HOSTAGE UPDATE

It's been 584 days too many.  Hamas released the last living American hostage held in Gaza, Edan Alexander! It appears the deal to release Edan was reached without the participation of the Israelis, “without conditions or anything in exchange.” He was tortured, held in a cage with his hands and legs tied up. He was not given food for most of his captivity until the last couple of months before his release. On Saturday, Hamas released a video featuring hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef Haim Ohana to toy with the families of the hostages.

>>The United States, UK, Canada, EU, and Russia must increase the pressure on Hamas and its allies in Iran, Qatar and Turkey to ensure the terror group releases all 58 remaining hostages. https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/about-them
 
INDIA
In response to a terrorist attack in Kashmir, India has struck deep into the terror hideouts of Omar Sheikh, Masood Azhar Abdul Rauf Azhar, the Jaish e Mohammed, the Laaskhar e Taayba, and many more terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. As a result, Abdul Rauf Azhar was killed. He was one of the key conspirators in the brutal kidnapping torture and beheading of the late Daniel Pearl in 2002. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/how-operation-sindoor-brought-justice-for-beheaded-american-journalist-daniel-pearl/articleshow/120998633.cms
The United Nations Security Council issued its typical condemnation about the attack, even for the highly contested Kashmir region. It called the attack “terrorism” and for the perpetrators and their supporters to “be held accountable and brought to justice.” It urged all countries to “combat [the scourge] by all means” while also expressing condolences to the “Governments of India and Nepal” who suffered in the attack. None of those sentiments were shared by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on October 7, 2023 
 
IRAN
Credible reports indicate that the 6 B-2 stealth bombers and the 4 B-52s the Trump Administration had positioned at Diego Garcia have departed, and are on their way back to the U.S. This signals the removal of the immediate option to deliver the bunker buster bombs needed to destroy the buried nuclear facilities in Iran
 
ISRAEL
Read this report: THE TOP 7 LIES ABOUT ISRAEL & IDF OPERATIONS IN GAZA & THE TRUTH THEY OBSCURE https://www.ilfngo.org/top-7-lies-about-idf-in-gaza-report
The author is John Spencer, a scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, national security and military analyst, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare, military strategy, and tactics.
Why Mossad and Shin Bet Veterans Are Now Calling to End the War in Gaza 
https://tinyurl.com/22fx8bvs
Israel planning major expansion of Gaza operations if Hamas continues to refuse to release hostages. Reports on I24 News: Israelis believe recent actions by the US administration demonstrate failures of the Netanyahu administration foreign policy.
LEBANON
With USA support, the Lebanese army has retaken the Beirut airport from Hezbollah and is actively attempting to limit Hezbollah influence in the port. https://allisrael.com/lebanese-gov-t-lands-blow-against-hezbollah-by-firing-airport-staff-suspected-of-smuggling
 
PALESTINIANS/PA/HAMAS
>PA's damning reports about Hamas are made for political purposes, these internal Palestinian revelations nevertheless demonstrate how Hamas is robbing, abusing, and exploiting its own people, and even PA officials and journalists are being forced to speak in code just to survive long enough to report it. https://palwatch.org/page/37143
>The Palestinian population in Gaza grew significantly since October 7, 2023 according to data from the CIA World Facebook
>IDF warns that Hamas retains operational capabilities, including at least two functioning brigades. https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/05/03/idf-prepares-to-muster-tens-of-thousands-of-reservists/
>87 Percent of Palestinians Deny Hamas Atrocities of Oct. 7, despite Videos (Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research)
>Israel will again allow humanitarian aid to come into Gaza in coming weeks. The goal is to provide aid to the civilian population without allowing Hamas to confiscate it, as it had been doing – then selling it on the black market and utilizing the profits to fight the war. Hamas apparently has sufficient stockpiles of food to provide for their own,
>Reminder: There is NO free press in Gaza https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJT2TtJvRgd/?igsh=MTdmaWY4bHF2b3Exdw==
>Reuters repeats Hamas propaganda, meanwhile AlArabiya claim Hamas organized the planned voyage. https://www.camera.org/article/all-at-sea-reuters-confused-coverage-of-conscience-the-latest-gaza-aid-ship/
 
QATAR
Qatar isn’t helping hostage talks https://www.timesofisrael.com/official-israel-wont-accept-5-year-gaza-truce-qatar-isnt-helping-hostage-talks/
 
SWITZERLAND
Swiss Parliament has banned Hamas and Hezbollah for 5 yrs
 
SYRIA
>Syria’s Clandestine Chemical Arsenal: The Complete Dossier https://www.meforum.org/mef-reports/syrias-clandestine-chemical-arsenal-the-complete-dossier
>Thousands of Druze university students are forced to flee Damascus https://x.com/realMaalouf/status/1920460909169815719
>Mossad recovers remains of IDF soldier, Zvika Feldman, and possibly Eli Cohen, in “the heart of Syria” after nearly 43 years missing
https://www.timesofisrael.com/body-of-soldier-zvi-feldman-missing-for-43-years-recovered-by-mossad-and-idf/
 
UK
Israeli singer Dudu Tassa and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood’s UK shows next month have been cancelled under pressure from the BDS movement. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJbHBfEPx86/?igsh=MWFsbHRoaHEzZzRh
 
ICC and UN
>The Wall Street Journal yesterday revealed that ICC prosecutor Karim Khan issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials to protect himself from sexual assault allegations and silence his accuser. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/icc-netanyahu-prosecutor-sexual-assault-israel-gaza-d9bedee3
>A new report from Henry Jackson Society exposes the UN’s deep complicity in Hamas’s crimes. Among 367 UN reports on Gaza, NOT ONE condemns Hamas’s use of human shields. These crimes were not just overlooked, they were intentionally concealed. https://henryjacksonsociety.org/publications/hamass-human-shield-strategy-in-gaza/
 
US
>WitKoff meets hostage families, criticizes Israel for prolonging war - Whatever happened to 'all hell will break lose'? Many believe that if Hamas remains standing, it will embolden jihadis and jihadis-supporters across the world.  https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-853583
>Marco Rubio To Close State Department's De Facto Palestinian Embassy -(Free Beacon) Rubio will eliminate the position of Special Envoy to the Palestinians alongside the OPA. In the early hours of Hamas's October 7 attack, the OPA called on Israel to stand down and forgo any retaliation.
 
YEMEN
To prevent civilian casualties in Yemen, before striking a cement factory and multiple airports, Israel sent evacuation announcements, including taking over Yemeni television to broadcast videos about the evacuation in Arabic! Note: Cement is used for warheads and building tunnels.  The US and Israel carried out coordinated attacks on the Houthis following the Yemen-based group’s ballistic missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport.  Until the Trump Administration’s deal with the Houthis, the US had been bombing the Houthis almost daily since March 15 (at cost > billion dollars) - some 1,000 American sorties over Yemen. The primary American concern is the Houthi disruption of vital shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that have effectively reduced sea traffic there by over 50%, costing billions. By late April, the Americans had been joined by the British.https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-852579
 
CAMPUS UPDATE
*SUNY Chancellor Proposes Resolution to Ensure Title VI Compliance
In collaboration with American Jewish Committee (AJC), organizations representing more than 1,600 colleges and universities have pledged reforms to fight campus antisemitism.
*Ontario Universities Reject BDS https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ontario-universities-take-principled-stand-against-bds
*Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs is the first governor to sign a bill that bans unauthorized encampments on college campuses
*Columbia University’s Acting President Claire Shipman's statement on yesterday's events in Butler Library https://president.columbia.edu/news/wednesdays-disruption-butler-library Columbia and Barnard have already suspended nearly 100 students
 
THE PRESS
Pulitzer Prize goes to Gazan poet/ reporter who denied Bibas family murder
https://m.jpost.com/israel-news/article-853038
Terrorists are not journalists. https://www.camera.org/article/camera-op-ed-terrorists-arent-journalists/
AP Sells Pictures By Photojournalist Identified as Hamas Terrorist, Kissed by Sinwar
https://honestreporting.com/exposed-ap-sells-pictures-by-photojournalist-identified-as-hamas-terrorist-kissed-by-sinwar/
Open Letter to 2024-2025 Pulitzer Prize Board over decision to award a Pulitzer Prize in Commentary to Mosab Abu Toha, a terrorist supporter
https://www.jwi.org/pulitzer-letter
Washington Post’s Pulitzer finalist for Gaza coverage slams Israel’s military conduct in one-sided acceptance speech https://jewishinsider.com/2025/05/washington-post-louisa-loveluck-pulitzer-prize-gaza-war-journalist/
Message to the Media: Stop Publishing Fake Hamas Casualty Figures https://honestreporting.com/message-to-the-media-stop-publishing-fake-hamas-casualty-figures/

This week, I'm sending the Update in two parts. As President Trump is heading to the Middle East this coming week, I wanted to highlight America's recent and unprecendeted actions in the Middle East. Part two will cover other goings on.

--------

It's been 580 days too many. President Trump confirms 3 more hostages have been executed. Israeli officials confirm only 21 hostages are alive. There are another 3 hostages with serious doubts about whether they are still alive. The war in Gaza could end today if Hamas would release the hostages, lay down its arms, and surrender.

>The United States, UK, Canada, EU, and Russia must increase the pressure on Hamas and its allies in Iran, Qatar and Turkey to ensure the terror group releases the 59 hostages, including 5 Americans. https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/about-them 

How do you think President Trump’s upcoming Middle East trip is being viewed in the Middle East? He is the first sitting president in 20 yrs to visit Qatar, where he recently struck a $5.5 billion deal to build a Trump Golf Club; also this week, the administration announced plans to fast-track deals with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Qatar hosts the largest US air base in the region, while maintaining open relationships with the Taliban, Hamas, and Iranian proxies. The President will not be visiting Israel. He announced a surprise cease-fire deal with the Houthis, yes it was a surprise to Israeli officials, especially as he did it without demanding they stop attacking Israel. He has declared that the US is in negotiations to stop Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) developing nuclear weapons. Will the US stick to their demand for the complete dismantling of the IRI nuclear program?  Iran has declared its desire to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.  The problem with the last Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) was it didn't address IRI’s support for terrorism, supplying missiles and rockets to the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah. It didn't address why Iran has a domestic nuclear energy program when they have so much oil. Iran-sponsored Hezbollah still controls ports in Lebanon where Iranian weapons are received. The Iran-backed Houthis are in a huge dessert area hiding in caves and tunnels, their weapons distributed among various mobile tribes. Iran’s supply route to the Houthis runs through Hudaydah (Yemen) and Oman.  The Trump administration has also removed troops from the Syrian-Iraq border where they were preventing Iranian weapons being smuggled to terrorists in Syria. There are reports that President Trump is likely to sign a nuclear deal with the Saudis without demanding normalization with Israel.  Trump announced an arbitrary deadline of May 15 for the resumption of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas while making no effort to help bring one about. He seems determined to tie Israel’s hands with regard to Iran, and overlook Israel’s security interests in order to focus on his own near-term “wins” and deals. Is the U.S. abandoning Israel as a strategic ally or will it support Israel to neutralize the Iranian threat?  As per MEF, a decisive and coordinated approach involving diplomatic, economic, and military actions is critical to counter both the Houthi menace and Iranian expansionism.

It's been 576 days too many.

More psychological torture from the terrorists. Hamas has released new videos of hostage Maxim Herkin and of hostage Elkana Bohbot — the third time he’s been shown in captivity.
The United States, UK, Canada, EU, and Russia must increase the pressure on Hamas and its allies in Iran, Qatar and Turkey to ensure the terror group releases the 59 hostages, including 5 Americans.
https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/about-them
 
This week’s key take aways:
>Hamas is still in control in Gaza, though opposition is growing.
>Hamas and Hezbollah are battered by severe losses at Israel’s hands even as a critical window to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions is rapidly closing
>Despite the PA’s long standing support for terrorism and lack of defined/negotiated borders, both the UK and France are in talks to recognize a Palestinian state.  The prevailing opinion within the Arab world, including within Palestinian society, is that recognition of a Palestinian state is a reward for the October 7 massacre.
>Concerning developments in Syria: The new regime in Syria is attacking the Druze community. It seems only Israel is coming to their defense.
>A week after the US struck 800 Houthi targets in Yemen, the Houthis were able to launch a barrage of missiles at Israel. At least one got through Israeli defenses and landed near Ben-Gurion Airport. 
--------------------------

Canadians Overwhelmingly Defeat ‘Vote Palestine’ Candidates At The Ballot Box https://honestreporting.ca/canadians-overwhelmingly-defeat-vote-palestine-candidates-at-the-ballot-box/
 
The Islamic Republic of Iran remains one of the biggest state sponsors of terrorism internationally. On Saturday, the UK arrested 8 Iranians across England in suspected terror plots.
 
>Massive fires are racing through Israel near Jerusalem -Not only are Hamas-affiliated groups celebrating online, they are also urging people to start more fires - social media was full of incitement: “Burn Israeli homes to ashes.” Multiple arrests have been made for arson. Note: Fire service said to suspect negligence, not arson, caused Jerusalem hills wildfire
>The Top 7 Lies About Israel and IDF Operations in Gaza https://x.com/SpencerGuard/status/1917269681200849275
 
Lebanese security official claimed that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has "dismantled over 90 percent of the [Hezbollah] infrastructure in the area south of the Litani," and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in an interview that the LAF was now in control of over 85% of southern Lebanon. Multiple outlets reported Israeli strikes in Beirut—but buried the real target: a Hezbollah precision missile warehouse
 
Gaza bound flotilla stranded near Malta. The crew is blocking officials from inspecting the ship's damage and verifying that it’s actually carrying aid.
https://timesofmalta.com/article/malta-offers-pay-gaza-flotilla-repairs-let-vessel.1109162
 
>Who is Hussein Al-Sheikh, the new Palestinian Authority vice president?
His statements and activities reveal support for terrorism, glorification of terrorists, promotion of terrorism through Pay-for-Slay, and support for unity with Hamas, even after October 7, 2023. https://palwatch.org/page/37125
>PA officials have regularly rationalized Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, in some cases even denying it took place or falsely claiming Israeli forces started the Gaza war. The PA, which has been riddled with accusations of corruption, has also long maintained a pay-for-slay program.
>Senior Palestinian Authority official hails China as “savior of humanity” https://palwatch.org/page/37139
>Hamas executes Palestinians for protesting against them. The terrorist group has also shot Palestinians in the legs, a tactic known as "kneecapping." In just the past two days, Hamas has executed 10 people—9 of them two days ago, and one today. 
> AP reports starvation in Gaza, Gazans post images of meals, supermarkets, food stalls, cafes and businesses still operating.
>Released hostage, Ilana Gritzewsky: For 55 days, they moved me from place to place: private homes, a hospital and eventually a tunnel. 
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2025/05/01/hamas-hostages-gaza-israel-freedom/83343089007/
 
>How Qatar Made Itself Crucial to Israel-Hamas Hostage Mediation Despite Evidence of Its Duplicity https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/how-qatar-made-itself-crucial-to-israel-hamas-hostage-mediation
>Webinar: Qatari Soft Power and Influence Operations in the U.S., May 5, 1:30
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0lXTxMqmTQ2oesROXZdM6A
 
Syrian Druze are being attacked by the new Sunni regime. A large group of Druze have been kidnapped by HTS. Druze in Israel are trying to cross into Syria to help, but the IDF have been preventing the Druze from crossing into Syria to prevent border disputes. Israel has previously promised to stand with the Druze and are making preparations to attack targets in the new regime if the attacks against the Druze continue. Syrian Druze civilians injured in the sectarian violence in the country were evacuated by the IDF to a hospital in Israel.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-carries-out-warning-strike-in-syria-in-defense-of-druze-minority/amp/
https://bsky.app/profile/kristinmreid.bsky.social/post/3lo2gvhfxkk2t
 
Turkish Cypriots protest against Turkey's introduction of Islam into educational system - https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/05/03/turkish-cypriots-protest-over-what-they-say-is-turkeys-introduction-of-islam-into-educatio
 
ICC judges order that arrest warrant requests in Palestine case be kept secret
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/apr/28/icc-judges-order-that-arrest-warrant-requests-in-palestine-case-be-kept-secret
 
>UK press regulator rules that Hamas terrorists, including those who had been serving LIFE SENTENCES for stabbing, bombing and shooting attacks on civilians, can be called ‘hostages.’ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/30/press-regulator-allows-palestinian-prisoners-israel-hostage/
>UK Signs Memorandum of Understanding With Palestinian Authority to Advance Two-State Solution https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-and-palestinian-strategic-cooperation-memorandum-of-understanding/memorandum-of-understanding-on-strategic-cooperation-between-the-united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-ireland-and-the-palestinian-government See also https://jcpa.org/article/when-recognition-becomes-evasion-europes-palestinian-statehood-campaign/

UNESCO resolution ethnically cleanses Jews from ancient Jericho. 

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/377102

 
>How U.S. military lawyers see Israel’s invasion of Gaza—and the public’s reaction to it—as a dress rehearsal for a potential conflict with a foreign power like China.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/whats-legally-allowed-in-war
>Mohsen Mahdawi said he "liked to kill Jews in Palestine." Judge orders release of Columbia student arrested by ICE because he hasn’t been charged with any crimes.

>Trump Tells Israeli-American Parents Their Son is Being Held Hostage Because Biden Stole 2020 Election

https://www.mediaite.com/news/trump-tells-israeli-americans-parents-their-son-is-being-held-hostage-because-biden-stole-2020-election/

>New Documentary: October H8TE:The Fight for the Soul of America The film exposes the disturbing realities behind today’s campus protests and the dangerous narratives fueling them. https://www.october8film.com/

 

>Houthi attack on Israel today. At least one missile struck near Ben-Gurion Airport resulting in flight cancellations, U-turns, and disruptions. Every missile fired by Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Houthis is a deliberate attempt to murder civilians.
>U.S. Strikes 800 Houthi Targets in Yemen (USCENTCOM)
  

 

It's been 571 days too many.
More psychological torture from the terrorists - Hamas has released a new video of hostage Elkana Bohbot — the third time he’s been shown in captivity.
The United States, UK, EU, Russia must increase the pressure on Hamas and its allies in Iran, Qatar and Turkey to ensure the terror group releases the hostages
https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/about-them
Egypt
Egypt Is Demanding that Hamas Disarm  (Israel Hayom)
Iran
> Massive explosion at Iranian port caused by chemicals from China used by Iran to produce missiles
> Now that the Trump administration is holding direct negotiations with Iran, it must demand that the ruling mullahs immediately stop supporting Hamas https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21567/iran-hamas-terrorism-plan
Israel
> Israel's war in Gaza is necessary, despite what its critics... war must be a last resort, undertaken only after all nonviolent alternatives — diplomacy, deterrence, sanctions, international mediation — have been exhausted.
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/the-moral-and-legal-case-for-israels-war-against-hamas
> How Israeli Military Technology Continues to Improve the US Military https://www.inss.org.il/publication/usa-army-idf/
Jordan
>Jordan outlaws Muslim Brotherhood group, confiscates its assets and offices
>Hamas-Trained Cell in Lebanon Linked to Jordan Missile Plot  (Ynet News)
Lebanon
>Hizbullah Commanders Flee Lebanon for South America   (Israel Hayom)
>Lebanese anger toward Hezbollah is rising, while IDF continues operations to prevent the group's resurgence https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byyvmbiygx#autoplay
Palestinians/Gaza
>Hamas’ Tunnels of Terror - for the first time ever, explore the underground war Hamas is waging beneath Gaza. https://tunnels.honestreporting.com/
> “Hamas slams U.S. decision to deprive UNRWA of legal immunity.” Qods International News Agency
>Why Hamas Must Not Be Allowed to Keep Its Weapons https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21572/hamas-weapons
>PA Leader Abbas Calls on Hamas to Release Israeli Hostages and Disarm  (CNN)
Qatar
US ally Qatar’s deputy prime minister: ‘We are all Hamas’ https://jihadwatch.org/2025/04/us-ally-qatars-deputy-prime-minister-we-are-all-hamas
Syria
>Syria's New Leader Was Imprisoned by the U.S. in Iraq for Five Years  (Foundation for Defense of Democracies)
>New groups in Syria include Uli al-Baas, an armed proxy of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard
https://www.newsweek.com/us-friends-foes-syria-respond-trump-reducing-troops-2062811
UK
BBC Arabic and BBC need to confront their bias https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/aa6a6e2b173849c5
https://camera-uk.org/2025/04/23/omissions-in-bbc-jerusalem-bureau-journalists-recent-syria-reports/
USA
For Holocaust Memorial Day, three members of Congress voted to declare Israel an enemy of the US – - alongside North Korea, China, and Iran: Tlaib, Omar, Pressley. The amendment failed 3-410 in one of the most overwhelming rejections in congressional history.
Yemen
>Houthis claim US Air Force attacked Hodeidah, northwestern Yemen
https://theaviationist.com/2025/04/16/b-2-using-gbu-57-mop-yemen-reports/?s=08
>Houthis continue to fire missiles at Israel
>U.S. Says Chinese Company Is Helping Houthis Target American Warships  (Financial Times-UK)
 
On Campus
>Harvard, do you hear yourself? https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5263585-harvard-funding-civil-rights/
>The ACLU’s Egregiously Dishonest Attack on CAMERA for Exposing Georgetown Academics https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/04/23/the-aclus-egregiously-dishonest-attack-on-camera-for-exposing-georgetown-academics/
>Yale Derecognizes Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter After Group Blocks Jewish Students' Access to Parts of Campus https://freebeacon.com/campus/yale-derecognizes-students-for-justice-in-palestine-chapter-after-group-blocks-jewish-students-access-to-parts-of-campus/
Columbia Journalism Review editor fired after drawing line between journalism and activism https://jewishinsider.com/2025/04/columbia-journalism-review-editor-fired-after-drawing-line-between-journalism-and-activism/
 

For those celebrating Easter this Sunday, Happy Easter!

--------------------------------

HOSTAGE UPDATE: 558 Days

There are 24 hostages presumed to be alive who are still held by Hamas.

Since Saturday Hamas has released at least two hostage videos. One telling the hostage families "soon your children will return in black coffins" and another with a message from American hostage Edan Alexander. Islamic Jihad published a sign of life from hostage Rom Braslavski.

-----------------------------------

The center of world terrorist activity and violent death is no longer the Middle East. The "Sahel region of Africa is now the 'epicentre of global terrorism,'" responsible for "over half of all terrorism-related deaths" worldwide, according to the respected Global Terrorism Index.

___________________________

Meanwhile, 3500 Israeli academics and over 1000 Israeli air force personnel call to end conflict, but Hamas rejects ceasefire deal. The IDF dismantled another mile of tunnel, yet 75% of Hamas tunnels haven’t been destroyed. Hamas continues to smuggle weapons into Gaza through Egypt. Hamas insists that there is a famine in Gaza, yet their smuggling operations are all focused on bringing in more weapons and drugs. And yes, Israel continues to strike Hamas targets in Gaza, including hospitals used to hide terrorists. Before the strike on Al-Ahli Hospital, the IDF gave a 20-minute warning. No patients were harmed. The Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza was shut down because the medical personnel were protesting against Hamas members taking over the Surgery Ward/Division and hiding there.Today, during anti-Hamas protests in Gaza, people are chanting: “Yes to love, no to terrorism, yes to peace.” https://x.com/afalkhatib/status/1912553544927822024

➤Iran is attempting to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah by sea via the Port of Beirut, as it works to rebuild its terror proxy on Israel's northern border.

➤The U.S. Navy has positioned two aircraft carriers near Yemen to support nuclear negotiations with Iran and apply military pressure https://san.com/cc/2nd-carrier-strike-group-arrives-in-middle-east-as-us-presses-iran-for-nuclear-deal/

➤Iran Arming Proxy Forces in Iraq with Long-Range Missiles  (The Times-UK)

Jordan foils Muslim Brotherhood terrorist plot  https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2025/04/jordan-foils-muslim-brotherhood-terrorist-plot.php

➤Ongoing security chaos in Syria https://www.syriahr.com/en/360065/

➤US military poised to slash troops in Syria, officials say https://www.reuters.com/world/us-military-poised-slash-troops-syria-officials-say-2025-04-15/

Ukraine and Israel are fighting two fronts in the same war — the West must support both https://nationalpost.com/opinion/ukraine-and-israel-are-fighting-two-fronts-in-the-same-war-the-west-must-support-both

➤Reports of Palestinian student activist arrested by ICE on way to citizenship test: Mohsen Mahdaw, like Mahmoud Khalil, wasn't just an activist, he was the leader of the hate on campus, co-president of Columbia's SJP chapter. 

➤Dearborn Heights Fundraiser: This American Empire Must Fall https://www.memri.org/tv/dearborn-heights-fundraiser-palestine-empire-america-fall-fight-put-life-on-line

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,

HOSTAGE UPDATE: 546 Days
There are 24 hostages presumed to be alive who are still held by Hamas.
Another Saturday, another newly released hostage video, this time of Elkana Bohbot.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross continues facilitating Pay-for-Slay https://palwatch.org/page/37068
 
Israel and India Must Address Hamas Strongholds in Malaysia
https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/israel-and-india-must-address-hamas-strongholds-in-malaysia
 
100,000+ Israelis protest renewed Gaza fighting, Shin Bet’s chief ouster https://www.timesofisrael.com/over-100000-nationwide-protest-renewed-gaza-fighting-shin-bet-chiefs-ouster/
 
➤ “No one in Lebanon wants normalization with Israel, it is rejected by all Lebanese.” https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/03/26/french-envoy-jean-yves-le-drian-in-beirut-as-lebanon-seeks-funds-to-rebuild/  Meet new Lebanon PM Nawaf Salam, who until two months ago was the impartial President of the International Court of Justice, who by chance always ruled against Israel.  Yesterday, the commander of the Lebanese army, General Rudolf Heichal, reported that his forces had arrested “several suspects” involved in launching of rockets to Israel saying that such launches only serve Israel. Except that is not exactly what he said. Heichal said that “the launching of rockets to the occupied Palestinian territories serves the occupiers.” In other words, all of Israel including Kiryat Shmona and the other areas hit are “occupied Palestinian territories.”
➤Lebanese army arrests operatives responsible for rockets launched at Israel https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/artc-lebanese-army-arrests-suspects-suspected-of-launching-rockets-at-israel
 
What’s happening in Gaza?

➤Hamas begins brutal crackdown on Gaza protests with torture, executions 

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjl5xnua1x   

➤Media Mostly Silent https://honestreporting.com/media-silent-on-gazan-protester-murdered-by-hamas/ 

➤After a man was shot dead by a Hamas terrorist while waiting in line for flour. The man's family retaliated, openly executing the Hamas member and filming it for Hamas to see. https://x.com/HenMazzig/status/1907189154489975182

➤Palestinians are protesting against Hamas and demanding: “Free the Israeli hostages. End the war. No to Hamas". “Yes to peace!” https://www.memri.org/tv/beit-lahia-north-gaza-protest-anti-hamas-release-hostages-stop-war, https://t.me/almon5ol/17328,
➤THE ILLUSION OF SURRENDER | How Hamas is Using The Protests to Secure Its Survival https://x.com/EasternVoices/status/1904897009053528101 

➤Do Not Be Fooled by the 'Anti-Hamas' Protests 

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21521/anti-hamas-protests
 
➤U.S. Approves $2 Billion Arms Sale to Qatar https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjzelwzaje
➤Trump sells Qatar $12 billion of U.S. weapons days after accusing it of funding terrorism https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-sells-qatar-12-billion-arms-days-after-accusing-it-of-funding-terrorism/
➤Despite Qatar's support for Hamas, intelligence agencies from both Israel and Qatar cooperate, senior officials hold meetings, Israelis visit the emirate, and limited economic and commercial cooperation exists. https://www.inss.org.il/publication/qatar-challenge/
 
Should The New Syrian Government's Celebration Of October 7 – With Calls For Jihad, Massive Suicide Attacks And Blood And Limbs In The Streets – Prompt The World To Reexamine This New Regime? https://www.memri.org/reports/should-new-syrian-governments-celebration-october-7-%E2%80%93-calls-jihad-massive-suicide-attacks
 
➤Israel-Turkey Tensions Mounting over Air Bases in Syria  (The War Zone)
➤Turkey's Internal Crisis and Strategic Expansion  (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
 
➤Columbia student protestors knew about October 7 attacks in advance
https://www.thejc.com/news/usa/columbia-protestors-knew-october-7-lawsuit-v7y0tm89
➤Hamas funded Columbia protesters, bragged to hostages about their ‘American operatives’ https://jihadwatch.org/2025/03/hamas-funded-columbia-protesters-bragged-to-hostages-about-their-american-operatives
➤Columbia announced it had issued “multi-year suspensions, temporary degree revocations, and expulsions” related to the occupation of Hamilton Hall.
➤The media is hiding the truth about the Georgetown Hamasniks
https://www.jns.org/the-media-is-hiding-the-truth-about-the-georgetown-hamasniks/
 
➤UN Bans Criticism of Francesca Albanese Ahead of Reappointment Decision
➤UNRWA Used Photo of Syrian Girl For “Aya From Gaza” Fundraiser Campaign https://civicrm.unwatch.org/civicrm/mailing/view
 
In Yemen, the US is obliterating the residences of senior Houthi officials along with those leaders inside. No word on casualties. https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/03/31/us-air-strikes-on-yemen-a-source-of-terror-for-civilians/ Note: The National News is an English language news source published by UAE