International
Netanyahu and the opposition are stry for the war in Gaza
In a heated debate, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended before the Kneset (Parliament) his strategy of “pressure, pressure and more pressure” in the Gaza Strip, where more than 38,700 people have died and thousands are missing after nine months of intense bombing.
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas “is under pressure because we are eliminating its commanders, thousands of its terrorists, because we have entered Rafah and the Philadelphia corridor and we have them by the neck,” Netanyahu said during a parliamentary session convened by the opposition.
Netanyahu told his critics to question his strategy in the enclave, and said that pressure on him will not do anything.
He also ventured that, if it depended on the opposition, Israel would have put an end to the war “without eliminating the commanders, without controlling Rafah and the Philadelphia corridor” and with the military leader of Hamas in Gaza, Mohamed Deif, “strolling like a winner.”
Deif was the target of a harsh Israeli attack over the weekend against the humanitarian zone of Mawasi, in the south of the enclave, in which more than 90 people were killed, according to the Gaza authorities. His destiny remains uncertain.
The leader of the opposition National Unity party, Benny Gantz, responded to Netanyahu on his X account with a threatening message in which he accused him of delaying Israeli operations in Jan Yunis and Rafah (south of Gaza) for his “indecision.”
“Everything will be revealed when the protocols and decisions are evaluated by the state commission of inquiry,” said Gantz, who until recently occupied a position with the right to vote in the already dissolved Cabinet of War of Israel.
The Israeli Government has not yet ordered the creation of a state commission to investigate the security flaws that allowed Hamas to carry out a large-scale attack on Israeli soil that left 1,200 dead and more than 200 kidnapped on October 7, 2023, and which was the trigger of the current war in Gaza, and Netanyahu himself has said that he opposes an investigation until it ends.
Both Gantz and the Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, have asked for this commission to be formed and have criticized the president for his lack of decisions in the war.
“Benny Gantz spreads fake news again,” Netanyahu replied in a message in X in which he claimed to have taken a screenshot of his tweet to rescue him when the public discovers “who was looking for excuses to ‘stop the fighting for a year or two’ and who pressed to continue the war until victory.”
Meanwhile, the families of the Israelis kidnapped in Gaza also charged Netanyahu, who allegedly said last night at a government meeting about negotiations with Hamas that “they should not be stressed” since “the hostages are suffering, but not dying,” according to a leak published by the Ynet news portal.
“We demand that the prime minister explain himself immediately,” the Forum of Relatives of Hostages demanded in a statement, before statements that they considered “deeply hurtful,” as well as “dangerously irresponsible.”
The platform, which represents the families of the kidnapped in the enclave, took advantage of the statement to demand that Netanyahu, as he usually does, sign the ceasefire agreement with Hamas to guarantee the safe return of both the living and the deceased hostages.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who has repeatedly offered a “safety net” to Netanyahu in front of his far-right coalition partners to achieve a hostage release agreement, asked him not to travel to Washington to participate in a joint session of the two chambers of Congress if not to announce an agreement.
The Israeli Prime Minister is scheduled to travel to the United States in the coming days to deliver a speech to the country’s legislators, after being invited by the Democratic and Republican leaders of both chambers.
His journey will take place with the negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza on the tightrope, after the attack on Deif in Mawasi that left 90 dead and 300 injured.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
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