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Category: World News

Trump’s Gaza relocation proposal sparks heated debate among Palestinians: ‘no life left here’

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President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Palestinians should leave Gaza to rebuild their lives after months of war has triggered a wave of reactions, exposing deep divisions within the enclave and across the Arab world.

Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House last week, Trump outlined his vision for Gaza’s future, describing it as “the Riviera of the Middle East.” His proposal to relocate 1.8 million Palestinians sparked outrage among Palestinian leaders and drew mixed reactions from Gazans.

While some Gazans have rejected emigration, others see it as their only hope.

“I’m asking Donald Trump himself to relocate us as he suggested. And I’ll be the first one to go,” one young man told the Center for Peace Communications team in Gaza during a camera interview. The man described his bleak reality, saying, “I want to leave because there’s no life left here. Life here is gone. I mean, just look around you.”

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

A view of the widespread destruction in Gaza, Jabalia, on February 5, 2025. (YOUSSEF ALZANOUN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Another Gazan called on neighboring Arab countries to provide an escape route. “To our brotherly Egyptian and Jordanian people and King Abdullah—we hope they open the crossing for the youth who are leaving, for the wounded, for the sick, and the elderly who need treatment.”

Jordan’s King Abdullah is set to meet with President Trump on Tuesday, having rejected his plan for annexing Gaza and displacing Palestinians, Reuters reported.

Jordanian King Abdullah meets President Trump on Tuesday having already rejected his plan for Gaza. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research poll conducted before the October 7 terror attacks found that 31% of Gazans were already considering emigration—44% among young people. The most popular countries were Turkey, followed by Germany, Canada, the United States and Qatar.

The poll’s authors said, “The main drivers seem economic, political, educational, security and concerns about corruption.”

Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Joseph Braude, founder and president of the Center for Peace Communications, told Fox News Digital that the number has grown significantly due to the ongoing devastation. “Through our daily contact with Gazans from all walks of life across the coastal strip, we have seen that proportion grow, amid the destruction of the present war, to a substantial majority of the population.”

Ayman Khaled, a Palestinian journalist, echoed similar sentiments, pointing to the grim prospects for rebuilding Gaza after months of relentless Israeli bombardment. “Gaza will need to go through a very long period of reconstruction. In that long period of time, where will the youth go? Where will the wounded go? We have more than 100,000 wounded. Even before the last war, a stream of people were leaving Gaza—workers, students, business people. That’s how it looked then. Now, those trends will double. There is no hope for the reconstruction of Gaza, not in a year nor 10 nor 15.”

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

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

He also warned that as long as Hamas remains in power, cycles of violence will continue, pushing more people to flee. “If Hamas remains on the scene, this will keep happening. Every day, we’ll have new killings. After every battle, they say they are victorious—but what is this victory? If we don’t seriously address the issue of Hamas leaving the political scene, we cannot talk about anything else. If Hamas remains, people will emigrate, whether willingly or unwillingly.”

Hamas described Trump’s plan as a “recipe for creating chaos and tension in the region,” and for many Gazans, leaving is unthinkable. Speaking to The Associated Press, Mustafa al-Gazzar, a displaced Gazan, dismissed the idea of leaving. “You think you’ll expel me abroad and bring other people in my place? I would rather live in my tent, under rubble. I won’t leave. Put that in your brain.”

Amna Omar, 71, who has been sheltering in central Gaza, was equally defiant. “Gaza is our land, our home. We as Gazans… I don’t want to die in Egypt.”

Another woman in Deir al-Balah told Israeli news agency TPS-IL, “We clung to our destroyed homes and we clung to the soil of Palestine.” While voluntary emigration has been quietly discussed for years, Trump’s endorsement has turned it into a divisive issue. Arab governments, wary of being seen as complicit in Palestinian displacement, have been quick to condemn it.

Smoke rises during an Israeli strike in the vicinity of the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on March 28, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas terrorists. (AFP via Getty Images)

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However, with Gaza in ruins and no reconstruction in sight, the debate over emigration is no longer theoretical. The question is not whether Gazans want to leave, but whether they will have the opportunity to do so.

A Gazan man interviewed on-camera by the Center for Peace Communications said “In the end, people will accept reality. They’ll emigrate because they want to live. They want to live in a country that protects and supports them. A country where you can hold your head up high. If our country isn’t looking out for us, where should we go?”

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this article.

February 11, 2025
Venezuelan planes return to Latin American country with citizens deported from US

Two planes sent by Venezuela returned home Monday with nearly 200 Venezuelans who were in the U.S. illegally as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan.

The 190 migrants returned to Venezuela signals a possible ease in tensions between the two longtime adversaries and a win for the Trump administration as it seeks to have countries take back their citizens found in the U.S. without authorization.

The Conviasa airline flights arrived in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas from Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army base in El Paso, Texas.

“Two planes of illegal immigrants left El Paso today headed to Venezuela – paid for by the Venezuelans,” Trump envoy Richard Grennell, who oversaw the deportations, wrote on X.

FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM SENDING DETAINED VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANTS TO GUANTÁNAMO BAY

Two planes sent by Venezuela returned to the country from El Paso, Texas, on Monday with nearly 200 Venezuelans who were in the U.S. illegally. (AP)

Deportation flights from the U.S. to Venezuela had been stopped for years, except for a brief period in October 2023 under the Biden administration.

Large numbers of Venezuelans began arriving at the southern border in 2021 and are still among the nationalities with the most people entering the U.S. illegally, which has made Venezuela’s refusal to accept their return a major hurdle.

Venezuela’s newfound willingness to take back the migrants came after Grennell visited Caracas a few weeks ago.

“This is the world we want, a world of peace, understanding, dialogue and cooperation,” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said.

TRUMP DEPORTING CRIMINAL ALIENS TO GUANTANAMO BAY: MEET THE HARDENED TERRORISTS THEY’LL JOIN

Venezuelans deported from the United States arrive at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP)

The Venezuelan government confirmed the flights earlier on Monday, criticizing in a statement the “ill-intentioned” and “false” narrative surrounding the presence of Tren de Aragua gang members in the U.S. The statement said most Venezuelan migrants are decent and hard-working people and that American officials are attempting to stigmatize the country.

The deportation flights on Monday came days after some illegal aliens were sent to the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp, where they are separated from 15 detainees who were already there, including planners in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.

A federal judge in New Mexico temporarily blocked the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan men to Guantánamo Bay on Sunday. Lawyers for the trio argued that their clients “fit the profile of those the administration has prioritized for detention in Guantánamo, i.e. Venezuelan men detained in the El Paso area with (false) charges of connections with the Tren de Aragua gang.”

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, front left, walks off a plane that transported deportees from the United States at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP)

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The flights also came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached agreements with El Salvador and Guatemala for those countries to accept their citizens and U.S. deportees of other nationalities.

Trump said after Grennell’s visit that the Venezuelan government had agreed to accept “all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S., including gang members of Tren de Aragua,” and pay for their flights home. Half a dozen Americans held in Venezuela were released at the time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

February 11, 2025
Ecuador’s presidential election goes to runoff between conservative incumbent, leftist lawyer
- Ecuador will choose its next president in a runoff election in April between conservative incumbent Daniel Noboa and leftist lawyer Luisa González.
- Crime is a major issue for voters. The trafficking of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru has contributed to skyrocketing rates of homicide, kidnapping and extortion.
- Ecuador’s National Electoral Council said that with 92.1% of the ballots counted, Noboa received 44.31% of the voite, while González received 43.83%. The 14 other candidates in the race were far behind them.
Ecuador will choose its next president in a runoff election in April between conservative incumbent Daniel Noboa and leftist lawyer Luisa González.

Neither won outright in Sunday’s first-round election, but they were both well ahead of the other 14 candidates and each within a percentage point of garnering 44% of the vote, according to results Monday.

The run-off election set for April 13 will be a repeat of the October 2023 snap election that earned Noboa a 16-month presidency.

EXCLUSIVE LOOK INTO TRUMP REPATRIATION FLIGHT ON C-17 MILITARY PLANE TO ECUADOR

Noboa and González are now vying for a full four-year term, promising voters to reduce the widespread criminal activity that upended their lives four years ago.

The spike in violence across the South American country is tied to the trafficking of cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. So many voters have become crime victims that their personal and collective losses were a determining factor in deciding whether a third president in four years could turn Ecuador around or if Noboa deserved more time in office.

Noboa, an heir to a fortune built on the banana trade, and González, the protégée of Ecuador’s most influential president this century, were the clear front-runners ahead of the election.

Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, running for re-election, waves after accompanying his running mate, Maria Jose Pinto, to cast her ballot during the presidential elections in Quito, Ecuador, on Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carlos Noriega)

Figures released by Ecuador’s National Electoral Council showed that with 92.1% of the ballots counted, Noboa received 4.22 million votes, or 44.31%, while González received 4.17 million votes, or 43.83%. The 14 other candidates in the race were far behind them.

Voting is mandatory in Ecuador. Electoral authorities reported that more than 83% of the roughly 13.7 million eligible voters cast ballots.

Crime, gangs and extortion

Under Noboa’s watch, the homicide rate dropped from 46.18 per 100,000 people in 2023 to 38.76 per 100,000 people last year. Still, it remains far higher than the 6.85 per 100,000 people in 2019, and other crimes, such as kidnapping and extortion, have skyrocketed, making people fearful of leaving their homes.

“For me, this president is disastrous,” said Marta Barres, 35, who went to the voting center with her three teenage children. “Can he change things in four more years? No. He hasn’t done anything.”

Barres, who must pay $25 a month to a local gang to avoid harassment or worse, said she supported González because she believes she can reduce crime across the board and improve the economy.

Noboa defeated González in the October 2023 runoff of a snap election that was triggered by the decision of then-President Guillermo Lasso to dissolve the National Assembly and shorten his own mandate as a result. Noboa and González, a mentee of former President Rafael Correa, had only served short stints as lawmakers before launching their presidential campaigns that year.

To win outright Sunday, a candidate needed 50% of the vote or at least 40% with a 10-point lead over the closest challenger.

More than 100,000 police officers and members of the military were deployed across the country to safeguard the election, including at voting centers. At least 50 officers accompanied Noboa, his wife and their 2-year-old son to a voting center where the president cast his ballot in the small Pacific coast community of Olón.

Testing the limits of laws and norms of governing

Noboa, 37, opened an event organizing company when he was 18 and then joined his father’s Noboa Corp., where he held management positions in the shipping, logistics and commercial areas. His political career began in 2021, when he won a seat in the National Assembly and chaired its Economic Development Commission.

As president over the past 15 months, some of his mano dura, or heavy-handed, tactics to reduce crime have come under scrutiny inside and outside the country for testing the limits of laws and norms of governing.

Luisa Gonzalez, presidential candidate for the Citizen Revolution Movement, speaks after polls closed for the presidential election in Quito, Ecuador, on Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Carlos Noriega)

His questioned tactics include the state of internal armed conflict he declared in January 2024 in order to mobilize the military in places where organized crime has taken hold, as well as last year’s approval of a police raid on Mexico’s embassy in the capital, Quito, to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, a convicted criminal and fugitive who had been living there for months.

His head-on approach, however, is also earning him votes.

“Noboa is the only person hitting organized crime hard,” retiree German Rizzo, who voted to get the president re-elected, said outside a polling station in Samborondón, an upper-class area with gated communities separated from the port city of Guayaquil by a river.

‘Things are not going to change’

González, 47, held various government jobs during the presidency of Correa, who led Ecuador from 2007 through 2017 with free-spending socially conservative policies and grew increasingly authoritarian in his last years as president. He was sentenced to prison in absentia in 2020 in a corruption scandal.

González was a lawmaker from 2021 until May 2023, when Lasso dissolved the National Assembly. She was unknown to most voters until Correa’s party picked her as its presidential candidate for the snap election.

Quito’s University of the Americas professor Maria Cristina Bayas said Sunday’s result was “a triumph” for Correa’s party because pre-election polls projected a wider difference between Noboa and González.

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Esteban Ron, dean of the Faculty of Social and Legal Sciences at the International University SEK in Quito, said Noboa will be forced to reengineer his campaign at the risk that he may have already reached his vote ceiling. Ron attributed the outcome to the problems Noboa faced during his administration.

Waiting for her turn to vote in Guayaquil, architecture student Keila Torres said she had not yet decided who to vote for. None, she said, will be able to lower crime across Ecuador due to deep-rooted government corruption.

“If I could, I wouldn’t be here,” said Torres, who witnessed three robberies in public buses over the past four years and barely escaped a carjacking in December. “Things are not going to change.”
February 10, 2025
French girl, 11, found dead near school, murder investigation underway

An 11-year-old girl in France was found dead in a wooded area near her school hours after she went missing, officials said Saturday.

The girl, identified as Louise, disappeared around 2 p.m. Friday while on her way home from André Maurois middle school in northern France, officials in the commune of Épinay-sur-Orge said. Épinay-sur-Orge is located south of Paris.

Investigators searched the woods using tracking dogs, helicopters and drones before eventually finding the girl’s body, Le Parisien reported.

“It was with great emotion that we learned that Louise’s body had been found lifeless that night, in the Bois des Templiers,” police wrote in French in a press release posted on Facebook. “As soon as her disappearance was reported, all means were deployed to try to find her.”

HOLLYWOOD PRODUCER CONVICTED OF MURDER IN DEATHS OF MODEL AND HER FRIEND

Louise, 11, vanished while on her way home from middle school on Friday afternoon in the commune of Épinay-sur-Orge, officials said. Searchers discovered her body in a wooded area hours later. (Épinay-sur-Orge / Facebook)

An autopsy determined she suffered “numerous wounds committed with a sharp object,” said Grégoire Dulin, the Evry public prosecutor, per Le Parisien. A murder weapon was not immediately recovered.

This photograph shows a white rose and a picture of Louise, an 11-year-old girl found murdered in a wooded area, at a memorial in front of the Andre Maurois secondary school in Epinay-sur-Orge, on Saturday. (JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

Dulin said authorities had opened an investigation for the “murder of a minor under 15.”

Police detained a 23-year-old man, who was seen on security footage walking behind Louise, and his 20-year-old girlfriend, according to French news outlets. Police released the pair from custody later Saturday.

Police officers stand guard next to police caution tape in the area of the “parc des Templiers” in Longjumeau near Epinay-sur-Orge on Saturday after the body of an 11-year-old girl was discovered. (JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

IVY LEAGUE GRAD STUDENT, US ARMY VETERAN’S KILLER HAD EERIE MOTIVE: DETECTIVE

On Monday, police made two new arrests: a 23-year-old man and his 55-year-old mother, FranceInfo reported. The 23-year-old is suspected of murdering Louise, while his mother is accused of failing to report a crime.

French Minister of Education Élisabeth Borne issued a statement on X regarding the child’s death.

“Following the discovery of the body of young Louise last night in Essonne, I offer my condolences to her family, her loved ones, her classmates and her teachers,” she wrote in French. “I am counting on investigators and the justice system to shed light on this tragedy.”

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Police said the murder investigation is ongoing.

February 10, 2025
Hamas delays next hostage release, alleging Israel violated ceasefire

A Hamas spokesperson said Monday that the terrorist group will delay the next planned release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.

“Over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy’s violations and failure to fulfill its obligations under the agreement; including the delay in allowing the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with direct shelling and gunfire in various areas across Gaza, and denying relief supplies of all kinds to enter as agreed, while the resistance has implemented all its obligations,” Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, said.

“Therefore, the release of the Zionist prisoners next Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and provides compensation for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively,” he said. “We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement, as long as the occupation remains committed to them.”

Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

PARENTS OF AMERICAN MURDERED BY HAMAS MAKE ‘PLEA’ TO TRUMP AFTER LATEST HOSTAGE RELEASE

Israeli captives, from left to the right, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, are escorted by Hamas fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Saturday Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. The next exchange, scheduled for next Saturday, calls for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

“Hamas’ announcement to stop the release of Israeli hostages is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and the hostage release deal,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday. “I have instructed the [Israeli Defense Forces] IDF to maintain the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and to fortify the defense of Israeli communities. We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding an immediate security assessment, Israeli media reported.

Israeli captive Or Levy, who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, is escorted by Hamas fighters before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

HAMAS FREES 3 MORE HOSTAGES AS PART OF CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a volunteer group dedicated to bringing the surviving Oct. 7 victims home, released a statement.

“In response to Hamas’s recent announcement, we have urgently requested assistance from the mediating countries to help restore and implement the existing deal effectively,” the forum said. “We stand with the Israeli government and encourage maintaining the conditions that will ensure the successful continuation of the agreement, leading to the safe return of our 76 brothers and sisters.”

The Rehan family in their encampment in the ruins of their home amid widespread destruction caused by the Israeli military’s ground and air offensive in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

“Recent evidence from those released, as well as the shocking conditions of the hostages released last Saturday, leaves no room for doubt – time is of the essence, and all hostages must be urgently rescued from this horrific situation,” the forum added.

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Hamas released three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli hostages – civilians Eli Sharabi, 52; Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56 – on Saturday after forcing them to speak at a handover ceremony. Israel in turn freed 183 Palestinian prisoners that day.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump commented on the conditions of the released Israeli hostages, saying they “looked like Holocaust survivors” and “like they haven’t had a meal in a month.”

“I don’t know how much longer we can take that,” Trump said, referring to the treatment of the hostages, adding, “You know, at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.”

Fox News’ Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.

February 10, 2025
Zelenskyy ready ‘to do a deal’ with Trump on raw earth minerals and military assistance

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is preparing to meet with Vice President JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference later this week after confirming on Friday he is ready to “do a deal” with President Donald Trump.

According to an interview with Reuters, Zelenskyy said he was ready to supply the U.S. with rare-earth minerals in exchange for Washington’s continued backing of its war effort.

“If we are talking about a deal, then let’s do a deal, we are only for it,” Zelenskyy said.

ZELENSKYY WANTS NUKES OR NATO; TRUMP SPECIAL ENVOY KELLOGG SAYS ‘SLIM AND NONE’ CHANCE

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is ready to “do a deal” with President Trump about Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals in exchange for continued financial support. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

The Ukrainian president has made clear he is also open to engaging in peace talks with Russia to end the three-year-long war, though possible terms for securing a peace deal remain varied and unknown.

Though Zelenskyy has said he is looking for “guarantees” when it comes to future security assurances for the war-torn country.

These security assurances will likely need to be more than a formal handshake paired with a signed document, as Russia has twice violated its last agreement with Ukraine, known as the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.

The deal saw Kyiv hand over its nuclear arsenal to Moscow for dismantlement in exchange for sovereignty and independence guarantees from Russia, the U.S. and the U.K. However, the agreement did not stop Russia from invading Ukraine twice under Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy apparently first floated the idea of trading Ukraine’s mineral resources – roughly 20% of which are located in now Russian controlled territory, including half of the rare-earth variety – under his “victory plan” first presented to Western allies last fall, reported Reuters.

Rare-earth materials are used in the production of consumer electronics and electric engines. Zelenskyy has warned that Russia could give these resources to its allies like North Korea and Iran – the latter of which the U.S. just last week began to even more heavily sanction.

TRUMP’S FOURTH WEEK IN OFFICE COULD INCLUDE MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY, IRONING OUT STEEL DEAL

Former President Donald Trump meets with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower, Sept. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

“We need to stop Putin and protect what we have – a very rich Dnipro region, central Ukraine,” Zelenskyy reportedly said.

While Trump will not attend the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy will lead the Ukrainian delegation there and is reportedly expected to meet with Vance and special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg.

Trump told reporters last week that Zelenskyy may travel to D.C. in the week following the security conference, which runs Feb. 14-16, at which time both presidents will once again meet to discuss the war.

“I’d like to see that war end,” Trump told reporters last week. “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things.”

Russia’s war effort in eastern Ukraine continues to rage, and Moscow on Friday claimed it had captured the mining town of Toretsk in the Donetsk region despite Ukraine’s months-long attempts to stop Russian advances.

TRUMP PLANS TO MEET WITH ZELENSKYY AS HE LOOKS TO END UKRAINE WAR

The ruins of the city of Toretsk are in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on Dec. 19, 2024. Russia, on Feb. 7, 2025, claimed to have finally seized the mining city. (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

As Moscow continues to see incremental gains in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv is also pushing forward with its own attempts to seize Russian territory, which security experts have told Fox News Digital could be an attempt to give it better bargaining leverage come the time for ceasefire talks with Moscow.

Zelenskyy also said on Friday that Ukraine had opened a new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv first began its incursion in August 2024.

“In the areas of the Kursk operation, new assaults have taken place,” Zelenskyy said during his nightly address. “Russia has once again deployed North Korean soldiers alongside its troops.”

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Ukrainian forces fight in the Kursk region in Malaya Loknya, Russia, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released on Aug. 20, 2024. (Air Assault Brigade/Handout via Reuters)

It is unclear if North Korea has sent more troops to Russia after its initial deployment of as many as 12,000 men last October, though South Korean intelligence has warned Pyongyang is planning to do so.

Zelenskyy Sunday night said Ukrainian troops in Kursk “demonstrate highly effective enemy destruction,” though he did not detail any casualty rates among Russian or North Korean troops.

“We must hold all our positions firmly,” he said. “The stronger we stand on the front lines, the stronger our diplomacy – our work with partners – will be.”

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

February 10, 2025
Trump remains committed to US owning Gaza, says Middle East states could help rebuild war-torn area

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he remains committed to the U.S. purchasing and owning Gaza, but that he may allow Middle Eastern countries to rebuild sections of the area ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.

Trump made the comment when speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to New Orleans for the Super Bowl.

“I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza,” Trump said. “As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it, other people may do it, through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back.”

“There’s nothing to move back into. The place is a demolition site. The remainder will be demolished. Everything’s demolished,” he said.

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

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he travels from Las Vegas to Miami on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP)

The president also said he was open to the possibility of allowing some Palestinian refugees into the U.S. but that those requests would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Trump said last week at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants the U.S. to take over Gaza after Palestinians are resettled in other countries.

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Trump said at the time. “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.”

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

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Miami to Joint Base Andrews on Jan. 27, as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt listens. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

Several countries have criticized Trump’s comments about taking over Gaza, which was bombarded by Israeli forces in the conflict sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack against the Jewish State.

Trump also said on Jan. 25 that he wanted Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from Gaza, potentially moving out enough people to “just clean out” the area.

“You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over,’” he said at the time.

Palestinians feared during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which is now under a ceasefire, that they would suffer from another “Nakba,” meaning catastrophe in Arabic, which refers to the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 war at the birth of the State of Israel.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo when asked about Trump’s plan to take over Gaza that the U.S. president was slated to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and possibly Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before boarding Marine One at the White House in Washington, D.C. on January 31, 2025. (BRYAN DOZIER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

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“President Trump is due to meet with major, major Arab leaders, first and foremost the king of Jordan and the president of Egypt and I think also the crown prince of Saudi Arabia as well,” Herzog said.

“These are partners that must be listened to, they must be discussed with. We have to honor their feelings as well and see how we build a plan that is sustainable for the future,” he added.

Saudi Arabia is among the many countries that have rejected Trump’s plan to take over Gaza. Jordan’s King Abdullah II reportedly plans to tell Trump during their scheduled meeting on Tuesday that the proposal is a recipe for radicalism that will spread chaos throughout the Middle East and put at risk the kingdom’s peace with Israel.

Reuters contributed to this report.

February 10, 2025
US Marine identified as victim of surveillance flight that crashed in Philippines

The Marine who died alongside three defense contractors last Thursday when their surveillance flight crashed in the Philippines has been identified as Sgt. Jacob M. Durham, according to officials.

Last week, a Department of Defense-contracted aircraft went down in the southern province of Maguindanao del Sur while “providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies,” according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

There were no survivors, officials said, who added that there were four personnel on the plane, including a U.S. military service member.

On Sunday, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command identified Durham as the Marine on the plane. The three contractors have not been identified.

US MILITARY SURVEILLANCE FLIGHT CRASHES IN PHILIPPINES, KILLING 4

Wreckage of an airplane is seen in a rice field in Maguindanao del Sur province, Philippines. Officials say a U.S. military-contracted plane crashed, killing all four people on board, on Feb. 6, 2025. (Sam Mala/UGC via AP)

The California native was trained as an electronic intelligence/electromagnetic warfare analyst and assigned to the 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

In a press release, Indo-Pacific Command said Durham joined the Marine Corps in January 2021 and had just been promoted to his current rank on Feb. 1.

Durham earned numerous awards and decorations, including the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, a Meritorious Mast and Naval Aircrew Insignia.

US MILITARY FLYING SURVEILLANCE AIRCRAFT FOR RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS ALONG SOUTHERN BORDER WITH MEXICO

A U.S. military-contracted plane crashed in a rice field, killing all four people on board, on Feb. 6, 2025. (Sam Mala/UGC via AP)

“We mourn the loss of Sgt. Jacob Durham, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” said Lt. Col. Mabel B. Annunziata, commanding officer of 1st Radio Battalion. “Sgt. Durham embodied the highest traditions of the Marine Corps – exemplifying composure, intelligence, and selfless leadership. He was deeply respected and loved by his fellow Marines. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and his fellow Marines during this profoundly difficult time.”

The aircraft involved in the crash was a Marine Corps Beechcraft King Air 350, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.

Military officials say the plane crashed during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities.

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Officials added that the aircraft was providing surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance support for the ally nation.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.

February 10, 2025
Heir to salami dynasty dies in helicopter crash

The chief executive of an Italian salami and prosciutto company died in a helicopter crash in north-central Italy on Wednesday, along with two other victims.

Lorenzo Rovagnati, who was the chief executive of the Rovagnati food company, in Noceto, near Parma, when his helicopter crashed, according to Biassono Mayor Luciano Casiraghi.

Video of the scene shows heavy fog around the area. The crash happened on the grounds of Castelguelfo di Noceto, a medieval castle owned by the Rovagnati family.

“I can’t believe it: a sad day for Biassono,” Casiraghi said in a Facebook post translated to English. “This evening, the mayor of Noceto called me and I learned with shock and deep sadness the news of the untimely demise of our fellow citizen Lorenzo Rovagnati, due to a tragic accident in Castelguelfo.”

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Lorenzo Rovagnati, who was the chief executive of the Rovagnati food company, died in a helicopter crash on Wednesday. (Associated Press)

“Lorenzo was a good, honest and hardworking young man, loved and valued by all who knew him in the company and beyond.”

Casiraghi described Rovagnati, 40, as a “young man who still had a great future ahead of him, as a father and as an entrepreneur.”

“I am [in] disbelief by what happened,” the local politician wrote. “I send my deepest condolences to the whole family and his beloved wife.”

The city of Biassono observed a mourning period from Feb. 6 to Feb. 8. In another post, Casiraghi wrote that Lorenzo and his family “actively participated in the social and economic development of Biassono in the interest of our whole community.”

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The helicopter crashed in Noceto, near Parma, Italy. (Associated Press)

“We will never forget him and we will always be grateful!” the mayor said. “What I can say is: we are united in the pain of the tragic demise of our fellow citizen Lorenzo and we express closeness to the family.”

Rovagnati produces various types of salumi, or Italian antipasto meat, including proscuitto, salami and mortadella.

“Italian salumi is one of the foods that heavily represents Italian food culture and its values,” Rovagnati’s American website reads. “All our products are made with the typical methods of the Italian tradition: steam cooking, curing or brick oven cooking that preserves the properties and natural characteristics of the meat, by ensuring at the same time a high digestibility.”

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Crash scene footage shows heavy fog around the area. (Associated Press)

Authorities are investigating the crash. Fox News Digital reached out to Rovagnati for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to [email protected].

February 10, 2025
Rare wildlife spotted in Poland

Two unusual black wolves that are believed to be siblings, were caught on camera crossing a stream in a forest in Poland, according to a conservation organization.

The rare sighting, which was captured on video last year, has prompted the SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund Poland to retrieve scat droppings in the forest that the wolves were observed in, so scientists can learn more about the genetics of the black wolves.

The Associated Press reported that the video camera was set up by Joanna Toczydlowska, a project coordinator with the wildlife organization, to study beavers.

But she was surprised when she reviewed the recorded footage and saw wolves instead. She decided to leave the camera in place to learn more about the rare animals.

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This image, made from video provided by SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund Poland, shows a rare black wolf crossing a stream in a Polish forest last summer. (SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund Poland via AP)

“It’s something new and unusual,” Toczydlowska told the wire service.

In one of the clips captured, a gray wolf and black wolf crossed a stream in the forest, though slowly as the water was nearly up to their bellies. Once near the other side, the two wolves jumped onto the bank before walking away.

In another clip recorded in the fall, two black wolves and a gray wolf were seen crossing the same stream.

The researchers would not disclose the location of the sightings, in order to protect the rare wolves.

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The rare wolves were spotted crossing a stream. (SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund Poland via AP)

In Poland, the majority of the nearly 3,000 wolves are gray with red or black accents.

The black fur is likely from a genetic mutation that occurred with domesticated dogs thousands of years ago.

In Europe, dark fur is rare, though in Yellowstone National Park in the United States, at least half of the wolf population has black fur.

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One of the black wolves was spotted with a gray wolf. (SAVE Wildlife Conservation Fund Poland via AP)

Toczydlowska said the two black wolves were likely siblings and about a year old, which she hypothesized on the basis that wolves travel in families and the two were about 66 pounds. She also said at least one of the black wolves spotted was a male.

Wolves were nearly extinct in Poland by the 1950s, though the population has rebounded in recent years, particularly in the central part of the country.

Toczydlowska and her colleagues help educate the public on how to safely live in areas inhabited by packs of wolves.

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“For people, it’s a new phenomenon,” Roman Gula, head of the organization’s wolf monitoring project, told the AP. “Education is one of our major, major goals.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.

February 9, 2025