From: The Times of Israel March 6, 2025
Witkoff: Trump’s ultimatum came after we didn’t like what we heard from Hamas, in direct talks

US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff defends the Trump administration’s decision to launch direct talks with Hamas, breaking with longstanding policy not to negotiate with the terror group.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Witkoff says Trump’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler held such conversations in recent days — not weeks — and that doing so is within his purview.

“I commend him for doing that. Adam cares about lives. The hostage families are grateful for it, and so is President Trump,” Wiktoff says.
“It was the responsibility of the special envoy to actually have a conversation and see if anything can be achieved,” Witkoff continues.

“Unfortunately, what we learned is that Hamas told us they were going to be thinking about it, a certain way… That’s important information for us to have.

Witkoff admits:
1. US captives are priority
2. and that Trump issued ultimatum after Hamas didn’t play ball, in the meeting

Trump has issued multiple ultimatums to Hamas over the past several months with limited [no] success.

And so came the tweet from the president,” Witkoff said, referencing Trump’s post on Truth Social last night that warned Hamas that it would be destroyed if it didn’t immediately release the hostages.

Witkoff says Trump’s message to Hamas was, “Your behavior is unacceptable. You need to clean up your behavior.”

“We want to see these hostages come home. We’re not going to sit here and do nothing and tolerate these kinds of inhumane conditions.
1. They’ve lived in a terrible situation.
2. Who keeps dead bodies?
3. Who does that?
4. Who keeps people chained up downstairs?
5. Who murders in front of other hostages?

What has happened here is intolerable, and it’s not going to be tolerated by President Trump.”

“We’re prepared to have dialogue. But if the dialogue doesn’t work, then the alternative is not such a good alternative for Hamas,” Witkoff says.

While a government official told The Times of Israel earlier today that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unhappy about Washington’s direct negotiations with Hamas, Witkoff insists that Israel is supportive of the administration’s efforts and that he is in regular contact with officials in Jerusalem.

From: The Jerusalem Post March 6, 2025
Joint action against Hamas:

Later on, Witkoff added that the US and Israel could take joint action against Hamas if the terror group failed to release the hostages.

Further, when Trump was asked whether this statement referred to joint military strikes, he responded:
"Well, we're going to find out. Someone will have to be much tougher than them."

True Day 518 Enough! is Enough Get Hamas and all the terrorists No more terror Ever

From: The Guardian March 6, 2025
Hamas brushes off Trump's threat and says it will only free hostages in return for a lasting truce

The Hamas militant group on Thursday brushed off US president Donald Trump’s latest threat and reiterated that it will only free the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, reports the Associated Press (AP)

Hamas accused Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to back out of the ceasefire agreement they reached in January.

The agreement calls:
1. for negotiations over a second phase in which the hostages would be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners and detainees,
2. a permanent ceasefire
3. and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua told the AP that the “best path to free the remaining Israeli hostages” is through negotiations on that phase, which were supposed to begin in early February. Only limited preparatory talks have been held so far.

On Wednesday, Trump issued what he said was a “last warning” to Hamas after meeting with eight former hostages.

The White House meanwhile confirmed it had held unprecedented direct talks with the militant group.
It is unclear if the US-Hamas talks made any progress.

Reuters March 6, 2025
U.S. to reportedly use AI to revoke visas of students it sees as Hamas supporters

The U.S. State Department will use artificial intelligence to revoke visas of foreign students who it perceives as supporters of Palestinian Hamas militants, Axios reported on Thursday, citing senior State Department officials.

Fox News separately reported the State Department revoked the visa of a student who allegedly participated in what the department termed as
"Hamas-supporting disruptions." The revocation marked the first such action, according to the report.

The State Department was working with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, according to Axios.

On Wednesday, several people were arrested at a sit-in arranged by pro-Palestinian students in the main lobby of Barnard College in New York.

Protesters distributed pamphlets, including Hamas' Media Office material justifying the October 7 attack on Israel.
Images of Hamas fighters, including slain leader Yahya Sinwar, were hung on the walls.

Reuters March 6, 2025
Secretary of State Rubio: The U.S. has 'zero tolerance' for foreign visitors who support terrorists

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said that "Those who support designated terrorist organizations, including Hamas, threaten our national security.

The United States has zero tolerance for foreign visitors who support terrorists."
He added that "violators of U.S. law – including international students – face visa denial or revocation, and deportation."

The Jewish Chronicle March 7, 2025

Israel Briefing Day 518: Hamas threatens hostage murders after Trump ultimatum
Plus, Israel-U.S. intelligence sharing reportedly at risk due to Trump’s Russia stance

Hamas has threatened to murder hostages if it is subject to any “escalation.”
Its statement came yesterday, on the heels of Donald Trump’s ultimatum that the terror group will be decimated if it does not free all the remaining captives.

Hamas Spokesman Abu Obeida said: “Every escalation and aggression against our people will lead to the death of hostages.”

However, Trump doubled down on his threats, saying that harsher action may be needed, and refusing to rule out joint Israeli-U.S. military action.

Asked in the Oval Office whether he could order military strikes, Trump responded:
“Well, we’re going to find out.” He went on: “Somebody’s going to have to get a lot rougher than they’re getting. It’s a shame.”

The President also spoke about his meeting on Wednesday with a group of former hostages:
“I had the honour of spending a lot of time yesterday with quite a few of the people that we got out, and I can’t believe how badly treated they were,”

In related news, just one day after it emerged that the U.S. and Hamas are holding unprecedented direct negotiations the talks have reportedly hit a roadblock.

The discussions were being led by U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler in Qatar and came to light on Wednesday after a report in Axios followed by White House confirmation.

Now the talks are public, they are reportedly in crisis, while Jerusalem is unhappy about the direct Washington-Hamas channel.

The Jewish Chronicle March 7, 2025

Some returned hostages have lost two-fifths – 40 per cent – of their bodyweight and often received less than half the necessary food intake during their time in Gaza, the Israeli Ministry of Health has revealed.

Dr Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Health Ministry’s medical division, described
“severe nutritional deficiencies and muscle mass loss, to the extent that some of the returnees require continued physiotherapy to rebuild their muscles”.

The ministry is expected to submit its findings to the Red Cross
Why? They are viewed as having failed to help Jewish people during the Holocaust despite
1. touring concentration camps
2. and having connections with Nazi officials

In contrast, a conference that was expected to lambast Israel for allegedly violating the Geneva Conventions has been cancelled due to a lack of participants Switzerland’s Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed.

The event was due to take place today.

The Jewish Chronicle March 7, 2025

Meanwhile, the Israeli military is reportedly acting to quell concerns that soldiers could be arrested when travelling abroad as civilians

There have been cases of pro-Palestinian organisations initiating arrest warrants in various countries, citing photographs of Israelis in army settings.

According to Hebrew media reports yesterday, the IDF is considering banning photography of soldiers at upcoming ceremonies for Yom Hatzmaut and Yom Hazikaron in order to prevent such cases.

The Jewish Chronicle March 7, 2025

And America has softened its stance on an Egypt-led plan for the future of Gaza, which is conceived as an alternative to Trump’s proposal of US-control and Gazan resettlement.

Unlike the U.S. plan, which would move Palestinians out of the area, the Egyptian plan would reconstruct Gaza without removing its population.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff called it a “good-faith first step” yesterday, suggesting
1. Washington is reducing its initial opposition
2. and is open to discussions.

However, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce later said it “does not fulfil the requirements” of Washington.

The Jewish Chronicle March 7, 2025

Finally, Israel is reportedly considering reducing its intelligence sharing with Washington, out of concerns about the growing closeness between the Trump administration and Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin.

According to NBC News, Israel and several other countries are considering revising protocols amid worries that
“identities of foreign assets could inadvertently be shared with Moscow.”

Other countries that are concerned include the UK, Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand.

Israeli officials denied the report and insisted that cooperation with the U.S. remains “strong and solid as ever.”
Officials from Canada and the UK also rejected claims that intelligence-sharing would be reduced, while other nations involved did not comment.

JFEED February 8, 2025
To call the Red Cross a waste of space would be a massive understatement:
They pretend to be an aid organization but they are complicit with murder, rape, starvation, physical and psychological torture and crimes against humanity.  

The ICRC's silence is not just a lack of action; it's a profound moral failure.

While this organization has historically been vocal in other conflicts, issuing detailed reports and condemnations regarding prisoner treatment elsewhere, it has been conspicuously muted about the plight of Israeli hostages

The Times of Israel December 21, 2023
Israeli group accuses Red Cross of ‘biased and apathetic’ response to Gaza hostages

The Shurat Hadin nonprofit, criticized the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for allegedly
“failing to act to fulfill its mandate and moral duty to visit the kidnapped Israelis held in Gaza, assure their wellbeing and fight for their release.”

Contacted by AFP, the ICRC said it had continuously called for the release of the hostages since the Hamas onslaught, with a spokesman adding that
“we are pained and frustrated when we do not have access to people who need our help.”

According to Shurat Hadin, the ICRC was slow to intervene and did not act firmly to facilitate visits or “try to supply the medicines required to the hostages.”

“We cannot accept this disregard and disrespect for human lives, just because the hostages are Jewish,” charged Shurat Hadin head, Nitsana Darshan Leitner.

ICRC spokesman Jason Straziuso said the organization has “been meeting with Hamas at all levels and undertaking humanitarian diplomacy efforts to gain access to people being held, to be able to visit them and bring the necessary items, like medicines.” Never happened

From: Haaretz March 7, 2025
Israel's defense minister: Syria's leader revealed true face

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz claimed that members of the new regime in Syria led by Ahmad al-Sharaa are carrying out massacres against the civilian population, amid reports of dozens of deaths in clashes in northwest Syria between loyalists of the Assad regime and the forces of the new regime.

According to Katz, al-Sharaa who "presented a moderate face, has now taken off his mask and revealed his true face:
a jihadist terrorist from Al-Qaida who is committing atrocities against the civilian population."

Katz added that Israel will keep southern Syria demilitarized and protect the Druze population.

From: Israel National News March 7, 2025
Copenhagen City Council approves controversial ‘Palestine Square’ naming

Copenhagen City Council votes in favor of renaming a public space "Palestine Square," despite thousands of emails urging a rejection of the proposal.

The Copenhagen City Council has voted in favor of renaming a public space "Palestine Square," with 29 out of 55 members supporting the decision.
The new name is set to take effect on April 1

The new square will be situated in the Nørrebro neighborhood of northern Copenhagen, at the intersection of Nørrebrogade, Esromgade, and Hillerødgade.

The proposal was first brought forward in August of 2023 and was backed by members of The Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten), The Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre), The Socialist People's Party (SF), and The Alternative (Alternativet)

An official decision scheduled for October 9, 2023 was postponed in the wake of Hamas' October 7 massacre in Israel.

According to Danish news site DR thousands of emails were sent to Copenhagen city councillors on Wednesday, urging them to reject the proposal.

The emails stressed that:
1. "public squares should unite, not divide,"
2. arguing that the name would be a painful reminder for Jews of the October 7 massacre
3. and other attacks by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Hamas, and Islamic Jihad.

Danish-Palestinian Arab groups welcomed the decision, viewing it as "a testament to the strong ties between Denmark and Palestine," according to the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency WAFA

1. "They expressed that the renaming signifies Denmark's solidarity with the Palestinian cause:
2. reaffirming the country's stance in support of Palestinian rights
3. and its quest for freedom and independence.

Members of the City Council also:
1. expressed pride in the decision,
2. emphasizing that it represents the Danish people's support for the Palestinian struggle
3. and their right to establish an independent state,"

From: Reuters March 7, 2025
Yemen's Houthis give Israel four-day deadline to lift Gaza aid blockage

The leader of Yemen's Houthis said on Friday the group would resume its naval operations against Israel if Israel did not lift a blockage of aid into Gaza within four days, signaling a possible escalation from the Houthis after their assaults tailed off in January following a ceasefire in the enclave.

The Iran-aligned movement launched more than 100 attacks targeting shipping from November 2023 saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza.

During that period, it sank two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers in an offensive that disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.

al-Houthi said:
1. "We will give a deadline for four days.
2. This deadline is for the (Gaza ceasefire) mediators for their efforts,"

"If the Israeli enemy after four days continues to prevent the humanitarian aid into Gaza and continues to completely close the crossings, we will resume our naval operations against the Israeli enemy."

From: The Guardian March 6, 2025
Hamas brushes off Trump's threat and says it will only free hostages in return for a lasting truce


From: Reuters March 7, 2025
Hamas welcomed the Houthis' announcement on Friday.

"The brave decision ... is an extension of the positions of support and assistance that they (the Houthis) provided over the course of 15 months of war ... in Gaza", Hamas said.

The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, also said in February that they will take military action if the U.S. and Israel try to displace Palestinians from Gaza forcibly.

People in Glass Houses.... The Double Standards and Hypocrisy beggars belief indeed

If professors like Bazzi and Archbishops like Atallah Hanna.... present fair and balanced views then there is credibility.... not mentioning the terrorists nor the October 7, 2023 bloody, brutal terror monstrous, violent Guerilla warfare unleashed inside Israel's borders -- Thank you! and Good bye!

There is more of the below drivel! but I am not posting it all! as a courtesy and consideration to the fellow members, guests and spiders

Trump is suspending aid to Ukraine – but he’s rolling over for Israel
The Guardian by Mohamad Bazzi 07 March 2025

Greek Orthodox Archbishop rebukes US secretary of state
Anadolu Agency Ankara, Türkiye by Said Amori and Rania Abu Shamala 07 March 2025

Trump is suspending aid to Ukraine – but he’s rolling over for Israel
The Guardian by Mohamad Bazzi 07 March 2025

Extracts:

• Trump is suspending aid to Ukraine but he’s rolling over for Israel

The president’s hardball negotiating tactics are nowhere to be seen as he sends billions in new weapons to Netanyahu

Donald Trump, in his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, barely mentioned Gaza or the wider Middle East, making only a passing reference to bringing back US hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza

Trump didn’t even expound on his plan for the US to take over the devastated territory and turn it into a “Riviera of the Middle East” while expelling 2 million Palestinians to neighboring Arab countries

Trump is already going down the same failed path as his predecessor, Joe Biden, who sent Israel a virtually unlimited supply of weapons – and failed to use US political cover at the United Nations and billions of dollars in arms as leverage to stop Israel’s war on Gaza

On 1 March, the Trump administration announced it had approved $4billion in new weapons to Israel under emergency authorities, meaning the deal would bypass even a perfunctory review in Congress

A day later, Benjamin Netanyahu banned all food and other aid deliveries to Gaza, imposing a new siege that threatens to collapse a fragile ceasefire reached in January 2025

Trump is suspending aid to Ukraine – but he’s rolling over for Israel
The Guardian by Mohamad Bazzi 07 March 2025

Extracts:

• Trump - Israel and Ukraine

While Trump goes easy on the Israeli prime minister, Trump this week suspended all US military aid to Ukraine, days after Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a dramatic on-camera confrontation in the White House

Trump and his aides say they are using the suspension of billions of dollars in military support, along with a pause in intelligence sharing, as leverage to persuade the Ukrainian leader to cooperate with US efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war

Trump’s sudden cutoff of weapons to Ukraine proves that the US president is capable of swiftly ending arms shipments to any American ally
But Trump, like Biden before him, refuses to use that same kind of leverage to force Netanyahu to change his policies toward Gaza

Both Trump and Biden simply decided they don’t want to stop sending billions of dollars in weapons to Israel, depriving themselves of the most powerful influence they have over Netanyahu and his extremist government

Trump is suspending aid to Ukraine – but he’s rolling over for Israel
The Guardian by Mohamad Bazzi 07 March 2025

Extracts:

• "The Art of the Deal" knowing what side your bread's buttered on!

Netanyahu also knows how to placate Trump, being sycophantic in ways that Zelenskyy has so far refused to do

For a businessman who prides himself on his ability to negotiate tough deals with hardball tactics, Trump is being a weak negotiator No kidding!

Trump is refusing to play his strongest cards with the Israeli leader to ensure Netanyahu sticks to the ceasefire Trump supported

After Washington announced the latest $4billion in weapons shipments to Israel, Netanyahu thanked Trump profusely and called him
*Mohamad Bazzi is director of the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, and a journalism professor at New York University

Greek Orthodox Archbishop rebukes US secretary of state
Anadolu Agency Ankara, Türkiye by Said Amori and Rania Abu Shamala 07 March 2025

Extracts:

• Greek Orthodox Church Archbishop in Jerusalem rebukes US secretary of state over backing of Israel’s war in Gaza

Archbishop Atallah Hanna says,What must a true Muslim stand with?

Archbishop Atallah Hanna, head of the Sebastia of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, criticized US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday after Rubio appeared publicly having marked his forehead with a cross on Ash Wednesday [05 March 2025 start of Lent]

In a Facebook post accompanied by a photo of Marco Rubio bearing the cross mark, Hanna stated, referring to US support throughout Israel's ongoing genocidal [Israel reject these allegations] war in Gaza,What must a true Muslim stand with?

Hanna condemned,And the “Muslim politicians, Ayatollahs who distort Islam's message through positions that contradict the teachings of the Quran" their actions are not? "an internal enemy targeting the Mosque from within"

Hanna emphasized that those whoby terror? Never mind the freedom and peace Israel deserves

Greek Orthodox Archbishop rebukes US secretary of state
Anadolu Agency Ankara, Türkiye by Said Amori and Rania Abu Shamala 07 March 2025

Extracts:

• Trump magic! - US and Israel

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed US support for Israel in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that backing Tel Aviv is a "top priority" for the Trump administration

Additionally, Rubio announced Saturday that he had signed a decision to fast-track $4 billion in military aid to Israel, coinciding with Trump’s reversal of conditions previously imposed on the assistance by former President Joe Biden

A ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement has been in place in Gaza since January 19 halting Israel’s brutal war that has killed [according to terrorists Hamas-run local authorities] over 48,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children and left the enclave in ruins

Despite the ceasefire [terrorists Hamas-run] Gaza local authorities reported almost daily ceasefire violations by the Israeli army

• ICC and ICJ [Israel reject these allegations]

Last November, the International Criminal Court ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice ICJ for its military campaign

What is terrorists facing? Should face?

*Anadolu Agency is a state-run news agency headquartered in Ankara, Türkiye

Hamas Sees Talks With US as an Opening for International Legitimacy
Haaretz by Jack Khoury 07 March 2025

Extracts:

• Hamas Sees Talks With US as an Opening for International Legitimacy

In spite of Donald Trump's threats, Hamas does not see contact with the US as crossing a red line but as an opportunity to upgrade its status –
just as Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa did recently

The revelation of talks being held between senior Hamas leaders and representatives of the Trump administration is being viewed in Palestinian society as granting legitimacy to Hamas

Now -- the terrorists Look, let's get 'em all -- let's get 'em all now, while we got the Trump muscle
However Please! No Direct talks with terrorists Hamas

Blatant hypocrisy proof the world we once knew is gone
The Australian 08 March 2025

Extracts:

• Blatant hypocrisy proof the world we once knew is gone

While disdain for US President Trump finally motivates European leaders to address the scourge of Putin, these same leaders have criticised Israel for defending itself just as Ukraine is trying to do

It shouldn’t be one or the other, it should be both

The Times of Israel March 8, 2025
Over 300 Alawite civilians killed by Syria security forces, allies since Thursday, monitor says

A Syria war monitor reports that more than 300 Alawite civilians have been killed in recent days by the security forces and their allies, as authorities clash with militants loyal to the former government of Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor of unclear funding, reports that “311 Alawite civilians were killed in the coastal region… by security forces and allied groups”

Since the clashes began on Thursday, bringing the overall death toll to 524 people, including 213 security personnel and militants.

Yesterday, Defense Minister Israel Katz hit out at Syria’s Islamist rulers, calling the country’s new president an al-Qaeda terrorist.
His comments came after the reports of the executions.

“[Abu Mohammed] al-Julani switched his robe for a suit and presented a moderate face,” Katz said in a statement, using the nom de guerre of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

“Now he’s taken off the mask and exposed his true face:
A jihadist terrorist of the al-Qaeda school who is committing horrifying acts against a civilian population.”

“Israel will defend itself against any threat from Syria,” Katz added, while vowing the military would continue to occupy a buffer zone along the border and keep working to keep southern Syria demilitarized.

The Jerusalem Post March 7, 2025

I am a Zionist': Trudeau commended for speech condemning antisemitism
Trudeau spoke of his visits with Holocaust survivors

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's speech at the National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism on Thursday was commended by Israel's embassy in Ottawa.

During the speech, after addressing the global rise in antisemitism and support for terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, Trudeau identified himself as a Zionist and asserted "no one in Canada should ever be afraid to call themselves a Zionist.

"The term Zionist increasingly being tossed around as a pejorative, in spite of the fact that it simply means believing the right of the Jewish people, like all people, to determine their own future, is not normal," Trudeau told attendees.
Never visited Israel

The speech was welcomed by the embassy, who wrote on social media in response, "We deeply value Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau's statement that 'no one in Canada should ever be afraid to call themselves a Zionist' and his clear identification as a Zionist -- especially in such dark hours for Jews in Canada and around the world.

"Indeed, the rise of antisemitism is not normal - it is unprecedented.

According to Israel's Diaspora Ministry, there has been a 670% increase in antisemitic incidents in Canada since October 7 – this startling stat should keep us all awake at night."

CNN March 7, 2025
Hamas says ready to maintain direct talks with U.S. but accuses Trump of double standards

People in Glass Houses.... The Double Standards and Hypocrisy beggars belief indeed

CNN March 7, 2025
Hamas says ready to maintain direct talks with U.S. but accuses Trump of double standards

A senior Hamas figure in Gaza has accused US President Donald Trump of “blatant double standards” in his demand for the immediate release of hostages still held in Gaza – but told CNN that Hamas’ direct meetings with US officials “aim to achieve stability in the region.”

Mushir al-Masri was speaking to CNN from Gaza after the White House confirmed it had negotiated directly with Hamas with the aim of securing the release of hostages in Gaza, breaking a long-standing U.S. policy of not talking to groups it deems to be terrorist organizations.

The comments also come with the Gaza ceasefire hanging by a thread, after Israel blocked vital aid into enclave in an attempt to pressure Hamas to reverse its rejection of a revised proposal to extend the truce.

Masri told CNN Thursday that “any meetings held with the American side aim to achieve stability in the region, to end the war on the Gaza Strip, and to stop the aggression against our Palestinian people.”

He said “stability can only be achieved through an agreement with Hamas. I believe that meetings with the American side aim to achieve this goal.”