Trump sets off for the Mideast to mark a ceasefire deal and urge Arab leaders to seize the moment.

It’s a fragile moment with Israel and Hamas only in the early stages of implementing the first phase of the Trump agreement designed to bring a permanent end to the war sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants.

Trump thinks there is a narrow window to reshape the Mideast and reset long-fraught relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

It is a moment, the Republican president says, that has been helped along by his administration’s support of Israel’s decimation of Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The White House says momentum is also building because Arab and Muslim states are demonstrating a renewed focus on resolving the broader, decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, in some cases, deepening relations with the United States

“I think you are going to have tremendous success and Gaza is going to be rebuilt,” Trump said Friday. “And you have some very wealthy countries, as you know, over there. It would take a small fraction of their wealth to do that. And I think they want to do it.”
A tenuous point in the agreement

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement calls for the release of the final 48 hostages held by Hamas, including about 20 believed to be alive; the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel; a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza; and a partial pullback by Israeli forces from Gaza’s main cities.

Israeli troops on Friday finished withdrawing from parts of Gaza, triggering a 72-hour countdown under the deal for Hamas to release the Israeli hostages, potentially while Trump is on the ground there. He said he expected their return to be completed on Monday or Tuesday.

Trump said he will first visit Israel, where he has been invited to address Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, an honor last extended to President George W. Bush during a visit in 2008. Trump then will travel to Egypt, where he and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will lead a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh with leaders from more than 20 countries to discuss peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East.

It is a tenuous truce and it is unclear whether the sides have reached any agreement on Gaza’s postwar governance, the territory’s reconstruction and Israel’s demand that Hamas disarm. Negotiations over those issues could break down, and Israel has hinted it may resume military operations if its demands are not met.

“I think the chances of (Hamas) disarming themselves, you know, are pretty close to zero,” H.R. McMaster, a national security adviser during Trump’s first term, said at an event hosted by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies on Thursday. He said he thought what probably would happen in the coming months is that the Israeli military “is going to have to destroy them.”

Israel continues to rule over millions of Palestinians without basic rights as settlements expand rapidly across the occupied West Bank. Despite growing international recognition, Palestinian statehood appears exceedingly remote because of Israel’s opposition and actions on the ground,

The war has left Israel isolated internationally and facing allegations of genocide, which it denies. International arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister are in effect, and the United Nations’ highest court is considering allegations of genocide brought by South Africa.

Hamas has been militarily decimated and has given up its only bargaining chip with Israel by releasing the hostages. But the Islamic militant group is still intact and could eventually rebuild if there’s an extended period of calm.

Netanyahu reiterated that Israel would continue with its demilitarization of Hamas after the hostages are returned.

“Hamas agreed to the deal only when it felt that the sword was on its neck — and it is still on its neck,” Netanyahu said Friday as Israel began to pull back its troops.
Trump wants to expand the Abraham Accords

Much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble and rebuilding is expected to take years. The territory’s roughly 2 million residents continue to struggle in desperate conditions.

Under the deal, Israel agreed to reopen five border crossings, which will help ease the flow of food and other supplies into Gaza, parts of which are experiencing famine.

Trump is also standing up a U.S.-led civil-military coordination center in Israel to help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance into Gaza.

Roughly 200 U.S. troops will be sent to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players.

The White House has signaled that Trump is looking to quickly return attention to building on a first-term effort known as the Abraham Accords, which forged diplomatic and commercial ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

A permanent agreement in Gaza would help pave the path for Trump to begin talks with Saudi Arabia as well Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country, toward normalizing ties with Israel, according to a senior Trump administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.

Such a deal with Saudi Arabia, the most powerful and wealthy Arab state, has the potential to reshape the region and boost Israel’s standing in historic ways.

But brokering such an agreement remains a heavy lift as the kingdom has said it won’t officially recognize Israel before a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Aamer Madhani, Joseph Krauss And Darlene Superville, The Associated Press

Krauss reported from Ottawa, Ontario.

#NEWS: #Russia attacks Ukraine’s power grid as Moscow worries over #US #Tomahawk missiles.

Kyiv regional Gov. Mykola Kalashnyk said two employees of Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK were wounded in Russian strikes on a substation. Ukraine’s Energy Ministry said that infrastructure was also targeted in the regions of Donetsk, Odesa and Chernihiv.

“Russia continues its aerial terror against our cities and communities, intensifying strikes on our energy infrastructure,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, noting that Russia had launched “more than 3,100 drones, 92 missiles, and around 1,360 glide bombs” over the past week.

Zelenskyy called for tighter secondary sanctions on buyers of Russian oil. “Sanctions, tariffs, and joint actions against the buyers of Russian oil — those who finance this war — must all remain on the table,” he wrote on X.

He also wrote Sunday he had a “very productive” phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, in which they discussed strengthening Ukraine’s “air defense, resilience, and long-range capabilities,” along with “details related to the energy sector.” Their discussion followed an earlier conversation on Saturday, Zelenskyy said, during which the leaders agreed on Sunday’s topics.

The phone calls came after Zelenskyy said Friday that he was in discussions with U.S. officials about the possible provision of various long-range precision strike weapons, including Tomahawks and more ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.

Trump, who has been frustrated by Russia in his efforts to end the war, said earlier this week that he has “sort of made a decision” on whether to send Tomahawks to Ukraine, without elaborating. A senior Ukrainian delegation is set to visit the U.S. this week.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in remarks published Sunday that “the topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern.”

“Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of the fact that tensions are escalating from all sides,” he told Russian state television reporter Pavel Zarubin.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, also said in comments released Sunday that he doubts the U.S. will provide Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

“I think we need to calm down in this regard. Our friend Donald … sometimes he takes a more forceful approach, and then, his tactic is to let go a little and step back. Therefore, we shouldn’t take this literally, as if it’s going to fly tomorrow,” he told Zarubin, who posted them on his Telegram channel on Sunday.

Ukraine’s energy sector has been a key battleground since Russia launched its all-out invasion more than three years ago.

The latest attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid came after Russian drone and missile strikes wounded at least 20 people in Kyiv, damaged residential buildings and caused blackouts across the country Friday, which Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko described as “one of the largest concentrated strikes” against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Each year, Russia has tried to cripple the Ukrainian power grid before the bitter winter season, apparently hoping to erode public morale. Winter temperatures run from late October through March, with January and February the coldest months.

Ukraine’s air force said Saturday that its air defenses intercepted or jammed 103 of 118 Russian drones launched against Ukraine overnight, while Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down 32 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.

#Palestinians return to ruins and U.S. troops land in #Israel as ceasefire holds.

“Gaza is completely destroyed. I have no idea where we should live or where to go,” said Mahmoud al-Shandoghli as he walked through Gaza City. A boy climbed a shattered building to raise the Palestinian flag.

About 200 U.S. troops arrived in Israel to monitor the ceasefire with Hamas. They will set up a center to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance. The head of the U.S. military’s Central Command said he visited Gaza on Saturday to prepare it.

“This great effort will be achieved with no U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza,” Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement.

An Egyptian official said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with senior U.S. and Israeli military officials in Gaza on Saturday and that Witkoff stressed the implementation of the ceasefire deal’s first phase. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to reporters.
Tons of desperately needed food

Aid groups urged Israel to reopen more crossings to allow aid into Gaza. A U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet public, said Israel has approved expanded aid deliveries, starting Sunday.

The World Food Program said it was ready to restore 145 food distribution points across the famine-stricken territory, once Israel allows for expanded deliveries. Before Israel sealed off Gaza in March, U.N. agencies provided food at 400 distribution points.

Though the timeline and how the food will enter Gaza remain unclear, the distribution points will allow Palestinians to access food at more locations than they could through the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which had operated four locations since taking over distribution in late May.

COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid, said more than 500 trucks entered Gaza on Friday, although many crossings remain closed.

Some 170,000 metric tons of food aid have been positioned in neighboring countries awaiting permission from Israel to restart deliveries.
Israel braces for hostages’ return

Israel’s military has said the 48 hostages still in Gaza would be freed Monday. The government believes around 20 remain alive. They were among about 250 hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

“It’s been a few nights that we can’t sleep. We want them back and we feel that everything is just hanging on a thread,” Maayan Eliasi, a Tel Aviv resident, said at a gathering at the city’s Hostages Square.

Israel is to free some 250 Palestinians serving prison sentences, as well as around 1,700 people seized from Gaza the past two years and held without charge. The Israel Prison Service said Saturday that prisoners have been transferred to deportation facilities at Ofer and Ktzi’ot prisons, “awaiting instructions from the political echelon.”
Questions about Gaza’s future

Questions remain on who will govern Gaza after Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in the ceasefire agreement.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who unilaterally ended the previous ceasefire in March, has suggested Israel could resume its offensive if Hamas fails to disarm.

“If it’s achieved the easy way, so be it. If not, it will be achieved the hard way,” Netanyahu said Friday, pledging that the next stage would bring Hamas’ disarmament.

The scale of Gaza’s destruction will become clearer if the truce holds. More than three out of every four buildings have been destroyed, the U.N. said in September -- a volume of debris equivalent to 25 Eiffel Towers, much of it likely toxic.

A February assessment by the European Union and World Bank estimated $49 billion in damage, including $16 billion to housing and $6.3 billion to the health sector.

The death toll is expected to rise as more bodies that couldn’t be retrieved during Israel’s offensive are found.

A manager at northern Gaza’s Shifa Hospital told The Associated Press that 45 bodies pulled from the rubble in Gaza City had arrived over the past 24 hours. The manager, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, said the bodies had been missing for several days to two weeks.
New security arrangements

U.S. President Donald Trump’s initial 20-point plan calls for Israel to maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel. An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza, though the timeline is unclear.

The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50 per cent of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines.

Witkoff told Israeli officials on Friday that the United States would establish a center in Israel to coordinate issues concerning Gaza until there is a permanent government, according to a readout of the meeting by a person who attended it and obtained by the AP. Another official who was not authorized to speak to the media confirmed the readout’s contents.

The readout said no U.S. soldiers will be on the ground in Gaza, but there will be people who report to the U.S. and aircraft might operate over the strip for monitoring.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel in the 2023 attack, killing some 1,200 people.

In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The war has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

Abdel Kareem Hana, Sam Metz, Sarah El Deeb And Sam Mednick, The Associated Press

Metz reported from Jerusalem, El Deeb from Beirut and Mednick from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut and Jon Gambrell in Cairo contributed to this report.

#Hamas official says disarmament ‘out of the question’, Doha, Qatar — Hamas’s disarmament as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza is “out of the question”, a Hamas official told AFP on Saturday.

“The proposed weapons handover is out of the question and not negotiable,” the official said.

The U.S. president has indicated the issue of Hamas surrendering its weapons would be addressed in the second phase of the peace plan.

AFP

#Hamas official says disarmament ‘out of the question’

#Russia wipes out group of foreign mercenaries in Kharkov Region
According to the source, IDs found at the scene confirmed the identities of the three men.

A group of foreign mercenaries fighting for the Ukrainian armed forces consisting of troops from the United States, Poland, and Colombia has been eliminated in the Kharkov Region, Russian security agencies told TASS.

"Today, near Otradnoye, soldiers from the Battlegroup North discovered the bodies of three mercenaries from the Ukrainian army’s foreign legion who had been killed by Russian troops doing a sweep of enemy positions," a source in the agency said.

According to the source, IDs found at the scene confirmed the identities of the three men: William Francis McGrath from the United States, Wilfredo Martinez Almeida from Colombia, and Grzegorz Rafal Wasilewski from Poland.

Woman dies after riding Haunted Mansion at #Disneyland: reports, A woman in her 60s died earlier this week after riding Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion attraction, according to news reports.

An investigation is underway in Anaheim, Calif., KCRA Channel 3 Sacramento reported Thursday.

The Anaheim Police Department confirmed in a statement to Deadline on Wednesday that the woman was “unresponsive” and received CPR from Disneyland security personnel before paramedics brought her to hospital on Monday. According to Deadline, she was later pronounced dead in hospital.

Officials haven’t determined a cause of death. However, Anaheim fire and rescue workers said the woman appears to have died from a medical episode not connected to the ride, according to a CNN video report.

Officials called it “an unfortunate medical episode” and say there’s no indication of any issues with the ride, NBC News reported Wednesday.

The ride opened soon after the incident, according to reports.

The Haunted Mansion is considered a family friendly attraction. It’s described as a “gentle” ride on Disneyland’s website. However, it added that the special effects may scare young children.

With files from CNN

In shock move, #French president reappoints prime minister who quit Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron has reappointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to his post, despite accepting his resignation Monday following the collapse of his overnight government.

“The president of the republic has named Mr Sébastien Lecornu prime minister and has charged him with forming a government,” the Élysée Palace said in a statement Friday.

It was a surprise choice, rounding off a rollercoaster week in French politics.

Late Sunday, Lecornu announced his cabinet, before it was publicly criticized by his interior minister that same night. On Monday morning, he submitted his resignation – which was accepted – before Macron reversed course and asked him to quarterback the selection of his successor in a 48-hour blitz round of talks with political opponents.

Despite those efforts, for Macron, the solution to the domino-like collapse of recent prime ministers was apparently simple: more of the same.

The political paralysis around assembling a cabinet and passing a budget has earned France unwelcome comparisons to European countries like Italy, with reputations for political instability.

Lecornu faced broad criticism for his choice of ministers in Sunday night’s cabinet. After promising a break with the past two prime ministers, amid a divided political landscape in France, he announced a ministerial selection that featured more Macron allies than in the president’s very first cabinet in 2017.

Lecornu took nearly a month to name his first short-lived cabinet. Many in France will be closely following his choice of colleagues second-time round.

#Israeli military says ceasefire agreement in #Gaza started at noon local time.

Palestinians reported heavy shelling in parts of Gaza throughout Friday morning.

The Israeli Cabinet’s approval of Trump’s plan marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East.

A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early Friday said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.

An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal, said the military would control around 50 per cent of Gaza in their new positions.
Shelling continues through early hours

After the Cabinet approval, Gaza residents reported intensified shelling well into Friday morning.

In central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Mahmoud Sharkawy, one of the many people sheltering there after being displaced from Gaza City, said artillery shelling intensified in the early hours.

“The shelling has significantly increased today,” said Sharkawy, adding that low flying military aircraft had been flying over central Gaza.

In northern Gaza, two Gaza City residents told The Associated Press that bombing had been ongoing since the early hours, mostly artillery shelling.

The managing director of Shifa hospital, Rami Mhanna, said the shelling in southern and northern Gaza City had not stopped following the Israeli Cabinet’s approval of the ceasefire plan.

“It is confusing, we have been hearing shelling all night despite the ceasefire news,” said Heba Garoun, who fled her home in eastern Gaza City to another neighbourhood in the city after her house was destroyed.
Details of the deal

A senior Hamas official and lead negotiator made a speech Thursday laying out what he said were the core elements of the ceasefire deal: Israel releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opening the border crossing with Egypt, allowing aid to flow and Israeli forces withdrawing.

Khalil al-Hayya said all women and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed. He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Al-Hayya said the Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.

“We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people,” Al-Hayya said in a televised speech Thursday evening.

To help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, U.S. officials said they would send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader, international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.

The Associated Press

#News, North Korea’s Kim vows to build a ‘socialist paradise’ ahead of a likely military parade.

Kim’s speech on the eve of Friday’s 80th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party comes as he’s trying to bolster an anti-West partnership with other countries, even as he signaled interest in resuming diplomacy with the U.S.

The pinnacle of the North Korean anniversary events would be a military parade expected later Friday at a Pyongyang plaza, where Kim will likely stand alongside Chinese, Russian and other leaders to watch together the display of some of his newest and most advanced weapons targeting the U.S. and its allies.

Kim’s diplomatic credentials have been bolstered recently. He took center stage with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladmir Putin at a Beijing military parade last month. U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have also repeatedly expressed hopes to meet Kim as he flaunts a provocative nuclear program.
Kim talks tough on U.S. and promises to build a ‘socialist paradise’

In a Thursday speech at Pyongyang’s May Day Stadium packed with tens of thousands of spectators, Kim said that North Korea has been pushing for the simultaneous development of nuclear weapons and the economy to cope with “growing nuclear war threats by the U.S. imperialists,” according to state media.

“Our party and government are still coping with our adversaries’ ferocious political and military moves of pressure by pursuing harder-line policies, holding fast to firm principles and employing brave, unflinching countermeasures,” Kim said. “This is powerfully propelling the growth of the progressive camp against war and hegemony.”

Kim also expressed confidence in overcoming difficulties and drastically improving the economy in the near future. “I will surely turn this country into a more affluent and beautiful land and into the best socialist paradise in the world,” Kim said.

Foreign dignitaries attending the celebration included Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary To Lam. State media photos showed Kim waving between Li and To Lam, as the central section of the stands used cards to spell out the words “Celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea” and fireworks lit up the sky.

Kim separately met Li and To Lam for talks on strengthening ties, and one of his top deputies, Jo Yong Won, met Medvedev.
Military parade will likely roll out big missiles targeting U.S.

The exact timing for the military parade is unclear, with rain expected in Pyongyang throughout the day on Friday. South Korea’s military said North Korea will likely hold the parade on Friday night.

The parade could feature some of the weapons systems North Korea has tested or unveiled in past years, including intercontinental ballistic missiles potentially capable of reaching the U.S. mainland and shorter-range weapons the North claims can deliver nuclear strikes against rival South Korea.

Keen outside attention is on whether North Korea will disclose what it called “the next-generation” Hwasong-20 ICBM, whose solid-fuel engine was tested last month. Foreign experts say the newest version of North Korea’s advancing lineup of ICBMs is aimed at carrying multiple nuclear warheads capable of defeating U.S missile defense systems.

Kim has been accelerating the expansion of his nuclear-armed military since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over U.S.-led economic sanctions on North Korea. But last month, Kim suggested he could return to talks if the U.S. drops its demand for a complete denuclearization of North Korea, after Trump repeatedly expressed his hopes for a new round of diplomacy.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Kim has made Russia the priority of his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large shipments of conventional weapons to help fuel Putin’s warfighting. Kim also visited China last month, and stood next to Xi and Putin at a massive military parade in a show of potential trilateral solidarity against the U.S.
Outsiders are in the dark about developments in North Korea

As part of its efforts to support Kim’s authoritarian rule, North Korea maintains a tight information blockade, making it almost impossible for outsiders to confirm what exactly is happening in North Korea.

Foreign governments and experts usually find preparations for a military parade in North Korea if satellite photos show thousands of people being assembled in formation near Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square and rehearsing for a parade-like event.

North Korea’s state TV sometimes conducts live broadcasts of military parades but more often airs recorded programs hours or even a day after they happened. North Korean military parades have become larger in scale under Kim and provided a rare glimpse into the country’s secretive nuclear and missile programs under development.
North Korea calls for unity behind Kim

North Korea’s three major state-run newspapers including the main Rodong Sinmun issued a rare joint editorial urging loyalty to Kim and supporting his nuclear weapons program.

Kim is “the great representative of the Party and the nation’s dignity and bright future,” the editorial said.

It was the first time that they ran a joint editorial since January 2012, in a New Year’s statement weeks after Kim inherited power following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il.

Earlier this week, Kim called for “eliminating” acts that undermine the ruling party’s leadership as he urged his people to unite behind the spirit of patriotism to transform all sectors of the society.

Hyung-jin Kim And Kim Tong-hyung, The Associated Press