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Israeli officials have slammed the latest report from an organization that earlier this year claimed there was famine in parts of Gaza, saying the new document is biased and that its conclusions were "predetermined."

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a United Nations-backed organization, previously claimed famine conditions were met in Gaza Governorate in August but now says that about 1.6 million Gazans are facing "high levels of acute food insecurity.

IDF Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which deals with Gaza, called out what he said were "biased claims" by the IPC which he said, "disregard the volumes of food that entered during the ceasefire, indicating that the report’s conclusions were predetermined."

ISRAEL PUSHES BACK AT ‘TAILOR-MADE’ UN-BACKED REPORT CLAIMING GAZA FAMINE

A statement from COGAT noted, "It is important to recall that this is not the first time IPC reports regarding the Gaza Strip have been published with extreme forecasts and warnings that do not materialize in practice. Time and again, IPC assessments have proven to be incorrect and disconnected from the data on the ground, contradicting verified facts, including aid volumes, food availability and market trends. The international community must act responsibly, avoid falling for false narratives and distorted information and refrain from legitimizing a biased and unprofessional report."

In its latest report, the IPC’s Famine Review Committee addressed the changing circumstances, explaining that "following the publication of the [last] FRC report, there was a partial relaxation of the blockade and an increase in the availability of food and other essential supplies." While the FRC says this "came too late to avoid famine in Gaza Governorate in July and early August, the persistence of Famine and its spread to other governorates during the projection period has been avoided."

In August, the IPC projected that two additional governorates would experience famine by Sept. 30. At the time, several experts disputed the presence of famine conditions, including Dr. David Adesnik, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Adesnik told Fox News Digital that mortality figures, while worrisome, did not reach levels expected during famine conditions. He also said that the prices on key food items had remained relatively stagnant or even declined during the period of alleged famine.

Following the IPC’s latest report, Adesnik said that the IPC are still "dodging the question of proving that they were right" about prior famine declarations.

US REPORT URGES UN AGENCY'S SHUTDOWN OVER HAMAS TIES, OCT 7 TERROR LINKS

In assessing the lack of mortality numbers that indicate famine, Adesnik said one of the IPC’s current arguments is that "data largely capture trauma-related deaths and overlook a substantial proportion of non-traumatic mortality."  He called this "a big leap," explaining "They're basically saying that with all of its efforts to track down every name of someone killed during the war, the Gaza Ministry of Health somehow missed all the people who didn't die because of bullets, shrapnel or falling buildings — that there's just all these people who would have died of hunger, disease, other things."

He said that the IPC’s figures show the highest number of malnutrition-related deaths per month being 27, with all malnutrition deaths peaking at 186. "Hundreds of people dying from malnutrition is still a terrible, terrible thing," Adesnik said. "But we were asking a question: Is this famine? And that is not remotely close to the threshold for determining famine."

The IPC told Fox News Digital that to meet the famine threshold, "at least two in every 10,000 people" "or at least four in every 10,000 children under five are dying daily" on account of "outright starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease."

US-BACKED AID GROUP ENDS GAZA MISSION AFTER DEFYING HAMAS THREATS, UN CRITICISM

In response to questions about its famine data, the IPC told Fox News Digital that "in the case of the Gaza analysis, there was clear evidence that thresholds for starvation and acute malnutrition had been reached, and analysts reasonably assessed from the broader evidence that the mortality threshold (third outcome) has likely been reached."

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said on X that "The IPC also disregards the fact that, on average, between 600 and 800 aid trucks enter the Gaza Strip every day, 70% of them carrying food - nearly five times more than what the IPC itself said was required for the Strip."

Though it is not claiming famine is underway, the IPC still states that in a "worst-case scenario" of a return to conflict, "the entire Gaza Strip is at risk of famine through mid-April 2026."

Adesnik said that the IPC is merely "guessing about the future." He noted that accuracy from the IPC holds serious importance given the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice’s allegations of war crimes and genocide against Israel. A declaration of famine would be a "big building block in what seems to prove part of the case."

Last week, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sanctioned two more members of the ICC for engaging "in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute Israeli nationals, without Israel’s consent, including voting with the majority in favor of the ICC’s ruling against Israel’s appeal on December 15.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the State Department "will continue to hold accountable those responsible for the ICC’s morally bankrupt and legally baseless actions against Americans and Israelis."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a meeting with President Donald Trump as Israeli officials warn that recent Iranian missile drills could be used as cover for a surprise attack, raising fresh urgency around Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and military posture ahead of the expected Dec. 29 talks.

Those concerns were echoed publicly on Monday by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who warned that Iran’s nuclear ambitions and military posture pose a direct threat not only to Israel but also to the United States and Europe.

Speaking Monday at the Israel Institute for National Security conference, Huckabee said Trump has maintained a consistent red line on Iran. "All I can do is point out to you what the president has said repeatedly, and he consistently has said Iran is never going to enrich uranium, and they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon," he said.

ISRAELI PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG THANKS TRUMP FOR 'HISTORIC' IRAN STRIKE

"It presents a threat, but not just to Israel, not just to the United States. This presents a real threat to all of Europe," he added. "And if the Europeans don’t understand this, then they’re even dumber than I sometimes think they are."

Huckabee suggested in his interview that Iran may not have taken that message seriously until U.S. military action earlier this year. "I don’t know that they ever took him seriously until the night that the B-2 bombers went to Fordow," Huckabee said. "I hope they got the message, but apparently they didn’t get the full message because, as you have mentioned, they appear to be trying to reconstitute and find a new way to dig the hole deeper and secure it more," he said at the conference.

Huckabee also framed Iran’s long-standing threats as fundamentally aimed at Washington. "Iran has threatened America for 46 consecutive years, from 1979, when the ayatollahs took power," he said. "They’ve always said, ‘Death to Israel, death to America,’ in the same sentence."

"Israel is only the appetizer because you’re closer, and you’re an easier target than the vast geographical expanse that represents the United States," Huckabee continued. "But they’ve never hidden the fact that the real entrée, their ultimate goal, is to destroy the United States."

HEGSETH, PENTAGON BRASS PRAISE TRUMP'S 'SPECTACULAR' MILITARY SUCCESS IN IRAN NUCLEAR STRIKES

The remarks come amid heightened concern in Israel over recent Iranian military activity. According to Axios, Israeli officials warned the Trump administration over the weekend that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile exercise "could be preparations for a strike on Israel," citing three Israeli and U.S. sources with knowledge of the issue. One Israeli source told Axios that while intelligence currently shows force movements inside Iran, Israel’s tolerance for risk is far lower than it was before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

A senior Israeli official told Fox News Digital on background that concern over the Iranian drills is rooted in history rather than speculation. "Iran is doing drills. A concern that the drill will become a surprise attack is a real concern based on history. The Yom Kippur War started that way. I remind you, we shouldn’t ignore it," the official said.

The source dismissed speculation that the drills signal imminent coordinated military action with Washington. "If we were planning an attack with the U.S., it probably wouldn’t make it into the media," the official said.

UN NUCLEAR CHIEF SAYS IRAN HAS MATERIAL TO BUILD BOMBS, BUT NO PLAN TO DO SO

The official acknowledged that the Iranian activity has also shifted Israel’s domestic political conversation, including debate over draft evasion legislation. "The headlines in Israel are now about the Iranian threat instead of the bill," the official said. "Is it spin? Is there something special? Is there truth? Maybe. But we always need to be prepared."

NBC News reported on Saturday that Netanyahu plans to use his meeting with Trump to argue that Iran’s renewed expansion of its ballistic missile program poses a growing threat that could require swift action. According to the report, Netanyahu is expected to emphasize that Iran’s activities endanger not only Israel but also broader regional stability and U.S. interests.

NBC reported that Netanyahu is expected to present Trump with several options, including potential U.S. involvement or support, should Israel determine that additional military action against Iran is necessary.

Asked Thursday about a possible Dec. 29 meeting with Netanyahu, Trump told reporters, "We haven’t set it up formally, but he’d like to see me." Israeli officials have announced that a meeting is planned for Dec. 29.

Fox News Digital reached out to Netanyahu's spokesperson but did not get a response.

Australian authorities say the suspects in the Bondi Beach shooting filmed a video manifesto that was littered with antisemitism and Islamic State leanings.

Investigators say that the father-son pair accused of carrying out the attack, 50-year-old Sajid Akram and 24-year-old Naveed Akram, may have been planning it for several months. Only the son survived the attack, and he now faces charges of murder and terrorism.

Police referenced a video found on the son's phone that displayed the pair's "political and religious views and appear to summarise their justification for the Bondi terrorist attack."

The men are seen in the video "condemning the acts of Zionists" while they also "adhere to a religiously motivated ideology linked to Islamic State," police said.

AUSTRALIA’S HANUKKAH MASSACRE: THE HORROR OF BEING PROVEN RIGHT

"There is evidence that the Accused and his father meticulously planned this terrorist attack for many months," police allege.

Some of the footage, shot in October, shows the pair firing shotguns in the woods and "moving in a tactical manner."

The two hurled four improvised explosive devices toward a crowd but the devices failed to detonate, authorities said.

The attack has placed heightened scrutiny on rising antisemitism in Australia and what Jewish leaders say was the government's refusal to act against it.

AUSTRALIA TERROR ATTACK EXPOSES ISIS RESURGENCE AS EXPERTS WARN OF GLOBAL JIHADIST NETWORKS

Australian Prime Minister Anthony AlbaneseAnthony Albanese was met with boos while attending a vigil honoring the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting on Sunday.

An estimated 10,000 mourners, including Albanese and various Australian politicians and members of the Jewish community, gathered on Bondi Beach to commemorate the victims. David Ossip, who serves as president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, remarked on Albanese's presence to the crowd and received a chorus of boos.

Meanwhile, the crowd cheered at the mention of opposition leader Sussan Ley. Ley has said that a coalition government under her leadership would reverse a decision by Albanese's government to recognize a Palestinian state.

The Dec. 14 attack left 15 people dead and dozens more hospitalized. The father was killed in the attack, while the son was critically injured. He woke from a coma last week and is now facing charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Russian general was killed in a car bombing in Moscow on Monday, with investigators saying they suspect Ukrainian intelligence may have been behind the attack.

The bombing targeted Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff, and he died from his injuries. He was the third senior Russian military officer to be killed in a bombing this year.

"Investigators are pursuing numerous lines of inquiry regarding the murder. One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services," said Svetlana Petrenko, the spokesperson for Russia's Investigative Committee.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that President Vladimir Putin had been immediately informed about Sarvarov's killing.

PUTIN REJECTS KEY PARTS OF US PEACE PLAN AS KREMLIN OFFICIAL WARNS EUROPE FACES NEW WAR RISK: REPORT

Sarvarov had previously fought in Chechnya and taken part in Moscow's military campaign in Syria, according to Russia's defense ministry.

Ukrainian forces have yet to take responsibility for the attack.

Prior to Sarvarov, Russia lost the head of its nuclear, biological and chemical protection force, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, in a similar bombing earlier this year. Ukrainian forces took responsibility for that attack.

PUTIN DERIDES EUROPEAN LEADERS AS HE INSISTS RUSSIA'S WAR GOALS IN UKRAINE WILL BE MET BY FORCE OR DIPLOMACY

Russian military officer Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik was also killed by a car bombing in Moscow in April.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in the aftermath of that attack that he had received reports about the successful "liquidation" of Russian military leaders, though he did not mention Moskalik directly.

The Monday bombing comes as Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. remain in peace talks. Russian officials said they were proceeding "constructively" on Sunday, even as missiles rained down on Ukraine's port city of Odesa.

Putin also noted on Friday that the nation's "troops are advancing," and expressed confidence that Russia would achieve its goals by military force if Ukraine does not accept its peace terms.

"The goals of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved. We would prefer to accomplish this and address the root causes of the conflict through diplomatic means," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The terror attack in Australia has renewed urgent warnings from intelligence officials and counterterrorism experts that global jihadist networks are intensifying their reach, even as Western governments continue to frame groups like ISIS as weakened or in retreat.

Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and one of the longest-running trackers of jihadist movements, said the Australia attack highlights a persistent miscalculation in Western capitals.

"We’ve always been quick to declare terrorist organizations defeated and insignificant, and that couldn’t be further from the truth," Roggio told Fox News Digital.

Roggio, who is also managing editor of The Long War Journal, said ISIS remains far from dismantled despite the collapse of its territorial "caliphate."

FAMILIES MOURN LOVED ONES LOST IN BONDI BEACH TERROR ATTACK: ‘NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE THE PAIN’

"This attack in Australia is absolute proof that the Islamic State hasn’t been defeated," he said. "These groups are still able to recruit and indoctrinate people. They still have safe havens."

He pointed to ISIS’ enduring presence in Afghanistan. "I just read the U.N. report. There are 2,000 ISIS fighters there, according to the United Nations," Roggio said. "That’s not what a defeated group looks like."

Israeli officials say the threat revealed in Australia is part of a broader global pattern. Over the past year, they said, plots have been attempted or disrupted across Europe, North America, and elsewhere — signaling an escalating jihadist resurgence rather than isolated bursts of violence.

Corri Zoli, a research associate at Syracuse University’s Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute, said Western governments cannot ignore the indicators.

"Governments are on notice that there is a steep rise in the terrorist targeting of religious minorities, particularly those from the Jewish faith community and Israelis worldwide — a trend intelligence agencies say has accelerated in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, which killed more than 1,200 people in Israel," Zoli said.

Roggio agrees the Israel–Hamas war has supercharged radicalization and emboldened extremists worldwide.

"With Israel’s war against Hamas, it’s given new life for people to attack Jews worldwide," Roggio said. "It’s a further reason to radicalize."

BYSTANDERS SEEN CONFRONTING AUSTRALIAN GUNMAN DURING ISIS-INSPIRED DEADLY RAMPAGE

Intelligence officials told Fox News Digital that extremist actors across ideological lines are leveraging the conflict to inspire supporters, amplify propaganda and justify attacks in the West. Terrorist organizations, they said, are adapting quickly — merging digital incitement with on-the-ground recruitment networks.

"Analysts at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center warn these networks are probing for openings in Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States, exploiting ideological ecosystems that can radicalize individuals far from traditional battlefields," Zoli said.

GLOBAL WAVE OF TERROR PLOTS SPARKS NEW ALARMS OVER THE WEST’S GROWING VULNERABILITY

Zoli also noted that Australian authorities had acknowledged that the attacker’s family had been on the radar of domestic intelligence. "The son, Naveed Akram, was known to Australian officials for his extremism since 2019 and his association with extremist imam Wissam Haddad, a habitual violator of Australia’s racial hatred laws at the Al Madina Dawah Centre and a prominent figure in the Street Dawah Movement. Akram also maintained close ties to Isaac El Matari, who claimed to be an Australian ISIS commander and is currently serving jail time for insurgency and firearms offenses," she said.

Roggio rejects the notion that individuals like Akram should be viewed as "lone wolves."

"I disagree with that whole ‘lone wolf’ terminology," he said, arguing that extremist ecosystems continue to provide ideological motivation, guidance and validation even when attackers act alone.

A senior intelligence source put it even more starkly: "Today is ISIS, tomorrow is Iran."

PHILIPPINE AUTHORITIES GIVE UPDATE ON BONDI BEACH GUNMEN'S MOVEMENTS AMID SPECULATION ABOUT TERROR TRAINING

Roggio also stressed that the threat is not confined to ISIS but spans an interconnected web of jihadist actors.

"This isn’t just the Islamic State. It’s al Qaeda," he said. "We were quick to declare al Qaeda defeated in Afghanistan. You read the U.N. reports, they’re still there. They’re in bed with the Taliban." "These groups aren’t defeated," he added. "They’re just operating differently."

Morgan Murphy, a national security expert and former Trump White House official, and current U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama, told Fox News Digital that "Because of an unprecedented influx of unvetted, Islamist, fighting-age male migrants into both Europe and the United States, the West now faces a threat from within. That internal risk undermines our global leadership and drains resources that should be used to defend freedom abroad. This is a national security disaster created by the shortsighted policies of leaders like President Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel, who welcomed so-called refugees without considering the long-term consequences for Western society."

Just because we want to declare the war against terror over doesn’t mean it’s over," Roggio said. "We wanted to end our involvement in these wars, but the enemy gets a vote. That’s what we just saw in Australia."

Iranian officials executed a man over the weekend who was convicted of spying for Israel's intelligence arm and its army, according to state media.

The man was Aghil Keshavarz, who was put to death on Saturday, state media reported.

Keshavarz, 27, had "close intelligence cooperation" with the Mossad — the national intelligence agency for Israel — and captured photos of Iranian military and security areas, according to state media.

IRAN’S EXECUTION RATE TOPS 1,000 THIS YEAR AS DEATH ROW INMATES LAUNCH HUNGER STRIKE

Keshavarz was arrested in May while taking pictures of a military headquarters in the city of Urmia, located about 371 miles northwest of Iran's capital of Tehran.

He was accused of engaging in more than 200 similar assignments for the Mossad in various Iranian cities, including Tehran.

Keshavarz was tried and sentenced to death in connection with the spying accusations. The country's Supreme Court later upheld the sentence, according to state media.

Iran has executed 11 people for espionage since a 12-day air conflict in June that was kicked off by Israel, killing roughly 1,100 people in Iran, including military commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran countered with a missile barrage that killed 28 people in the Jewish State.

In October, Iran executed an unknown person convicted of spying for Israel's intelligence agency in the city of Qom.

IRAN HANGS A MAN CONVICTED OF SPYING FOR ISRAEL

Various others have been executed in Iran in recent years before the June conflict on allegations of spying for the Mossad, including multiple earlier this year.

Iran routinely conducts closed-door trials of people accused of espionage, with the suspects often unable to access the evidence prosecutors used against them in their case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Australian officials should have seen the "writing on the wall" before last weekend's terror attack that left 15 people dead during the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, said Amichai Chikli, Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism.

Since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas, Australia has become a "hotbed" of antisemitism, Chikli told Fox News Digital, citing demonstrations with people shouting antisemitic slogans and engaging in violence. 

Slogans like "Globalize the intifada" and the waving of flags in support of Hamas, ISIS and other terror groups during an August protest on the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge encouraged the climate that led to the Bondi Beach attack, he said. 

"The prime minister said that it was a demonstration of unification, of unity," said Chikli. "I think that the leadership here failed to understand that words have meanings, and incitement is something which is very, very dangerous. And so there were zero actions from the government, zero condemnation."

DEMOCRATS UNITE AGAINST SYDNEY TERROR — BUT FETTERMAN WARNS PARTY’S ANTI-ISRAEL RIFT BOILING OVER

"The writing was on the wall," he added. "It was not a surprise. We knew that it was going to happen, this way or another, there was going [to] be violence."

Since the attack, which claimed the life of a 10-year-old girl and a Holocaust survivor, among others, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has moved to tighten the country's already strong gun laws. In addition to those killed, dozens more were wounded. 

"The government is prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws," Albanese said Monday after meeting with his National Cabinet. "If we need to toughen these up, if there's anything we can do, I'm certainly up for it."

The focus on gun control is an attempt to bypass the real issue, said Chikli. 

WERE WARNINGS IGNORED IN AUSTRALIA TERROR ATTACK?

"It's inconvenient for this government, who was very supportive of these pro-Palestinian demonstrations, to say it loud and clear that we have a problem of jihadist violence of radical Islam," he said. "I've never heard the prime minister of Australia even using the words radical Islam. It seems to be beyond his capabilities to just say the words radical Islam.

"It's not the shotgun who killed these innocent people. It is the man behind it," he added.

Albanese's office referred Fox News Digital to a Wednesday news conference in which he talked about terrorism. 

"People who have this perversion of Islam that leads them to support Islamic State, and to have a view that somehow there is some reward for them," he said. "There is not. They are evil. We need to make sure that we do whatever is within our powers. Now, that means education. It means as well, stamping out, calling out evil when we see it. And we'll continue to do so, not just as a government, but as a nation as well."

In a podcast interview that aired the same day, Albanese said the suspects linked to the attack were motivated by "the sort of ideology of the Islamic State."

"There were flags present in the back of their vehicle that they drove to Bondi in order to cause harm," he said. "This is a perverse ideology, a terrorist ideology that does not respect human life, and that is antisemitic in character, but anti-humanity as well." 

EYEWITNESS TO AUSTRALIA TERROR ATTACK DESCRIBES 'PANDEMONIUM' DURING DEADLY SHOOTING AT HANUKKAH EVENT

Dionne Taylor, the communications manager for the Australia/Israel Jewish Affairs Council, previously told Fox News Digital that the government was warned about the potential for violence against Jews. 

"It started with hate speech," she said. "Then graffiti. Then public demonstrations. Then firebombing synagogues, preschools, people’s homes, people’s cars. And now murder."

She said Jewish leaders and community representatives repeatedly raised alarms with state and federal officials, warning that inaction would lead to bloodshed. Taylor pointed to formal submissions and a detailed report produced by Australia’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, which she said was acknowledged by the government but never implemented.

Chikli, who has visited Australia since the attack and has attended the funerals for the victims, compared the Australian leadership to the Biden administration, which was criticized by some who said it failed to call out Islamic extremism in favor of woke ideology. 

On the opposite end, he noted that the Trump administration has pressured American universities to address antisemitism and has moved to revoke the visas for foreign students who participate in anti-Israel demonstrations and foment radical movements. 

"The Biden administration is similar in terms of ideology to the current leadership here in Australia – progressive, woke, weak leadership," Chikli said. "Simple as that, with zero capability of addressing the threat of radical Islam and zero actions."

He also noted that he hadn't seen current Australian officials at the funerals for the victims.

Fox News Digital's Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.

Israel’s national intelligence chief warns that Iran, ISIS and other jihadist actors remain determined to target Jews worldwide, as senior intelligence officials sound the alarm on a sharp global rise in terrorism.

Speaking days after the Hanukkah massacre in Australia, Mossad Director David Barnea said Israel’s spy agency would find "those who sent them wherever they flee, and we will hold them to account," adding that "justice will be done and justice will be seen."

Barnea said the attack in Sydney reflects a broader and ongoing threat. "The criminal idea of terrorism targeting innocent civilians has been and remains a cornerstone of the security strategy of the current Iranian regime," he said. He warned that "jihadist elements, ISIS and others, have also resolved to target every Jew in the world."

"Our hearts are with the families of the Australian victims," Barnea said. He added that the goal of such attacks is to break Jewish resilience, but stressed, "Our spirit will not be broken. We will continue to celebrate our holidays and live our lives in Israel and around the world."

FOX NEWS ‘ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED’ NEWSLETTER: AUSTRALIA PAYS PRICE FOR CODDLING EXTREMISTS

The comments came as Australian and international authorities continue investigating the attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach that killed 15 people and wounded dozens more. Australian officials have said the shooters were inspired by Islamic State ideology, and homemade ISIS banners were found inside their vehicle.

The recent attack has also fueled calls in Washington for a tougher counterterrorism posture. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital, "We must stay on offense and never return to the weak policies. Under President Trump, American strength is back, and terrorists know it. Iran’s nuclear program was crippled, ISIS’s leadership was crushed, and a clear message was sent: If you threaten Americans, you will be eliminated."

The Bondi attack followed months of warnings from Israeli intelligence that Jewish communities and Western nations face an expanding terror threat driven by Iran-linked networks alongside Sunni jihadist groups. Senior Israeli intelligence sources previously told Fox News Digital that the Mossad had alerted Australian authorities about Iranian-linked terror activity long before the attack and stressed the danger was not confined to a single country.

"Today it’s ISIS. Tomorrow it’s Iran," one senior Israeli intelligence official said, describing a threat environment in which multiple extremist actors are operating in parallel and often overlapping arenas.

SURVIVING AUSTRALIA TERROR SUSPECT SLAPPED WITH CHARGES IN WAKE OF DEADLY ATTACK

The official added that Israeli intelligence has identified or disrupted similar activity across Europe, Africa and Asia, including alleged plots involving Germany, Austria, South America, India and Thailand. "If you knew how many terror attacks the Mossad has prevented, you would drop your jaw," the source said.

Barnea also warned that Iran’s use of terrorism is inseparable from its broader strategic ambitions, including its nuclear program. He said Tehran "will sprint toward nuclear weapons the moment it is able to," and that "the idea of developing a nuclear bomb is still alive in their hearts."

Barnea said Israel has a responsibility to ensure that Iran’s nuclear project, which he said has been severely damaged through close cooperation with the United States, is never revived.

As investigations continue in Australia, Israeli intelligence officials say the Bondi Beach attack fits a broader global pattern of terrorism driven by both Iranian-backed networks and jihadist ideology, reinforcing Barnea’s warning that the threat remains active, adaptive and global.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was met with boos while attending a vigil honoring the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting on Sunday.

An estimated 10,000 mourners gathered on Bondi Beach to commemorate the the victims, including Albanese and various Australian politicians and members of the Jewish community. David Ossip, who serves as president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, remarked Albanese's presence to the crowd and received a chorus of boos.

"This has to be the nadir of antisemitism in our country," Ossip said. "This has to be the moment when light starts to eclipse the darkness."

Meanwhile, the crowd cheered at the mention of opposition leader Sussan Ley. Ley has said that a coalition government under her leadership would reverse a decision by Albanese's government to recognize a Palestinian state.

FAMILIES MOURN LOVED ONES LOST IN BONDI BEACH TERROR ATTACK: ‘NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE THE PAIN’

The tense reaction comes after Jewish leaders and Israeli officials have lambasted Albanese's government for ignoring warning signs of Australia's rising antisemitism in the months before the attack on Bondi Beach.

SURVIVING AUSTRALIA TERROR SUSPECT SLAPPED WITH CHARGES IN WAKE OF DEADLY ATTACK

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted a letter he sent to Albanese earlier this year when the latter's government announced it was recognizing a Palestinian state. He argued the move "pours fuel on the antisemitic fire."

"Your government did nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism in Australia. You did nothing to curb the cancer cells that were growing inside your country. You took no action. You let the disease spread and the result is the horrific attacks on Jews we saw today," Netanyahu said the day of the attack.

AUSTRALIA ANTI-TERROR POLICE DETAIN 7 MEN AS COUNTRY LAYS YOUNGEST BONDI BEACH VICTIM TO REST

The December 14 attack left 15 people dead and dozens more hospitalized. The shooters were a father-son duo, and the father was killed in the attack. The son, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, woke from a coma after recovering from severe injuries and faces charges of murder and terrorism.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Nine people were killed and at least 10 others wounded when gunmen opened fire inside a South African pub early Sunday, sparking a manhunt for the attackers in the country’s second mass shooting in less than a month.

The shooting happened just before 1 a.m. at KwaNoxolo tavern in Bekkersdal, a township located 28 miles west of Johannesburg. Police said about 12 unknown suspects in a white mini-bus and a silver sedan opened fire at pub patrons and continued to shoot randomly as they sped away from the scene.

"Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen," police said.

SHOOTING AT CROWDED SOUTH CAROLINA BAR LEAVES AT LEAST 4 DEAD, 20 OTHERS INJURED

Maj. Gen. Fred Kekana, Gauteng’s acting provincial commissioner, told The Associated Press that the gunmen, some of whom covered their faces with balaclavas, were armed with an AK-47 rifle and several 9mm pistols.

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Authorities have launched a manhunt for the suspects, led by Gauteng’s Serious and Violent Crime Investigations unit in coordination with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit.

The attack follows a string of mass shootings at bars — often called shebeens or taverns in South Africa. Earlier this month, multiple gunmen opened fire at an unlicensed bar near the capital, killing at least 12 people and injuring 13 others.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

In the wake of the mass shooting attack at Bondi Beach during a Hanukkah celebration, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a national gun buyback program and proposed new hate speech laws.

While the legislation has not yet been drafted, it is already causing controversy as fears that the laws could be wielded as political weapons emerge. Critics have also said that neither the gun buyback nor the hate speech laws are addressing the root of what led to the terror attack.

"Well, it's a bit hard for them to actually strengthen the laws. It's not clear what they're proposing to do," Dr. Reuben Kirkham, one of the directors of the Free Speech Union of Australia, told Fox News Digital. "What they're probably going to try and do is widen it to include a bunch of things that are not to do with hate speech, necessarily."

Albanese told reporters on Friday that the government was working to "get the laws right" and acknowledged the complexities surrounding the issue. He said, "There are issues of free speech involved in this as well — we want to make sure that these laws don't get passed and then get knocked over."

SENATORS TED CRUZ AND JOHN FETTERMAN AGREE ON HATING ONE 'EVIL' DURING BIPARTISAN INTERVIEW

The proposed changes include federal offenses for "aggravated hate speech" aimed at preachers who promote violence and "serious vilification" based on race, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The outlet noted that just 10 months ago, the government strengthened federal hate speech laws with the goal of curbing antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Simultaneously, New South Wales (NSW), where the terror attack took place, is considering banning chants of the phrase "globalize the intifada," which many consider to be an antisemitic call for violence against Jews. The ban would also apply to public displays of ISIS flags and extremist symbols.

Additionally, NSW Premier Chris Minns said, under the ban, police would be given more powers to demand that protesters remove face coverings during demonstrations, according to The Associated Press.

THOUSANDS GATHER AS BONDI BEACH REOPENS, COMMEMORATING VICTIMS OF HANUKKAH ATTACK

Kirkham told Fox News Digital that existing anti-vilification laws have already been used to shut down speech that opposes government views. He believes that if these laws are strengthened in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting, they would be used as political weapons, rather than protections for everyday people. Additionally, Kirkham said he sees this as the government using the attack as an opportunity to pass laws that fit its views.

Furthermore, Kirkham argues that Albanese's proposal could actually increase antisemitism rather than put an end to it.

"What they’re basically saying is, ‘Well, we need more censorship laws. Why? Well, apparently to protect Jewish people.’ So what they’re saying to these communities is, ‘We’re censoring you to protect the Jews.’ I mean, how is that going to go down? Is that going to improve the issue of antisemitism, or is it going to make it worse?"

While the Australian government has focused its response on hate speech and gun laws, critics, such as Kirkham, say the Bondi Beach attack revealed intelligence failures.

Albanese said Friday that intelligence indicated that the attack at Bondi Beach was in fact inspired by ISIS.

"We've been informed that the Office of National Intelligence has identified a regular online video feed from ISIS that reinforces that this was an ISIS-inspired attack. Further work has been done by the security agencies around motivation, and we'll continue to meet and provide them with whatever support they need at this difficult time," Albanese told reporters.

Fox News Digital reached out to Albanese's office for comment.

FAMILIES MOURN LOVED ONES LOST IN BONDI BEACH TERROR ATTACK: ‘NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE THE PAIN’

Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that governments in the West have routinely failed to tackle the problems behind Islamic extremism-inspired attacks.

"The problem here is there's this radical Islamist ideology that spans a spectrum from political Islam, the Muslim Brotherhood, to Hamas and Palestinian terrorist groups, to al Qaeda and Islamic State, and we in the West refuse to, and have from the very beginning since 9/11, refuse to actually take that on," Roggio said. "We don't want to admit that there is an actual problem within Islam, not with Islam, but within Islam."

As authorities investigate the shooting attack, a focal point has become the father-son gunmen's trip to the Philippines just before the shooting at Bondi Beach.

The GV Hotel in Davao City said the men booked their stay through a third party and were initially scheduled to arrive on Nov. 15 but instead arrived on Nov. 1, according to Reuters. An employee told Reuters the two booked the room for seven days but extended their stay three times and paid in cash. The hotel worker also said the men barely interacted with staff and had no visitors.

Philippine National Police Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete, the Davao region’s police director, told the Guardian that the older gunman was interested in firearms. He also spoke of the gunmen's "jog walk" that was captured on CCTV, adding that the two appeared to be doing "physical conditioning" exercises.

"The father has shown interest in firearms. He entered a firearms shop," Rosete told the Guardian. He later said that they did not visit any firing ranges in Davao.

BYSTANDERS SEEN CONFRONTING AUSTRALIAN GUNMAN DURING ISIS-INSPIRED DEADLY RAMPAGE

Davao City is located on the island of Mindanao, which has been under a "Level 3: Reconsider Travel" advisory since May. However, the State Department said Davao City, in addition to a few other locations, is an exception to the advisory.

Roggio told Fox News Digital that Mindanao is a "known hotbed for Islamist groups."

"If they weren't at actual camps to get training, they could have been getting advice on how to plot the attack, where to plot the attack, what the target should be," Roggio told Fox News Digital. He said the two could have also received additional "indoctrination" while in the Philippines.

"Three weeks-plus isn't enough to become a highly efficient two-man fire team, but they clearly got enough training to make that happen," Roggio said.

As authorities work to piece together how and why the Bondi Beach attack occurred, the debate over the government’s response continues, with critics warning that a Band-Aid solution will fail to address the root of the problem.

Kremlin envoy Kirill Dimitriev told reporters in the U.S. that peace talks with Ukraine are proceeding "constructively," even as Russian forces launched a deadly missile strike on Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa.

"The discussions are proceeding constructively. They began earlier and will continue today, and will also continue tomorrow," Dimitriev told press gathered Saturday for a meeting in Florida.

Dimitriev met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff as well as President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. That meeting came after the U.S. side completed separate meetings with Ukrainian representatives.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sounded apprehensive about where peace talks stood when speaking to the press on Saturday.

US ENVOY GAVE RUSSIAN AIDE TIPS ON HOW TO SELL UKRAINE DEAL TO TRUMP: REPORT

"The key question remains how the United States responds after consultations with the Russians. At this point, I honestly don’t know, but I will know later today," he said.

Russia's campaign against Ukraine has continued unabated despite the peace talks. A Saturday strike on Odesa killed eight people and injured 27 others.

Russian President Vladimir Putin noted on Friday that the nation's "troops are advancing," and expressed confidence that Russia would achieve its goals by military force if Ukraine does not accept its peace terms.

PUTIN CALLS TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN A ‘STARTING POINT’ AS HE WARNS UKRAINE TO PULL BACK OR FACE 'FORCE'

"Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors," Putin declared Friday during his annual news conference.

"The goals of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved. We would prefer to accomplish this and address the root causes of the conflict through diplomatic means," he continued.

"However, if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means," Putin declared.

Russia's peace terms have so far required Ukraine to give up vast swathes of territory, including some territory not already under Russian occupation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More than $2.6 million has been raised for the man who disarmed one of the attackers during a mass shooting targeting a Hanukkah event on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, last weekend.

After the attack – which took place on Dec. 14 and left at least 15 people dead – a GoFundMe page was launched for Ahmed al Ahmed, who was deemed a hero after video showed him tackling and disarming one of the alleged gunmen.

As of Sunday morning, $2.64 million had been raised through nearly 45,000 donations for al Ahmed, a Syrian-born Australian Muslim, who was one of dozens wounded during the attack when a second gunman fired on him.

"In a moment of chaos and danger, Ahmed al-Ahmed stepped forward without hesitation," the fundraiser states. "His actions were selfless, instinctive, and undeniably heroic, taken without regard for his own safety. Early reports indicate he was shot twice in the process while protecting others."

SURVIVING AUSTRALIA TERROR SUSPECT SLAPPED WITH CHARGES IN WAKE OF DEADLY ATTACK

The organizers added that the campaign was created to show gratitude and support for someone who demonstrated "incredible courage when it mattered most."

Footage from the scene shows al Ahmed, a father of two young daughters, ages 5 and 6, sneaking up behind the attacker as shots are fired off camera. He is then seen tackling the gunman and wrestling the weapon away from him, before turning the weapon on the attacker and holding him at gunpoint.

One of the fundraiser’s organizers, social media influencer Zachery Dereniowski, visited al Ahmed at a Sydney hospital on Friday to present him with a check for $2.5 million, the amount raised at that time.

AUSTRALIA ANTI-TERROR POLICE DETAIN 7 MEN AS COUNTRY LAYS YOUNGEST BONDI BEACH VICTIM TO REST

In a video shared on social media, al Ahmed appeared overwhelmed by the gesture.

Sitting in his hospital bed, al Ahmed asked, "I deserve it?"

Dereniowski replied, "Every penny."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited al Ahmed earlier this week, hailing him as an "Australian hero."

"You put yourself at risk to save others, running towards danger on Bondi Beach and disarming a terrorist," he wrote on X. "In the worst of times, we see the best of Australians. And that's exactly what we saw on Sunday night. On behalf of every Australian, I say thank you."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised al Ahmed's actions as "brave," and Chris Minns, the premier of Australia's New South Wales, stated that his "incredible bravery no doubt saved countless lives."

The Australian government is investigating the shooting as a terror attack targeting the Jewish community.

A 24-year-old man who allegedly perpetrated the terror attack with his 50-year-old father was slapped with murder charges. The father "died at the scene," police said.

Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg, Anders Hagstrom and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

A high-speed passenger train plowed into a herd of elephants in northeastern India early Saturday, killing seven elephants and injuring a calf.

The Rajdhani Express, which was carrying around 650 passengers, was traveling through Assam when its driver spotted about 100 wild Asiatic elephants crossing the tracks and applied the emergency brakes. 

Despite the effort, the train collided with several of the endangered animals, The Associated Press reported.

MOUNTAIN LION ATTACKS 4-YEAR-OLD WALKING WITH FAMILY AT WASHINGTON'S OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

The impact caused the engine and five coaches to derail. 

None of the train's passengers, who were traveling from Sairang in Mizoram state to New Delhi, were harmed in the incident, AP reported.

"We delinked the coaches which were not derailed, and the train resumed its journey for New Delhi," Indian Railways spokesman Kapinjal Kishore Sharma told AP. "Around 200 passengers who were in the five derailed coaches have been moved to Guwahati in a different train."

SOUTH AFRICAN ELEPHANT KILLS TOURIST WHO WAS TRYING TO SAVE CHILDREN AT KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

Veterinarians later conducted autopsies on the elephants. 

They were scheduled to be buried later in the day on Saturday, according to AP.

LAW STUDENT KILLED BY ELEPHANT DURING VACATION TO THAILAND: OFFICIALS

Assam is home to an estimated 7,000 wild Asiatic elephants, and train-related deaths have been an ongoing issue. 

At least a dozen elephants have been killed on railway tracks in the state since 2020, AP reported.

Asiatic elephants are considered endangered, and there are currently only an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 left in the wild, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

EXCLUSIVE: A former Australian government minister said a combination of Islamic extremism, government inaction and lax security screening measures for migrants from Middle Eastern hotspots were all factors that led to the nation’s worst-ever terrorist attack.

Former Australian Treasurer and Member of Parliament Josh Frydenberg told Fox News Digital from Sydney that, "While guns may have stolen the lives of the 15 innocent souls killed at Bondi Beach, it was actually radical Islam which pulled the trigger." He said the government’s response to the deadly attack has focused on the weapon rather than the ideology behind the violence.

FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGE WARNED AUSTRALIAN LEADERS ABOUT DANGERS OF ANTISEMITISM MONTHS BEFORE BONDI BEACH ATTACK

"We’ve taken thousands of people from the terrorist hotspot in the Middle East, namely Gaza," Frydenberg said in a Zoom interview with Fox News Digital. "We have also taken people from many other countries without sufficient security checks, and we are paying a price in Australia for having people in our country who do not share the same commitment that I do and others do to democratic ideals."

Frydenberg’s remarks come as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has moved to tighten Australia’s already strict gun laws in the wake of the massacre, announcing plans for a new national gun buyback scheme and additional firearms restrictions. But in an interview with Fox News Digital, Frydenberg said the measures risk avoiding a harder reckoning with what he described as years of ignored extremism, rising antisemitism and security failures that left Jewish Australians increasingly vulnerable.

"The government needs to do a lot more to tackle the hate preachers, to tackle the organizations that are spreading that hate and to ensure that they prosecute those people who are inciting violence."

Frydenberg said Australia has failed to take steps adopted by other Western democracies, including banning extremist groups that remain legal inside the country.

"Hezbat al-Tahrir, which is banned in the United Kingdom, banned in Germany, banned in moderate Islamic states, is not banned in Australia, and it should be."

Asked whether Jewish Australians feel safe, Frydenberg said the situation has reached a breaking point.

INTELLIGENCE WARNED AUSTRALIA OF IRANIAN-LINKED TERROR ACTIVITY MONTHS BEFORE BONDI ATTACK, OFFICIALS SAY

"Australia is unsafe for Jewish people right now," he said, citing what he described as an unprecedented escalation in harassment, intimidation and violence since Oct. 7, 2023.

"We’ve seen Jewish artists that have been doxxed, Jewish businesses that have been boycotted, houses of worship, synagogues that have been firebombed, as well as childcare centers," he said. "Our universities are no longer homes of education. They’ve become hotbeds of hate as people have harassed and intimidated and acted violently towards Jewish students and staff."

His warnings gained renewed attention this week after a separate television interview he gave to Australia’s ABC network went viral following a tense exchange with anchor Sarah Ferguson, who questioned whether his criticism of the government should be viewed through a political lens.

FAMILIES MOURN LOVED ONES LOST IN BONDI BEACH TERROR ATTACK: ‘NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE THE PAIN’

"I’m deeply offended by what you just said," Frydenberg responded. "That is an insult. That is an insult to say that there’s any political motivation in this."

"My children go to a school where there are armed guards outside," he continued. "When I visit a Jewish Aged Care Center, there are armed guards outside. When I send my kids to Jewish sporting clubs, there are police cars out there and police tape. How should we live with this? Why should we live with this?"

Frydenberg rejected the suggestion that his warnings were partisan, arguing the issue cuts across politics.

"This is not a partisan issue. This is a leadership issue. This is about the safety and the security and the soul of Australia," he said.

He told Fox News Digital the Albanese government’s response will ultimately be judged by what it does next, not by public statements.

"They won’t be judged by their words," Frydenberg said. "They’ll only be judged by their actions, and they’ll need to do a lot more than they’ve announced today in order to turn the situation around."

Preparations for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan are underway, according to U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. The announcement comes after representatives from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey participated in high-level U.S.-led talks in Miami.

"In our discussions regarding phase two, we emphasized enabling a governing body in Gaza under a unified Gazan authority to protect civilians and maintain public order," Witkoff wrote on X. "We also discussed regional integration measures, including trade facilitation, infrastructure development, and cooperation on energy, water, and other shared resources, as essential to Gaza’s recovery, regional stability, and long-term prosperity."

"We reviewed next steps in the phased implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, underscoring the importance of sequencing, coordination, and effective monitoring in partnership with local Gazan institutions and international partners," Witkoff added.

NETANYAHU ADVISOR EXPRESSES 'DEEP FAITH' IN TRUMP'S GAZA CEASEFIRE PLAN FRAMEWORK APPROACH

In addition to looking forward to the next phase, the group reflected on the implementation of the first part of the ceasefire, which Witkoff said "yielded progress."

During the first phase, humanitarian aid went into the Gaza Strip, hostilities were reduced and there was a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces. Additionally, all living hostages and most deceased hostages were released. The last remaining hostage is Ran Gvili, an Israeli police officer who was killed during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

1 HOSTAGE REMAINS WITH HAMAS AFTER LATEST BODY IS ID'D

The U.S.-led talks on the second phase of the plan were proceeded by a similar meeting in Cairo, which reportedly included Turkey and Egypt's intelligence chiefs, as well as Qatar's prime minister.

"During the meeting, [they] also agreed to continue strengthening coordination and cooperation with the Civil Military Coordination Center to eliminate all obstacles to ensure the continuity of the ceasefire and to prevent further violations," a Turkish source told Reuters, adding that they also discussed countering alleged Israeli ceasefire violations.

The second phase of the deal involves the deployment of an international stabilization force and the development of an international body to govern Gaza. It also includes the disarmament of Hamas. Additionally, Israel will move further from the so-called "yellow line" ahead of the international force taking over, according to The Times of Israel.

The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) is proposing a ban on chants of the phrase "globalize the intifada," which many consider to be an antisemitic call for violence against Jews. 

This comes less than one week after a deadly mass shooting during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach that killed at least 15 people.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said that with the ban, police would be given more powers to demand that protesters remove face coverings during demonstrations, according to The Associated Press.

FORMER HAMAS HOSTAGE WARNED AUSTRALIAN LEADERS ABOUT DANGERS OF ANTISEMITISM MONTHS BEFORE BONDI BEACH ATTACK

"Hate speech or incitement of hatred has no place in our society," Minns said Saturday, the AP reported.

"Horrific, recent events have shown that the chant ‘globalize the intifada’ is hate speech and encourages violence in our community," Minns told reporters. "You’re running a very risky racket if you’re thinking of using that phrase."

The proposed ban would also prohibit public displays of ISIS flags or extremist symbols. Offenses could be punishable by up to two years in prison and can include fines, according to the AP.

AUSTRALIA MOVES TO TIGHTEN GUN LAWS AFTER HANUKKAH MASS SHOOTING LEAVES 15 DEAD AT BONDI BEACH

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday that intelligence further confirmed that the Bondi Beach shooting was inspired by ISIS.

"We’ve been informed that the Office of National Intelligence has identified a regular online video feed from ISIS that reinforces that this was an ISIS-inspired attack," Albanese told reporters, according to the Times of Israel. He also announced a gun buyback plan and a "day of reflection" following the deadly attack.

The announcement of NSW's proposed ban comes after Albanese pledged to introduce measures to curb radicalization and hate, including broadening the definition of hate speech offenses.

Australia had faced rising antisemitism prior to the attack at Bondi Beach, with a number of incidents occurring after Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks against Israel.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a prominent member of the Jewish community who was killed in the Bondi Beach attack, wrote a letter to Albanese about his concerns regarding rising antisemitism. Schlanger implored the prime minister "not to betray the Jewish people."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A former Hamas hostage told Fox News Digital that he warned Australian leaders to take antisemitism more seriously months before the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach.

Eli Sharabi, who spent 491 days as a hostage in Gaza, said the attack on Bondi Beach was "crazy," but far from unpredictable. Sharabi told Fox News Digital that while in Australia in June, he met with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong and warned them that rising antisemitism would lead to something worse.

Sharabi recalled telling the officials that a hate crime would take place in Australia and that he would "see the fears" of Jewish people walking on the streets. He urged them to speak out against antisemitism before it was too late.

RABBI KILLED IN SYDNEY HANUKKAH ATTACK HAD WARNED AUSTRALIAN PM ABOUT RISING ANTISEMITISM

He recounted to Fox News Digital the moment he told Marles and Wong, "When it happens, a hate crime here, it will be your responsibility because you have to have a stronger voice against antisemitism." Though, Sharabi said he did not know why he told them that at the time.

"Unfortunately, it happened. And that's crazy, it's crazy. Really, I'm so sorry for that," he said.

A spokesperson for Wong said that she "deeply appreciated her meeting with Eli Sharabi and thanks him for sharing his insights and experiences."

"Minister Wong has consistently condemned antisemitism and antisemitic attacks," the spokesperson said. "In response to the horrific antisemitic terror attack at Bondi, we are further strengthening laws against those who spread antisemitism and online abuse, ensuring our education system properly responds to antisemitism, and lowering the threshold to cancel visas for those who come to Australia to spread antisemitism."

The spokesperson also conveyed Wong's sympathies to the loved ones of the Bondi Beach shooting victims.

Sharabi told Fox News Digital that the attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach that left at least 15 dead and dozens wounded, reminded him of the persecution of European Jews in the 1940s.

"Suddenly you feel like it's the 1940s again, and we are in 2025, 90 years later, all these things are happening again," Sharabi said.

AUSTRALIA ANTI-TERROR POLICE DETAIN 7 MEN AS COUNTRY LAYS YOUNGEST BONDI BEACH VICTIM TO REST

On Feb. 8, 2025, Sharabi was released from Hamas captivity, 491 days after he was taken hostage from Kibbutz Be'eri during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. He did not know until after he was freed that his wife, Lianne, and their daughters, Noiya and Yahel, had been killed when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel.

Since his release, Sharabi has traveled the world speaking to Jewish communities, world leaders and various audiences about his experience as a hostage, something he recounted in his book, "Hostage," which has been translated into multiple languages.

After he was released, he learned that while he was in the hands of terrorists, there were people around the world praying for him and demanding he and the other hostages be freed.

He said that while he was in the hospital in the days following his release, he was slowly exposed to the work that people in Israel and around the world did to advocate for him and the other hostages. It started with revelations about his family and friends, then his realization that people in Israel and around the world also took part in the fight for his release.

He soon joined the fight, advocating for the release of all hostages, including Alon Ohel, someone who Sharabi bonded with during his time in captivity.

"It was an amazing feeling to see him released. He's like my son," Sharabi told Fox News Digital.

Sharabi said that he and Ohel have seen each other a few times as free men and that they try to speak every day. 

OPINION: AUSTRALIA’S HANUKKAH MASSACRE: THE HORROR OF BEING PROVEN RIGHT

Sharabi told Fox News Digital about his life after captivity. Now a free man for nearly a year, he said he appreciates every moment.

"First of all, I'm alive. Second, I'm free, and I've learned that freedom is priceless," he said. "Every morning I wake up, I say thank you very much for what I have and for my freedom, and I can be able to choose whatever I do that day and not to ask permission from anyone to eat or drink or speak," he told Fox News Digital. "I'm happy with my life. The memory of my wife, my daughters and my brother will be with me until my last day."

Sharabi told Fox News Digital that while in captivity, he promised himself that he would move his family to London, where they could live a peaceful life. He said that he made the decision because of the fear he saw in his daughters' eyes on Oct. 7.

While his plans on relocating to London have changed, Sharabi envisions himself living a quiet life and focusing on his own healing once the body of Ran Gvili, the last remaining hostage in Gaza, is returned to Israel. However, Sharabi said that he cannot go back to Kibbutz Be'eri and that he will likely seek a fresh start a bit further north in central Israel.

"I can't go back to Be'eri. It's something I need to solve with myself and with my therapist, of course. How can I get into my house again? For me, living in Be'eri, it's not an option. In every corner, I can see the tragedy," Sharabi said. "I need a new place, a new restart for my life, so it cannot be in Be'eri."

Fox News Digital reached out to Marles' office for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: From a distance, Margarita Island looks like a Caribbean escape. Palm-lined beaches, duty-free shops, and resort towns sell the image of a tropical playground just off Venezuela’s northeastern coast. But U.S. officials say the Venezuelan outpost has become something else entirely: Hezbollah’s most important base of operations in the Western Hemisphere, strengthened by Iran’s growing footprint and the Maduro regime’s protection.

That threat, U.S. officials warn, reflects a broader security challenge emerging from the region. "The single most serious threat to the United States from the Western Hemisphere is from transnational terrorist criminal groups primarily focused on narcotrafficking," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at an end-of-year press conference at the State Department on Friday.

"Margarita Island might be of significance to the U.S. because of its location and the security dynamics around it," Melissa Ford Maldonado, director of the Western Hemisphere Initiative at the America First Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital. "It is close to Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada, in an oil-rich part of the Caribbean along key maritime routes, and it has long had a reputation for being a major drug-trafficking hub, possibly because it’s off the mainland and there’s not a lot of law enforcement there."

The island’s isolation, she said, has made it attractive to "irregular armed groups, foreign intelligence actors and criminal networks that use it as a departure point for boats carrying illicit shipments out of Venezuela."

CARTEL CONNECTION: HEZBOLLAH AND IRAN EXPLOIT MADURO’S VENEZUELA FOR COCAINE CASH

CARTEL CONNECTION: HEZBOLLAH AND IRAN EXPLOIT MADURO’S VENEZUELA FOR COCAINE CASH

Marshall Billingslea, the former assistant secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes in the U.S. Treasury Department, said Margarita Island now serves as Hezbollah’s key foothold in the Western Hemisphere.

"From what I have seen and what I have been told, there is a wide range of activities that Hezbollah and to some extent Hamas are engaged in," Billingslea told Fox News Digital. "Margarita Island is really the center of gravity for their activities."

In written testimony submitted to the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control for an Oct. 21 hearing, Billingslea traced the island’s transformation back more than two decades. Under Hugo Chávez, he wrote, Venezuela "opened its doors to Hezbollah, allowing the group to establish a major footprint, including a paramilitary training site, on Margarita Island."

"When Nicolás Maduro seized power," Billingslea added, "the breadth and depth of Hezbollah’s presence in Venezuela dramatically expanded, as did their ties to the narco-terrorist regime and the Cartel de los Soles."

WHY THE US COULD SNATCH A VENEZUELAN TANKER — AND NOT UNDER ‘WARTIME’ AUTHORITY USED IN CARTEL STRIKES

"The relationship is very close with the Cartel de los Soles, and it has been so for many, many years," Billingslea said, referring to the network of senior Venezuelan officials accused by the United States of drug trafficking.

Billingslea said Hezbollah has embedded itself into Margarita Island’s economy, exploiting the island’s duty-free status and cross-border access to Colombia to generate revenue through smuggling and drug importation. He said the group operates a wide range of companies on the island and also maintains several training camps there.

His testimony also detailed how Venezuela’s state apparatus helped embed Hezbollah inside the country. He wrote that former senior official Tareck El Aissami, while overseeing Venezuela’s passport and naturalization agency, "was instrumental in furnishing passports and citizenship documents to Hezbollah operatives as well as a large number of people from Lebanon, Syria, and Iran." Between 2010 and 2019, Venezuelan authorities issued more than 10,400 passports to individuals from those countries, according to the testimony.

TRUMP SAYS US SEIZES MASSIVE VENEZUELAN OIL TANKER AS SHOWDOWN WITH MADURO ERUPTS INTO NEW PHASE

A May 27, 2020, Justice Department announcement alleged that Diosdado Cabello directed Venezuelan lawmaker Adel El Zabayar to travel to the Middle East to obtain weapons and recruit members of Hezbollah and Hamas for training at clandestine camps inside Venezuela. The filing also describes a subsequent weapons delivery at a hangar controlled by Maduro at the country’s main international airport.

Recent developments in the Middle East have only increased Margarita Island’s importance, Billingslea said. Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon has damaged the group’s military leadership and financial infrastructure, forcing it to rely more heavily on overseas networks.

"Israeli successes against Hezbollah in Lebanon in particular, including their strikes on the financial infrastructure Al-Qard al-Hassan that operates in Lebanon, are going to have two effects," he said. "The first is that it is making the fundraising and the revenue generation that comes out of Latin America even more important to the terrorist group. Secondly, we have seen indications that Hezbollah actually has been relocating fighters from Lebanon, several hundred from Lebanon to Venezuela in particular."

US DEPLOYS FIGHTER JETS TO GULF OF VENEZUELA IN CLOSEST KNOWN APPROACH YET, AMID RISING TENSION

Asked whether that shift moves the threat closer to the United States, Billingslea said Hezbollah is now operating "close to the U.S. and further away from the Israelis."

He said Iran’s role in Venezuela has deepened alongside Hezbollah’s. "There is a substantial Iranian footprint in Venezuela related to the trade of weapons and drones, in particular, for gold," he said. After suffering losses in the Middle East, he added, "the Iranians find themselves even more dependent on that supply of gold in exchange for drones and weapons."

He said Washington faces a strategic choice. "I think the United States has positioned sufficient forces in the Caribbean at this time to take care of the Hezbollah threat," he said. "But obviously, when you have a terrorist group that has merged into the local population, highly precise intelligence is needed. I believe the Venezuelan opposition possesses a great deal of that intelligence, though it is not clear to me that the United States government is making the best use of that access."

For Billingslea, the conclusion is cleaner — eliminating Venezuela’s narco-terrorist regime would significantly strengthen U.S. national security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscow would refrain from launching new attacks on other nations provided that his country is treated "with respect."

The Kremlin made the remarks during his annual televised press conference in Moscow, as concerns persist among European nations that Russia poses a security threat, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

"Will there be new special military operations? There will be no operations if you treat us with respect, if you observe our interests, just as we have constantly tried to observe yours," Putin said.

TRUMP TOUTS 'TREMENDOUS PROGRESS' BUT SAYS HE'LL MEET PUTIN AND ZELENSKYY 'ONLY WHEN' PEACE DEAL IS FINAL

Putin uses the phrase "special military operation" to describe Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, according to AFP.

He added that there would be no further Russian invasions "if you don't cheat us like you cheated us with NATO's eastward expansion," according to the BBC.

The Russian leader also claimed he was "ready and willing" to end the war in Ukraine "peacefully," though he offered few details suggesting a willingness to compromise, the BBC reported.

PUTIN CLAIMS 'TROOPS ARE ADVANCING,' WILL ACHIEVE GOALS AS EU APPROVES MASSIVE UKRAINE LOAN

The yearly press conference, which typically runs at least four hours, features questions from journalists and members of the public across Russia. 

More than 2.5 million questions were submitted to this year's event, which focused heavily on the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Putin also noted during the event that the nation's "troops are advancing" and expressed confidence that Russia will accomplish its objectives through military means if Ukraine does not assent to Russia's terms during peace talks, according to The Associated Press.

PUTIN DOUBLES DOWN ON BACKING MADURO AMID MOUNTING US PRESSURE ON VENEZUELA

"Our troops are advancing all across the line of contact, faster in some areas or slower in some others, but the enemy is retreating in all sectors," Putin declared.

As the war drags on, the European Union has just agreed to provide Ukraine with a more than $105 billion loan.

Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.