(today)
US special envoy Steve Witkoff has told CNN that a ceasefire-hostage deal for Gaza is currently on the table with a pathway to end the war, and urged Hamas to accept it.
The proposal would see the release of half of the living hostages and half of those who have died in exchange for a temporary ceasefire before negotiations begin for a comprehensive agreement to end the war.
He declined to specify how long that temporary truce would last, which has been a key issue in the negotiations.
(today)
Al Jazeera’s sources said Hamas and the US’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, agreed to the draft deal at a meeting in the Qatari capital, Doha. They said it includes a 60-day ceasefire, and the release of 10 living captives held in Gaza, over two stages.
US President Donald Trump would guarantee the terms of the deal and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. The agreement would also allow for the entry of humanitarian aid, without conditions, from day one, the sources said.
(24 hours ago)
Sources told Al Jazeera that representatives of Hamas and US special envoy Steve Witkoff have reached a draft ceasefire agreement in Qatar’s capital, Doha.
However, a US official told Al Jazeera that, according to Witkoff, Hamas has not agreed to a proposal currently on the table, and what he’s seen from the Palestinian group is “disappointing and completely unacceptable”.
Al Jazeera’s sources said the draft of the deal included a 60-day truce, the release of 10 living captives, and the return of bodies of others in return for Palestinian prisoners over two stages.
Five Israeli captives would be freed at the start of the agreement, with the other five released on the 60th day, they said.
Witkoff also rejected the notion that Hamas had accepted his offer for a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, telling Reuters that what he had seen was „completely unacceptable“ and the proposal being discussed was not the same as his.
Several news outlets reported on Monday that Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal that reportedly involves the releasing of 10 captives in two batches and a 70-day truce.
Citign a Hamas source, the AFP reported that Hamas agreed to the new proposal by US envoy Steve Witkoff.
However, Witkoff appeared to walk back the reports. He told Axios on Monday that he was „disappointed“ that Hamas did not accept his proposal.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff told Axios on Monday he is „disappointed“ that Hamas has so far failed to accept his proposal for a new Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.
The New York Times found that the broad contours of the plan were first discussed in late 2023, at private meetings of like-minded officials, military officers and business people with close ties to the Israeli government.
The group called itself the Mikveh Yisrael Forum, after a college where members convened in December 2023. Its leading figures gradually settled on the idea of hiring private contractors to distribute food in Gaza, circumventing the United Nations.
The planning documents anticipated public skepticism and preemptively prepared talking points in case the GHF encountered allegations likening its food distribution hubs and residential compounds to “‘concentration camps’ with biometrics” or comparing the organization to Blackwater, a former U.S. mercenary firm implicated in violence against civilians in Iraq.
(…)
In mid-2024, Israeli officials shared their plans with a group of private-sector American consultants led by Phil Reilly, a retired CIA paramilitary officer and former agency station chief in Afghanistan. Reilly’s group, said five of the Israeli and American individuals, took over the planning and determined that a new company led by Reilly, named Safe Reach Solutions, would be the future subcontractor that would provide security and logistics for the hubs.
The suspect in a shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., shouted pro-Palestinian chants after he fatally shot two Israeli embassy workers, authorities said.
(…)
The Israeli foreign ministry identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.
(March 21, 2025)
Das Schuldenpaket ist durch den Bundesrat gegangen. Die Zweidrittelmehrheit im Bundesrat für die Verfassungsänderungen hatte laut Medien lange als unsicher gegolten, weil unklar war, wie die Landesregierungen abstimmen würden, in denen Linkspartei, FDP, Freie Wähler und BSW mitregieren. Am Montag hatte allerdings Bayern ein Ja angekündigt.
Am Morgen teilten dann auch Mecklenburg-Vorpommern und Bremen mit, dass sie zustimmen werden. In beiden Ländern gibt es Regierungen aus SPD und LINKE.
Diese Position ist durch nichts zu rechtfertigen. Sie basiert auf einer Politik, die den Bruch mit der Realität vollendet.
Most modern domestically developed Chinese platforms have not yet been battle-tested, said Eric Zhu, a defence analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. “So having the combat record is a plus for their export potential.”
While Indian sources have disputed some aspects of these claims, the market response was immediately felt. Dassault Aviation, which had seen a rise in stock value due to strong Rafale sales, witnessed a minor drop. On the other hand, reports of shares of Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, the producer of Pakistan’s J-10C and JF-17 jets, surged.
(May 7, 2025)
A high-ranking French intelligence official told CNN today that one Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force was downed by Pakistan, in what would mark the first time that one of the sophisticated French-made warplanes has been lost in combat.
Pakistan claimed earlier today to have shot down five Indian Air Force jets in retaliation for Indian strikes, including three Rafales. Indian officials are yet to respond to the claim.
So, what did they learn?
– They learned that wars can indeed last forever, but that Vietnam wasn’t the best “forever war” for the military-industrial complex because it became deeply unpopular and was disrupting cohesion within the military itself. The best forever wars are open-ended “wars” like the global war on terror. And perhaps a “new Cold War” with Russia and/or China. Wars that don’t involve the deployment of over half a million men (unless that “new” Cold War turns hot).
– They learned to control the narrative. No more journalists traveling freely in war zones as in the 1960s in Vietnam. Journalists are now most often embedded in U.S. military units. Embedded reporters, dependent on the military for access and protection, know what they can and can’t say, even as they tend to sympathize with the troops they’re with. ….
Driving the news: Hegseth will arrive in Israel on May 12 and meet with his counterpart Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
– Hegseth will then travel to Saudi Arabia to join Trump‘s trip to the Gulf.
– Trump will also visit Qatar and the UAE but is not currently expected to visit Israel.
(May 1, 2025)
While the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, are aligned with Iran, the Yemeni group has its own domestic missile and drone program, meaning they’re not reliant on Tehran for military support. This has been acknowledged by US officials, including President Trump.
“They’re experts on missiles. I mean, they actually make missiles. Nobody thought that, but they make missiles. It’s highly sophisticated,” President Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in early April.
In March, The Washington Post, citing US officials, reported that the Houthis have “established their own substantial, independent weapons production capability.”
The Houthis also operate independently and aren’t likely to take orders from Tehran.
The IDF wasn’t more specific on what fell. A military spokesman for the Houthis said the group had fired a ballistic missile, and warned airlines against flying into Ben Gurion.
Most of the missiles launched by Houthis from Yemen at Israel have been successfully intercepted, including one on Saturday and two on Friday.
In recent weeks, the United States has positioned THAAD anti-ballistic missile defence systems in Israel, bolstering the existing Iron Dome system.
It appears that still was not enough to stop the missile getting through.
The attack on Ben-Gurion International Airport came hours before Israeli Cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify military operations in Gaza. The army began calling up thousands of reserves in anticipation of a wider operation, officials said.
Israel’s army confirmed this was the first time a missile struck the airport grounds since the war began, though fragments of missiles or interceptors have struck nearby.
The episode has left some senior White House officials questioning the need for a traditional National Security Council and content to leave Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom Trump on Thursday named as Waltz’s interim replacement, in a caretaker role for quite some time, a decision that will likely diminish an institution that has had a powerful role in shaping the foreign policy of modern presidencies. And it sidelines a key figure in the White House with a long track record of favoring military intervention, officials said.
The strikes came after Druze clerics and armed factions reaffirmed their loyalty to Damascus. They urged the new authorities to appoint local officials to government posts in Sweida province, heartland of the Druze religious group.
Their statement followed fighting between Druze fighters and Syrian forces, including government-affiliated groups that killed more than 100 people in Jaramana and Sahnaya near Damascus and in Sweida, the Observatory said.
The conflict ignited around midnight Monday following the circulation of an audio recording on social media containing criticism of Islam‘s Prophet Muhammad, attributed to a Druze cleric. However, cleric Marwan Kiwan denied responsibility for the controversial audio in a social media video.
(May 1, 2025)
The anti-Druze sentiment started overnight Monday into Tuesday. An audio recording was released online insulting the Prophet Muhammad and quickly went viral. It was attributed to an unnamed Druze leader in Suwayda, though that has not been confirmed, and it has been speculated it was specifically released to inflame sectarian violence.
If that was the purpose, mission accomplished, because attacks on the Druze in Jaramana were happening the very next day.
(9:05 am | Apr 30, 2025)
Pakistani government raised serious concerns over what it calls credible intelligence indicating India’s intention to carry out a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours.
Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar said action is being planned under the pretext of unsubstantiated and fabricated claims regarding Pakistan’s involvement in the recent Pahalgam incident.
(Updated On – 29 April 2025, 08:36 PM)
The Prime Minister, addressing the top security brass, affirmed his complete faith in the professional capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces and assured them of full operational freedom to decide the “mode, targets, and timing” of their response to the Pakistan-based terror threat.
The Government of Change and Construction said in a statement issued today, „With typical British impudence, the British Ministry of Defense announced the implementation of a joint military aggression with the American enemy against our country, south of Sana‘a, in response, the Government of Change and Construction affirms that the British enemy must reckon with its predicament and anticipate the consequences of its aggression against the Republic of Yemen.“
(April 22, 2025)
Dan Caldwell was one of the strongest voices at the Pentagon opposing war with Iran. Then he was falsely accused of leaking classified documents and fired.
(April 22, 2025)
“You’re being accused of leaking classified information, but the people accusing you would have no way of knowing whether you did that or not because they haven’t polygraphed you or taken your devices, your private devices,” Carlson declared.
Caldwell suggested that the true source of the leaks were opponents of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary Hegseth’s foreign policy within the Pentagon, who had been pushing for war with Iran.
(April 22, 2025)
The Israel lobby is working overtime right now trying to destroy the anti-war team that Trump has assembled. We‘ve learned that former Israeli Mossad agents are working overtime on both social media and behind the scenes trying to discredit Pete Hegseth. Neo Con Mike Waltz has now hired a dual citizen and former IDF official to work under him. And three anti-war DoD officials were just fired.
I don’t know who the cardinals will pick to replace him, but I do know with absolute certainty that there are transnational intelligence operations in the works to make sure they select a more reliable supporter of Israel.
Zusammenfassung
Es sind also zusammengefasst folgende Charakteristika der atomaren Situation, die es uns so schwer machen, wirklich zu erfassen, auf welch abschüssiger Bahn wir uns längst befinden:
Die Bedrohung ist zu groß, als dass wir sie uns noch adäquat vorstellen könnten.
Sie ist zu entsetzlich, als dass wir sie uns noch vorstellen mögen.
Sie ist unsichtbar, räumlich also nicht zu orten und damit überall und nirgends.
Zahllose Menschen sind – alle auf das Indirekteste – in die Herstellung der Untergangsgeräte eingebunden.
Das finale Inferno kann im Ernstfall auf das Leichteste realisiert werden: Am Ende wird es ein via Künstliche Intelligenz von einem Computer gesteuerter Computer gewesen sein!
(26.4.2018)
As Barbara Lee presciently warned her colleagues before she cast her lone dissenting vote in 2001, we have “become the evil we deplore.” But these wars have not been accompanied by fearsome military parades (not yet) or speeches about conquering the world. Instead they have been politically justified by “information warfare” to demonize enemies and fabricate crises, and then waged in a “disguised, quiet, media free” way, to hide their cost in human blood from the American public and the world.
After 16 years of war, about 6 million violent deaths, 6 countries utterly destroyed and many more destabilized, it is urgent that the American public come to terms with the true human cost of our country’s wars and how we have been manipulated and misled into turning a blind eye to them – before they go on even longer, destroy more countries, further undermine the rule of international law and kill millions more of our fellow human beings.
By supporting Israel unconditionally, Germany does not merely tolerate its far-right alliances – it helps legitimise them on the world stage. In doing so, it embraces – whether it admits it or not – the very fascist forces it once claimed to oppose.
Israel’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) in its ongoing assault on the Gaza Strip – aided by tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon – is fueling concerns over the normalization of mass civilian casualties and raising serious questions about the complicity of these firms in potential war crimes, according to a leading AI expert.
Multiple reports have confirmed that Israel has deployed AI models such as Lavender, Gospel, and Where’s Daddy? to conduct mass surveillance, identify targets, and direct strikes against tens of thousands of individuals in Gaza – often in their own homes – all with minimal human oversight.
(November 20, 2024)
Although defence analysts say the weapon system may not be as cutting-edge or as widely used as the „Lavender“ or „The Gospel“ AI weapons systems – that are reported to have played a huge role in the tremendous death toll in Gaza – Arbel appears to be the first weapons system to directly tie India to Israel‘s rapidly expanding AI war in Gaza in what could have wide-ranging implications for other conflicts.
(May 3, 2022)
(…)
Was für eine Heuchelei: Im Bundestag den Widerstand zu simulieren und dann im Bundesrat klein beizugeben