all its forces across the UN-demarcated Blue Line, the de facto border, and continues to hold five positions it deems “strategic.”The Lebanese army said later it dismantled three makeshift rocket batteries in the area, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Israeli border.A military source told AFP the army detained two Syrians who were “working as guards at a farm near the rocket-launching site.” The Syrians reported seeing a car with several men who set up the launchers and fired the rockets before leaving.
Iranian FM says a ‘way is open’ for indirect nuclear talks with US-Araghchi says Tehran won’t sit down with Americans unless Trump rescinds ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions policy, but says Iran could talk through intermediaries, as in the past-By AFP and ToI Staff Today, 7:29 pm-MAR 24,25
Iran said on Monday it was open to indirect talks with the United States after President Donald Trump sent the country’s leadership a letter offering talks for a new nuclear deal while restoring a sanctions campaign and threatening military action if diplomacy is unsuccessful.“The way is open for indirect negotiations,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, dismissing the prospect of direct talks “until there is a change in the other side’s approach toward the Islamic republic.”The top Iranian diplomat said Tehran would not engage in direct talks with Washington under threats and so long as Trump maintains his “maximum pressure” policy of economic sanctions.Under that policy in his first term as president, Trump withdrew the United States from a landmark agreement on Iran’s nuclear program in 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran.The deal, sealed in 2015 between Tehran and world powers, required Iran to limit its nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief.Iran, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but it has ramped up its enrichment of uranium up to 60 percent purity, the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so, and has obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities.On March 7, Trump said he had written to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to call for nuclear negotiations and warn of possible military action if Tehran refused.The letter was delivered to Tehran on March 12 by UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash.On Friday Khamenei said US threats “will get them nowhere,” warning of reciprocal measures “if they do anything malign” against Iran.He has also dismissed Trump’s outreach for talks, accusing him of attempting to deceive global public opinion by portraying the United States as willing to negotiate and Iran as unwilling to engage.Araghchi on Thursday said Trump’s letter was “more of a threat,” but added that it could also open up some opportunities and that Tehran would respond soon.Araghchi: No one would think of invading IranThe Iranian top diplomat also said Monday that “no one would even think of invading” Iran, “given that the country’s preparedness is very high and at 100 percent.”“This is because they are familiar with the consequences,” he said.Last year, Israel struck Iranian facilities including missile factories and air defenses in retaliation for Iranian missile and drone attacks. That reduced Tehran’s conventional military capabilities, according to analysts and US officials, an assessment disputed by Tehran.US Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff, in an interview published Friday, said Trump’s goal was to avoid military conflict by building trust with Iran.He insisted the letter was not meant as a threat.Araghchi also said in an interview published Sunday that “letters and correspondence make part of diplomacy” but they also can be a “part of pressure and threats.”“But the reality is that it can never be said that the path of diplomacy is over, because the alternative to diplomacy is war,” he added.Tehran and Washington cut diplomatic ties after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Western-backed shah.Since then, the Swiss embassy in Tehran has facilitated communications between the two nations.Gulf state Oman has also mediated indirect talks on Iran’s nuclear issue via the so-called “Muscat process,” which Araghchi had said in October was “halted for the time being.”
ISRAEL AT WAR - DAY 536-Al Jazeera reporter, allegedly a Hamas sniper, said killed-IDF strikes Hamas pickup trucks used on Oct. 7, confirms top terror official killed Sunday-Air force said to destroy over 100 of the vehicles used by Hamas in massacre and at hostage-release propaganda events; IDF says Hamas finance chief was planning attacks from hospital where he was killed-By Emanuel Fabian,Nurit Yohanan-and Agencies Today, 7:15 pm-MAR 24,25
The Israel Defense Forces carried out dozens of airstrikes Sunday night and Monday, including on empty white pick-up trucks belonging to the Hamas terror group, of the type used in the October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel and in propaganda ceremonies for the release of hostages.The IDF and Shin Bet security agency also confirmed on Monday that a top Hamas official was targeted and killed the previous night.Rocket sirens sounded in the Israeli community of Netiv Ha’asara near the Gaza border on Monday, but were later confirmed to have been a false alarm.The IDF destroyed over 100 pickup trucks used by Hamas terrorists, in airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Monday, the military said.Some of the trucks were used by Hamas in its October 7, 2023, terror onslaught in southern Israel, as well as for other operations in Gaza, including to transfer weapons, the army added.Armed Hamas gunmen were also seen parading in such vehicles during recent hostage release propaganda ceremonies.The airstrikes targeting the pickup trucks were carried out in all areas of Gaza. A strike hit a building where several pickup trucks were being stored, the military said.IDF, Shin Bet confirm top Hamas official killed.Also Monday, the IDF and Shin Bet confirmed that top Hamas official Ismail Barhoum was targeted and killed in a strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis on Sunday night.Not long after the strike, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Barhoum had been eliminated. Hamas also made an announcement.According to the military and Shin Bet, Barhoum, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, was chief of the terror group’s finances and the successor to Issam Da’alis, the de-facto prime minister of Gaza, who was killed last week.“Barhoum was a key figure in Hamas’ political bureau and was actively involved in the military decision-making process that directly impacted Hamas’s operations,” the joint statement said.The IDF and Shin Bet said that he oversaw Hamas’s “financial management in the Gaza Strip, channeling funds to Hamas’s military wing, financing and planning the execution of terror attacks against the State of Israel.“These funds financed the organization’s continued survival in the Gaza Strip and were used to carry out terror attacks and to purchase weapons, which posed a threat to Israeli civilians,” the statement said.IDF: Barhoum was in the hospital for terrorism, not treatment-While Hamas had claimed Barhoum was at Nasser Hospital for medical treatment after being wounded in a previous strike, the IDF said he was operating from within the medical center.“This is yet another example of the way that the Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law while taking over civilian infrastructure in a manner that prevents the rehabilitation and livelihood of the Gazan population, and while brutally exploiting the civilian population as a human shield for its terror attacks against the State of Israel,” the statement said.In a separate statement on X, IDF international media spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani reiterated: “The claim that Barhoum was in Nasser Hospital for medical treatment is completely false and was spread to mislead the public and the media.”“Barhoum was in the hospital in order to commit acts of terrorism, cynically using hospital patients and the population in the area as human shields. He remained in the hospital for many weeks, during which he held meetings with other terrorists and senior figures in the terrorist organization,” Shoshani said.He suggested that “the media refrain from echoing the falsehoods of the Hamas terrorist organization and its members and check the facts before publishing such claims.”“The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law and takes over civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, in a way that prevents the rehabilitation and livelihood of the civilians of Gaza,” he added.Al Jazeera reporter, identified as a Hamas sniper, said killed.The Hamas-run Gaza civil defense authority, as well as Al Jazeera, said Monday that Hossam Shabat, a reporter in northern Gaza for the Qatari news station, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.The agency said Shabat was targeted by a drone strike on his car on Monday afternoon near a gas station in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.The civil defense authority said that Mohamad Mansor, a reporter on the Falstin Al-Yom channel of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was also killed in a separate strike on his home in Khan Younis.Last October, the IDF said it had uncovered documents in the Gaza Strip that showed Shabat was a sniper in Hamas’s Beit Hanoun Battalion.According to the army at the time, the documents showed personnel spreadsheets, lists of training courses, telephone books and salary documents that “unequivocally prove” Shabat and five other Al Jazeera personalities were members of Hamas or Islamic Jihad’s military wings.There was no immediate official comment from the IDF on the reports of Shabat’s killing on Monday.Israeli strike said to hit school-turned-shelter, killing 4Palestinian medics, meanwhile, said an Israeli strike on Monday hit a school where displaced people were sheltering in the Gaza Strip, killing at least four people, including a child.Another 18 people were reported wounded in the alleged strike in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to Al-Awda Hospital, which received the casualties.Three other hospitals had earlier reported 25 deaths from Israeli strikes overnight and into Monday.There was no immediate comment from the IDF.Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said Monday the bodies of 61 people killed by Israeli strikes had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 143 wounded, Gaza’s health ministry said in a daily report.The ministry’s numbers are not independently verified and do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.Israeli officials regularly note that the military makes efforts to avoid civilian casualties.In a statement posted to X on Monday, Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated: “Israel is not fighting the civilians in Gaza and is doing everything that international law requires to mitigate harm to civilians.”Katz said Hamas fights from civilian areas, disguised as civilians, and thus puts civilians in danger, and urged non-combatants to evacuate combat areas when instructed to by the IDF.Thousands said trapped in Rafah as IDF encircles part of itAs the fighting raged, thousands of people were still trapped in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, officials in the Hamas-run Strip said Monday, after Israeli forces, having ordered residents to evacuate, encircled its Tel Sultan neighborhood.Israel told residents by a single route on foot to al-Mawasi, a sprawling cluster of tent camps along the coast.Thousands fled, but residents said many were trapped by Israeli forces.The war in the Gaza Strip began on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.Fighting stopped briefly in November 2023 amid a hostage-ceasefire agreement and then stopped again for some two months starting mid-January 2025, when another hostage-truce deal was reached.The fighting resumed last week, though talks are ongoing to secure the release of more hostages in exchange for another truce.The IDF has indicated in recent days that it’s preparing to expand ground operations in Gaza, redeploying on Sunday an armored division that had been stationed on the border with Lebanon.Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are still holding 59 hostages, all but one of whom — a soldier killed in 2014 — were abducted during the October 7 onslaught. Twenty-four are known or presumed to be alive, and 35 have been confirmed dead by the IDF.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Hamas said to respond positively to Egyptian proposal; Israel denies receiving terms-Cairo proposes Hamas release 5 living hostages for resumption of aid, renewed truce; sources say US agreed to terms, Israeli official says no such proposal reached Jerusalem-By Agencies, Lazar Berman-and ToI Staff Today, 6:09 pm-MAR 24,25
A new Egyptian proposal aimed at restoring the Gaza ceasefire deal won tentative support from the Hamas terror group, sources told Reuters on Monday, though Israel said it had yet to receive the terms of the offer.Under Cairo’s plan, Hamas would release five living hostages, including American-Israeli Edan Alexander, in return for Israel allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and implementing a weeks-long pause in the fighting, an Egyptian official said.After the first week, Israel would implement the second phase of the collapsed ceasefire agreement.Israel would also release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.Egypt presented the proposal last week, security sources said Monday, with a Hamas official saying that the terror group has “responded positively” to the idea.The sources said that the plan also provides a timeline for the release of all 59 hostages in exchange for a timeline for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, backed by US guarantees.The security sources added that the US also agreed to Egypt’s plan, but an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Monday, “We haven’t heard of any new proposal.”According to the Israeli official, Israel is still trying to get Hamas to agree to a US-backed proposal spearheaded by Trump’s special envoy to the Mideast, Steve Witkoff, which would not entail full Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.The narrower “Witkoff proposal” rejected by Hamas thus far, would have seen the ceasefire extended through April 19 and have the terror group release five living hostages in exchange for a large number of Palestinian security prisoners.Israel said it accepted Witkoff’s proposal, but said it was seeking the release of 11 living hostages.If Hamas does not agree to Israel’s terms, “we will keep increasing the pressure until Hamas breaks,” the official said, threatening “a widespread ground campaign” in Gaza.In mid-January, Israel and Hamas agreed to a hostage-ceasefire and prisoner-release deal that officially lasted 42 days and saw the terror group release 30 living hostages and the bodies of eight slain captives, while Israel released almost 2,000 terrorists and other prisoners, before the expiration of the deal’s first phase.The deal had originally envisioned a second phase that would see a permanent end to the war in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages and many more Palestinian security prisoners.Netanyahu ordered the resumption of fighting in Gaza last week, saying talks moving forward would be held under fire after Hamas rejected proposals to extend phase one of the ceasefire.Hamas has insisted on sticking to the original terms of the deal, which was supposed to begin its second phase at the beginning of March.For a month, though, Israel refused to enter talks on the specific terms of phase two, as the stage’s general framework requires it to fully withdraw from Gaza and agree to a permanent end of the war.Terror groups in the Gaza Strip still hold 59 hostages, including 58 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023.They include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF. Hamas released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives during a ceasefire between January and March.The terror group freed 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that in the early weeks of the war.In exchange, Israel has freed some 2,000 jailed Palestinian terrorists, security prisoners, and Gazan terror suspects detained during the war.Eight hostages have been rescued from captivity by troops alive, and the bodies of 41 have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors and the body of a soldier who was killed in 2014.The body of another soldier killed in 2014, Lt. Hadar Goldin, is still being held by Hamas and is counted among the 59 hostages.
Deal on funds for Ofakim, Netivot paves way for approval of post-Oct. 7 revival law-NIS 5 billion out of NIS 19 billion in state funds to rehabilitate, develop, communities within 7 kilometers of Gaza was frozen, as towns farther away lobbied for funds-By Sue Surkes and Stuart WinerToday, 5:45 pm-MAR 24,25
After a marathon of heated debates, lawmakers on Sunday struck a deal to enable the so-called Tekuma Bill to go to second and third readings in the Knesset plenum, and become law.The bill anchors the responsibilities of the Tekuma Directorate, set up to rehabilitate the Gaza border area overrun on October 7, 2023, by Hamas terrorists, who slaughtered some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducted 251 hostages.The legislation recognizes the Gaza border area as a region of national focus.It will also commit the state to provide NIS 18 billion ($4.9 billion) in financial support through 2028.The bill’s progress was delayed because the government failed to review decisions dating back to 2004, which allocated special aid only to communities whose houses are within seven kilometers (4.35 miles) of the Gaza border.The seven-kilometer cut-off point was based initially on the range of the types of missiles being fired from Gaza.But even before October 7, projectiles were reaching beyond that artificial line.October 7 saw Hamas terrorists kill 47 people in Ofakim, 21 kilometers (13 miles) from the Gaza border, and approach Netivot (11 kilometers, or seven miles away), where a trained civilian force stopped them at the city gates.Under pressure from Ofakim and Netivot, both Likud-leaning cities, the government froze NIS 5 billion ($1.35 billion) of an original NIS 19 billion ($5.1 billion) earmarked for the so-called Tekuma belt of communities, until a solution could be found.On Sunday, the Knesset Economics Committee agreed that $1 billion ($270 million) of that NIS $5 billion would be reserved for deserving communities hit on October 7 that were beyond the seven-kilometer line. The Finance Ministry agreed to top the NIS 1 billion up with an additional NIS 600 million ($162.5 million) over two years. In addition, the Tekuma belt will be exempt from across-the-board cuts planned in the pending 2025 budget.The committee agreed to leave the list of recipients to the government to decide within 14 days of the bill’s passing into law.While Ofakim and Netivot are sure to be on the list, the fate of four moshavim located just a hair over seven kilometers from the Gaza border remains unclear.Moshav Mavki’im, whose residents were evacuated after October 7, and which the government initially included for Tekuma aid and then removed, will be reinstated.The new head of the Tekuma Directorate, Aviad Friedman, said in a statement, “There is much work ahead of us, and our intention is not just to restore the situation to the way it was before, but to make this area of the country better, prosperous, flourishing, and leading with development of all aspects of life.”Ze’ev Elkin, the minister within the Treasury responsible for the development of the south, said in a statement that the bill will “dramatically expand support for the Tekuma region, promote many projects that were frozen until now, and establish the state’s commitment to the rehabilitation and development of the Tekuma region.”During the invasion, over 5,000 attackers roamed murderously through the region, butchering those they found. In border communities, terrorists ran from building to building, massacring families and setting premises alight.Aside from the disputes over communities just beyond the belt, there is a continuing spat over the fate of Kibbutz Nir Oz, which abuts the border fence and was one of the hardest hit communities in the Hamas attack.Friedman met Sunday with members of Nir Oz to try to find a way around a shortfall in state funds for post-October 7 rehabilitation, the directorate said in a statement.The kibbutz was largely destroyed on October 7, 2023 — terrorists entered all but six of some 100 homes in the small community — and Nir Oz says that the extreme damage wrought means that it has significant needs, including in mental health and education.However, due to a funding shortfall of NIS 200 million ($53.8 million) between what the kibbutz says it needs and what the Tekuma Directorate says it can provide, Nir Oz is the only community not to have an approved rehabilitation plan.In the meantime, it has been funding its rehabilitation itself.Much of the kibbutz remains destroyed, and surviving members of Nir Oz are currently living in Kiryat Gat.Residents have pointed to the findings of an army probe that said there were “massive failures” by the Israel Defense Forces in protecting the kibbutz as evidence of the community’s exceptional needs, Haaretz reported.The kibbutz said in a statement that 44 percent of residential buildings must be demolished, and a further 136 require renovation. In addition, 12 public buildings must be pulled down, and 58 require repairs.Over a quarter of the kibbutz residents, 117 people, among them 13 children, were murdered during the attack or taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip. Of those, 14 adults remain in captivity.
Exclusive'No one is claiming the bodies; entire families are dead'Investigating their own killings: Alawites claim the new regime was behind massacre-Messages from survivors of the sectarian violence in which over 1,500 civilians were killed describe methodical carnage, decry the duplicity of Syria’s new leadership-By Nurit Yohanan-Today, 4:04 pm-MAR 24,25
On March 6, armed groups began entering Alawite villages in western Syria and killing the residents. On March 7, a local woman wrote to her friend abroad: “They killed four families here, women and children, I know their names. They stole cars and money and burned stores.”According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based organization that monitors human rights violations in Syria, over 1,500 Syrian civilians were killed in sectarian violence between March 6 and March 12. Most belonged to Syria’s Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shia Islam to which deposed president Bashar al-Assad also belonged. Before the civil war, there were around 2 million Alawites in the country, making up approximately 12 percent of the population.Weeks earlier, on January 29, following a lightning offensive, rebel forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, founder of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, had overthrown the Assad government. Al-Sharaa, who has distanced himself from his jihadist past, assumed leadership of the country. Though he has promised to unite Syria under a constitution protecting its many diverse factions, al-Sharaa’s leadership sparked fears of violent retribution against vulnerable Alawites.The Times of Israel spoke with an Alawite woman who received the message at the top of this article, and other messages like it, from friends and family still in Syria during the massacres earlier this month. Like the senders, the recipient, who is now living abroad with family, has requested anonymity for her own safety and has shared the messages with The Times of Israel.According to one of the messages, another survivor wrote on March 11, four days after the attacks began, that “there are 100 bodies in the hospitals. No one has come to take them. Entire families are dead.”On March 8, another Alawite in western Syria sent a message: “There’s sporadic shooting. Armed people are here. If something happens to me, tell people what happened.”While no other independent sources have confirmed this, the Alawite woman now living abroad claims that the actual number of victims is much higher — potentially in the tens or even hundreds of thousands.“When I saw what happened on October 7, I didn’t believe it. And when I saw what happened in Syria, I felt like history was repeating itself,” said the woman, referring to the Hamas-led massacre, torture and sexual assault of mostly civilians in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The slaughter left some 1,200 dead, while 251 were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip.“Like October 7, they filmed themselves and bragged about what they were going to do: ‘We will kill all the Christians’ [a term sometimes used as a pejorative for Alawites]. They entered villages, stormed homes with every kind of weapon, and started shooting entire families. If you were shot, you were lucky. They slaughtered small children with knives like on October 7,” she said.“It’s horrible to be in a safer place and hear someone begging you for help,” she continued. “What can you do? I spoke to a friend, and she told me, ‘You know what I did? I put the gas tank outside and took out the lighter. Three days after the attacks began, the new Syrian regime headed by de facto leader al-Sharaa announced the formation of an investigatory committee to examine “the events that occurred on the Syrian coast.” However, testimonies indicate that the killing of Alawites continued even after the announcement.One testimony claims that the killers attempted to cover up their crimes.“Now it’s quiet. Many bodies are lying outside the buildings. They left them there and sneaked away,” read a message sent on March 9 to the Alawite woman living abroad. A few hours later, another message followed: “[The attackers] are burying them now — 20 bodies.”Alawite citizens turn scapegoat for new regime-In the early days of the attack against the Alawites, there were documented exchanges of fire between local armed groups. These militants were referred to by the new regime’s media as “remnants of Assad’s regime attempting to destabilize the country.”Alawites have long been associated with the previous Syrian regime; many of Assad’s armed forces, high-ranking officers and officials, were Alawite.The exchanges of fire were followed by disturbing footage showing armed men executing unarmed civilians.“We have never had weapons in our homes. We just want to live in peace. They will find an excuse and claim we were armed,” read one of the messages obtained by The Times of Israel.The Alawite woman who fled the country blamed the new regime for orchestrating the attacks. According to her, the armed group carrying out the massacre was affiliated with the new government.She also questioned the credibility of the investigatory committee, given that its members were appointed by al-Sharaa.“Who appointed the committee? The very man responsible for these attacks. He was linked to ISIS. I hope something will change in the regime,” she said.In recent days, reports of mass killings and attacks on Alawites have decreased, but this does not mean that life has returned to normal. On March 11, the Alawite woman abroad received a message from a contact in Syria.It read: “I was passing through a checkpoint in Latakia. They asked me 1,000 times if I was Alawite. Today, the armed groups that attacked us are still patrolling the streets.”The start, not the end, of armed reprisal-Michael Milshtein, an Israeli analyst at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies, said that regardless of the official statements from the new regime regarding investigations into the murders, or that fact that its leader, al-Sharaa, is wearing civilian attire nowadays, it is his rebel group that is massacring its old Alawite enemies.“I don’t think it’s significant that he’s wearing suits and ties. He himself may have changed a bit, but you saw his men in action during the massacre three weeks ago,” said Milshtein. “These are the same people; broadly, nothing has changed.”Milshtein believes that the violence against Alawites — and potentially other Syrian minorities — is not over yet.“There are deep tensions in Syria, and it can be said that there is no real connection between the different groups in the country: What connection is there between the Kurds, Sunnis, and Alawites? Syria, like many other countries in the region, survived because it was under a very harsh dictatorship for decades.”“The new regime acted as if it had resolved the issues by massacring 1,500 people, but right now, there is major conflict in Damascus regarding drafting a constitution. No one agrees on it,” he said, “or on Syria’s future in general.”
Houthis say one killed, 13 injured as US airstrikes pound Yemen overnight-Saudi news site claims senior rebel killed in strike on residential neighborhood in capital; Trump official claims bombing campaign taking out Iran-backed group’s ‘key leadership’By AP and ToI Staff Today, 2:06 pm-MAR 24,25
US airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels pounded sites across the country into Monday, with the group saying the one attack in the capital killed at least one person and wounded more than a dozen others, as the American air campaign against the rebel group entered a second week.The rebel-controlled SABA news agency reported, citing health officials, that the US-attributed strike on a residential neighborhood in western Sanaa killed one and injured 13, including three children.According to the Saudi Al Hadath network, a senior Houthi official was killed in the strike on the capital. However, the report did not identify the official by name or by position.Footage released by the rebels showed the rubble of a collapsed building and pools of blood staining the gray dust covering the ground.A building next to the collapsed structure still stood, suggesting American forces likely used a lower-yield warhead in the strike.The Houthis also described American airstrikes targeting sites around the city of Saada, a Houthi stronghold, the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, and Marib province, home to oil and gas fields still under the control of allies to Yemen’s exiled central government.The American strikes entered a 10th day without a sign of stopping, part of a campaign by US President Donald Trump, targeting the rebel group that threatens maritime trade and Israel, while also trying to pressure Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor.So far, the US has not offered any specifics on the sites it is striking, though Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz claimed the attacks have “taken out key Houthi leadership, including their head missileer.”That has not been acknowledged by the Houthis, though the rebels have downplayed their losses in the past and exaggerated their attacks in attempting to target American warships.“We’ve hit their headquarters,” Waltz told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “We’ve hit communications nodes, weapons factories, and even some of their over-the-water drone production facilities.”The campaign of airstrikes targeting the rebels, which killed at least 53 people immediately after they began March 15, started after the Houthis threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip.While the Houthis have said they were attacking Israeli-linked shipping in support of Gaza, they have also targeted vessels with no known Israeli connections.The Houthis began attacking the vital Red Sea maritime route in November 2023, a month after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.The group has targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far.The attacks greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting any dissent and aid workers at home during Yemen’s decade-long stalemated war that has torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.The Houthis — whose slogan is “Death to America, death to Israel, a curse upon the Jews” — paused their attacks after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire and hostage deal in January. Since the fighting in Gaza resumed last week, the Houthis have resumed missile fire on Israel and attacks on Red Sea shipping.
UK-French defence chiefs discuss plans to guarantee potential Ukraine truce-by AFP Staff Writers.
London (AFP) Mar 24, 2025-British and French defence chiefs met again in London on Monday to discuss plans for allied countries to safeguard a potential Ukraine ceasefire as part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's so-called "coalition of the willing".The meeting was the third of its kind since Starmer earlier this month announced he would work to bring together nations who could guarantee any cessation of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine."Europe's two leading nuclear powers are stepping up to forge a stronger and deeper partnership that has a vital foundational role to play in the security of the continent," said Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Tony Radakin afterwards."Today's deliberations will help shape the future of British and French military co-operation, and our shared efforts to support Ukraine with military aid now and after any peace deal," he added.After the meeting, the defence chiefs met King Charles III -- head of the British armed forces -- at Windsor Castle, west of London.Starmer's Downing Street office said it was continuing to keep the US updated on military planning meetings."The coalition of the willing is a group of nations politically aligned to the defence, security and sovereignty of Ukraine ... if there is a deal, it's a deal that has to be defended," his official spokesman said.Starmer has been leading efforts to form the group alongside French President Emmanuel Macron since US President Donald Trump opened direct negotiations with Russia last month to end the three-year war.But questions remain over what the group might be able to do after Putin demanded an end to Western military aid to Ukraine as a condition for any end to fighting.Starmer and Macron have said they are willing to put British and French troops on the ground in Ukraine, but Russia has said that it would not agree to soldiers from NATO countries being deployed there.The prime minister has said he welcomes any offer of support for the group, raising the prospect that some countries could contribute logistics or surveillance.Monday's meeting was attended by the heads of the British and French armies, navies and air forces as well as the head of both countries' defence forces.
US, Russia in Ukraine ceasefire talks as 65 wounded in latest strike.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AFP) Mar 24, 2025 - US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss a partial ceasefire in Ukraine on Monday as dozens of people were wounded in a missile strike on a Ukrainian city.With Ukrainian negotiators waiting nearby, a day after they sat down with the US team, the Americans and Russians met in Riyadh with a Black Sea ceasefire top of the agenda.President Donald Trump is pushing for a rapid end to the three-year war and hopes the latest round of talks will pave the way for a breakthrough.While the talks took place at a luxury hotel in the Saudi capital, 65 people were wounded in a missile attack on Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, officials said.The attack on a "densely populated residential area" damaged apartments and an educational facility, the regional prosecutor's office said. The city's acting mayor earlier said a hospital had been affected.The Ukrainian negotiating team was expecting a second meeting with the US delegation on Monday, a source in Kyiv told AFP, a sign that progress may have been made.- 'Trump's proposal and Putin agreed' -This month in Jeddah -- days after President Volodymyr Zelensky's White House dressing-down by Trump -- Ukraine agreed to a US-proposed, 30-day ceasefire that was then rejected by Russian President Vladimir Putin.Officials are now studying a possible resumption of the Black Sea Initiative, a year-long agreement that allowed millions of tonnes of grain and other food exports to be shipped from Ukraine's ports."The issue of the Black Sea Initiative and all aspects related to the renewal of this initiative is on the agenda today," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in his daily briefing."This was President Trump's proposal and President Putin agreed to it. It was with this mandate that our delegation travelled to Riyadh."The US-Ukraine and US-Russia talks were originally planned to take place simultaneously to enable shuttle diplomacy, with the United States going back and forth between the delegations.The US team is led by Andrew Peek, a senior director at the White House National Security Council, and senior State Department official Michael Anton, a source familiar with the matter told AFP.Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who heads the Ukrainian team, said Sunday's talks with the United States were "productive and focused".Trump envoy Steve Witkoff has voiced optimism that any agreement would pave the way for a "full-on" ceasefire."I think you're going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries," he told Fox News."And from that you'll naturally gravitate to a full-on shooting ceasefire."- 'Only at the beginning' -But the Kremlin has downplayed expectations of a rapid resolution."We are only at the beginning of this path," Peskov told Russian state TV on Sunday, adding: "There are difficult negotiations ahead."When Putin, in a lengthy phone call with Trump, rebuffed the joint US-Ukrainian call for a full and immediate 30-day pause, he proposed instead a halt in attacks on energy facilities.The traditional adversaries are now discussing the return of the Black Sea Initiative, which was originally brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in 2022.Russia pulled out of the agreement in 2023, accusing the West of failing to uphold its commitments to ease sanctions on Russia's own exports of farm produce and fertilisers.A senior Ukrainian official previously told AFP that Kyiv would propose a broader ceasefire, covering attacks on energy facilities, infrastructure and naval strikes.- US, Russia's 'mutual benefit' -As well as the missile strike on Sumy, both sides launched fresh drone attacks on the eve of the negotiations.Ukrainian officials said a Russian drone attack overnight Saturday killed three civilians in Kyiv, including a five-year-old girl and her father.AFP reporters in the capital saw emergency workers treating the wounded early Sunday in front of damaged residential buildings hit in the strike.Meanwhile, Ukraine's national railway operator said it was countering a sophisticated cyberattack for the second day running.Moscow headed into the Saudi talks after a rapprochement with Washington under Trump that boosted confidence Kremlin confidence.Peskov said Sunday that the "potential for mutually beneficial cooperation in a wide variety of spheres between our countries cannot be overstated"."We may disagree on some things but that does not mean we should deprive ourselves of mutual benefit," he added.
U.S. dispatches second aircraft carrier to the Red Sea-by Mark Moran.
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 23, 2025-The United States is dispatching a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East in an effort to ramp up defense efforts against Houthi militia aggression in the commercial shipping lanes of the Red Sea.The move could presage an increase in U.S. bombing efforts against Yemen and its proxies in the region.The U.S. will send the USS Carl Vinson and its several destroyers to the Red Sea next week.It's the second time in 6 months that the United States has had two aircraft carrier strike groups in the region at the same time, but the first time under the current Trump administration.The deployment is an extension of a fresh campaign to strike targets in Yemen, during which the United States has struck dozens of sites in the region, many of which have been munitions sites, including missile launch and storage locations, according to the U.S. Defense Department.Trump claimed on social media that the Iran-backs Houthis would be "completely annihilated" by U.S. forces and warned Tehran to "immediately" stop supplying the militants with military equipment.A temporary military stand down between Israel and Hamas, which has since crumbled, also meant the Houthis had not attacked any of the commercial shipping traffic in the Red Sea since Jan. 19, but have said they are likely to escalate their aggression and have added that they will attack U.S. ships sent there to mediate.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said it will take the Vinson roughly three weeks to reach the conflict zone.
Canada files WTO trade action against Chinese agriculture, fishery duties.
Geneva, March 24 (AFP) Mar 24, 2025-Canada has launched a dispute against China at the World Trade Organization over additional duties on agricultural and fishery products, the international body said Monday."Canada has requested WTO dispute consultations with China concerning Chinese measures that impose additional import duties on certain agricultural and fishery products from Canada," the agency said.The tariffs, announced earlier this month, hit rapeseed oil, oil cakes -- a type of animal feed -- and peas imported from Canada with a 100 percent surcharge.Canada is among the world's top producers of canola, a rapeseed crop that is used to make cooking oil, animal feed and biodiesel fuel, and China has historically been one of its largest customers.Aquatic products and pork, meanwhile, will face a 25 percent levy.Canadian industry leaders have said they would be hit hard by the new tariffs, which follow a Beijing probe into levies imposed by Ottawa on Chinese goods last year.The tariffs come as both Canada and China face increasing trade tensions with the United States after new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.Ottawa in August placed 100 percent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports, matching US measures seeking to fend off a flood of Chinese state-subsidised cars into North America.It also announced a surcharge on imports of steel and aluminium products from China.Beijing's commerce ministry said a probe into these measures found that Canadian policies "disrupted the normal trade order and harmed the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises".After complaints are brought before the WTO, consultations are initiated between the members at odds with each other.If no agreement is reached, the complainant can request the establishment of a special panel, made up of three to five experts.
N. Korea's Kim oversees test of latest anti-aircraft missile system: state media.
Seoul, March 21 (AFP) Mar 21, 2025-North Korea test-fired its latest anti-aircraft missile system in a drill watched by leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported Friday, as the nuclear-armed state lashed out at US-South Korea joint drills.The launch proved the system's "combat fast response", the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, and came a day after South Korea wrapped up a major annual joint military exercise with the United States, known as Freedom Shield.The North -- which attacked its neighbour in 1950, triggering the Korean War -- has long been infuriated by any military exercises between the United States and the South, which it claims are rehearsals for invasion.Kim praised the latest anti-aircraft system, saying North Korea's army would be "equipped with another major defence weapon system with laudable combat performance," KCNA wrote.It did not specify where the test took place.Seoul said last week the North fired "multiple unidentified ballistic missiles" after it began the joint drills involving US soldiers stationed in South Korea.In a separate statement Thursday, an unnamed spokesperson for the North's defence ministry denounced the military exercise as "no more than a rehearsal of war of aggression".Pyongyang also carried out a test-launch of strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea in late February, which it said showed off "counterattack capabilities".The most recent Freedom Shield exercise featured a collaborative drill focused on countering weapons of mass destruction, specifically targeting nuclear, chemical, biological, and radioactive threats.Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have been at one of their lowest points in years, with the North launching a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of UN sanctions.- Tests for Russia? -South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have said that more than 10,000 soldiers from the reclusive North were sent to Russia last year to help it fight a shock Ukrainian offensive into the Kursk border region.Seoul's spy agency said last month that the North has sent more soldiers to Russia and re-deployed several to the frontline in Kursk.A report by Seoul's defence ministry said the North was "continuing to provide weapons, ammunition and other military support to Russia following its troop deployment in the Ukraine war".Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP that the latest launch appears to be "the testing of weapons for export to Russia to be used in Ukraine".Pyongyang is using the US-South Korea joint exercises as an excuse to develop and export such weapons to Moscow, he added.Earlier this month, Pyongyang slammed the United States for "political and military provocations" over the visit of a US Navy aircraft carrier to the South Korean port of Busan.
China says seeking to deepen ties with France in 'turbulent' world.
Beijing, March 24 (AFP) Mar 24, 2025-China said Monday it hopes an upcoming visit by the French foreign minister would see the countries deepen cooperation in a world facing "turbulence and transformation".France and China have sought to strengthen ties in recent years, but Paris has also pressed Beijing on its ties with Moscow, which have strengthened since the invasion of Ukraine.French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot is set to visit the Chinese capital Beijing and economic powerhouse Shanghai on Thursday and Friday, his first visit since becoming the country's top diplomat last year."The current international situation is increasingly turbulent and complex, with a notable rise in instability and uncertainty," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, adding that Barrot will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.Beijing, he said, would use the visit "to consolidate political mutual trust".They will also "jointly resist unilateralism and the resurgence of the law of the jungle", he added, in a veiled reference to US President Donald Trump, whose return to the White House in January has rocked the international order.At a meeting in Paris last year, Wang told French President Emmanuel Macron that Beijing appreciated his country's "independent" stance.China says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, which it has never condemned.
FOURTH ANGEL: AFRICA-DR DOCTORION
Now we go to Africa. I saw the fourth angel with wings fly over Africa, and I could see from Cape Town in the south all the way to the north of Cairo - I saw all the countries there, more than fifty of them. The Angel of Africa had a sword in his hand - a tremendous, sharp sword.Suddenly I heard him say: "Innocent blood has been shed. Divisions amongst the people; generations far from the Lord - they have killed one another, thousands of people. I have seen my faithful children in Africa, and I shall reward all the faithful in the continent of Africa. I shall bless them abundantly.I shall control the weather - scorching and burning of the sun in some parts. Great rivers shall dry up, and millions will die from starvation. In other parts, flooding. Foundations shall be shaken. My sword shall judge the unrighteous and the bloodthirsty. So many earthquakes shall happen that rivers shall flow in different directions in the continent,flooding many villages."I saw great pieces falling from the sky over different parts of Africa."There shall be trembling of the earth like has not been seen since the creation. None shall escape the sword of the Lord."I saw the River Nile drying up. It is the god of Egypt. Fishes dead and stinking all over Egypt. A great part of the middle of Africa will be covered with water - millions dying."Lord," I said, "It is all bad news. All destruction. Any good news?"The Lord said: "The final day has come. Judgment day is here. My love has been refused now, and the end has come."I was shaking and trembling. I thought I cannot bear it.
S.Africa and DRC discuss boosting 'defence capabilities-by AFP Staff Writers.
Johannesburg (AFP) Mar 24, 2025-The Democratic Republic of Congo's defence minister began a visit to South Africa Monday aimed at strengthening "strategic defence capabilities" between the two countries, South Africa's government said.The visit, due to last until Thursday, comes against the backdrop of an escalating conflict in the mineral-rich east of the DRC, where South African troops deployed with a mission of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have suffered severe losses."This visit aims to further strengthen and enhance the longstanding bilateral defence relations between South Africa and the DRC," South Africa's defence ministry said in a statement.The talks between Congolese Defence Minister Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita and his South African counterpart Angie Motshekga will focus on "key areas of defence cooperation and bolstering strategic defence capabilities", it added.The partnership is "crucial for fostering peace, security and stability across the region", the ministry said.Fourteen South African soldiers were killed in January in eastern DRC, where the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has launched a lightning offensive, seizing large swathes of land and key cities.Most of the soldiers were from the SADC mission sent in December 2023 to help the government of the DRC -- also a SADC member -- to restore peace and security.At least two of the troops killed were deployed as part of a separate United Nations peacekeeping force.Following the deaths, a row erupted between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, with the latter tweeting that the southern African troops were "not a peacekeeping force" but were "engaging in offensive combat operations to help the DRC government"."If South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day," Kagame posted on X.The SADC announced mid-March that it would end its military deployment, of which the bulk of the troops come from South Africa.On March 18, Qatar unexpectedly announced it had hosted the Rwandan and Congolese presidents for talks in which they "reaffirmed the commitment of all parties to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire".But despite the announcement, the M23 last week took control of the mining hub of Walikale, the farthest west the group has advanced into the interior of the DRC since 2012.
ReArm Europe? EU re-thinks name after objections; Germany approves 3 bn euros in new Ukraine military aid-by AFP Staff Writers.
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Mar 21, 2025-The EU may be scrambling to boost its defences in the face of Russia and unpredictable US President Donald Trump -- but low-spending Spain and Italy insist Brussels avoids saying "rearm".Earlier this month European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen unveiled an initiative to help ramp up military budgets that she says could mobilise up to 800 billion euros.The name: ReArm Europe.It won broad support from EU countries who see a need to take a quantum leap on defence.But for Spain and Italy, two countries whose defence budgets lag well below NATO's benchmark, one of the objections was its title."I don't like the term rearm," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said at an EU summit Thursday. "I think that the European Union is a political project of soft power."Sanchez, along with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, has pushed for a broad range of other issues to be covered in the programme -- including border protection and cyber security.Part of the opposition to the name comes from the fact that talk of spending on weapons still goes down poorly in countries further from Russia, even more than three years into Moscow's war on Ukraine.Under pressure the EU's executive arm, the European Commission, appears to have conceded the point.It now refers to a broader "Readiness 2030" package aimed at putting the bloc in a stronger position by the end of the decade."We are sensitive to the fact that the name as such may trigger some sensitivities in some member states," commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho said Friday."If this makes it more difficult to convey the message to all citizens in the EU of the need to take these measures, of course, then we all are ready to not only to listen, but also to reflect it in the way we communicate."The EU's plan isn't the first military initiative to face problems with its name in Brussels.Across town at NATO headquarters last year Germany refused to let the military alliance call a proposal to help coordinate arms supplies to Ukraine a "mission" -- much to the chagrin of other members.In the end they had to opt for the clumsy acronym NSATU - standing for NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine.
