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Zelenskyy wants nukes or NATO; Trump special envoy says ‘slim and none’ chance

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week said that if the U.S. cannot guarantee a quick path toward NATO membership, then there are alternative security options Kyiv would accept: nuclear weapons.

But don’t think the United States is eager to agree to those terms.

“The chance of them getting their nuclear weapons back is somewhere between slim and none,” retired Lt. General Keith Kellogg, special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, told Fox News Digital. “Let’s be honest about it, we both know that’s not going to happen.”

In 1994, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine agreed to give Russia its nuclear arms in exchange for reassurances from Russia, the U.S. and the U.K. that its sovereignty and independence would be respected – a treaty Moscow has violated with its repeated invasions – and in an interview on Tuesday, Zelenskyy argued that Ukraine should be given its arms “back” if a timely NATO membership is off the table.

TRUMP UNIQUELY PLACED TO ‘WHISPER’ IN ERDOGAN’S EAR OVER TURKISH REGIONAL AMBITIONS: GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, says Kyiv should be given NATO membership or nukes to defend against Russia. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

But Kellogg, the man tasked by President Donald Trump to help bring an end to the three-year war, said rearming Ukraine with nuclear weapons is a non-starter.

“Remember, the president said we’re a government of common sense,” he said. “When somebody says something like that, look at the outcome or the potential. That’s using your common sense.”

Zelenskyy on Tuesday confirmed his willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face if that is the best option for bringing an end to the war, though the Kremlin chief has not agreed to any in-person meeting with the Ukrainian leader.

Trump on Sunday said that initial talks had begun with both Ukraine and Russia, and Kellogg this week confirmed that Kyiv and Moscow will need to make concessions if there is going to be a peace deal.

TRUMP’S ‘RARE’ PRICE FOR US MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE CALLED ‘FAIR’ BY ZELENSKYY

The administration has been tight-lipped on what sort of compromises will need to be made, particularly when it comes to the biggest hot-button issue for both Zelenskyy and Putin: Ukrainian NATO membership.

Kellogg wouldn’t comment on where Trump lands when it comes to backing either Ukraine with a membership in the security alliance or Russia in denying its southern neighbor access to the top coalition.

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/File)

“That’s one of the reasons I’m going next week to Europe, to actually see them face-to-face,” he said. “I can bring that back to the president and say, ‘OK, Mr. President, this is their concern. This is what the issues are.’”

Kellogg is set to travel to the Munich Security Conference, which runs Feb. 14-16, where he said he will meet with world leaders to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine and get a better idea of where nations like the U.K., Germany and Denmark, along with other top providers of military aid to Ukraine, stand on negotiations to end the war.

ZELENSKYY WARNS PEACE TALKS WITHOUT UKRAINE ‘DANGEROUS’ AFTER TRUMP CLAIMS MEETINGS WITH RUSSIA ‘GOING WELL’

“As you develop the plans to end this carnage, you have to make sure that you’ve got the feel of everybody in play,” Kellogg said. “Once we get to have these face-to-face discussions, then you can really kind of work … on concessions.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last month urged member nations to increase their support for Ukraine, an issue he said is vastly important when it comes to bolstering NATO deterrence in the face of the Russia, China, North Korea, Iran bloc.

Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower in New York on Sept. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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“If we get a bad deal, it would only mean that we will see the president of Russia high-fiving with the leaders of North Korea, Iran and China, and we cannot accept that,” Rutte said. “That will be geopolitically a big, a big mistake.”

Rutte has urged NATO nations to ramp up defense spending and warned that if Russia comes out on top in this war, it will cost NATO allies “trillions” not “billions.”

Kellogg will also press NATO allies to increase defense spending and, as directed by Trump, to start shouldering the burden of the war in Ukraine.

February 6, 2025
Philippine vice president impeached by House

MANILA, Philippines — The lower house in the Philippines impeached Vice President Sara Duterte Wednesday, accusing her of a wide range of crimes that included plotting to assassinate the president, large-scale corruption and failing to strongly denounce China’s aggressive actions against Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea.

The move by legislators in the House of Representatives, many of them allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., deepens a bitter political rift that involved the two highest leaders of one of Asia’s most rambunctious democracies.

Marcos has boosted defense ties with his country’s treaty ally, the United States, while the vice president’s father, Rodrigo Duterte, nurtured cozy relations with China and Russia during his stormy term that ended in 2022.

At least 215 legislators in the lower house signed the impeachment complaint against the vice president, significantly more than the required number to allow the petition to be rapidly transmitted to the Senate, which would serve as a tribunal to try the vice president, House of Representatives Secretary-General Reginald Velasco told a plenary House meeting in the body’s last session before a four-month recess.

US FLIES JOINT PATROL WITH THE PHILIPPINES NEAR SHOAL REGION GUARDED BY CHINA

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte gestures as she attends a hearing at the House of Representative in Quezon City, Philippines, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Among the signatories of the impeachment complaint was the president’s son, Rep. Sandro Marcos, and cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The petition urged the Senate to shift itself into an impeachment court to try the vice president, “render a judgement of conviction,” remove her from office and ban her from holding public office.

“Duterte’s conduct throughout her tenure clearly displays gross faithlessness against public trust and a tyrannical abuse of power that, taken together, showcases her gross unfitness to hold public office and her infidelity to the laws and the 1987 Constitution,” the complaint said of Duterte.

The vice president didn’t immediately comment on the House decision to impeach her, but her brother, Rep. Paolo Duterte said that the move was “a clear act of political persecution.” Rival lawmakers maneuvered to quickly collect signatures and push a “baseless impeachment case” to the Senate, he said.

Duterte ran as Marcos’s vice-presidential running mate in 2022 on a campaign battle cry of unity in a deeply divided Southeast Asian country. Both were scions of strongmen long in the crosshairs of human rights groups, but their strong regional bases of support combined to give them landslide victories.

‘THIS IS ABOUT FENTANYL’: TARIFFS ARE CRUCIAL TO COMBATING ‘DRUG WAR,’ TRUMP AND CABINET OFFICIALS SAY

An effigy of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte are displayed during a rally ahead of the third State of the Nation Address by the president in Quezon City, Philippines, Monday, July 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Cristino)

Marcos is the son and namesake of the late dictator, who was ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising. The vice president’s father and Marcos’s predecessor, Duterte, launched a deadly anti-drug crackdown that is being investigated by the International Criminal Court as a possible crime against humanity.

The whirlwind political alliance rapidly frayed after their electoral victories.

The impeachment complaint against the vice president, regarded as a possible presidential contender after Marcos’s six-year term ends in 2028, focuses on a death threat that she made against the president, his wife and the House speaker last year, irregularities in the use of her office’s intelligence funds and her failure to stand up to Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea.

She said in an online news conference on Nov. 23 that she has contracted an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife and Romualdez if she were killed, a threat she warned wasn’t a joke.

She later said that she wasn’t threatening him, but was expressing concern for her own safety. However, her statements set off an investigation and national security concerns.

CHINA IS ‘AGGRESIVE’ AND ‘INTRUSIVE’ IN THE WEST, HOUSE INTEL CHAIR SAYS

House Speaker Martin Romualdez, top right, presides over the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte at the House of Representatives in Quezon City in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, Feb.5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerard Carreon)

Allegations of graft and corruption against her also emanated from a monthslong and televised House investigation on the alleged misuse of 612.5 million pesos ($10.5 million) of confidential and intelligence funds received by Duterte’s offices as vice president and education secretary. She has since left the education post after her political differences with Marcos deepened.

She has also been accused of unexplained wealth and failure to declare her wealth as required by the law. She has refused to respond to questions in detail in tense televised hearings last year.

The impeachment complaint accused Duterte of undermining the Marcos government’s policies, including her description of the administration’s handling of territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea as a “fiasco.” The complaint also mentioned her silence over China’s increasingly assertive actions in the disputed waters.

“Her sheer evasiveness and silence on the West Philippine Sea issue, an issue that strikes at the core of Philippine sovereignty, is diametrically opposed to her being so loquacious as to other issues,” the impeachment petition said, using the Philippine name for the disputed waters.

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Duterte has repeatedly accused Marcos, his wife and Romualdez of corruption, weak leadership and attempting to muzzle her because of speculation she may seek the presidency in 2028.

February 5, 2025
Allies and foes reject Trump’s ‘Riviera’ plans for Gaza: ‘new suffering and new hatred’

The world reacted in unified shock on Wednesday after President Donald Trump announced his intention that the U.S. develop the Gaza Strip to create a “Riviera of the Middle East,” and that millions of Palestinians living there would be relocated.

The bombshell proposal was made during a press conference on Tuesday when Trump, standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, refused to rule out U.S. military intervention and said Washington “will take over the Gaza Strip.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt looked to ease concerns on Wednesday and said the president has not “committed to putting boots on the ground” or to paying for the reconstruction plans.

But her assurances came after the president’s proposal was met with swift resistance from leaders across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, South America and Oceania.

RAND PAUL RECOILS AT TRUMP’S GAZA TAKEOVER PLANS: ‘I THOUGHT WE VOTED FOR AMERICA FIRST’

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House, Feb. 4, 2025. (Reuters/Leah Millis)

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, which Trump has pushed to “normalize ties” with Israel, flatly rejected Trump’s proposal and in a statement issued by the foreign ministry said there could be no diplomatic relations with the Jewish state without a two-state solution for the Palestinians.

“Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has affirmed the kingdom’s position in ‘a clear and explicit manner’ that does not allow for any interpretation under any circumstances.”

United Arab Emirates

The UAE, which did sign on to the Abraham Accords during the first Trump administration, responded to his remarks in a statement from the foreign ministry and issued a “categorical rejection of violating the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and attempting to displace them, and called for the need to stop settlement activities that threaten regional stability and undermine opportunities for peace and coexistence.”

The ministry “stressed the importance of avoiding everything that could lead to the expansion of the conflict in the region, and explained that the priority now after the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip must focus on ending extremism, tension and violence, protecting the lives of all civilians, and delivering urgent, safe and sustainable humanitarian aid.”

Hamas

A senior official with the terror group Hamas, Sami Abu Zuhri, said, “Our people in the Gaza Strip will not allow these plans to pass. What is required is to end the [Israeli] occupation and aggression against our people, not to expel them from their land.”

Destruction from Israeli airstrikes is seen in Gaza City on Oct. 11. (AP/Adel Hana)

SAUDI ARABIA CONTRADICTS TRUMP, VOWS NO TIES WITH ISRAEL WITHOUT CREATION OF PALESTINIAN STATE

Palestinian leadership

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas echoed the shared sentiment and said, “The Palestinians will not relinquish their land, rights and sacred sites, and that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the land of the State of Palestine, along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem.”

Iran

A senior Iranian official told Reuters, “Iran does not agree with any displacement of Palestinians and has communicated this through various channels.”

EUROPE

United Kingdom

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been toeing the line when it comes to relations with the U.S. amid the second Trump administration, for the first time on Wednesday broke with Trump and said Palestinians “must be allowed home.”

“They must be allowed to rebuild, and we should be with them in that rebuild on the way to a two-state solution,” he added, speaking from the House of Commons, Politico EU reported.

Germany

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock took a more direct approach and, in a statement, said, in accordance with international law, “It is clear that Gaza – just like the West Bank and East Jerusalem – belongs to the Palestinians. It forms the basis for a future state of Palestine.

“A displacement of the Palestinian civilian population from Gaza would not only be unacceptable and in breach of international law. It would also lead to new suffering and new hatred,” she added.

Palestinians gather in the hope of obtaining aid delivered into Gaza through a U.S.-built pier, May 19, 2024. (Reuters/Ramadan Abed/File Photo)

‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

Russia

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reaffirmed Russia’s support for a two-state solution and said, “This is the thesis that is enshrined in the relevant U.N. Security Council resolution, this is the thesis that is shared by the overwhelming majority of countries involved in this problem. We proceed from it, we support it and believe that this is the only possible option.”

France

French foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine also released a statement warning that anything but a two-state solution would have destabilizing consequences for the entire region. “France reiterates its opposition to any forced displacement of Gaza’s Palestinian population, which would constitute a serious violation of international law,” he said.

“Gaza’s future must lie not in the prospect of control by a third State but in the framework of a future Palestinian State, under the aegis of the Palestinian Authority.”

China

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, “China has all along believed that ‘the Palestinians governing Palestine’ is the fundamental principle of post-conflict governance of Gaza.

“We oppose the forced displacement of the people in Gaza, and hope that relevant parties will take the opportunity of the ceasefire and post-conflict governance in Gaza to bring the Palestinian question back to the right track of a political settlement based on the two-state solution, so as to realize lasting peace in the Middle East,” he added, during a Wednesday press conference.

Palestinians carry belongings as they leave al-Ahli hospital, which they were using as a shelter, in Gaza City, Oct. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)

Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told local news outlets that Trump’s proposal was “unacceptable” and argued that plans to leave Palestinians “out of the equation” would lead to more conflict.

Turkish President Recep Erdoğan does not appear to have publicly commented yet, though his strong stance against Israel’s deadly operations in Gaza could signal the two leaders may geopolitically butt heads over how to handle the post-war era in the Gaza Strip.

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OCEANIA

Australia

Australia, which has become a chief ally of the U.S. in countering China – a push Trump has named one of his top priorities – made its position on Trump’s comments clear after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, “Australia’s position is the same as it was this morning, as it was last year. The Australian government supports on a bipartisan basis a two-state solution.”

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called Trump’s comments “bravado” and said in an interview with local radio stations, “No country, no matter how important, can fight the entire world all the time.”

“It makes no sense,” he argued while defending a two-state solution. “Where would Palestinians live? This is something incomprehensible to any human being.

“Palestinians are the ones who need to take care of Gaza,” he added.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.

February 5, 2025
EXCLUSIVE: US ally cautions world against doubting Trump’s ‘shockingly innovative’ Gaza proposal

UNITED NATIONS — President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. “take over” the Gaza Strip has garnered negative reactions across the globe and even from within his own party.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó, however, doesn’t think the world should be so quick to dismiss President Trump’s proposal. Szijjártó compared the Gaza proposal to another one of Trump’s “shockingly innovative” ideas to a paradigm-shifting move the president made shortly before leaving office in 2020.

“I would like to remind everyone that when President Trump announced his plan regarding the Abraham Accords, there was hardly anyone in the world who would have believed in the success in those agreements, right? And at the end of the day, he made it, and the Abraham Accords have brought a totally new dimension to the life of the Middle East,” Szijjártó told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

The Abraham Accords saw Israel sign treaties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. There was speculation that had President Trump won the 2020 election, Saudi Arabia would have been next to sign a treaty. However, the Saudis made it clear on Tuesday that the country would not forge ties with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“This is maybe the most complicated issue nowadays in the world, how to make long-term peace in the Middle East,” Szijjártó said, adding that “when it comes to President Trump, I would not exclude anything.”

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first foreign dignitary to visit the White House since President Trump’s return to the Oval Office. His visit came as Israel continues to grapple with the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre nearly 16 months later.

During a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Trump announced his proposal to have the U.S. “take over” the Gaza Strip, saying it would give the Palestinians an opportunity to “live out their lives in peace and harmony.”

President Donald Trump, accompanied by National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, takes a question during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 4, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

HAMAS, WHICH SPARKED WAR WITH ISRAEL, SAYS TRUMP’S REBUILD GAZA PLAN IS A ‘RECIPE FOR CREATING CHAOS’

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.”

“Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” he added. “Do a real job, do something different, just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.”

President Donald Trump; rubble in Gaza (AP Photo/Morry Gash | Adel Hana)

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Hamas, the terrorist organization currently ruling over the Gaza Strip, broke its silence on Wednesday and slammed Trump’s proposal as a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.”

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

February 5, 2025
Middle East expert says Israel and the US are back on the same page — but that doesn’t mean Hamas is deterred

President Donald Trump made a massive shift in Washington’s stance towards Israel and the Middle East, proposing a U.S. takeover of the Gaza Strip.

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” President Trump said during a joint presser with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4, 2025. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY EXPLAINS GAZA TAKEOVER PROPOSAL: ‘MORE HOPE’ FOR PALESTINIANS’ FUTURES

Nearly 16 months after Hamas’ surprise attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has been grappling with the aftermath of the onslaught as it continues to fight the terror regime in control of Gaza. For much of the war, the question has been what will happen when Hamas is no longer in control, but through his surprise declaration, President Trump has given the Israelis an answer.

Even before he was officially in the Oval Office, Trump’s threat of “all hell to pay” seemed to work on Hamas, as the terror organization released hostages for the first time since November 2023.

“There is clearly a sense that Jerusalem and Washington are on the same page, illustrated by Netanyhu’s upcoming visit to DC and being the first foreign dignitary to be invited to the White House since the election,” Scholars for Peace in the Middle East Executive Director Asaf Romirowsky told Fox News Digital on Monday.

“The Trump administration is clearly helping on the hostage front and part of the discussions in DC this week will center on resuming the war and the rest of the hostages,” Romirowsky added.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4, 2025.

Despite the multiple rounds of hostage releases, Romirowsky is skeptical whether the terror organization is feeling the weight of the U.S. government.

“As far as Hamas goes it is not in their nature to be deterred by any U.S. government and they will try to push their agenda through Qatar and others,” Romirowsky said. “That said, Israel seems to be getting the military support they need and the hope is that it also continues as it relates the war in Gaza and the Middle East at large.”

Prior to leaving office in 2020, President Trump launched an initiative that seemed to have peace breaking out in the Middle East. Aimed at creating peaceful relationships between Arab nations and Israel, the Abraham Accords included the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco. Many speculated that a treaty with Saudi Arabia was on the horizon.

“There is no doubt that the goal is to expand the Abraham Accords especially as it relates to Saudi Arabia,” Romirowsky said. “Saudi-Israel relations are also linked regarding their shared security concerns as they relate to Iran.”

U.S. President Donald Trump greets Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the North Portico of the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4, 2025. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

IF IRAN ATTEMPTS ASSASSINATION, ‘THEY GET OBLITERATED’: PRESIDENT TRUMP

Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Trump signed an executive order ending U.S. engagement with the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Former President Joe Biden halted the funding of UNRWA following reports that some of the agency’s staff participated in the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel. Additionally, freed hostage Emily Damari, who was taken from her home in Kfar Aza, said she was held in UNRWA facilities, and that Hamas denied her medical care after shooting her twice.

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In the joint presser with Netanyahu, Trump described the UNHRC as “antisemitic.” President Trump also withdrew from the UNHRC during his first term. In 2021, the Biden administration rejoined the controversial international body.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

February 5, 2025
Hamas says Trump’s rebuild Gaza plan is a ‘Recipe for creating chaos’

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The Palestinian terrorist group whose attack on Israel launched the war in Gaza is now calling President Donald Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to rebuild the territory a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.”

Trump sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East after announcing last night that the U.S. will “take over the Gaza Strip,” level it and rebuild the area.

“Instead of holding the Zionist occupation accountable for the crime of genocide and displacement, it is being rewarded, not punished,” Hamas told the Associated Press Wednesday.

Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, led to the Israeli military entering the Gaza Strip in their mission to eliminate the Palestinian terrorist group. As a result, the conflict has rendered much of the territory uninhabitable. The U.N. estimated late last year that 1.9 million people – around 90% of Gaza’s population – have been internally displaced.

SAUDI ARABIA CONTRADICTS TRUMP, VOWS NO TIES WITH ISRAEL WITHOUT CREATION OF PALESTINIAN STATE

The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas says Trump’s plan for the U.S. to rebuild Gaza is a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.” (AP/Alex Brandon/Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Hamas added to the AP that Trump’s plan is a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region.”

“What President Trump stated about his intention to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip outside it and the United States’ control over the Strip by force is a crime against humanity,” a senior Hamas official also told Fox News on Wednesday.

“We demand that the mediators, especially the United States, oblige the occupation to implement the ceasefire agreement in its three stages without procrastination or manipulation, as we are committed to implementing the agreement as long as the occupation commits to it, and any manipulation in implementing the agreement may cause it to collapse,” the official added.

THE HISTORY OF GAZA AMID TRUMP’S PLAN TO REBUILD ENCLAVE

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 4. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)

Trump announced in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House Tuesday that “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,”

“We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site,” he continued.

“Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” Trump also said. “Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.”

Fox News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst said the timing of Trump’s comments “raises huge questions about the current ceasefire agreement that is supposed to see the remaining hostages released from Gaza.”

“There are dozens of living hostages inside the Gaza Strip right now being held by Hamas, the group that is currently in control of Gaza. And it would not be surprising if tomorrow, Hamas threatens to step back from the current agreement or puts more pressure at the negotiating table,” Yingst said in a video posted on X last night.

Tents are set up among the rubble of destroyed houses in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Jan. 29. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)

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“But the timing of these remarks is very significant remembering that these hostages remain in Hamas captivity and Palestinians being removed from Gaza has been a red line not only for Hamas but for regional countries including Egypt, Jordan and others as it relates to the Palestinian people there,” he added.

Fox News’ Trey Yingst and Emma Colton contributed to this report.

February 5, 2025
Iran’s foreign minister responds to Trump ‘maximum pressure’ campaign amid regime panic

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JERUSALEM—President Donald Trump’s decision to restore his maximum pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic of Iran jolted the clerical regime in Tehran and established a clean break with the Biden administration’s concessionary policy toward the rogue nation, according to Mideast experts.

Trump also warned the regime on Tuesday that if it carries out his assassination, advisers will ensure that the country is “obliterated.”

Trump’s message to the Iranians seemingly got their attention. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that “If the main issue is ensuring that Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons, this is achievable and not a difficult matter.” He also added that “maximum pressure is a failed experiment, and trying it again will only lead to another failure.” He did not respond Trump’s sanction order targeting Iranian oil exports and Tehran’s support for jihadi terrorist organizations.

IRAN’S WEAKENED POSITION COULD LEAD IT TO PURSUE NUCLEAR WEAPON, BIDEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER WARNS

Yossi Mansharof, an Iran analyst at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy in Israel, told Fox News Digital, “Despite oil sanctions on Iran, data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals that Iran’s oil revenue surged to $144 billion in the first three years of Biden’s presidency (January 2021–January 2024), $100 billion more than during the last two years of the Trump administration. “

Mansharof continued, “While Biden tightened sanctions, he did not enforce them, allowing Iran to continue profiting from oil exports, providing critical support to its economy. This approach reflects a flawed strategy of attempting to engage Ali Khamenei [the supreme leader of Iran] diplomatically while ignoring Iran’s oil smuggling.”

Fox News Digital also reported extensively on Biden’s decision to extend sanctions waivers that enabled repeated payments of $10 billion to be delivered into Iran’s coffers.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mansharof welcomed the reinstatement of the maximum economic pressure campaign. He warned, however, that in light of Iran’s progress on building a nuclear weapon “it is unclear whether this strategy is sufficient.” He said, “Military pressure on Iran is needed to disrupt its activities, send a clear message on its nuclear ambitions, and prevent further destabilizing actions.”

Both the Republican and Democratic administrations have classified Iran’s regime as the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism. Trump’s Tuesday signing of the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) restoring maximum pressure on Iran states its aims are to deny “Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon, and countering Iran’s malign influence abroad.” Iran’s regime funds the U.S.-designated terrorist movements Hamas and Hezbollah.

Demonstrators in Iran protesting the regime in 2022. (Credit: NCRI)

Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs President Dan Diker told Fox News Digital, “President Donald Trump’s reimposed maximum pressure campaign to cripple the Iranian regime is another differentiator from the former Biden administration’s defensive and even conciliatory approach to the Iranian regime.”

He added, “The first Trump administration maximum pressure that came in parallel with canceling its participation in the ill-fated JCPOA had essentially bankrupted the regime and Trump’s continuation of economic warfare against the regime underscores his commitment to U.S. primacy and power projection in the terror-ridden Middle East short of direct military intervention.”

TRUMP’S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) National Aerospace Park in western Tehran, Oct. 11, 2023. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The JCPOA, an acronym for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was former President Obama’s signature foreign policy deal. It was supposed to slow down Iran’s drive to build an atomic bomb in exchange for massive economic benefits for Iran. In 2018, President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and famously termed it “the worst deal in history.” Trump said at the time of the withdrawal, “At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program.”

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According to the Trump administration, the JCPOA did not prevent Iran from securing a nuclear weapons device and allowed Tehran to finance global terrorism.

Diker said, “Trump will face an Iranian regime octopus that is still extending its terror tentacles across the region, particularly in the Israeli controlled Judea and Samaria (West Bank) while prosecuting charm offensive with European and other powers to fend off the US initiative to strangle the Iranian regime.”

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this story.

February 5, 2025
The history of Gaza amid Trump’s plan to rebuild enclave

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In an audacious move that stunned the world, President Donald Trump unveiled a proposal to relocate 1.8 million Palestinians from Gaza, seeking to rebuild their lives in new places. Addressing the media alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump outlined his ambitious vision for the Gaza Strip.

“I strongly believe that the Gaza Strip, which has been a symbol of death and destruction … for so many decades—devastating for the people living there and for those anywhere near it—should not go through another cycle of rebuilding and occupation by the same people who have fought, lived, died, and suffered in that place.”

The president emphasized the importance of learning from history. “History, you know, just can’t keep repeating itself,” Trump remarked, urging a departure from the failed approaches of the past.

‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

President Donald Trump, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4, 2025. ( REUTERS/Leah Millis)

“Dating back nearly 4,000 years, since the time of the Patriarchs Abraham & Isaac, to the time of the mighty Biblical Judge Samson and the Philistines; from the rule of Solomon and the kings of the Davidic Dynasty, and for millenia onward; the territory of modern-day Gaza has been a place of both conflict and hope, trading hands from one ruler to another, with the potential for prosperity just over the horizon, but aside from brief periods, peace for her inhabitants and neighbors remained elusive,” Ze’ev Orenstein, the director of international affairs for the City of David Foundation in Jerusalem, told Fox News Digital

The history of Gaza that Trump was referring to is both a long and tumultuous one.

Biblical Roots: A Battleground for Civilizations

Gaza’s history dates back nearly 4,000 years, frequently appearing in biblical narratives. It was one of the five key cities of the Philistines, who arrived from the Aegean, known for their clashes with the Israelites. The story of Samson, who tore down a Philistine temple, is one of the earliest recorded tales of destruction and rebuilding in Gaza. Over centuries, it was conquered by the Egyptians, Babylonians and Persians, each bringing new rulers and forcing population shifts. Even then, Gaza was a land where people came and went, often not by choice.

Ottoman Rule: A Strategic Military Outpost

Under the Ottoman Empire (1517–1917), Gaza was a military stronghold. The Ottomans used it as a buffer zone, and while some periods saw growth, it was frequently abandoned during wars. In 1799, Napoleon’s forces briefly occupied it before retreating. Once again, Gaza was left in ruins, and its population had to start over.

TRUMP EYES ABRAHAM ACCORDS EXPANSION, GAZA REBUILD WITH NETANYAHU MEETING ON DECK

A view of destroyed buildings caused by Israeli attacks comes to surface following the withdrawal of the Israeli army in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Sept. 29, 2024. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The British Mandate and the First Exodus

When the British took control in 1917, Gaza became part of the British Mandate for Palestine. Tensions between Jews and Arabs escalated, leading to violent clashes. By 1948, when Israel declared independence, thousands of Palestinian refugees fled to Gaza, turning it into an overcrowded enclave under Egyptian rule.

Egyptian Rule: No Citizenship, No Stability

From 1949 to 1967, Egypt controlled Gaza but never integrated it. Palestinians living there were not granted Egyptian citizenship, and Gaza remained impoverished and politically unstable. When Israel captured it in the Six-Day War, the cycle of displacement and destruction resumed.

People inspect the debris and rubble at the site of Israeli bombardment on a residential block in Jalaa Street in Gaza City on Jan. 14, 2025 amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli Rule: Settlements and Economic Integration

After Israel took over Gaza in the Six-Day War in 1967, Jewish settlements were built within the coastal enclave, creating economic interactions between the two peoples – but also increasing the level of tension.

Amir Tibon, himself a survivor of the October 7 attack, describes in his book “The Gates of Gaza,” Palestinians found out what life looked like for their Israeli neighbors, who enjoyed a significantly higher standard of living. Soon, hundreds of thousands of Gazans would enter Israel daily for work, and Gaza’s economy became tied to Israel’s, but hostility persisted. In the 1980s, the Islamist organization Hamas became a rising force among Palestinians in Gaza, eventually succeeding in taking over the enclave and turning it into a fortress of terror.

‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH’: TRUMP AND NETANYAHU EXPECTED TO DISCUSS IRAN, HAMAS AT WHITE HOUSE MEETING

The Palestinian Authority’s Short-Lived Rule

After the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) took administrative control of Gaza in the 1990s. For the first time, there was hope for Palestinian self-rule, but corruption and internal strife plagued the PA’s governance. During the Second Intifada (2000–2005), terrorist attacks from Gaza escalated, leading to Israeli military operations that devastated the region once again.

Members of the Hamas terror group gather in Gaza in preparation for the release of four female hostages as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel. (TPS-IL)

Hamas: Ruling by Force, Trapping Its People

In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza, removing all settlements. In 2007, elections were held, and Hamas took control, ousting the PA. Since then, Hamas has engaged in repeated attacks on Israel, leading to destruction and humanitarian crises. With Hamas prioritizing terrorism over governance, Gaza has remained in a state of war and siege. Today, it is one of the most densely populated places in the world, with 2 million residents.

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital, “Israel withdrew unilaterally 20 years ago. Egypt wants nothing to do with Gaza. Hamas is a terrorist group, not a government. Gaza is no man’s land, with 2 million people used as political pawns instead of human beings.”

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A Land That Has Always Been Rebuilt

Trump’s idea of relocating Gaza’s population and rebuilding new communities echoes patterns from the past. Whether it was the Philistines, Ottomans, the British, or Egyptians, Gaza has frequently seen its population displaced, only to return or be reshaped under new rulers. While today’s political realities make mass relocation unlikely, history shows that radical shifts in Gaza’s demography are not unprecedented.

February 5, 2025
UN chief sounds the alarm amid fears over possible DOGE-inspired cuts after Trump’s order

UN Secretary-General António Guterres seems to be bracing his staff ahead of possible changes in U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump. In a letter distributed to UN staff, Guterres warned of the “difficult challenge” facing the international body.

“I assure you that we are working closely with colleagues throughout the United Nations system to understand and mitigate the extent of its impact on our operations,” Guterres wrote in the letter.

“Now, more than ever, the work of the United Nations is crucial. As we face this difficult challenge, your dedication and support will help us to overcome and move forward. Together, we will ensure that our Organization continues to serve people in need around the world with unwavering commitment.”

In response to a Fox News request for comment, Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, “From day one, US support for the United Nations has saved countless lives and advanced global security. The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing his productive relationship with President Trump and the US Government to strengthen that relationship in today’s turbulent world.”

WHITE HOUSE DETAILS USAID PROGRAMS UNDER ELON MUSK’S MICROSCOPE

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a Security Council meeting during the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, Sept. 27, 2024. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)

“As President Trump has indicated, the UN plays a crucial role in taking on big challenges so that individual countries don’t have to do it on their own at far greater expense. With the letter, the Secretary-General was keeping staff informed,” Dujarric added.’

Former Principal Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Hugh Dugan told Fox News Digital that “UN entities from the top down are feeling very anxious,” citing someone extremely senior in the UN. Dugan believes that DOGE and his own organization DOGE-UN are causes of concern for Guterres due to “heightened accountability” from Washington.

“And I think that they’re going to have to scramble to show that they’ve been trustworthy with those resources and have been careful in accounting for their ultimate disposition, because I expect that we’re going to find that’s not been the case,” Dugan said.

The United Nations Headquarters is photographed in New York City. (iStock)

This letter was sent just over two weeks after President Trump issued his Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid.

“It is the policy of the United States that no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States,” Trump’s order reads.

While the order calls for a 90-day pause in foreign programs, it includes a clause giving Secretary of State Marco Rubio the authority to “waive the pause in Section 3(a) for specific programs.”

Trump administration officials claim to have uncovered several areas of government waste when it comes to foreign funding. This includes a $1.5 million US Agency for International Development (USAID) project aimed at advancing DEI in Serbian workplaces and a $2 million program promoting “LGBT activism” in Guatemala.

In her first briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that DOGE and OMB found “that there was about to be $50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza.”

“That is a preposterous waste of taxpayer money. So that’s what this pause is focused on, being good stewards of tax dollars,” Leavitt told reporters at the briefing.

At first glance, the funding for condoms in Gaza could seem like it would be aimed at public health. However, Hamas has used condoms in the past to fly incendiary devices and IEDs into Israel, as the Jerusalem Post reported in 2020.

Trump hit out at government spending during his 2024 presidential campaign. (Getty Images)

TRUMP CUTS US OFF FROM UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL, BANS UNRWA FUNDING

During his 2024 campaign, Trump took aim at government spending, ultimately introducing DOGE to tackle waste.

Following Trump’s order, Secretary Rubio paused all US foreign assistance programs funded by or through the State Department and USAID pending review.

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“Reviewing and realigning foreign assistance on behalf of hardworking taxpayers is not just the right thing to do, it is a moral imperative,” the State Department statement read. “The Secretary is proud to protect America’s investment with a deliberate and judicious review of how we spend foreign assistance dollars overseas.”

In the same statement, the State Department emphasized Secretary Rubio’s focus on ensuring the programs his department funds are working for Americans and are “consistent with US foreign policy under the America First agenda.”

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

February 5, 2025
Mexico says it will not allow US to send Mexican migrants to Guantanamo Bay

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Mexico will not allow the U.S. government to send Mexican migrants to the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp, Mexico’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente said Mexico would rather directly receive the migrants.

The Mexican government sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. embassy in Mexico to explain its position.

This comes after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that the Trump administration has begun flying detained illegal migrants from the U.S. to Guantánamo Bay, although she did not specify the nationalities of the people on those flights.

US BEGINS FLYING MIGRANTS TO GUANTANAMO BAY

Mexican Foreign Secretary Juan Ramon de la Fuente speaks during a press conference at the National Palace, in Mexico City, Mexico, January 21, 2025. (Reuters)

“I can also confirm that today the first flights from the United States to Guantánamo Bay with illegal migrants are underway,” Leavitt said.

“And so President Trump, Pete Hegseth and Kristi Noem are already delivering on this promise to utilize that capacity at Gitmo for illegal criminals who have broken our nation’s immigration laws and then have further committed heinous crimes against lawful American citizens here at home,” she continued.

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to expand the detention camp to hold up to 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens.” The U.S. military base has been criticized around the world for its inhumane abuse and torture of detainees, including in interrogation tactics.

The Trump administration has begun flying detained illegal migrants from the U.S. to Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, left, DOD via AP, right.)

One flight from Fort Bliss to Guantánamo Bay has roughly a dozen migrants on board, according to the Pentagon. An additional flight left the U.S. on Monday.

The migrants will be held in the detention camp that was set up for detainees in the aftermath of 9/11. The migrants will be separated from the 15 detainees who were already there, including planners in the 2001 terrorist attack.

EL SALVADOR AGREES TO ACCEPT US DEPORTEES OF ANY NATIONALITY FOLLOWING MEETING WITH RUBIO

A migrant prepares to board a flight to Guantánamo Bay. (Department of Homeland Security)

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Last week, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called Trump’s effort to send 30,000 migrants to Guantánamo an “act of brutality.”

“In an act of brutality, the new US government announces the imprisonment at the Guantánamo Naval Base, located in illegally occupied territory [of Cuba], of thousands of migrants that it forcibly expels, and will place them next to the well-known prisons of torture and illegal detention,” he said in a translated post on X.

Reuters contributed to this report.

February 5, 2025