President Donald Trump expressed frustration over the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, stating that he was losing patience after seeing footage of Israeli hostages released over the weekend, whom he compared to Holocaust survivors.
Speaking aboard Air Force One en route to New Orleans for the Super Bowl, Trump reacted to the frail appearance of the three hostages freed on Saturday. “They look like Holocaust survivors. They were in horrible condition. They were emaciated,” he told reporters. “I don’t know how much longer we can take that ... at some point we’re going to lose our patience.”
Trump acknowledged the ongoing deal but criticized its slow progress: “I know we have a deal ... they dribble in and keep dribbling in ... but they are in really bad shape.”
The three released hostages - Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi, and Or Levy – were taken captive during Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. They were freed on Saturday, appearing in significantly worse condition than previous hostages released under the truce agreed on January 15. In exchange, Israel freed 183 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the condition of the hostages shocking, vowing to address the matter.
Trump also reaffirmed his commitment to U.S. ownership of Gaza following Palestinian removal, an idea he proposed on February 4 during Netanyahu's visit to Washington. He suggested that other Middle Eastern nations could help rebuild parts of Gaza under U.S. oversight.
“As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it, other people may do it, through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back.”
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 12th of December, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Ukraine has presented the U.S. with a revised 20-point framework to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday, adding that the issue of ceding territory remains a major sticking point in negotiations.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that he still hopes the U.S. administration will reconsider its decision to withdraw from the organisation next month, warning that its exit would be a loss for the world.
A new proposal in the U.S. Congress aims to remove decades-old restrictions on American assistance to Azerbaijan, reopening a sensitive debate that has shaped Washington’s role in the region for more than thirty years.
Japan has lifted a tsunami advisory issued after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 hit the country's northeastern region on Friday (12 December), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The JMA had earlier put the earthquake's preliminary magnitude at 6.7.
Iran is preparing to host a multilateral regional meeting next week in a bid to mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The United States issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela on Thursday, imposing curbs on three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro's wife, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington ramps up pressure on Caracas.
The resignation of Bulgaria's government on Thursday (11 December) puts an end to an increasingly unpopular coalition but is likely to usher in a period of prolonged political instability on the eve of the Black Sea nation's entry into the euro zone.
An extratropical cyclone has caused widespread disruption across Brazil’s São Paulo state, with powerful winds toppling trees and power lines, blocking streets and leaving large parts of the region without electricity.
Britain’s King Charles III said on Friday, 12 December, that his cancer treatment is expected to be reduced in the coming year, using a televised address to urge people across the country to take part in cancer screening programmes, officials confirmed.
Talks aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia are set to continue in Berlin this weekend, with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and senior European leaders, a U.S. official said.
Türkiye’s Trade Minister Omer Bolat said Friday that discussions in Washington with U.S. officials have strengthened efforts to expand bilateral trade, moving closer to a $100 billion target.
Lebanon is prepared to demarcate its border with Syria, President Joseph Aoun said on Friday, while noting that the dispute over the Shebaa Farms could be addressed at a later stage.
Greek farmers blocked the Port of Thessaloniki on Friday (12 December) as part of nationwide protests demanding delayed European Union subsidies and compensation for rising production costs and livestock losses.
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