Tag: released

  • Anti-Elon Musk ‘tool kit’ released by progressive group encouraging protests

    Anti-Elon Musk ‘tool kit’ released by progressive group encouraging protests

    A progressive activist group is urging liberals to take advantage of the House of Representatives’ current weeklong recess to stage demonstrations against Elon Musk across the country.

    Indivisible, an organization founded by former Democratic congressional staffers, published a “tool kit” with recommendations for protesting at town halls and lawmakers’ district offices.

    A section on how to “take the fight to Elon” includes steps for planning and executing a demonstration at Tesla dealerships, showrooms and factories.

    “Members of the House of Representatives will be back on your home turf from Friday, February 14th, through Sunday, February 23rd, and it’s our opportunity to remind them who they work for,” the group’s website states. “Fighting back against the Trump-Musk coup is going to take all of us.”

    BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS

    A progressive group is urging activists to protest Elon Musk’s government efficiency efforts at House lawmakers’ offices across the country. (AP/Deirdre Heavey at Fox News Digital)

    The House is currently out of session to mark Presidents Day this past Monday. These periods normally see lawmakers holding events with constituents or otherwise participating in their communities.

    Indivisible is urging progressives to take advantage of that time to protest across the U.S.

    “Recess is when Members of Congress go back home to host town halls, meet with constituents, and try to paint themselves as responsive to the people who elected them. It is also when MoCs think they can avoid public scrutiny—especially Republicans who want to dodge tough questions about their complicity in Trump and Musk’s coup,” the site said.

    “House Republicans use this time to meet with lobbyists and donors while hoping their constituents stay silent. House Democrats, meanwhile, need to hear from us to remind them that they have power—and that we expect them to use it to fight back.”

    SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

    Donald Trump talks to reporters after watching the Daytona 500

    Indivisible was founded in response to President Donald Trump’s ascendancy. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)

    It comes amid widespread left-wing outrage over Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), at the direction of President Donald Trump, spearheading efforts to significantly crack down on the size and scope of various federal agencies.

    Democrats have also pushed back on Musk’s DOGE workers getting access to sensitive government-owned data despite a lack of clarity on how they were vetted.

    However, Republicans have met Musk’s work with enthusiasm, arguing that tough measures are needed to mitigate the effects of the U.S. national debt blowing past $36 trillion.

    “This recess, we’re making sure every single Republican feels the heat for their complicity and pays a political price for selling out their constituents,” the Indivisible website said. 

    “At the same time, House Democrats have power—if they use it. But they need to be reminded. We need to show up for the ones fighting, celebrate their courage, and remind them to hold the line. We’ll push them to commit to voting NO on any budget that gives Musk and Trump control over our government’s spending or includes extremist cuts.”

    Protesters

    A protester holds up a “NO MUSK” sign at the “No Kings on Presidents Day” protest in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 17, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)

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    Under a section titled, “planning your Tesla town hall,” the group said, “To fight back, we have to meet Musk where he operates—across the country at Tesla showrooms, factories, and dealerships. A Tesla protest is a powerful way to expose his deep ties to the Trump coup and demand accountability.”

    At the same time, it urges activists to remain on public property and refrain from “business targeting.”

    “Indivisible is not advising and does not condone any actions that directly interfere with the daily operations or activities of any business or entity,” it said.

  • Trump so far has freed 11 hostages in his first month as president; Biden released around 70 in four years

    Trump so far has freed 11 hostages in his first month as president; Biden released around 70 in four years

    President Donald Trump’s administration has secured the release of 11 U.S. hostages held by foreign governments since taking office less than one month ago, according to the White House. 

    The Trump administration has emphasized arranging the release of U.S. hostages under his second administration and welcomed U.S. Marc Fogel, a U.S. history teacher who had been detained in Russia since 2021, back to the U.S. Tuesday. 

    Other hostages released since Trump’s inauguration include six Americans detained in Venezuela, two Americans detained in Belarus and Israeli-American citizen Keith Siegel, who was held hostage by Palestinian militant group Hamas. There are at least two living American citizen hostages believed to be held in Gaza. 

    By comparison, former President Joe Biden said in 2024 his White House secured the release of more than 70 hostages during his four years in office, according to an August 2024 statement. Fox News Digital didn’t find any available data to compare numbers from Biden’s first month in office. 

    ISRAELI PRESIDENT CALLS TRUMP A ‘TRUE FRIEND’ ON INAUGURATION DAY, PRAISES HIS WORK TO RELEASE HOSTAGES 

    Released American schoolteacher Marc Fogel reacts during a Feb. 11, 2025, event held by President Donald Trump to welcome back Fogel, who had been held in Russia since 2021.  (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

    There were 46 American nationals known to be held captive in 16 different countries in 2024, according to the nonprofit Foley Foundation, which advocates for U.S. hostages and was named after James Foley, a U.S. journalist kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012 and killed by ISIS in 2014. That number is now likely closer to the low 30s after the recent releases of hostages in January and February. 

    On Tuesday, Trump met with Fogel, who was arrested in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possessing drugs and was slated to serve a 14-year sentence. Fogel’s family said the drugs he had on him were medically prescribed marijuana. 

    “I want you to know that I am not a hero in this at all,” Fogel said Tuesday after meeting Trump. “And President Trump is a hero.

    FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE SPEAKS OUT FOR FIRST TIME

    “These men that came from the diplomatic service are heroes,” Fogel said. “The senators and representatives that passed legislation in my honor — they got me home — they are heroes.”

    Following Foley’s return and after announcing the release of another, unnamed hostage held in Belarus Wednesday, Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler said Trump “has made bringing Americans home a top priority, and people respond to that.”

    The names of most of the hostages released in February have not been publicly shared. 

    The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital about which hostages the U.S. was planning to release next.  

    American-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel and President Donald Trump

    American-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel has released a video message heaping praise on President Donald Trump after he was freed from captivity by the terrorist group Hamas two weeks ago. (Omar el Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images )

    Just before Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20, both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration coordinated to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which included provisions to release dozens of hostages on both sides. 

    Biden and Trump separately boasted about their individual efforts to secure the deal, and State Department spokesman Matthew Miller described the Trump administration’s involvement as “critical” to getting the deal over the finish line. 

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    Trump also touted his administration’s involvement in a social media post Jan. 15, claiming it occurred “as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies.”

    Although Biden said the two teams had been “speaking as one team” during the negotiations, he also mocked suggestions that Trump was responsible for securing the ceasefire deal.  

    Joe Biden and Donald Trump split image

    Former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump both took credit for their role in securing the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.  (Getty Images)

    “Who in the history books gets credit for this, Mr. President, you or Trump?” Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich asked Biden Jan. 15 after a White House news conference.

    ISRAEL RELEASES 90 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL TO FREE HOSTAGES

    “Is that a joke?” Biden said. 

    When Heinrich said it was not, Biden replied, “Oh. Thank you.” 

    The Associated Press and Fox News’ Emma Colton and Landon Mion contributed to this report.

  • American teacher Marc Fogel released by Russia, Trump admin says

    American teacher Marc Fogel released by Russia, Trump admin says

    An American teacher detained by Russia is heading back to American soil, the Trump administration announced Tuesday. 

    “Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia,” National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement. 

    Lisa Hyland, left, and other family members of Marc Fogel, who has been detained in Russia since August 2021, rally outside the White House for his release, July 15, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (AP)

    This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

  • Former Hamas hostage released 491 days after he was kidnapped and his family was slaughtered

    Former Hamas hostage released 491 days after he was kidnapped and his family was slaughtered

    Eli Sharabi, who was ripped from his home in Kibbutz Be’eri by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attacks, has returned to Israel after 491 days in captivity. Sharabi’s family watched excitedly as he returned home, but three people were noticeably absent. Sharabi will not be greeted by his wife or daughters because Hamas terrorists murdered them during the 2023 massacre.

    Sharabi and his family lived on Kibbutz Be’eri, a border community in southern Israel that was hit particularly hard on Oct. 7, 2023. In January 2024, just months after Hamas’ attacks, Israel confirmed that Sharabi’s brother, Yossi, who was also taken hostage, was killed in captivity.

    This combination of undated photos provided by Hostages Family Forum show Or Levy, Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami, all of whom were abducted and brought to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. (Hostages Family Forum via AP)

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

    Kibbutz Be’eri saw 98 men, women and children slaughtered in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks and 30 kidnapped. Among them were Sharabi and Ohad Ben-Ami, who was also released on Feb. 8, 2025. The kidnapped and killed accounted for approximately a tenth of the population of Kibbutz Be’eri, which is less than four miles from the Gaza border.

    It is unclear whether Sharabi knows what happened to his wife, Lianne, and daughters, Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13. It is also unknown whether Or Levy, who was taken from the Nova festival and released to Israel on Saturday, is aware that his wife was killed on Oct. 7, 2023.

    Sharabi is not the first hostage to be released from captivity to a reality without his wife and children. Yarden Bibas, who was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz, was released from Hamas captivity on Feb. 1, after spending over 480 days as a hostage in Gaza. Yarden’s wife, Shiri, and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, remain in Hamas captivity.

    The image of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas’ kidnapping went viral as the two red-headed boys were seen clinging to their mother. Kfir, who is now two years old, was just nine months old when he was kidnapped, making him the youngest hostage. Ariel and Kfir are the only children taken on Oct. 7 who remain in Gaza. The condition of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir remains unknown.

    “Sadly, my family hasn’t returned to me yet. They are still there. My light is still there, and as long as they’re there, everything here is dark. Thanks to you, I was brought back – help me bring the light back to my life,” Yarden said in a statement distributed by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. This is his first statement since being freed.

    The Bibas family, from left: Yarden, Ariel, Shiri, and Kfir

    The Bibas family, from left: Yarden, Ariel, Shiri, and Kfir (Ofri Bibas Levy)

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

    While in captivity, Bibas was forced to make a hostage film in which he was seen breaking down as Hamas claimed his wife and children had been killed. Hamas often uses these types of videos as part of what the IDF calls “psychological terror.” However, the terror organization included Shiri, Kfir and Ariel on the list of 33 hostages set to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal.

    Yarden referenced the video in his statement and made a plea directly to Prime Minister Netanyahu.

    “Prime Minister Netanyahu, I’m now addressing you with my own words, which no one dictated to me: Bring my family back. Bring my friends back. Bring everyone home.”

    Side-by-side photo shows Eli Sharabi before and after spending 491 days in Hamas captivity

    Eli Sharabi before and after Hamas captivity (Courtesy the families/TPS-IL, Majdi Fathi/TPS-IL)

    The release of Sharabi, Levy and Ben-Ami marks the fifth round of hostage releases. While they too were forced to participate in a ceremony with Hamas prior to leaving Gaza, the images of the three men were strikingly different from many of those who had been freed before them. The three of them looked starved and exhausted, with many on social media comparing them to Holocaust victims.

    Israeli President Isaace Herzog said that the “emaciated and pained” men were a visual representation of a “crime against humanity.” In response to the images of the men, Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to take action, saying their condition would “not be ignored.”

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    In a statement to Fox News Digital, Ruby and Hagit Chen, whose son Itay Chen remains in Hamas captivity, noted the “disturbing images” and demanded Netanyahu begin “intensive negotiations” to bring the remaining hostages, including their son, home.

    There are still 76 hostages in Hamas captivity, many of whom are believed to be alive. So far, as part of the current ceasefire deal, Hamas has released 18 hostages. In exchange for the hostages, Israel has released more than 550 Palestinian prisoners.

  • First images released of migrant flights to Gitmo as Trump ramps up deportations

    First images released of migrant flights to Gitmo as Trump ramps up deportations

    The first flight of migrants to Guantanamo Bay took off Tuesday, and Fox News Digital obtained some of the first images of migrants boarding a military plane for a detention center.

    Trump announced last week he would instruct the Pentagon to prepare the site to hold around 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens” at the military base.

    “I can also confirm that today the first flights from the United States to Guantanamo Bay with illegal migrants are underway,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. 

    US BEGINS FLYING MIGRANTS TO GUANTANAMO BAY

    This image shows migrants boarding a flight to Guantanamo Bay. (Department of Homeland Security)

    “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.”

    The first flight was scheduled to leave Fort Bliss with about a dozen migrants on board. They will be separated from the 15 detainees already there, who include alleged 9/11 planners, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

    “Some of them are so bad, we don’t even trust their countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back,” Trump said last week of the migrants being sent there. “We’re going to send them to Guantanamo.”

    TRUMP-ERA SOUTHERN BORDER SEES MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS PLUMMET BY OVER 60% AS NEW POLICIES KICK IN

    Migrant Gitmo flight

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

    About 380 service members are supporting the holding operations at Naval Station Guantanamo, U.S. Southern Command said  Tuesday, adding that the number of service members will continue to fluctuate based on DHS requirements.

    The Trump administration has not said how much it would cost to expand Guantanamo, which was established in 2002 to detain foreign militants after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

    Flights Gitmo

    This image shows migrants boarding a military flight to Guantanamo Bay. (Department of Homeland Security)

    It’s part of a broader effort by the administration to launch a “historic” deportation operation. Trump announced Saturday that Venezuela had agreed to take back its nationals who are in the U.S. illegally, days after a diplomatic spat with Colombia that resulted in that nation also agreeing to take back flights of illegal immigrants.

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    Trump on his first day in office deployed the military to the border and declared a national emergency, while also enacting measures to prevent migrants from being able to claim asylum in the U.S. 

    DHS has since taken a number of measures to free up ICE agents to arrest and deport illegal immigrants, and officers are frequently arresting over 1,000 a day.

    Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

  • Father of Hamas’ youngest hostages is released — but his family remains in Hamas captivity

    Father of Hamas’ youngest hostages is released — but his family remains in Hamas captivity

    Yarden Bibas is back in Israel more than 480 days after Hamas terrorists ripped him from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz and dragged him to the Gaza Strip. Bibas’ return, however, is bittersweet as his wife, Shiri, and their two young children, Ariel and Kfir, remain in Gaza. Their fate is unknown, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has made it clear that there are “grave concerns about their wellbeing.”

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated Yarden Bibas’ return, while saying the nation’s thoughts are with Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas.

    “Our thoughts are now with Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, and all of our abductees. We will continue to work to bring them home,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

    The Bibas family, from left: Yarden, Ariel, Shiri, and Kfir (Ofri Bibas Levy)

    Israeli President Isaac Herzog also commented on Yarden’s release, calling it “heartbreaking.”

    “Yarden’s reunion with his family is simply heartbreaking. We all remain deeply concerned for the fate of our beloved Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas – as an entire nation we hold them in our hearts. The people of Israel stand by Yarden and the whole family, with great concern and in heartfelt prayer,” Herzog wrote in a post on X.

    The Hostages and Missing Families Forum also celebrated Yarden Bibas’ return, and vowed to continue demanding that his wife and two sons be released.

    Early Saturday, Bibas was freed alongside American-Israeli Keith Siegel and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon in the fourth round of hostage releases as part of phase one of Israel and Hamas’ ongoing ceasefire deal.

    “From the moment Hamas launched its barbaric attack on October 7th, we have remained committed to one mission—bringing every hostage home,” IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani wrote on Substack. “We cannot and will not forget for a moment, the 79 hostages that remain in Hamas captivity.”

    Yarden Bibas and family

    Yarden Bibas with his sister and father on board IDF helicopter on his way to hospital. The sign says” Thank you to all the people of Israel. I heard from my family that you have fought for my release I want to thank you. I appreciate it. Happy Birthday Saba (Grandfather!)” (IDF)

    AMERICAN AMONG THREE HOSTAGES FREED FROM TERROR’S GRIP AFTER NEARLY 500 DAYS

    The release of Bibas, Siegel and Kalderon looked different from previous hostages’ releases, which saw shocking scenes of crowds mobbing the captives as they were transferred to the Red Cross. This change is likely due to Netanyahu’s demand that mediators guarantee the hostages safe exits following the chaotic scenes.

    While in captivity, Bibas was forced to make a hostage film in which he was seen breaking down as Hamas claimed his wife and children had been killed. Hamas often uses these types of videos as part of what the IDF calls “psychological terror.” However, the terror organization included Shiri, Kfir and Ariel on the list of 33 hostages set to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal.

    Upon his release, Yarden’s family said that “a quarter of our heart has returned to us after 15 long months… Yarden has returned home, but the home remains incomplete.”

    LEFT to RIGHT: Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, Ofer Kalderon

    Hamas has named Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel and Ofer Kalderon as the next three hostages to be released. (The Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

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    As images and videos of Hamas’ brutal attacks on Oct. 7 began to spread, the Bibas family quickly became a symbol of the terror group’s cruelty. A video of Shiri Bibas holding her two red-headed children in her arms was spread across the globe. Those calling for the Bibas’ family’s release often used the color orange to symbolize the infant and toddler’s bright red hair.

    At the time of their kidnapping, Kfir was 9 months old and Ariel was 4 years old. They are the only child hostages remaining in Gaza. Ariel is now 5 years old and Kfir marked his second birthday in Hamas captivity, where he has spent his two and only birthdays.

    As of Saturday, 79 hostages remain in Gaza, 35 of whom have been declared dead and whose bodies remain in the hands of Hamas. Keith Siegel, who was freed on Saturday, is the first Israeli-American to be released. There are still six American citizens in Gaza, only two of whom are believed to be alive.  

  • First American hostage to be released from Gaza, Hamas says

    First American hostage to be released from Gaza, Hamas says

    American-Israeli Keith Siegel is set to be released on Saturday as part of Israel and Hamas’ ceasefire deal. He is the first of the American citizens taken on Oct. 7, 2023 to be released by the terror organization as part of this ceasefire deal.

    Siegel and his wife, Aviva, were taken captive during Hamas’ brutal surprise attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. In November 2023, Aviva was released from Hamas captivity as part of a ceasefire and hostage deal early in the war.

    This is a developing story and will be updated.

  • Third round of hostages to be released as part of Gaza ceasefire agreement

    Third round of hostages to be released as part of Gaza ceasefire agreement

    Hamas began a third round of freeing hostages in Gaza Thursday as part of an ongoing ceasefire agreement with Israel. 

    Hamas handed female Israeli soldier Agam Berger, 20, to the Red Cross at a ceremony in the heavily destroyed urban refugee camp of Jabaliya in northern Gaza. She was later transferred to the Israel Defense Forces. 

    FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGE DETAILS HORRORS OF CAPTIVITY, CREDITS KIDNAPPED IDF SOLDIER WITH SAVING HER LIFE

    Agam Berger, 19 (Courtesy: Bring Them Home Now)

    Another ceremony was planned in the southern city of Khan Younis, in front of the destroyed home of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Both were attended by hundreds of people, including masked militants and onlookers.

    YARDEN GONEN: THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP, FOR RESCUING MY SISTER FROM HAMAS

    Hamas has agreed to handover three Israelis and five Thai captives on Thursday. In exchange, Israel was expected to release 110 Palestinian prisoners. 

    Israel and Hezbollah conflict

    Israeli forces monitor activity in the Gaza strip. (IDF)

    The truce is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas, whose Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel sparked the fighting. It has held despite a dispute earlier this week over the sequence in which the hostages were released.

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    This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

  • Trump State Sec Rubio announces US prisoner released from Belarus amid election

    Trump State Sec Rubio announces US prisoner released from Belarus amid election

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday announced the release of a U.S. citizen who had been imprisoned in Belarus as controversy looms over the Eastern European nation’s ongoing election. 

    Crediting President Donald Trump’s leadership, Rubio said in a post on X that “Belarus just unilaterally released an innocent American, ANASTASSIA Nuhfer, who was taken under JOE BIDEN!” 

    Rubio added that Christopher Smith, State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Eastern Europe and Policy and Regional Affairs, “from our team did a great job on this.”  

    “PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH,” Rubio, who served 14 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before he was sworn in as Trump’s new Secretary of State last week, wrote. 

    RUBIO DEMANDS ANSWERS WITH 2 MORE AMERICANS REPORTEDLY HELD BY TALIBAN

    Marco Rubio during his swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.  (Oliver Contreras/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

    No further information was immediately released about Nuhfer or her release, as some social media users marveled about not knowing an American had been jailed in Belarus during former President Joe Biden’s administration. 

    Meanwhile, Belarus is holding its national election on Sunday. President Alexander Lukashenko, a loyalist of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, only faces token opposition and is expected to get another term on top of his three decades in power. 

    Lukashenko’s more consequential opponents, many of whom are imprisoned or exiled abroad by his unrelenting crackdown on dissent and free speech, are calling the election a sham – much like the last one in 2020 that triggered months of protests that were unprecedented in the history of the country of 9 million people.

    The crackdown saw more than 65,000 arrests, with thousands beaten, bringing condemnation and sanctions from the West, according to the Associated Press. 

    The country holds nearly 1,300 political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, founder of the Viasna Human Rights Center.

    Since July, Lukashenko has pardoned more than 250 people. At the same time, authorities have sought to uproot dissent by arresting hundreds more in raids targeting relatives and friends of political prisoners.

    Alexander Lukashenko visits Minsk

    Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko, center, visits the Minsk Automobile Plant in Minsk, Belarus, on Jan. 21, 2025.  (Belarus’ Presidential Press Service via AP, File)

    Authorities detained 188 people last month alone, Viasna said. Activists and those who donated money to opposition groups have been summoned by police and forced to sign papers saying they were warned against participating in unsanctioned demonstrations, rights advocates said, according to the AP.

    HAMAS RELEASES 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES AS PART OF ISRAEL CEASEFIRE DEAL

    Opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled Belarus under government pressure after challenging the president in 2020, told the AP that Sunday’s election was “a senseless farce, a Lukashenko ritual.”

    Voters should cross off everyone on the ballot, she said, and world leaders shouldn’t recognize the result from a country “where all independent media and opposition parties have been destroyed and prisons are filled by political prisoners.”

    “The repressions have become even more brutal as this vote without choice has approached, but Lukashenko acts as though hundreds of thousands of people are still standing outside his palace,” she said.

    The European Parliament urged the European Union to reject the election outcome. EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas called the vote “a blatant affront to democracy.”

    Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya holds photo of jailed husband

    Belarus’ exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya pauses as she speaks during a press conference, on the day of Belarus’ presidential election, before the start of the “March of the Belarusians” in Warsaw, Poland, on Jan. 26, 2025. (Agencja Wyborcza.pl/Robert Kowalewski via REUTERS )

    Shortly after voting in Minsk on Sunday, Lukashenko told journalists that he did not seek recognition or approval from the EU.

    “The main thing for me is that Belarusians recognize these elections and that they end peacefully, as they began,” he said.

    Media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders filed a complaint against Lukashenko with the International Criminal Court over his crackdown on free speech that saw 397 journalists arrested since 2020. It said that 43 are in prison.

    Two years after the demise of the Soviet Union, Lukashenko took office in 1994 and has earned the nickname of “Europe’s Last Dictator.” His iron-fisted rule had been cemented through subsidies and political support from Russia, a close ally. 

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    He let Moscow use his territory to invade Ukraine in 2022, and even hosts some of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons, but he still campaigned with the slogan “Peace and security,” arguing he has saved Belarus from being drawn into war.

    “It’s better to have a dictatorship like in Belarus than a democracy like Ukraine,” Lukashenko said. 

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

  • Israeli victims of terror concerned murderers released from prison, relieved 7 hostages back home

    Israeli victims of terror concerned murderers released from prison, relieved 7 hostages back home

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    As part of the second stage of the high-stakes ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, four female hostages who had been held by the terror group in Gaza for 477 days — Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag — were reunited with their families Saturday. 

    In exchange, Israel released 121 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment for deadly terror attacks and an additional 79 prisoners serving lengthy sentences.

    The release of Palestinian prisoners — some convicted of heinous terrorist acts — has stirred profound emotions and debate across Israel. While the deal has helped the return of hostages held in Gaza, it comes at a heavy cost. 

    Families of victims of the released prisoners have expressed anguish, grappling with the pain of reopening old wounds while recognizing the importance of reuniting hostages with their loved ones.

    HAMAS RELEASES 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES AS PART OF ISRAEL CEASEFIRE

    Hillel Fuld, whose brother Ari was killed six years ago by a Palestinian terrorist, shared the personal toll of hearing the perpetrator might be freed. 

    “It’s a punch to the gut, for sure, but I don’t think our personal loss changes our opinion on this deal,” Fuld said. “It’s both terrible and beautiful — terrible strategically, but beautiful because the hostages’ families get to reunite with their loved ones.”

    Buses carrying Palestinian security prisoners are greeted by a crowd after they were released from an Israeli prison after a ceasefire agreement with Israel in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

    Fuld also highlighted security concerns. 

    “My understanding is that the terrorist who murdered my brother will be deported outside of Israel, to Turkey or Qatar,” Fuld said. “I’m not overly worried about that, but those returning to Judea and Samaria are definitely a security concern. I hope the government has a plan for what comes next.”

    Orit Mark Etinger lost her father, Michael Mark, in a 2016 terrorist attack. Her younger brother, Fedya, who survived the attack that killed their father, was killed in Gaza. Two of her cousins were also victims of terror attacks. 

    “When I first heard about the decision to release terrorist prisoners in exchange for hostages, I felt deep pain and anguish,” Etinger told Fox New Digital, “Releasing murderers who destroyed entire lives is unbearable. No one can bring my father back. Meanwhile, the terrorist who murdered him may now walk freely on the street.

    “One of my father’s murderers had already been released in the Shalit deal and returned to kill. We understand who we’re dealing with, which is why we fear the repercussions of releasing murderers with blood on their hands. But we cannot leave the hostages — innocent people — living in hell in Gaza. They must come home.” 

    Two of the prisoners released Saturday were involved in the terrorist attack that killed her father. 

    Hamas terrorists

    Hamas terrorists parade in Gaza before the transfer and release of four Israeli female hostages Jan. 25, 2025. (TPS-IL)

    Among the 1,900 prisoners to be released in the ceasefire agreement are individuals responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in Israeli history. Wael Qassem is serving 35 life sentences for orchestrating suicide bombings that killed 35 people. Majdi Za’atri, sentenced to 23 life terms, drove a suicide bomber to a Jerusalem bus stop in 2003, killing 23, including children.

    Another terrorist released on Saturday, according to the Israelis, was Mardawi Tabat, who “was serving 21 life sentences for murdering 21 civilians and injuring 150 others in five suicide bombings and shooting attacks,” according to a post on X.

    Other high-profile prisoners include Ammar Al-Ziben, serving 32 life sentences for planning multiple suicide bombings, including the double bombing at the Mahane Yehuda Market in 1997 that killed 16. Ahmad Salah, serving 21 life sentences, was involved in two Jerusalem suicide bus bombings in 2004 that killed 19 people and injured over 100.

    Israeli General Security Service Director Ronen Bar warned that 82% of the 1,024 prisoners released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit exchange returned to terrorism. 

    “Many of the leaders of Hamas who orchestrated the Oct. 7 massacre were among those released in previous deals,” Bar told the security cabinet, while still recommending going ahead with the deal.

    BITTERSWEET REJOICING AS FIRST HOSTAGES RETURN TO ISRAEL AFTER 471 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY

    bus with palestinian prisoners

    A bus carrying released Palestinian security prisoners arrives in the West Bank city of Beitunia as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel. As part of the deal, the Netanyahu government agreed to release a large number of convicted terrorists Jan. 20, 2025.  (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

    Zohar Dvir, former commander of the elite Yamam counterterrorism unit, told Fox News Digital, “Arresting such a terrorist requires immense investment in intelligence, planning, creativity and a high level of risk for our forces, who often pay a heavy price. However, when it comes to the lives of many hostages, we are compelled to pay a heavy price by releasing terrorists.

    “The chances of rescuing them alive diminish dramatically from one operation to the next, as time passes. The way to release hostages alive is through a deal. Talking from experience, the security establishment has a long memory and will settle accounts with everyone sooner or later, wherever they may be.”

    Israeli journalist Yair Cherki, whose brother was killed in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem, weighed in on the deal’s implications. 

    “Israel succumbed to humanitarian pressure at the most critical moment, providing aid that effectively reinforced Hamas’s civilian control in Gaza,” Cherki said. “Diplomatically, the strategy relied entirely on waiting for Trump, which proved to be a dead end. Like Biden’s “don’t,” Trump’s gates of hell also worked both ways, leaving Israel without any diplomatic leverage.

    March for Israeli hostages

    Israeli hostage families carry the photos of their loved ones held hostage by Hamas in Gaza as they march to Jerusalem. (Matan Golan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    “After 15 months, the time for the hostages has run out, and Israel is left with no choice but to accept the deal to bring the hostages home and begin healing a fractured society. Releasing these terrorists is not just a problem for the victims’ families, but for all Israeli society and future victims.

    “This cycle of deals leading to murder and kidnapping must end. Releasing the hostages reflects our society’s commitment to life and mutual responsibility. This is our DNA.”

    Even those directly affected, like Fuld and Etinger, acknowledge the hostages must be prioritized. 

    “Most families support the deal because they would do anything to bring their loved ones back,” Etinger noted. “But we fear these released terrorists will harm others.”

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    Cherki underscored the collective responsibility of Israeli society. 

    “This deal is not just about individual families,” Cherki said. “It’s about a society’s commitment to life and solidarity. Despite its flaws, this deal may serve as a key to healing a broken nation.”