International

Gaza War: Hamas releases three Israeli hostages and Tel Aviv releases almost 400 Palestinian prisoners

The Islamist group Hamas delivered Israeli hostages Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov, Iair Horn and Sagui Dekel-Chen to the Red Cross on Saturday in a ceremony held in Jan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, most of the 369 Palestinian prisoners released within the sixth exchange for Israeli hostages were transferred to the Gaza Strip.

The Red Cross escolted the hostages, in apparent good health, to the Israeli forces stationed in the enclave, who took them out of the Strip to reunite them with their families. The Israeli Army confirmed that the hostages have already crossed the border into Israeli territory and are on their way to a reception point in southern Israel, where they will meet with their families.

The liberation ceremony organized by Hamas was held on a stage located in a devastated area of Gaza, where there were posters with phrases such as “There will be no migration, except to Jerusalem” or “We crossed quickly” (in reference to the attack of October 7 in Israeli territory).

After a Red Cross worker signed the release documents from the hands of a Hamas militiaman, the hostages went on stage, located a few meters from the house of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the attacks of October 7 and who died in a confrontation with Israeli forces in October 2024.

On him, the hostages gave speeches asking the Israeli Government to maintain the truce, after which they were taken to the Red Cross vehicles on their way to Israeli territory.

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Hamas announced yesterday the names of the three hostages after threatening earlier this week to pause the release due to the repeated Israeli “violations” of the agreement, among which it cited impediments to the entry of humanitarian aid.

Israel, for its part, threatened to resume the war in Gaza if Hamas did not release the hostages today, without clarifying how many, taking advantage of an ambiguous message from US President Donald Trump, who threatened a “hell” in Gaza if Hamas did not release “all the hostages” before Saturday noon.

Most of the 369 Palestinian prisoners released this Saturday by Israel were transferred to the Gaza Strip, where they arrived in buses to the European Hospital of the enclave, according to images broadcast live by the Al Jazeera network.

Seven buses accompanied by Red Cross vehicles entered from Israeli territory to the city of Rafah, in the south of the strip, and then arrived at the European Hospital in Gaza, where they are scheduled to undergo medical tests and other tests to confirm their identity.

Israel is expected to complete the release of 369 Palestinian prisoners today, of which 333 arrived in Gaza, 11 were released in the West Bank and Jerusalem and 25 will be deported to Egypt, to be transferred from there to other countries. If release occurs after the release by Hamas of three captive hostages in the enclave.

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The prisoners released in Gaza are those who were detained in the same enclave after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which led to the war.

Palestinian media reported that one of the prisoners was transferred to Gaza before the arrival of the buses in a Red Cross ambulance due to his state of health.

The prisoners generally appeared in coats and jackets other than the sweatshirts that the Israeli prison service put on them before leaving prison, in which the phrase in Arabic was read “We will not forget or forgive” next to a star of David.

International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.