President Donald Trump stunned the world when he said the United States would “take over” the Gaza Strip. On Thursday morning, he clarified his plan just a bit, but left many questions lingering. Trump first floated the idea during a joint press briefing with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, reportedly catching his Israeli counterpart off guard, according to Axios. Since then, the Trump team has sought to clarify aspects of the plan, particularly in response to criticism that it implies forced displacement of Gaza’s Palestinian population. In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump suggested that Israel would transfer control of Gaza to the United States after military operations conclude.

Emma Tsurkov, the sister of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian researcher who is being held hostage in Iraq, slammed the Biden administration for its policies and expressed gratitude that President Donald Trump is now in office. “It’s been 687 days since my sister Elizabeth, a Princeton student, was kidnapped in Baghdad, 687 days of incompetence and inaction by the Iraqi prime minister,” Tsurkov wrote on social media. “The Biden administration kept showering corrupt Iraqi officials with hundreds of millions of our taxpayer dollars without accountability. Thank G-d a tough leader with a backbone of steel is in the White House and has stopped playing games. Mr.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz announced on Thursday that he has instructed the IDF to prepare a plan that would allow the voluntary departure of Gazans who wish to leave the Strip. “I welcome the bold initiative of US President Trump, which could enable a large part of the population in Gaza to leave to various locations throughout the world,” Katz said in a statement. “I instructed the IDF to prepare a plan that would allow any resident of Gaza who wishes to do so to leave for any place in the world that is willing to accept them. The plan will include options for departure via land crossings, as well as special arrangements for departure by sea and air.” “Gaza residents should be granted the freedom to leave and emigrate, as is customary everywhere in the world,” he stressed.

Attorney General Pam Bondi wasted no time in launching sweeping reforms at the Department of Justice (DOJ), issuing a series of bold directives aimed at restoring law and order, eliminating political bias, and cracking down on violent crime and illegal immigration. Bondi, confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday and sworn in on Wednesday, is expected to usher in a dramatic shift in the DOJ’s priorities, focusing on death penalty enforcement, cartel dismantlement, and reversing progressive-era policies that she argues have weakened America’s justice system. Among Bondi’s first actions was the creation of the “Weaponization Working Group,” tasked with investigating politically motivated prosecutions and government overreach.

New data from the IDF reveals that one in four Palestinian terrorists released under the November 2023 Israel-Hamas ceasefire has since been re-arrested or killed. According to IDF Central Command statistics shared with Channel 13 News, 33 released terrorists have been detained again by Israeli security forces, while four were eliminated while carrying out new attacks. The alarming figures reinforce growing concerns that the mass prisoner releases—a key component of the 2023 ceasefire agreement—have strengthened terrorist organizations and fueled further violence. Beyond the 25% who have already been re-arrested or neutralized, the Shin Bet reported earlier this week that at least 82% of the freed terrorists have returned to terrorist activity.

Hamas has firmly rejected President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Gazans from the war-torn enclave, calling the idea “ridiculous and absurd” and warning that such actions could escalate tensions in the region. Speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Trump suggested that the U.S. take control of Gaza, resettle its Palestinian population elsewhere, and transform the devastated Strip into a developed hub. Calling Gaza a “demolition site right now,” Trump argued that Palestinians had “no choice but to leave” given the ongoing destruction caused by nearly 16 months of war between Israel and Hamas.

Popular Channel 12 political commentator Amit Segal spoke on Wednesday morning about the historic meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, during which Trump advocated for the deportation of Palestinians from Gaza and the US takeover of the Strip. “I don’t remember anything as historic as this,” Segal said in an interview with media personality and TV host Avri Gilad and journalist Yair Cherki. “The President of the United States says his goal is to transfer all residents of Gaza permanently outside the borders of the Strip – that is 200% of what Netanyahu wanted.” “If Ben Gvir had said something like that, an investigation would have been opened against him.

Chaos erupted inside the left-leaning newsroom of Politico this past week when employees discovered their paychecks were missing. The delay, initially brushed off as a “technical error” by company leadership, left staff scrambling for answers and fueled speculation about the financial stability of the Germany-based, foreign-owned media outlet. According to leaked internal emails, management assured workers that the issue would be “promptly resolved.” While payroll was eventually processed within 24 hours, the delay raised serious questions about Politico’s financial operations—particularly its deep connections to USAID funding and foreign influence. Politico is controlled by Axel Springer SE, a Germany-based media conglomerate that used to be publicly traded but is now privately held.

Saudi Arabia insisted Wednesday that it will not establish diplomatic ties with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is created, following comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting normalization was imminent and a claim by President Trump that Saudi Arabia is no longer demanding a Palestinian state.

The historic meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, during which Trump advocated for the deportation of Palestinians from Gaza and the US takeover of the Strip, was a tremendous success for Netanyahu. Trump praised Netanyahu, who in turn showered compliments on the President. Israeli politicians responded with jubilation to reports about the meeting, with one political source saying that “the very successful visit exceeded all our expectations and dreams.” Following the meeting, Netanyahu signed the guest book in the Roosevelt Room and then gifted Trump a golden pager along with a regular pager, Channel 12 News reported.