On Thursday, President Donald Trump was questioned about his latest demand to Hamas, where he asserted that “somebody’s going to have to get a lot rougher” with the terrorist group.
During a discussion with the press in the Oval Office, Trump was asked about comments made by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, suggesting that if Hamas refuses to release hostages, the US and Israel may take action, including military measures. Trump’s response was firm, saying, “Well, you’re going to find out,” before adding, “I had the honor of spending a lot of time yesterday with quite a few of the people that we got out, and I can’t believe how badly treated they were, really badly treated. Stories that you wouldn’t even believe. Some of it was documented. And it’s a shame.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday that his country would begin discussions with the United States next week regarding efforts to end the ongoing conflict with Russia.
During his nightly broadcast, Zelenskyy revealed that he would be traveling to Saudi Arabia on Monday, where his team would remain to engage in talks with U.S. officials.
European Union leaders are currently convening in an emergency meeting to explore how they can swiftly increase their military expenditures following the Trump administration’s declaration that Europe must assume responsibility for its own security while halting its assistance to Ukraine.

On Thursday evening, the Agudas Yisrael wing of the United Torah Judaism party addressed Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu in a letter, stressing that they will not lend their support to the upcoming budget unless the Draft Law is enacted. The letter was endorsed by UTJ chairman Yitzzcok Goldknopf, MK Yaakov Tesler, and MK Moshe Shimon Roth.
The correspondence refers to the coalition agreement established on December 28, 2022, between United Torah Judaism and the Likud party. This agreement included a clear pledge to create legislation that would establish a framework to exempt yeshiva students from mandatory military service.

Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, told reporters on Thursday that the United States and Israel could take joint military action against Hamas if negotiations with the terrorist group fail.
Speaking with journalists outside the White House, Witkoff was asked if there was a deadline to advance a deal to release more hostages before Israel resumes combat operations in Gaza.
“There definitely is such a date, but I’m not at liberty to discuss what that is,” Witkoff said. “It’s unclear exactly what’s going to happen. I think there’s going to be some action taken. It could be jointly with the Israelis.”

A border wall improvement project that was previously halted by President Joe Biden is now resuming in the Texas Rio Grande Valley.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks revealed that a border wall enhancement initiative, initially canceled under the Biden administration, has been reinstated along the Texas-Mexico border, following orders from the Trump administration.
Banks detailed that the project involves swapping out six-foot guardrails with towering 18-foot bollard panels. These barriers are specifically engineered to “provide impedance and denial capabilities” to deter unauthorized crossings from Mexico into Texas.

On Thursday, Representative Al Green (D-TX) declared on TMZ Live that he intends to introduce articles of impeachment. His statement came shortly after he was removed from the House chamber for disrupting President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress.
When questioned about the possibility of being stripped of his committee assignments, Green responded, “Well, I had a reporter to approach me and call this to my attention. I am here to serve the people of the 9th Congressional District. I believe that I have taken this oath that I have taken, and I pledge to do that. I would hope that they wouldn’t. I would not agree with it. But if they do, it’ll give me more time to work on my articles of impeachment.”

In a speech to the U.N. Security Council, Dorothy Shea, U.S. chargé d’affaires ad interim to the United Nations, said the United States will continue to take action against Houthi terrorists in Yemen, a proxy of Iran.
“Every U.N. member state has a responsibility to abide by its obligations under the resolutions adopted by this council, including concerning the prohibition on providing arms or related material, as well as related training or financial assistance, to the Houthis,” Shea stated.
The ambassador called on council members to stop making a “false moral equivalency” between the Houthis and the Palestinians.

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order that will revoke security clearances for employees of the law firm that retained Fusion GPS—the company responsible for compiling the controversial Steele Dossier during the 2016 election, Breitbart News has learned.
According to a White House document obtained exclusively by Breitbart News from a White House official, the security clearances of those working at Perkins Coie LLP “will be immediately suspended, pending a review of whether their access to sensitive information is consistent with the national interest.”

The growing closeness between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump is raising concerns beyond just Ukraine. According to an NBC report on Thursday, Israel and other key allies of the United States are hesitant to share intelligence with Washington due to the strengthening ties between the White House and the Kremlin. Among the nations expressing caution are the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partners—Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—as well as countries like Israel and Saudi Arabia.

A representative of Hamas, Abu Obeida, has issued a warning that any intensification of Israeli military actions against the Gaza-based terror organization is likely to result in the deaths of some of the captives.
He also asserts that Israeli threats involving military operations or economic restrictions will not succeed in securing the captives’ freedom. Despite this, he insists that the group remains dedicated to honoring the terms of the truce agreement with Israel, the initial phase of which was recently completed.
At present, 59 captives remain inside the Gaza Strip after the conclusion of the first stage of the ceasefire. The IDF has confirmed that at least 35 of them have already died.
{Matzav.com}