Summary: President Trump’s Middle East trip resulted in billions of dollars in deals, including arms and tech for Saudi Arabia. It did nothing to curb Qatar’s influence on media or on campuses, and did not result in a deal with Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions nor its support for terrorists. There is a new in-depth report on Hamas’ “Human Shield Strategy.” Hamas and the Taliban each released one American hostage. Hamas still holds 58 captives and continues to reject any hostage deal. Hamas praised Canada, France, and the UK for threatening Israel. For the third day in a row, Gazans are again risking their lives to protest Hamas. The Houthis in Yemen continue to fire rockets at Israeli cities.

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Hostage Update: It's been 593 days too many. 

At least 20 are believed to be alive and in desperate condition. Edan Alexander’s release was apparently secured through a secret backchannel between the U.S. and Hamas, brokered by Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah, chair of “Arab Americans for Trump.” Aid renewal to Gaza was part of the deal to free Alexander. Hamas continues to reject a new hostage deal.

Afghanistan

American, George Glezmann, detained by Taliban in Afghanistan is freed in deal mediated by Qatar https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/20/asia/us-citizen-george-glezmann-released-taliban-afghanistan-qatar-intl

Canada

France, the UK, and Canada have announced Israel must stop any military operations in Gaza or face sanctions. Hamas thanked Canada!

Iran

Additional Iran sanctions imposed at the same time President Trump has offered lifting all economic sanctions on Iran, if the country would commit to never making nuclear weapons and also eliminate its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. (No mention of ending their support for terrorists) Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the nuclear talks between America and Iran are unlikely to be successful.  See https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0139, https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/20/middleeast/iran-supreme-leader-talks-us-conclusion-unlikely-intl and https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/lifting-us-sanctions-iran-could-crush-chinas-teapot-oil-refineries-bousso-2025-05-19/

 Israel

>Israel came in second at the Eurovision competition. Finland and Spain broadcasted anti-Israel messages before Yuval’s performance. Now that the contest is over, Finland accused Israel of engineering Eurovision votes and Spain is saying the audience vote isn’t fair because it was “influenced by the war.”

>What’s it like to dodge missiles in Israel? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7us38-qlH_Q 

>What has Israel accomplished in response to attacks from Hamas and Hezbollah? https://x.com/HilzFuld/status/1923995551650951594

>Israel sending negotiators to Doha for hostage talks, after US-Israeli captive freed  https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-sending-negotiators-to-doha-for-hostage-talks-after-us-israeli-captive-freed/   

>Poll: 81 Percent of Israelis Oppose Leaving Hamas in Power in Gaza (Jerusalem Post) 

>Israeli Intelligence to Help Ecuador in War on Cartels (AFP-Le Monde-France)

Lebanon

>Lebanese Army Seizes Captagon Pills, Equipment at Syrian Border (Arab News)

>UN Says Found 225 Hizbullah Arms Caches since Truce (AFP) UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, said Monday that since the Nov. 27, 2024, truce between Israel and Hizbullah it had uncovered more than 225 Hizbullah weapons caches in the south.

Palestinians/Hamas/PA

>Hamas Human Shield Strategy: Civilian casualties are not solely a tragic outcome of Israel's actions, but a deliberate result of Hamas's grotesque military doctrine. Hamas’s Human Shield Strategy https://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/HJS-Hamass-Human-Shield-Strategy-in-Gaza-Report-WEB.pdf  Both Palestinians and Israelis who have been held captive in Gaza hospitals confirm that they are being used by terrorists for military purposes. Israel has issued 21 million evacuation warnings. Israel tells Palestinians to evacuate, even at the cost of alerting Hamas and risking the hostages, to minimize civilian casualties as much as possible. Israel is continuing to destroy tunnels, target the remaining Hamas leaders, and has resumed aid deliveries -  including some 100 trucks today carrying flour, baby food and medical supplies.

>Footage challenges repeated claims of starvation in Gaza as war ramps up https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r17lo2wbxg#autoplay

>People in Gaza, while evacuating from Khan Yunis, told the journalist filming them: “Record this and let those sons of b**** Hamas leaders see what people are enduring,” and “No, it’s not the Jews—it’s Hamas.” https://x.com/IhabHassane/status/1924602630581432566

>Double standards: PLO thanks Egypt for hosting released terrorists, while ‎backing Egypt’s rejection of Gazan civilians who are in danger https://palwatch.org/page/37152

Qatar

>Experts: Qatar-gifted Air Force One may be security, upgrade disaster https://www.defensenews.com/air/2025/05/12/experts-qatar-gifted-air-force-one-may-be-security-upgrade-disaster/

>America for Sale: Qatar’s $40 Billion Spending Spree Buys Influence and Control of Elite Institutions. Qatar’s Strategic Investments in the U.S. Include Critical Infrastructure in Oil and Gas, Higher Education, Trophy Properties, and Political Access https://www.meforum.org/mef-reports/america-for-sale-qatars-40-billion-spending-spree-buys-influence-and-control-of-elite-institutions

UN

UN Envoy, Francesca Albanese, Took Trips Paid for by Hamas-Linked Groups and Lied about It (Ynet News) 

USA

During President Trumps tour of the Middle East he secured deals worth billions of dollars including selling $142 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, and Qatar promising to invest $38 billion in the U.S. defense sector.

>East Real Estate Diplomacy in a Minefield https://maralsalmassi.substack.com/p/trumps-legacy-deal-no-exit

>How Arabs See Trump's 'Separate Peace' and Deals With Islamists (Gatestone) 

>Trump in Riyadh: "All Civilized People Must Condemn the October 7 Atrocities Against Israel" (Roll Call)

>White House: "The Idea that We Would Abandon Israel Is Absurd"  (Ynet News)

THE MEDIA

>NBC News Is Quietly Rewriting Its Own Reporting on the Israel-Hamas War https://honestreporting.com/nbc-news-is-quietly-rewriting-its-own-reporting-on-the-israel-hamas-war/ 

>The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published a report revealing how Gazan reporters are being threatened, stalked, and assaulted. https://cpj.org/2025/05/gaza-journalists-speak-out-about-hamas-intimidation-threats-assaults/ This comes after CPJ designated terrorists as journalists, including hostage holders.

To those who celebrate: Happy Passover! As we remember the Exodus and the Israelites' journey from bondage to freedom, let us not forget those hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza today after more than a year and a half. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NbhiYYHCvY&t=1s
 
HOSTAGE UPDATE: 553 Days, 59 Hostages still in Hamas captivity.
There are 24 hostages presumed to be alive who are still held by Hamas.
Another Saturday, another Hamas hostage video. The terrorists dropped a *teaser* for a hostage propaganda video they plan to release later. Instead of releasing the hostages, feeding the Palestinian people, or ending the war, they produce teaser videos showing hostages being tortured.
 
The Taliban will no longer allow Afghan women to see with both eyes.
https://x.com/realMaalouf/status/1906403177316176266
Note: one of the jobs of the recently shuttered US Institute of Peace was Tracking the Taliban’s (Mis) Treatment of Women. That page is no longer functioning.
 
Smuggling Tunnels from Egypt to Gaza Still Open  (Jerusalem Post)
 
Al Jazeera Analyst Calls on Hamas to Murder Gaza Protestors
https://x.com/EFischberger/status/1907533826722828494
 
➤Iranian Official Reveals: How We Eliminated Regime Opponents in Europe  (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
➤The U.S. has a third path on Iran aside from diplomacy, military strikes — maximum support for Iranians to bring down the theocratic regime https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmEsAFBNkqsMQnt5pypwEX0ul0NyIjd3E&feature=shared
 
➤The lies behind the Gaza casualty figures and the thousands of names removed without explanation https://nypost.com/2025/04/05/opinion/the-lies-behind-the-gaza-casualty-figures/
 ➤Gazans are risking their lives protesting Hamas. Glasgow University rector Ghassan Abu-Sittah calls them traitors. Western media still treats him as a hero. https://honestreporting.com/medias-darling-doctor-ghassan-abu-sittah-anti-hamas-palestinians-stabbed-resistance-in-the-back/
➤CNN Platforms Hamas Apologist While Silencing Gaza’s Real Protest Voices https://honestreporting.com/cnn-platforms-hamas-apologist-while-silencing-gazas-real-protest-voices/
➤Hamas uses DARVO -- Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender -- in the same way that individual abusers do, to confuse and silence https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/how-hamas-emulates-tactic-of-violent-abusers-and-weaponizes-it-against-israel/
 
South African Government Accused of Foreknowledge of October 7th Hamas Attack
https://www.iol.co.za/the-star/news/sa-accused-of-prior-knowledge-in-hamas-attack-d9786146-67b7-4997-9783-82d5a23372d2
 
Israel and Turkey Hold Direct Talks on Deconfliction Link in Syria - (Middle East Eye-UK)
 
London will host foreign ministers from nearly 20 countries as part of a summit aimed at ending the Sudanese civil war between the SAF and the RSF. The SAF has accused the UAE – a U.K. ally – of being a key backer of the RSF, while Saudi Arabia is a backer of the SAF.
 
➤Francesca Albanese: Contract with the UNITED NATIONS renewed for 3 more years after denying Hamas’s sexual crimes, accusing Israel of carrying terror attack in Paris, and implying that Israelis eat human flesh.  U.N. investigators into (UN Watch) our complaint find that Francesca Albanese's tweets may look antisemitic, but clear her for reappointment tomorrow to a 3-year term because they were “reassured” by her “detailed explanations.” https://unwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Letter-from-Coordination-Committee-on-Albanese.pdf
 
➤In a new op-ed, 167 rabbis from across New Jersey and across the ideological spectrum came together to condemn Senator Andy Kim's (D-NJ) votes last week in support of Bernie Sanders' resolutions to block vital arms sales to Israel,

 Watch the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s global program, in partnership with The King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, featuring leaders and peacemakers from the Gulf, Indonesia, Israel, and the United States, commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27. In a related story... Have you ever found an old box of photos... see this story from the Miami Herald

Tens of Thousands of Afghans Who Fled The Taliban Are Now Marooned in America's Broken Immigration Bureaucracy - Jasmine Aguilira (Time)

US Bank Freezes Accounts of Afghanistan's US Embassy  - Akmal Dawi (VOA) U.S. approach has led to confusion among Afghans who are trying to sort out visa and logistical issues, leaving them in legal limbo.

Plot Twist in the Sordid Mass Murder Scandal Rocking Argentina - Noga Tarnopolsky (Daily Beast) 

Meta removes Iran-based fake accounts targeting Instagram users in Scotland - Elizabeth Culliford (Reuters) ... with content supporting Scottish independence

Iran Rejects Russian Proposal for Interim Nuclear Deal - . Carol E. Lee (NBC News)

‘Apartheid’ Myth: The Improper Use of False and Misleading Claims Regarding Israel - Gidon Ben-Zvi (Honest Reporting) the apartheid claim is demonstrably false and misleading

Getting Away with Murder: The Campaign to End Kuwait's Honor Crimes Law - Abigail R. Esman (IPT News)

Hizbullah Facing Calls to End Iran's "Occupation" of Lebanon - Dalal Saoud (UPI) Some 200 political figures, including former ministers and parliamentarians, have established the National Council to Lift the Iranian Occupation of Lebanon.

Media, Diplomats Still Silent Over Hamas’ Violent Evictions of Dozens in Gaza - Akiva Van Koningsveld (Honest Reporting)

PA accuses PMW of incitement for exposing truth about its education! - Itamar Marcus (PMW)

Gulf Arabs Slam Palestinian Terror Groups for "Supporting" Houthi Attacks - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)

Russian Expert On Turkey Starobudtsev: Russia Outflanked Turkey With Its Intervention In Kazakhstan, But The Competition Between The Two Claimants To The Turkic Parts Of The Post-Soviet Space Will Continue (MEMRI)

South Korea Pays Iran's UN Dues with $18 Million in Frozen Funds (Reuters)

U.S.-Backed Forces in Syria Battle to Regain Control of ISIS Prison - Louisa Loveluck (Washington Post) See also Kurdish-Led Forces End Prison Siege, Defeating ISIS Fighters - Ben Hubbard (New York Times)

U.S. THAAD Missile Defense System Intercepts Houthi Missile Attacking UAE for First Time - Jen Judson (Defense News)

Report: UAE textbooks encourage coexistence, yet Israel still not on school maps (JNS) The books also “offer a realistic approach to peace and security, teach patriotism, anti-radicalism, commitment to defending the homeland and cooperating with allies.”

The UN Descent to Its Deepest Depths of Hostility to Israel - Alan Baker (The Algemeiner) the recent unprecedented decision to establish and finance an “ongoing, independent, international commission of inquiry” to function as a permanent “inquisition” or “kangaroo court” aimed solely at one state — Israel — to the exception of all other countries in the world raises the fearful specter, reminiscent of times gone by, of unjustifiable persecution and discrimination.

see also Stand with Us petition to the UN  https://www.standwithus.com/unhrc-campaign

The lie of the “Gaza blockade” - Maurice Hirsch (PMW) In a literally unending list of publications, the United Nations insists on referring to the ostensible Israeli “blockade on Gaza.”... statistics published by none other than the UN itself disprove their own claim.

Why I'm Opposed to Ilhan Omar's Bill Against Islamophobia - Masih Alinejad (Washington Post)   

US approves $2.2 billion sale of C-130J aircraft to Egypt -Stephen Losey (Defense News)

Jewish groups slam top Presbyterian official for equating Israeli occupation with ‘slavery’ days after Texas attack - Ron Kampeas (JTA) 

 Meanwhile in Afghanistan:

*The “orderly” withdrawal President Biden had promised did not happen, and the world has watched agonizing scenes of Afghans trying to escape. 

*Amazingly, over 100,000 people have been evacuated since 8/14!

*Last remaining area not controlled by the Taliban is the Panjshir Valley, where remnants of government forces and other militia groups have gathered to resist the Taliban. Al Jazeera, Reuters However, it doesn't appear that there is any international support for the Northern Alliance. CNN NYT

*The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) pledged on Sunday to help achieve peace in Afghanistan and said its future leaders must guard against allowing the country to be used as a backyard for international Islamist militancy.

*Turkey Reinforces Border to Block any Afghan Migrant Wave. Reuters

*Airbnb offers free accommodation for 20,000 Afghan refugees (BBC News)

*Crisis in Afghanistan: How You Can Help (HIAS)

Report: Iran Has Doubled Forces on Israeli Border since 2018 - Neta Bar (Israel Hayom) The fighters are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Lebanon, while the command echelon is mostly comprised of Iranian Revolutionary Guards disguised as militia members or Syrian army officers.

Food for thought before the Biden-Bennet meeting - Maurice Hirsch, Adv. (PMW)

Lebanese Doctor Sentenced for Helping Palestinians Get Treatment in Israel - Phil Mercer (VOA News) Dr. Jamal Rifi, a prominent physician in Australia's Lebanese Muslim community, says he has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia in Lebanon for working with members of Sydney's Jewish community to organize treatment for Palestinians in Israeli hospitals.

Nasrallah Is Turning Lebanon into Afghanistan - Baria Alamuddin (Arab News-Saudi Arabia)

Hamas-backed Palestinians in Gaza launched a new wave of incendiary balloons into Israel.  Fire balloons have ignited multiple fires across Israeli communities in recent weeks. but the AP headline reads: Gazans launch incendiary balloons into Israel after strikes

Hamas: Thrown Out of Saudi Arabia into the Arms of Iran and the Taliban - Nadav Shragai (Israel Hayom)

Progressive Democrats Blast Palestinians over Crackdown on Critics - Jacob Magid (Times of Israel)   Members of the "Squad" of progressive Democrats in the U.S., more commonly known for their criticism of Israel, have shifted their censure to the Palestinian Authority amid Ramallah's latest crackdown on rights activists and critics.

Washington Post Doesn’t Find Harassment of Its Own Journalists by Palestinian Authority Newsworthy -Emanuel Miller (Honest Reporting) The situation has become so severe that Palestinian journalists have resorted to asking the UN for protection.

What is ISIS-K? USA Today explains ISIS-Khorasan

University of Toronto Grad Student Wins Fight Against Anti-Israel Committee - Sue-Ann Levy (Toronto Sun-Canada) 
Canada Does Not Recognize a Palestinian State or Its Accession to the International Criminal Court (Government of Canada)

Denmark, Germany hold 8 on terror charges, unclear if linked (AP)

Pro-Iran Militias Surged after Nuclear Deal Lifted Sanctions  (Tony Blair Institute for Global Change) The premise that Iran would moderate its commitment to creating and sponsoring militias after the 2015 nuclear deal and sanctions relief for Tehran was false. The number of militias created by the IRGC surged after this period, and the Guard's Quds Force expanded its operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Senior Taliban Delegation Visits Iran - Lt.-Col. (ret.) Michael Segall  (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

Coordinated Behavior in Libya’s Regional Disinformation Conflict - Alexei Abrahams, Joey Shea (Lawfare)

Abdul Hamid Dbeibah: Who is Libya’s new prime minister? (AlJazeera)

Fatwa Signed By Over 200 Mauritanian Muslim Clerics: Normalization With Israel Is 'A Betrayal Of Allah, His Messenger And The Muslims'; Jihad Against Israel Is A Religious Duty, (MEMRI)

PA condemns Arab member of Israeli Parliament for calling terrorists ‎‎“terrorists”‎ - Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW)

ICC Gives Itself Authority to Adjudicate Israeli “War Crimes:” What It Means (with Radio Interview) - Daniel Pomerantz (Honest Reporting) 

Biden's Mixed Signals Over Iran Stoke Middle East Wariness - Hany Ghoraba (IPT)

MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan Fails to Challenge Rep. Ro Khanna's Libel on Burning of Palestinian Villages - Tamar Sternthal (CAMERA)

Coercion, Violence Threaten Middle East, Asian, and African Christians - Abigail R. Esman (IPT)

Taliban Want 'Islamic System' of Government as Focal Point of Afghan Talks - Ayaz Gul (Voice of America) Meanwhile, battlefield hostilities between Afghan forces and Taliban insurgents continued to inflict heavy casualties on both sides and deepen a mutual trust deficit at the negotiating table.

European Governments Fund Gaza NGO Pushing International Criminal Court to Investigate Israel (NGO Monitor) 

How Denmark, Sweden, the UN, and the EU Got Suckered into Funding a Terror Organization - Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser (Tablet)

Europe On Iran: Why The Appeasement? Elahe Boghrat (Kayhan/WorldCrunch)

India arrests nine al Qaeda militants planning 'terrorist attacks' (Reuters)

Israel's Vulnerable New Friends - Martin Kramer (martinkramer.org) The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are vulnerable and dangerously close to Iran. 

Israeli Rapid Covid-19 Test to Be Used in European Airports - Marcy Oster (JTA) Why doesn't the US have this? United in Hawaii seems to be starting something similar!

U.S. Accuses Hizbullah of Storing Explosive Chemicals in Europe (AP)

PA unites with Hamas and other terror organizations to renew terror strategy - Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW)

Gaza Peace Activists Face Prison for Holding Video Call With Israelis - Adam Rasgon (New York Times)

Qatari Political Cartoons Attack Emirati, Bahraini Peace Agreements With Israel (MEMRI)

U.S. Department Of Justice Orders AJ+ To Register As Foreign Agent For Its 'Political Activities' On Behalf Of Qatar's Government (MEMRI) On August 12, MEMRI Released In-Depth Study By Amb. Alberto M. Fernandez, 'Al-Jazeera Unmasked: Political Islam As A Media Arm Of The Qatari State,' Based On Over 700 Al-Jazeera Clips On MEMRI TV

Saudi nuclear ambitions - Andrea Stricker (The World/PRI)

The South Syria Deal: Two Years Later - Ibrahim Hamidi (Center for Global Policy)  Two years later, Jordan is still unable to relocate refugees in large numbers, and Iran's continued presence is prompting Israeli airstrikes. The U.S.-Russian agreement failed to completely keep Iranian forces away from the Jordanian or Israeli borders. Iran may have withdrawn its non-Syrian militias, but it is consolidating its presence by enlisting Syrian militias to keep the pressure on Israel.     

The UK government is attempting to bend the rules on torture - Nicholas Mercer (The Guardian)

U.N. rebukes only Israel for violating women's rights - (UN Watch) The Islamic Republic of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Belarus were among members of the UN’s 54-nation Economic and Social Council, a principal organ of the world body, who voted on September 14th to single out Israel as the only country in the world to be rebuked by the council this year for allegedly violating women’s rights.

UN Points Finger at Turkey over Rights Abuses in Syria - Amberin Zaman (Al-Monitor) Some of the worst offenses were recorded in Afrin, the Kurdish majority enclave that was invaded by Turkish forces in January 2018.

Paths to Destruction A Group Portrait of America's Jihadists — Comparing Jihadist Travelers with Domestic Plotters  -  Brian Michael Jenkins (Rand) 

The Washington Post: Peace Agreements are Bad and Sponsors of Terrorism are Good - Sean Durns (CAMERA)

Taliban again promotes its Badakhshan training camp - Bill Roggio (FDD's Long War Journal)

Iran's Deepening Isolation On The World Stage - Ahmad Ra'fat (WorldCrunch/Kayhan)

Third Israeli Water Generator Donated to Gaza - Celia Jean (Jerusalem Post)

Hamas head: We refused $15 billion in aid conditioned on disarming - Aaron Boxerman (Times of Israel)

Unique intel trove from Hamas operative caught swimming to Israel (DebkaFile)

Reuters and the Case of the Missing Hezbollah ‘Terrorist’ - Gidon Ben-Zvi (Honest Reporting) 

Report: Russian-Backed Militia Gaining Control in Syrian Golan Heights (i24News) The militia, with Muslim officers from the Caucasus, is hostile to both Iran and the Syrian regime.

Turkey on the Warpath - Uzay Bulut (Gatestone) The Erdogan regime has been militarily targeting Syria and Iraq, sending its Syrian mercenaries to Libya to seize Libya's oil, and continuing to bully Greece. It is now provoking ongoing violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Abu Dhabi Presses Allies to Normalize with Israel (Middle East Monitor-UK)

British SAS Troops Fight Secret War to Prevent ISIS Revival - Dave Burke (Mirror-UK) 

Congress Pushes for Sanctions on Turkey, Russia Over Libyan War - Jack Detsch, Amy Mackinnon (Foreign Policy)

Foreign Policy's Faux Pas on Boycotts, Israel, and 'Annexation' - Sean Durns (CAMERA)