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A woman's head was reportedly severed Wednesday when a man began attacking people with an ax on a college campus in Poland.

Polish police said a man was detained after he killed one person with an ax at Warsaw University.

GERMANY'S NEW LEADER LOOKS TO DISTANCE EUROPE FROM TRUMP

"Police have detained a man who entered the University of Warsaw campus. One person died, another was taken to hospital with injuries," Warsaw Police said in a statement on X.

The incident happened at about 1:40 p.m. local time when the 22-year-old man entered the campus. 

TRUMP CELEBRATES CONSERVATIVE PARTY WIN IN GERMANY

"One person died, the other was taken to hospital with serious injuries," Warsaw police said. "Prosecutors and police are working on site. Actions in progress."

Private broadcaster Polsat News reported that a woman's severed head and an ax had been found at the school, Reuters reported. 

A spokesperson for the district prosecutor's office told the news outlet that a female university administrative employee was killed at the scene and a security guard was injured and taken to hospital in a critical condition.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church does not get paid what many consider a traditional salary. Instead, the Vatican provides for the pontiff's needs, from housing, food, transportation and other expenses in the form of stipends and allowances.

The Vatican, referred to as "the world's smallest country," is sustained by "an economy that relies on a combination of donations, private enterprises, and investments to generate revenue," according to Investopedia.  

Pope Francis declined any sort of salary when he took office in 2013, The Economic Times reported back in February, adding that the pontiff at the time had a net worth of "around $16 million, which includes various assets provided to him as the pope."

The Vatican's financial situation has been in peril for years, with its annual operating deficit growing to over $90 million in 2023, according to reports. In November, Pope Francis warned that the Vatican's pension fund — which provides pensions to employees of the Holy See and Vatican City State — has been facing a "severe prospective imbalance" that "tends to grow over time in the absence of interventions," according to the Vatican News.

LIVE UPDATES: 'EXTRA OMNES' ORDER GIVEN, OFFICIALLY BEGINNING PAPAL CONCLAVE

The governing body of the Vatican, also known as the Holy See, doesn't provide exact numbers regarding its finances. However, the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook estimated its revenues and expenditures in 2013 notched $315 million and $348 million, respectively.  

It generates this money through various avenues. According to the Michigan Journal of Economics, the Holy See generates some of its revenue through Peter’s Pence, which is a term that describes donations collected from Catholics around the world and given to the Pope on an annual basis. This accounts for $27 million each year, with the largest contributions deriving from the United States, Germany and Italy, according to American Magazine.

WHAT IS THE PAPAL CONCLAVE: INSIDE THE ANCIENT PROCESS OF CHOOSING THE NEXT POPE

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Vatican and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for more information about how the pope gets paid, but did not immediately hear back. 

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has released its first-ever J7 Annual Report on Antisemitism as the world prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

The report details the rise in antisemitism seen in countries that have the largest Jewish populations outside Israel, including the U.S., the U.K., Argentina, Canada, France, Germany and Australia.

The J7 Task Force was founded in July 2023, just months before Hamas launched its deadly attacks on Israel. In the wake of the massacre, the ADL has noted an uptick in antisemitic incidents and sentiments around the world. 

ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS BREAK RECORD FOR 4TH STRAIGHT YEAR, ADL FINDS

From 2021 to 2023, antisemitic incidents increased by 11% in Australia, 23% in Argentina, 75% in Germany, 82% in the U.K., 83% in Canada, 185% in France and 227% in the U.S., according to the ADL’s report. Additionally, the organization noted a "troubling" pattern in antisemitic incidents per Jewish capita in the J7 countries, including more than 38 incidents per 1,000 Jewish residents in Germany in 2023. Additionally, in Australia, incidents per Jewish capita quadrupled from 2023 to 2024.

The J7 Task Force report reveals common themes across all nations, such as increases in violent attacks, spikes in antisemitic rhetoric online and growing feelings of fear and insecurity among Jews.

In the report, the rising antisemitism in each of the J7 countries was documented by the Jewish communities directly impacted.

The Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA) found that antisemitism had become deeply embedded in social media and academic institutions. Argentinian Jewish students are reportedly choosing schools "based on whether or not they will be a target of antisemitic incidents, both from their fellow students and from their professors," according to DAIA. The organization recommends more "work and engagement" in combatting antisemitism in academia.

In 2023, Argentina saw a 44% increase in antisemitic incidents compared to 2022. Like many other countries included in the report, the country saw a rise in antisemitism and anti-Zionism following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.

Additionally, DAIA noted that Argentinian President Javier Milei’s strong support of Israel and the U.S. has led to "an increase in antisemitic and other conspiratorial rhetoric."

DAIA also found some bright spots in Argentina, noting that 60% of Argentinians, especially those aged 25-34, have a favorable view of Israel and just 7% favor boycotting Israeli products and businesses. This could be because Argentina has felt the impact of a terrorist organization that has also attacked Israel. Hezbollah carried out two deadly bombing attacks in Buenos Aires, one in 1992 at the Israeli Embassy and another in 1994 at the AMIA-DAIA Jewish Center.

AUSTRALIA'S JEWISH COMMUNITY ALARMED BY RISING ANTISEMITISM

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s (ECAJ) report, which covers Oct. 1, 2023-Sept. 30, 2024, showed a sizable 316% increase in antisemitic incidents. In the 12-month period the ECAJ studied, it found 2,062 antisemitic incidents compared to 495 incidents in the previous year. In the decade prior, the number of antisemitic incidents each year ranged from 190 to 495.

ECAJ cited Dr. Adina Bankier-Karp and Dr. David Graham’s survey, "Australian Jews in the Shadow of War," which found that 64% of Australian Jews felt that antisemitism was "very much" a big problem in the country. This, according to the report, is 10 times higher than the response in 2017.

The Australian federal government in 2024, as well as many state governments, banned hate symbols such as swastikas and the Nazi salute. Symbols of terrorist organizations were also banned. However, ECAJ said it does not believe these laws do enough to combat "post-Oct. 7 sources of antisemitism."

"While these laws are welcomed, they are not addressing the post-October 7 sources of antisemitism in Australia which makes up the majority of incidents, nor will the laws counter anti-Jewish attitudes and incidents," ECAJ wrote in the report.

The report on Canada was compiled by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). The organization said Canada’s main challenges include increased threats of violence and "anti- Israel actions taken by the federal government that display a double standard towards the Jewish state, such as the imposition of an arms embargo."

While the data for 2024 is not yet available, CIJA noted that the 2023 statistics show "disturbing trends." While Jews make up just 1% of the country’s population, 19% of reported hate crimes were motivated by antisemitism. Additionally, hate crimes against Jews increased by 71% from 2022 to 2023, according to CIJA.

In the report, CIJA called out the Canadian government’s "inaction" on antisemitism. The organization called for action and legal reform to help fight rising antisemitism.

Nearly all Canadian Jews, 98%, said antisemitism is a "serious or somewhat serious problem," according to CIJA. Additionally, 82% said "Canada has become less safe for Jews" since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre.

Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF) found clear links between antisemitic incidents and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. According to CRIF, more than 30% of antisemitic incidents in 2024 included references to "Palestine." French schools also saw antisemitic incidents more than quadruple, reaching 1,670 in the 2023-2024 academic year, compared to 400 the year before.

CRIF found that antisemitic incidents became more violent in 2024. These incidents included the rape and assault of a 12-year-old Jewish girl because of her "bad words on Palestine" and the arson and antisemitic graffiti at the Rouen synagogue. 

The organization said it welcomed the French government’s adoption of a national plan to fight racism, antisemitism and discrimination. The plan was adopted in 2023 and is set to be implemented through 2026.

CRIF said in its report that many French Jews have stopped displaying or speaking about their religious identity out of fear. Even children steer clear of the topic to avoid harassment in school.

GLOBAL RISE IN ANTISEMITISM LEAVES JEWISH COMMUNITY ISOLATED, RABBI SAYS WORLD AT 'A TIPPING POINT'

Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland (ZJD) sounded the alarm over rising antisemitism, pointing out that "October 7, 2023, has massively accelerated a development that was already looming." Antisemitism in Germany is not unique to one side of the political aisle, though ZJD points out the rise of Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) "poses a major challenge." 

AfD holds multiple positions that, if turned into reality, would make life extremely difficult for observant German Jews, including the banning of religious slaughter of animals, which could effectively make kosher meat illegal.

German police found 3,200 crimes from Jan. 1, 2024, to Oct. 7, 2024, were motivated by antisemitism. This comes after the Office on Research and Information on Antisemitism in Hessen found 3,000 antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7, 2023, and the end of that same year.

A January 2025 study by the Claims Conference found that approximately 40% of 18- to 29-year-olds in Germany did not know that more than 6,000,000 Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. However, the ADL’s 2024 Global 100 survey shows Holocaust distortion and denial is lower in Germany compared to other Western European nations.

ZJD concluded that ongoing debates in Germany surrounding social issues have direct impacts on the Jewish community. 

The Board of Deputies of British Jews (the Board) said in its section of the report that antisemitism has dropped since Q4 2023 but still remains above pre-Oct. 7 levels. Meanwhile, British Jews are "finding everyday life in the U.K. an increasing challenge" with 25% of British Jews feeling unsafe in the country.

The Community Security Trust’s 2024 Antisemitic Incidents Report showed 3,528 antisemitic incidents in the U.K., representing an 18% decrease from the 4,296 incidents reported in 2023. 

"Posters of Israeli hostages are regularly torn down, and in major cities the UK has faced weekly hate marches calling for Israel’s destruction," the Board wrote. It also stated that the Institute of Jewish Policy Research called this phenomenon "ambient antisemitism."

The Board acknowledged the government’s actions to fight antisemitism but said that statistics showed that further action was needed. "Enhanced law enforcement, stricter regulations on online hate speech, and comprehensive educational programs are essential to effectively combat antisemitic attitudes and behaviors," the Board wrote.

Overall, the Board believes the U.K.’s three main areas of focus should be addressing antisemitic incidents, fighting online hate speech and restoring a sense of security among British Jews.

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The ADL and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations worked together to compile a report on rising antisemitism in the U.S., noting the "alarming rise" in antisemitic incidents and attitudes.

In its 2024 antisemitism audit, which was released last month, the ADL identified 9,354 antisemitic incidents in 2024, a 5% increase from 2023 and a staggering 926% increase since it began tracking in 1979.

"Let’s be clear, antisemitism is an irrational hatred of individuals or institutions just because they are Jewish," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told Fox News Digital upon the release of the audit. He also noted that "ADL has been conducting an annual audit of antisemitic incidents since the 1970s. And we've simply never seen numbers like this." 

The ADL and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations found that "the groundswell of antisemitism in the United States shows no signs of abating." In the report, both organizations said that the polarized political environment makes it hard to predict how antisemitism will develop.

After a nearly four-year search for justice, a U.S. court has found in favor of the family of a Lebanese American man held hostage in Lebanon, finding that the Islamic Republic of Iran, working through its proxy Hezbollah, should be held liable for their father’s kidnap and torture. 

Two of Amer Fakhoury’s daughters, Guila and Zoya Fakhoury, told Fox News Digital that on May 1, a U.S. District Court judge found Iran responsible for Fakhoury’s imprisonment.

"This is the first lawsuit to prove Iran’s influence over Lebanon," Guila said. "We were very happy about the judgment." 

‘HOSTAGE IN LEBANON:’ NEW HAMPSHIRE FAMILY RECOUNTS FATHER’S DETAINMENT, TORTURE IN NEW BOOK

Amer Fakhoury was arrested a week after traveling to Lebanon with his family in September 2019. After his arrest, a newspaper linked with Hezbollah alleged that Fakhoury, formerly a member of the South Lebanon Army, had been the "butcher" of Khiam, a detention center where grave human rights abuses were reported to have taken place. 

Though he was released from a military prison in December 2019, it was only after the Lebanese Supreme Court dropped charges against Fakhoury in March 2020 that he was able to return to the U.S. By the time of his return, Fakhoury had lost 60 pounds and was suffering from late-stage lymphoma, along with rib fractures and other health complications. He died in September 2020 at the age of 57.

Proving Fakhoury’s suffering and torture was a battle for the family, though Guila said the State Department’s classification of her father as a hostage was instrumental in proving the nature of Fakhoury’s captivity. 

SENS. CRUZ, SHAHEEN PROPOSE SANCTIONS AGAINST LEBANESE OFFIICALS OVER AMERICAN PRISONER

Proving that Iran was behind the imprisonment was more difficult. In fact, while Guila said some people "kind of laughed" that the family blamed Iran for their father’s mistreatment, Zoya said "Iran’s influence in Lebanon in recent years further proves our point." 

Because Iran never responded to the suit, Guila said the family was forced to provide evidence her father witnessed of Hezbollah’s control over "every government agency in Lebanon," including the military hospital, military court, and the Lebanese General Directorate of General Security, the country’s intelligence apparatus that Guila said arrested and tortured Fakhoury. 

Even when the Lebanese judicial system found Fakhoury innocent of multiple false charges that he was a killer, a terrorist and an Israeli agent, Guila said officials told Fakhoury that they had to keep him "because Hezbollah wants [him] in prison."       

Fakhoury’s family faced difficulties even before filing their case in May 2021. Zoya says Hezbollah officials in Lebanon have been issuing threats to the family since Fakhoury’s death. In addition to Iran failing to respond to the suit, Guila said Lebanese General Directorate of General Security officials interfered with the lawsuit by asking to have their names and agencies removed. She says the judge denied the request. 

Long periods of silence from the court also made the wait for justice difficult, Zoya said. "The last four years, we were fearful," she explained. "We were worried maybe nothing’s going to come out of this."

While the family is grateful for the judgment they received, Guila says they believe the settlement awarded through the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act was "a bit of an unfair decision" and did not "take into account the pain and the suffering of the family." 

Still, the landmark judgment paves the way for others to find justice, the family says. "We’re hoping, with this administration, to use the judgment that we have and the work that we’ve been doing in the [Amer] Foundation to continue the accountability efforts," Guila said. "A lot of other Lebanese citizens [and] American citizens that have been targeted by the Lebanese government, by Hezbollah in Lebanon, can now use this case to get justice for what happened to them," Zoya explained. 

The sisters said the next steps in their journey are to find justice for their father and will involve requesting the State Department to sanction "officials in Lebanon who were traitors and working with Hezbollah and Iran." 

Pakistan is calling airstrikes launched by India an "act of war" Wednesday, with its military claiming it shot down five Indian fighter jets in retaliation. 

The strikes targeted at least nine sites "where terrorist attacks against India have been planned," India’s Defense Ministry said. Pakistan's military said the missiles hit six locations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in the country’s eastern Punjab province, killing at least 26 people, including women and children. 

"Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India, and a strong response is indeed being given," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared. 

Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors since an April attack in which gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian Hindu tourists, in the India-controlled portion of Kashmir. India accuses its neighbor of being behind that attack, which was claimed by a militant group calling itself Kashmir Resistance that India says is linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a disbanded Pakistani militant group. 

INDIA LAUNCHES STRIKES ON TERRORIST CAMPS IN PAKISTAN 

Indian military officials said Wednesday that their forces targeted "terrorist camps" that served as recruitment centers and weapon storage facilities for Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, another Islamist militant group, according to Reuters. 

Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif, Pakistan’s military spokesperson, said the country’s air force shot down five Indian jets in retaliation. 

Three planes fell onto villages in India-controlled territory, and there was a heavy exchange of fire between the sides, the Associated Press reported. At least seven civilians were also killed in the region by Pakistani shelling, Indian police and medics said. 

Debris from one plane was scattered across Wuyan village on the outskirts of Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar, including in a school and a mosque compound, police and residents said. 

"There was a huge fire in the sky. Then we heard several blasts also," Wuyan resident Mohammed Yousuf told the AP. 

PAKISTAN WARNS OF A ‘NUCLEAR FLASHPOINT,’ URGES TRUMP TO STEP IN AMID RISING TENSIONS WITH INDIA OVER KASHMIR 

Another aircraft fell in an open field in Bhardha Kalan village. Resident Sachin Kumar told the AP he heard massive blasts and saw a huge ball of fire. 

"We found the two pilots at some distance in injured condition. They were Indian pilots and soldiers took them away," he added. 

India’s military said the strikes Wednesday were part of "Operation Sindoor." 

"Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature," India’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. "No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted." 

Pakistan’s National Security Committee also met Wednesday morning. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security and postponed his upcoming official trip to Norway, Croatia and the Netherlands, scheduled to start next week. 

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Cardinals entered St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday for a final Mass before the conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis after his death last month.

The Mass comes before the private process to select a new leader of the Catholic Church.

The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, prayed that the 133 cardinals find wisdom, good counsel and understanding before entering the Sistine Chapel to begin making their choices for the next pope.

THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS MEET TO ELECT THE NEXT POPE. WHO WILL IT BE?

The cardinals from 70 countries will be isolated from the outside world, with their cellphones surrendered and airwaves around the Vatican jammed to prevent all communications until a new pontiff is elected.

Francis named 108 of the 133 cardinals, selecting many pastors in his image from countries like Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga that had never had a cardinal before.

Many had not met one another until last week and explained that they needed more time to get to know one another, leading to questions about how long it could take for one of them to secure the two-thirds majority needed to become the 267th pope.

PAPAL PULSE: EVERYDAY CATHOLICS REVEAL THEIR HOPES FOR THE NEXT POPE

"Wait and see, a little patience, wait and see," Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican’s ambassador to Syria, said as he arrived for the final day of pre-vote discussions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

India said it attacked "terrorist infrastructure" in neighboring Pakistan on Tuesday and two of its occupied territories.

Indian armed forces launched "Operation Sindoor," which targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed, the Press Information Bureau of India said in a statement. 

"Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature," the statement said. "No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution."

The military action comes amid tense relations between the nuclear-armed states following an April 22 attack that killed 26 people. 

The attack targeted Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir, the worst such assault on civilians in India in nearly two decades, Reuters reported. 

This story is breaking. Please check back for updates.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the U.S. will stop its bombing campaign against the Houthis in Yemen after the terrorist group told him they "don't want to fight."

"They just don't want to fight," Trump told reporters from the Oval Office. "They just don't want to, and we will honor that. We will stop the bombings."

ISRAEL CALLS TO EVACUATE YEMEN AIRPORT AMID FIGHT WITH HOUTHIS

Trump said the bombings on Houthi targets will stop "effectively immediately."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio then said the "job" was to get attacks on ships in the region to stop.

"If that's going to stop, we will stop," he added.

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) issued an unusual message on social media Tuesday and urged everyone around Yemen’s Sana’a International Airport to evacuate immediately.

"We call upon you to evacuate the airport area - Sana'a International Airport - immediately and warn everyone in your vicinity of the need to evacuate this area immediately," IDF Col. Avichay Adraee said in a post translated from Arabic on X, along with a map of an area highlighted in red around the airport. 

"Failure to evacuate and move away from the place exposes you to danger," he added. 

ISRAEL STRIKES YEMEN'S PORT CITY IN RESPONSE TO HOUTHI ATTACK ON TEL AVIV AIRPORT

Eyewitnesses reported four strikes in the capital city on Tuesday by the IDF, according to a Reuters report which cited the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV.

Adraee did not say whether Israel was planning on striking the international airport in the Houthi-controlled capital, but the warning came one day after Israel hit Houthi targets in Yemen in response to strikes fired by the terrorist group one day prior.

On Sunday, the Iran-backed Houthis launched a missile that landed near Israel’s largest airport in Tel Aviv in an apparent response to Israel’s newly announced expanded military operations in the Gaza Strip.

ISRAEL SAYS TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST VISIT IS THE ‘WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY’ FOR HOSTAGE DEAL

The Houthi’s vowed to hit Israel with "a comprehensive aerial blockade." 

Following the Houthi strike on Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport, Jerusalem scrambled some 20 jets and on Monday hit the Yemeni port of Al-Hudaydah, which is the second-largest port in Yemen and accounts for 80% of the nation’s food imports. 

The Houthis accused the U.S. of carrying out joint strikes with Israel on Monday which killed four people and injured 39, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. The U.S. has reportedly denied involvement in the joint strike.

The U.S. has ramped up its aerial and naval strikes against the Houthis, and since Operation Rough Rider commenced in mid-March, some 800 Houthi targets have been hit, according to an April 27 statement by U.S. Central Command. 

A right-wing Israeli minister says victory for Israel won't come until Gaza is "entirely destroyed" and Palestinians are forced out into other countries.

Israeli Finance Minister Bazalel Smotrich made the statement during a Tuesday appearance at a conference on Jewish settlements in the West Bank. While Smotrich is a senior Israeli official, his statement does not represent the official policy of the Israeli government.

"Within a year we will be able to declare victory in Gaza," he told attendees. "Gaza will be entirely destroyed, civilians will be sent to... the south to a humanitarian zone without Hamas or terrorism, and from there they will start to leave in great numbers to third countries," Smotrich said, according to the Agence France-Presse.

"Israel does not intend to withdraw from territories the IDF captures, not even as part of a deal to release hostages," he added.

TOP HAMAS TERROR LEADER KILLED IN 'PRECISE STRIKE' BY ISRAEL: IDF

Smotrich's comments come just a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government approved a plan to take over Gaza and hold it for an undefined period on Monday.

Netanyahu said in a video message the operation would be "intensive" and would see more Palestinians moved to southern Gaza "for their own safety."

Israeli Cabinet ministers approved the plan Monday morning, but it will only take effect if a hostage deal is not reached by the time President Donald Trump visits Israel on May 13.

Israel currently controls roughly 50% of Gaza, and the plan would see Israeli forces expand into the south. Officials said the plan is set to be implemented gradually, with Israeli forces rooting out Hamas control over territories.

ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER SLAMS UN, CALLS IT 'ROTTEN, ANTI-ISRAEL, AND ANTISEMITIC BODY'

Dubbed Operation Gideon's Chariots, the plan would also seek to prevent the militant Hamas group from distributing humanitarian aid, which Israel says strengthens the group’s rule in Gaza. It also accuses Hamas of keeping the aid for itself to bolster its capabilities. The plan also included powerful strikes against Hamas targets, the officials said.

"We want our troops to fight against a tired, hungry, and exhausted enemy, not one that has supplies and aid coming from outside the strip," Smotrich said in a statement on Monday.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Friedrich Merz, the conservative leader who was poised to become Germany’s next chancellor, failed to win enough votes to secure the country’s top position.

This leaves German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in power even though he had already delivered a farewell address. Merz’s loss marks a historic moment, as it is the first of its kind in post-war Germany.

The result came as a major upset, as Merz was widely expected to win, thanks to a coalition deal involving his party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU); its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU); and the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

TRUMP CELEBRATES CONSERVATIVE PARTY WIN IN GERMANY

In February, Merz led his party to a federal election victory and later signed the deal that many assumed would secure him the votes needed to become chancellor. However, on Tuesday, Merz received 310 votes—falling short by six—as at least 18 Members of the German Parliament in the coalition did not back him, according to Reuters.

GERMANY'S NEW LEADER LOOKS TO DISTANCE EUROPE FROM TRUMP

To secure the position of chancellor, Merz would have needed to win 316 out of 630 in the Bundestag. The coalition of CSU/CDU and SPD has 328 seats, more than enough to secure a majority victory. However, Merz received 310 votes, while 307 members voted against him and nine others abstained.

Despite his unexpected loss, Merz is not out of luck. The Bundestag now has 14 days to elect the next chancellor, and Merz still has a chance of winning the position. Germany’s socialist Left Party, however, is pushing to hold another round of chancellor elections as soon as Wednesday, according to Germany-based news outlet DW.

Merz had already lined up victory trips to France and Poland on Wednesday, Reuters reported, though it is unclear whether he will proceed with the visits as planned following the defeat.

Israel’s controversial National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir recently visited the U.S., where he met with Jewish groups, law enforcement officials and politicians, as well as facing several clashes with protesters.

The shouting critics, however, did not appear to bother Ben-Gvir, who was a right-wing activist in his youth.

Ben-Gvir spoke with Fox News Digital about his U.S. visit, highlighting his trips to Mar-a-Lago, Yale and New York. He noted that he felt a shift in Israel-U.S. relations since President Donald Trump's return to the White House.

"Under Biden’s administration, I was considered persona non grata. Under Trump, I was welcomed at Mar-a-Lago and was able to speak," Ben-Gvir told Fox News Digital. He added that having "an American president who supports us and stands behind us makes a difference" in wartime.

ISRAELI PRESIDENT SAYS NO PLANS TO EXPEL PALESTINIANS FROM GAZA AFTER MINISTERS' COMMENTS CAUSE UPROAR

Trump was not the only politician who met with the Israeli firebrand. Several high-profile Republicans, including Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., and Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., met with Ben-Gvir on Capitol Hill. 

The House Foreign Affairs Committee, which Mast chairs, posted a photo of the chairman with Ben-Gvir and wrote that the two discussed America and Israel’s shared security interests. Mast is well versed in both American and Israeli security needs as a U.S. Army veteran and former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) volunteer.

Prior to his meeting with Mast, Ben-Gvir had the chance to visit his home state where he saw something that he wanted to take back with him to Israel: gun culture.

Ben-Gvir has long been an advocate for wider distribution of firearms in Israel, and while he was visiting the U.S., he took time to see how America handles guns. He had the opportunity to visit both a shooting range and a gun store, which he said was "fascinating."

JEWISH YALE STUDENTS SPEAK OUT AFTER ANTISEMITIC PROTEST

"I was surprised by the quantity and types of weapons available. Even I haven’t reached that level," Ben-Gvir told Fox News Digital.

He spoke about how critics have accused him of arming militias, which he denies. When speaking with Fox News Digital, Ben-Gvir said that the weapons he distributed in Israel "saved many lives."

"I believe we need to learn a from the Americans. One of the important lessons is their policy on weapons," Ben-Gvir told Fox News Digital. "I’m not sure I would distribute arms to the same extent, but I definitely believe in expanding access because citizens have the right to defend themselves."

Gun culture in Israel has changed since the Oct. 7 massacre. Before the attacks, Israel was strict about who was eligible to obtain a firearm. Pre-Oct. 7, firearm licenses were restricted to those who live and work in high-risk areas, licensed tour guides and those who served with Israeli police or IDF security forces, among a few other specified categories, according to an Israeli government website from 2019.

GUN-TOTING RABBI LEADS PUSH TO ARM, TRAIN JEWISH COMMUNITY AMID HIGH TENSIONS: VIDEO

Since Oct. 7, Israel has seen a rise in applications for firearm permits. While Ben-Gvir worked to streamline the handgun application process prior to the attacks, he instituted additional reforms after the massacre. According to the Times of Israel, these reforms included changes to military service requirements for those seeking a license. Additionally, he expanded eligibility requirements to include national service members who have no criminal record, history of violence or mental health issues.

"We need to allow as many citizens as possible to be armed. It gives people a sense of security—when someone has a weapon in their pocket, they feel safer," Ben-Gvir told Fox News Digital.
He added that he had been fighting to arm communities near Gaza but said people "didn’t listen to me. After Oct. 7, I was proven right. It became clear how necessary it was to provide more weapons to civil defense squads."

However, he is proud of his work distributing weapons in the area near Gaza and establishing civil defense squads there. "Thank God, it’s working," he said.

Amelie Botbol contributed to this report.

OTTAWA-While President Donald Trump was widely viewed as the major factor in securing a fourth consecutive term in office for the Liberals in last Monday’s Canadian general election, the Conservative leader played a role in his party’s defeat at the polls, according to Canadian political analysts.

"Trump set the stage" for Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney "as a somber leader for the Liberals, who made people feel assured that things could be handled when there was a sense of fear of people at the beginning of the campaign worried about" the president’s threats of annexing Canada as the 51st state, University of Manitoba political studies professor Christopher Adams told Fox News Digital.

"It’s highly unusual for American presidents to wade into Canadian politics, especially during elections," said Adams.

He explained the last time that happened was during the 1963 Canadian general election campaign, when the press reported on President John F. Kennedy speaking favorably about Canadian Liberal Leader Lester Pearson, whose party toppled Prime Minister John Diefenbaker’s Progressive Conservatives to win the election and form a minority government.

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY SAYS 'OLD RELATIONSHIP' WITH US 'IS OVER' AMID TENSION OVER TRUMP TARIFFS

Trump directly inserted himself into Canada’s election day, April 28, as a quasi-candidate when he posted on social media that the "Great people of Canada" should "elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World…if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America." 

Whether in jest or not, the president’s pitch for annexation was a form of "foreign interference," said Adams. 

On NBC’s "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Trump said it was "highly unlikely" that the U.S. would use military force against Canada to acquire it as the 51st state.

The president will meet the Canadian prime minister for the first time at the White House on Tuesday.

After a post-election call with Carney last week, Trump said the Canadian leader "couldn’t have been nicer" and is "a very nice gentleman."

When asked about his upcoming meeting with the president, the prime minister told reporters at his first post-election news conference on Friday that Trump "respects – as others who are good negotiators, and he’s one of the best negotiators – strength. That’s why we're building Canada strong."

Before the Canadian election was called on March 23, the president told Fox News’ "The Ingraham Angle" host Laura Ingraham that he would "rather deal with a Liberal than a Conservative," and said that Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is "stupidly no friend of mine."

Trump earlier told The Spectator that the Conservative leader’s "biggest problem is he’s not a MAGA guy." 

"He’s not a Trump guy at all," said the president.

TRUMP’S THREATS AGAINST CANADA BOOST TRUDEAU'S LIBERAL PARTY IN THE POLLS AS NEW TARIFFS SET TO BEGIN

Carney’s Liberals won 169 out of 343 seats in the House of Commons to form a minority government in Canada’s 45th general election with 44% of the popular vote. The Conservatives placed second, with 41% of the popular vote, and 144 House seats.

More than 19.5 million Canadians cast their ballots in the election.

Poilievre lost his position as official opposition leader after being defeated in his Ottawa-area riding by Liberal Bruce Fanjoy. Carney, in his first run at seeking public elected office, handily won his Ottawa seat.

Poilievre will run in a yet-to-be-called byelection in an Alberta district in which the Conservative MP Damien Kurek, who was re-elected, will step aside.

At the beginning of the year, polls showed Poilievre was poised to become prime minister and lead his Conservatives to a majority government. He just did not pivot fast enough to a new reality that unfolded within Canada since then, according to Adams, who is writing a book about Canada’s public opinion-research industry.

Justin Trudeau, whose deep unpopularity as Liberal leader and prime minister, stepped down in March and was replaced by Carney, who scrapped an equally unpopular consumer carbon tax – two targets Poilievre continued to focus on.

"And Poilievre kept saying the country is broken, which was the last thing Canadians wanted to hear when Trump was making our country broken," said Adams, who added that the Conservative leader never polled high in likeability.

"Canadians didn’t realize how much they disliked him until Trudeau was gone."

Poilievre will meet in Ottawa on Tuesday with members of the Conservative caucus who won their ridings in last week’s election. They could decide whether he stays or goes as leader through the Reform Act – a 10-year-old law introduced in Parliament by re-elected Conservative member of Parliament (MP) Michael Chong that empowers parliamentarians to hold leadership reviews following elections.

Conservative MPs will also need to choose an interim official opposition leader.

Adams believes Poilievre’s job as party leader is safe given the Conservatives’ overall electoral performance that led to them winning 16 more Commons seats in the most populous Canadian province of Ontario – at the expense of both the Liberals and fellow progressive New Democrats – and their forming the largest official opposition in Canadian history.

TRUMP THREATS BOOSTED CANADA’S CARNEY, HURT CONSERVATIVES AS COUNTRY VOTES FOR NEW LEADER

Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus in the University of Toronto’s Department of Political Science, told Fox News Digital that the race between the Liberals and Conservatives narrowed when Trump pulled back his attacks against Canada in the latter half of the campaign.

The focus shifted to "Conservative issues – cost of living, affordability, housing, time for a change – while Carney was making speeches about Trump – because he knew that was his trump card, no pun intended – and it was wearing off," said Wiseman.

May will be a busy month for Carney. Next week, he will unveil his Cabinet and, on May 27, welcome King Charles III to read the Speech from the Throne to open the next session of Parliament as Canada’s head of state – the first time the British monarch has come to Ottawa to perform that ceremonial role since Queen Elizabeth II in 1977, 20 years after she did so during her first visit to Canada.

Wiseman said the royal visit is intended to showcase national unity in response to Trump’s threats against Canadian sovereignty. 

However, the man who represented the crown as governor general in Canada from 1979 to 1984 said that he "can’t believe that as many people are taking seriously this whole business of Trump talking about the annexation of Canada as an existential threat," Edward Schreyer, a former premier of his home province of Manitoba, told Fox News Digital. "I think the whole thing is a joke – and was at the beginning, is now and ever shall be an absurdity."

The U.S. has reportedly launched a new round of airstrikes in Yemen after the Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile that landed near Israel's main airport on Sunday. 

The Houthi-controlled state news agency in Yemen reported that "American aggression" was behind several strikes on the capital, Sanaa, on Monday. At least 16 people were wounded, according to New Arab.

Since March 15, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) "has conducted an intense and sustained campaign targeting the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen to restore freedom of navigation and American deterrence," a U.S. Defense official told Fox News Digital on Monday. "We will continue to increase the pressure and further disintegrate Houthi capabilities as long as they continue to impede freedom of navigation."

Earlier Monday, Yemen’s Houthis vowed to continue attacks on Israeli airports after the missile briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at Israel’s main international airport near Tel Aviv. The Houthis issued a warning to airlines that they would carry out "repeated targeting" of Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main gateway to the world. 

The Houthis had already threatened late Sunday to implement "a comprehensive aerial blockade" on Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet was set to vote to expand fighting in Gaza. 

ISRAEL APPROVES PLAN TO CAPTURE ALL OF GAZA, CALLS UP TENS OF THOUSANDS OF RESERVE TROOPS: REPORT

Netanyahu said the U.S. was supporting Israeli operations against the Houthis. In a later statement, he added Israel would respond to the Houthis "AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters."

The U.S. military under President Donald Trump has been carrying out an intensified campaign of daily airstrikes targeting the Houthis since March 15.

USCENTCOM said in its most recent statement on April 27 that its forces have "conducted an intense and sustained campaign targeting the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen to restore freedom of navigation and American deterrence" since March 15. "These operations have been executed using detailed and comprehensive intelligence ensuring lethal effects against the Houthis while minimizing risk to civilians," USCENTCOM said. 

USCENTCOM said the strikes "have destroyed multiple command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities, and advanced weapons storage locations." 

"While the Houthis have continued to attack our vessels, our operations have degraded the pace and effectiveness of their attacks. Ballistic missile launches have dropped by 69%. Additionally, attacks from one way attack drones have decreased by 55%," USCENTCOM added. "U.S. strikes destroyed the ability of Ras Isa Port to accept fuel which will begin to impact Houthi ability to not only conduct operations, but also to generate millions of dollars in revenue for their terror activities."

HOUTHI MISSILE STRIKES NEAR ISRAELI AIRPORT AFTER EVADING MISSILE DEFENSES

"Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis. The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime," USCENTCOM said. "We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region."

The Houthis have been firing at Israel since the war against Hamas in Gaza began after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, raising their profile as the last member of Iran's self-described "Axis of Resistance" capable of launching regular attacks on Israel. 

Their missiles have mostly been intercepted, although some have penetrated Israel's missile defense systems, causing damage.

The Israeli military said Sunday was the first time a missile struck the airport grounds since the Israel-Hamas war began. Initial findings indicated the likely cause was a technical issue with the interceptor, they said.

Israel’s emergency medical service Magen David Adom said four people were lightly wounded in the blast. Another two people were reportedly hurt while on their way to shelter, the BBC reported. 

Multiple international airlines canceled or postponed flights. The war with Hamas in Gaza and then Hezbollah in Lebanon led a wave of airlines to suspend flights to Israel, but many have resumed in recent months.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Franciscan Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who has served as the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem since 2020, has emerged as one of the top candidates to succeed the late Pope Francis.

The conclave will select the new Pope in Rome for the world’s more than 1 billion Catholics on Wednesday.

The Jesuit Pope Francis made Pizzaballa a cardinal in September 2023. The following month, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, slaughtered more than 1,200 people and took more than 250 people hostage. Just a few weeks later, Pizzaballa declared he would offer himself as a hostage to the jihad terrorist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of children kidnapped by the radical Islamists.

CONCLAVE TO PICK NEXT POPE TO BEGIN MAY 7, VATICAN SAYS

According to the Vatican News, Pizzaballa, the first cardinal to live in Jewish state, said, "If I am ready for an exchange? Anything, if this can lead to freedom and bring those children back home, no problem. On my part, absolute willingness."

Pizzaballa was born in northern Italy in 1965. He described his upbringing in the rustic environment of the Italian village of Castel Liteggio as delightful. "Those were the last years of a simple country life, with the farmsteads already beginning to depopulate, but still living the last moments of a world now gone by."

TAIWAN ON EDGE AFTER POPE FRANCIS'S DEATH, CLOSELY WATCHING VATICAN-CHINA RELATIONS

He added, "The visits to the stables, where I was sent to fetch milk, the joy of riding in the horse-drawn carts to go make hay, the simple country games, and so on. It was a simple and genuine world, and a sober and happy life. Only with time did I realize how that world would influence me by giving me a style and pursuit of sobriety and sincerity."

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has known Pizzaballa since the turn of the new century in 2000 and praised Pizzaballa’s "fluid, eloquent Hebrew."

Herzog previously said, "He is a brilliant person. He is a leader knowledgeable and extremely well acquainted with the complexities of our region and enjoys the trust of all the concerned parties in Jordan, the Palestinian Territories and Israel. They respect him tremendously. His name precedes him."

However, Pizzabella caused a row with Israel’s government when he signed a statement urging Israel to "avoid killing innocent people" in its campaign to oust the U.S.-designated terrorist entity Hamas in Gaza. 

From the Israeli perspective, the statement failed to blast Hamas’s massacre. Pizzaballa walked back his support for the statement and declared Hamas’s massacre as "unacceptable and incomprehensible barbarity." 

A senior Israeli defense official on Monday said President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to the Middle East is the "window of opportunity" to secure a hostage deal, otherwise Israel will initiate a new military operation in the Gaza Strip.

"If there is no hostage deal, Operation 'Gideon Chariots' will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its goals are achieved," the official said according to a Reuters report in reference to a Sunday night decision by Israel’s security cabinet to expand operations in the Gaza Strip.

Israel will use the roughly 10-day time frame to prepare for its new operations, which will entail calling up tens of thousands of reserve troops with the goal of taking over all the Gaza Strip.

 ISRAEL APPROVES PLAN TO CAPTURE ALL OF GAZA, CALLS UP TENS OF THOUSANDS OF RESERVE TROOPS

In an apparent move to counter the terror group Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces will remain in captured territory rather than withdraw forces after an operation is complete. Israel has not presented a plan for how long it intends to occupy the Palestinian lands in a move that violated U.N.-brokered treaties and internationally recognized borders. 

A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions. 

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement that the plan approved by the cabinet to occupy territory and sustain Israel's presence in Gaza should be named the "Smotrich-Netanyahu plan" to "give up on the hostages and Israel's security and national resilience." 

In the statement, the forum said that this plan is an admission by the government that it is choosing territories over freeing the hostages and noted that more than 70% of Israelis have opposed military prioritization over hostages in recent polling.

Trump had planned to make his trip to the Middle East, where he will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates between May 13 and 16, his first international visit since re-entering the White House, to signify the significance of the region to the U.S.

While this will still be a major geopolitical visit, his first international trip ended up being his visit to Italy for Pope Francis’ funeral, where he held close discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Neither the White House nor the State Department immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s questions regarding Israel’s increasingly aggressive position and how it is impacting hostage and peace deal negotiations. 

PARENTS OF HAMAS HOSTAGES URGE TRUMP TO BE 'TOUGH WITH ENEMIES AND FRIENDS' AMID ISRAELI SIEGE IN GAZA

Comments made by Netanyahu last week sent ceasefire negotiators reeling after he, for the first time, confirmed that returning the hostages taken by Hamas nearly 580 days ago on Oct. 7, 2023 was not his top priority.

"We have many objectives, many goals in this war. We want to bring back all of our hostages," Netanyahu said. "That is a very important goal. In war, there is a supreme objective. And that supreme objective is victory over our enemies. And that is what we will achieve."

The Israeli prime minister also on Saturday justified his increasingly aggressive operations in Gaza that have resulted in the death of more than 50,000 in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, including more than 15,600 children as of late-March, as "a war between civilization and barbarism."

Qatar, which has been heavily involved in hostage negotiations and ceasefire efforts, responded in a Saturday post on social media and said the comments "fall short of the most basic standards of political and moral responsibility."

"Portraying the ongoing aggression against Gaza as a defense of ‘civilization’ echoes the rhetoric of regimes throughout history that have used false narratives to justify crimes against innocent civilians," said Majed Al Ansari, advisor to Qatar Prime Minister Mohammad Al-Thani and spokesman for the foreign ministry. 

Ansari did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions. 

Fox News' Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.

Dozens of witnesses reportedly looked on in horror as a U.S. tourist visiting Rome screamed in pain after impaling himself on a metal fence at the Colosseum.

The man — a 47-year-old American citizen living in Taiwan — was stabbed in the spine while attempting to climb over the historic monument's fence. He was possibly attempting to get a better view, according to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

THREE TOURISTS AMONG 4 KILLED AFTER ITALIAN CABLE CAR CRASHES TO THE GROUND NEAR NAPLES

Bystanders who saw the horrific event called for help as the tourist, stuck on the fence, screamed until he lost consciousness. Law enforcement and paramedics quickly arrived at the scene, but it took them more than 20 minutes to remove him from the fence, Il Messaggero reported.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH STRANGE HEAD DEPICTING ROMAN GOD BENEATH CATHOLIC BASILICA

Once freed, the tourist was immediately brought to the emergency room, where doctors performed surgery. The man's lower back wound was closed with more than 80 stitches, and he was hospitalized in serious condition, the outlet reported.

WORLD LEADERS AND MOURNERS OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH GATHER IN VATICAN CITY FOR POPE FRANCIS' FUNERAL

The unidentified man — who was unable to speak for hours after the incident — was on vacation with family and friends and had only been in Rome for a few days, Il Messaggero reported.

The horrifying incident took place less than a week after Pope Francis was laid to rest in Rome's Santa Maria Maggiore. The April 26 funeral ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica drew more than 250,000 mourners from across the globe to the country's capital, according to the Vatican.

Italy's Civil Protection Department and police force Polizia di Stato did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis’ "pope-mobile" – a vehicle outfitted to protect the pontiff during his 2014 trip to the birthplace of Jesus Christ – is being converted into a mobile children's clinic in Gaza according to the Holy Father’s dying wish. 

The Catholic non-profit organization Caritas Jerusalem made the announcement on Sunday. 

In a press release, the non-profit said that Francis directed the humanitarian organization in his final months to "turn his pope-mobile into a mobile health station for the children in Gaza." 

"The purpose of the initiative is to safeguard and uphold children’s fundamental rights and dignity," Caritas Jerusalem wrote, releasing the first photos of the converted pope-mobile. 

TRUMP POSTS AI IMAGE OF HIMSELF AS POPE AMID VATICAN'S SEARCH FOR NEW PONTIFF

Peter Brune, Secretary General of Caritas Sweden, which is supporting the initiative, said the vehicle "will be able to reach children who today have no access to healthcare – children who are injured and malnourished." 

"This is concrete, life-saving intervention at a time when the health system in Gaza has almost completely collapsed," Brune said in a statement. "It’s not just a vehicle, it’s a message that the world has not forgotten about the children in Gaza." 

"The vehicle represents the love, care and closeness shown by His Holiness for the most vulnerable, which he expressed throughout the crisis," Secretary General of Caritas Jerusalem Anton Asfar said in a statement. 

Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius – a contender to become the next pope after Francis' passing on April 21 – also confirmed the repurposing of the pope-mobile to the New York Times. 

"The papamobile is a very concrete sign that Pope Francis is concerned with all the suffering of children in Gaza, even after his death!" Arborelius wrote to the Times. 

The same Catholic charity network handling the "pope-mobile" project notably slammed the Trump administration's cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in February. 

"Stopping USAID abruptly will kill millions of people and condemn hundreds of millions more to lives of dehumanizing poverty," Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Alistair Dutton said at the time. "This is an inhumane affront to people’s God-given human dignity, that will cause immense suffering. Killing USAID also presents massive challenges for all of us in the global humanitarian community, who will have to completely reassess whom we can continue to serve and how."

The State Department has integrated the remaining functions of USAID, as the department undergoes a massive restructuring. 

TRUMP JOKES THAT HE'D LIKE TO BE POPE, 'NUMBER 1 CHOICE' — THEN NAMES A REAL CONTENDER

Francis approved the "pope-mobile" project in November 2024, the Times reported. The Catholic Church was gifted a new, all-electric "pope-mobile," based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, an SUV, in December, according to USA Today. 

Vatican News, the official news source of the Vatican, also picked up the announcement. The vehicle will be staffed "by a driver and medical doctors" and is currently being fitted with equipment for diagnosis, examination and treatment, including rapid tests for infections, suture kits, syringes and needles, oxygen supply, vaccines and a refrigerator for medicines, according to the non-profit. 

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza is increasingly critical, especially for the nearly one million displaced children," Caritas Jerusalem wrote. "When access to food, water and healthcare is cut off, children are often the first and hardest hit. Starvation, infection and other preventable conditions put their lives at risk." 

Before his passing, Francis "made his pope-mobile available to Caritas Jerusalem, which is now turning it into a mobile health unit for children," according to the nonprofit. "When the humanitarian corridor to Gaza reopens, it will be ready to give primary healthcare to children in Gaza." 

Francis had repeatedly called for a cease-fire in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and took hundreds more into Gaza as hostages. 

The late pontiff has increasingly condemned the Israeli military's response and the deaths of Palestinian children. 

In his final Easter address before his passing, Francis said the humanitarian situation was "dramatic and deplorable." 

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"I express my closeness to the sufferings ... of all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people," he said in a message read aloud by an aide, according to Reuters. "I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace." 

TEL AVIV - A leading archaeology journal has effectively barred submissions by Israelis on Judea and Samaria unless they "have cooperated with the relevant Palestinian authorities," in what analysts say is a microcosm of the harm caused by a global campaign to whitewash the Jewish people’s history in the Land of Israel.

According to a report recently published by The Press Service of Israel (TPS-IL), the Palestine Exploration Quarterly (PEQ)—a peer-reviewed journal of the London-based Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF)—is refusing to accept submissions from researchers affiliated with institutions operating in what it refers to as "occupied territory," citing concerns over alleged Israeli violations of international law. 

"Publication in PEQ is guided by the PEF’s ethical policy. The main aspect of this is international law, by which many academic institutions and publications, including PEQ, are bound," Charlotte Whiting, the journal’s editor-in-chief, told TPS-IL.

The journal’s website states that it "does not collaborate with institutions founded by an occupying power based in any occupied territory, and will not support, encourage, fund, or publish research by any academic associated with such institutions."

LEADING EVANGELICALS IN PUSH TO HAVE PRESIDENT TRUMP RECOGNIZE ISRAELI SOVEREIGNTY OVER ‘BIBLICAL HEARTLAND’

Israeli archaeologists told TPS-IL that any cooperation with Palestinian authorities or colleagues was practically impossible, because they "would be treated as traitors for this." They also said that their work is in many instances shunned by the broader academic world and, as such, researchers are forgoing focus on the biblically significant areas of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) to protect their careers.

"What we’re seeing is a deliberate attempt to undermine Jewish historical ties to the land," Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for Hebron, the cradle of Jewish civilization located in Judea, told Fox News Digital. "There are three strategies at play: the Palestinians either acknowledge Jews were once here but argue they no longer belong, deny any Jewish connection at all, or destroy the evidence outright."

Fleisher noted ongoing efforts by Palestinian authorities and others to rename historical Jewish sites. "They call Hebron ‘Al-Khalil,’ and the Cave of the Patriarchs becomes the ‘Ibrahimi Mosque.’ The Temple Mount is now the ‘Al-Aqsa complex,’ and Rachel’s Tomb has been rebranded as the ‘Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque,’" he said.

To counter this, he says Israeli advocates are working to mark and preserve ancient Jewish landmarks. "We added an Israeli flag and a menorah to a building originally constructed by King Herod 2,000 years ago—which itself stands atop a tomb dating back 3,500 years—to make it unmistakably clear it’s a Jewish site, despite the later addition of three minarets by Muslim conquerors."

The Palestinian Authority, which gained non-member observer state status at the United Nations in 2012, has been spearheading the campaign to rewrite history in global forums that contain automatic anti-Israel majorities.

Among them is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which in 2016 registered the Cave of the Patriarchs—the resting place of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their wives Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah located in Hebron—in the name of the "State of Palestine" on its "List of World Heritage in Danger." More recently, UNESCO, in September 2023, named the Tell es-Sultan site near Jericho, which contains ruins dating back to the ninth millennium BCE, including evidence of one of humanity’s first-known villages, as a "World Heritage Site in Palestine." 

In December 2021, the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution referring to the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site—located in Jerusalem but beyond the 1967 borders—only by its Muslim name, "Haram al-Sharif." In September 2024, P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas called the Temple Mount the "exclusive property of Muslims." Last week, Abbas said in a rare televised speech that the Koran describes the Jewish Temple as being in Yemen.

GOP LAWMAKERS PUSH TRUMP TO RECOGNIZE WEST BANK AS ISRAELI TERRITORY

Naomi Kahn, director of the international division at Regavim, a think tank focused on Israeli sovereignty, said the P.A. is actively building over key archaeological sites as part of this initiative.

"In Solomon’s Pools, which is under P.A. jurisdiction in accordance with the Oslo Accords, they’re constructing condominiums directly on top of ancient Jewish infrastructure," Kahn told Fox News Digital. "These are internationally recognized heritage sites, but the agreements are being violated.

She cited the Hasmonean fortresses near Jericho as a major example. "The burial grounds of Hasmonean kings—the largest necropolis in the Middle East from the Second Temple period—have been plowed and used for farming and construction. In one case, we found human bones scattered in the fields. The Israeli Civil Administration had to collect and rebury them."

Khan also referenced Sebastia, the Greco-Roman name for the ancient city of Samaria. Originally founded by King Omri in the 9th century BC, Samaria became the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel, as noted in the Hebrew Bible (1 Kings 16:24). It served as the kingdom’s capital until it fell to the Assyrians in 722 BCE. Centuries later, Herod the Great rebuilt the city and renamed it Sebaste—Sebastia in later usage—in honor of the Roman Emperor Augustus, whose name in Greek, "Sebastos," carried the same imperial meaning.

In March of last year, Palestinian construction workers built an illegal road through Sebastia, which is located near the city of Nablus, also known by its biblical name, Shechem.

Khan said other sites facing encroachment include Joshua’s Altar, where a new Palestinian neighborhood is being developed nearby, and Joseph’s Tomb, which is largely inaccessible to Jewish Israelis

"I’m disgusted, but not concerned," Sandra Hagee Parker, Chairwoman of the Christians United for Israel Action Fund, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Where are the Romans, Ottomans, and Crusaders? The enemies of Israel are remembered only for their ultimate defeat by the God of Abraham and His children.

"Moreover, the grotesque effort to deny the Jewish connection to the Land is a rejection of God Himself," she continued. "It is both antisemitic and anti-Christian—and it will never succeed. My only concern is that America continues to stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel and her people," she added.

Ze'ev Orenstein, Director of International Affairs at the Jerusalem-based City of David Foundation, stressed that "from its inception in 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization—the forerunner of today’s Palestinian Authority—was founded on the denial of thousands of years of Jewish history and heritage rooted in the Land of Israel in general, and in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria—the Biblical heartland—in particular.

"This denial," Orenstein told Fox News Digital, "aimed to delegitimize and undermine the Jewish people's legal, moral and historical right to sovereignty in the Land of Israel, portraying a people with some of the deepest archaeological ties to the land as occupiers and colonizers. 

"For that reason, the Islamic Waqf carried out a campaign of systematic destruction of antiquities atop the Temple Mount in the late 1990s, and Palestinian leadership continues to deny, damage, and destroy Jewish heritage sites throughout Judea and Samaria," he said.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July 2023 announced a $33 million program to safeguard and rehabilitate archaeological sites in the biblical heartland.

"In every corner of Judea and Samaria, one need only to put spade to ground in order to uncover archaeological finds that attest to our deep roots in the Land of Israel," Netanyahu said at the time. "This plan will encourage tourism, education and [present] information for these important sites that tell the story of our people in Judea and Samaria."

Rev. Dr. Petra Heldt, professor at the Jerusalem University College and director of the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Israel, cited biblical texts and ongoing excavations as proof of longstanding Jewish presence in the region.

"There are hundreds of biblical place names showing Jews lived in Judea and Samaria since the time of Abraham," Heldt told Fox News Digital. "The Palestinian Authority has tried to erase this evidence, but it’s nearly impossible to eliminate."

Heldt pointed to Shiloh as a thriving example, with an active kibbutz and archaeological site where new discoveries are regularly unearthed. "Jewish communities are not only living in their ancestral homeland—they’re documenting it. You can see the impact of various layers of occupation over the last hundred years."

According to Heldt, whose organization hosts global lectures and educational programs on archaeological findings in Judea and Samaria, more international support is needed to protect these sites. "We must involve the media, universities, artists, filmmakers and writers to tell these stories and make these places matter globally," she said.

The struggle to preserve Jewish historical sites in Judea and Samaria is not just about stones or ruins—it’s a battle over narrative, legitimacy and identity, according to the experts.

"The way to fight this is to build, to educate and to assert our sovereignty," Hebron’s Fleisher said. "That’s how we strengthen our connection to the land and protect the truth of our history."

A Houthi missile struck Israeli soil near Tel Aviv's largest airport on Sunday, causing multiple international airlines to cancel flights to Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation for the attack Sunday and will participate in several defense meetings throughout the day. The missile reportedly evaded both Israeli and U.S. missile defenses, according to Israeli media.

"Whoever harms us, we will strike them sevenfold," said Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Lufthansa, Swiss, and Air Europa were among the airlines to cancel flights to Israel, though they expect to resume service on Monday.

TOP HAMAS TERROR LEADER KILLED IN 'PRECISE STRIKE' BY ISRAEL: IDF

At least 8 people were injured in the missile strike, though none of the injuries were life-threatening. Israel has not yet confirmed any specific military retaliation.

Over the weekend, the Israeli Air Force says it struck over 100 terror targets in the Gaza Strip, including terrorist cells, tunnels, underground infrastructure sites, and other military structures.

ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER SLAMS UN, CALLS IT 'ROTTEN, ANTI-ISRAEL, AND ANTISEMITIC BODY'

IDF troops operating in southern Gaza also located weapons caches in the area, dismantled dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites, and eliminated a number of terrorists.

The missile strike comes days after Israel was forced to cancel its independence day celebrations due to wildfires raging throughout the country.

Massive wildfires broke out near Jerusalem on Wednesday, forcing road closures and mass evacuations that paralyzed the country. Israel traditionally celebrates its independence with a torch-lighting ceremony. It instead broadcast footage of the rehearsal ceremony.

Jerusalem District Fire Department Commander Shmulik Friedman told the press on Wednesday that the wildfires may be "the largest fire ever in the country" and warned that high winds could exacerbate the blaze later in the day. He also warned that Israel was "far from control" of the fires.

Fox News David Spector and Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.