Russia: Pause in Ukraine talks due to Kyiv
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have not ruled out the possibilit...
Israel has begun mobilising military reservists as tensions rise over a looming deadline for Hamas to free Israeli hostages. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that failure to release captives by Saturday will lead to renewed conflict.
Israel has begun calling up military reservists, bracing for a possible return to war in Gaza if Hamas fails to release hostages by Saturday, the agreed deadline under the ceasefire deal.
Concerns over the truce’s collapse have grown as outrage spreads in the Arab world over Trump’s proposal to take control of Gaza, relocate Palestinian residents, and develop an international beach resort.
Hamas, which previously agreed to release three more hostages on Saturday, has halted the process, accusing Israel of breaking the ceasefire terms. Trump responded with a stern ultimatum: “All hostages must be freed by noon on Saturday, or I will let hell break out.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that “if Hamas stops the hostage releases, then there is no ceasefire—there is war.” He said renewed fighting would be “of another intensity altogether” and would bring Trump’s Gaza plan into reality.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed Katz’s warning, saying Israel would resume “intense fighting” if Hamas failed to meet the deadline. However, he did not specify how many hostages must be freed.
The Israeli military has begun deploying additional troops to the south and activating reservists in preparation for potential action in Gaza. Netanyahu said he had instructed the military to be “ready for all scenarios.”
At the White House, Trump asked Jordan’s King Abdullah to ensure Hamas understands the severity of the situation.
Residents in Gaza fear that renewed fighting will make the humanitarian crisis even worse. “We had barely started believing that a truce would happen and that a solution was on the way,” said Lotfy Abu Taha, a resident of Rafah. “The people are suffering. The people are the victims.”
The armed wing of Hamas ally Islamic Jihad warned that the fate of Israeli hostages was now directly tied to Netanyahu’s decisions. “The only way to retrieve hostages and for stability to return is through a swap deal,” a spokesperson said.
Anger over Trump’s vision for Gaza is growing. Two Egyptian security officials said that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would not travel to Washington if discussions included the U.S. plan to relocate Palestinians. Egypt’s presidency has not commented on the matter.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Türkiye next Thursday for discussions on bilateral relations and international matters, German officials announced on Friday.
Between January and September this year, a total of 30.5 million tonnes of oil was transported via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) main export pipeline, according to data released by the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed his country’s agreement with Tehran’s plans to host the summit meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states in 2026.
Azerbaijan has proposed creating a joint Start-up and Innovation cooperation platform to strengthen regional collaboration and accelerate technological development across member countries.
President Emeritus of the European Council Charles Michel tells AnewZ TV he is “confident” in the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process, as experts point to rare alignment between the two sides on regional connectivity and future cooperation.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment