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As Burma, also known as Myanmar, struggles in the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake, Reverend Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, praised the swift cooperation of the Burmese government and shared his confidence in a generous U.S. response under President Donald J. Trump.

"America has always been generous," Graham told Fox News Digital. 

"President Trump is not against aid. He supports aid, but he does not support waste," Graham continued. "And that’s what’s happened in some of these cases in the past—our government has wasted too much money. But I think the president will be very generous."

Graham also reflected on the president’s personal trials. "I believe God saved his life," he said, referencing the assassination attempt in Butler, Pa. "And the president believes that—he says that. So we need to pray for him. There are many people that would like to see harm come to him. So we just need to pray for God’s continued protection and hand on President Trump."

PRESIDENT TRUMP'S VISIT TO NORTH CAROLINA 'GAVE PEOPLE HOPE': REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM

Samaritan’s Purse has already begun surgical operations in Naypyidaw, the capital city of Burma, which lies between Yangon and Mandalay and is among the areas most severely impacted. The organization is operating out of a soccer stadium provided by the Burmese government, which has also granted full cooperation, including visa approvals and facility access.

Graham reported that Samaritan’s Purse initially deployed 60 beds and two operating theaters. The government contributed an additional 24 beds via medical container units, known as connexes, including one operating room. "So it was 84 beds and three operating theaters," Graham explained. "The rest of the hospital arrives tomorrow… we should be fully operational by the day after tomorrow."

According to the organization’s official press release, Samaritan’s Purse is establishing a full-scale emergency field hospital equipped with an emergency room, laboratory, pharmacy, critical care unit, and two permanent operating rooms. Nearly 100 earthquake victims were already waiting for surgery when the team arrived.

Graham emphasized urgency: "Speed is critical after a deadly earthquake like the one that rocked Myanmar," he said. "We praise God that we are already able to provide surgery even while we are still building the full field hospital."

One of the first patients treated was a woman who shielded her son during a building collapse. "She covered her son’s body with her body to protect him," Graham shared. "She had problems with her spine. They had to operate on her, and she’s recovering—she’s doing well."

DONALD TRUMP JR., KRISTI NOEM JOIN FRANKLIN GRAHAM IN HELENE-TORN NORTH CAROLINA WITH SAMARITAN'S PURSE

With over 3,500 confirmed deaths and thousands more injured or missing, the humanitarian need is immense. "People are lined up to come in, there’s just no help up there," Graham said. "This is a very poor, very desperate part of the world... It’s going to take years for them to build back. If they can build back, I don’t know."

Samaritan’s Purse sent more than 104 tons of critical supplies, including six water filtration systems, hygiene kits, emergency shelter material, and solar lights, aboard a 747-cargo plane from Greenville, South Carolina. They currently have more than 80 Disaster Assistance Response Team members in-country, with more arriving soon.

The organization’s logistics capacity played a vital role. "We keep all of this in stock," Graham said. "We have warehouses here in North Carolina… So it’s just a matter of loading the boxes on the plane and going." He noted that the hospital will need to be resupplied regularly: "About every 10 days we’ll have a plane leaving Greensboro for Myanmar."

Temperatures in the region are exceeding 110°F with high humidity. The team lives in tents and works in austere conditions. "We provide our own accommodations. We have our own water, we have our electricity, we’re self-contained, but it’s a tough assignment," Graham said.

Still, the team remains committed. "They’re holding clinics during the day, operating during the night… But our team is motivated. They are excited for the opportunity to serve the people of Myanmar and to do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Samaritan’s Purse has worked in Burma before, responding to Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and maintaining a country office from 2017 to 2022.

"We need prayer, number one," said Graham. "And of course, we always need financial help. This is a very long way from home."

"We want every patient to know that God loves them and they are not alone. Please pray for everyone affected and for our Disaster Assistance Response Team as they serve those who are hurting in Jesus’ Name," Graham added.

Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian humanitarian organization led by Rev. Franklin Graham, based in Boone, North Carolina. Known for rapid disaster response, it provides emergency medical care, shelter, clean water, and critical supplies in crisis zones around the world.

Operating in over 100 countries, the organization brings physical relief and spiritual hope, serving those in need in the name of Jesus Christ.

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For more information, visit SamaritansPurse.org.

Canada has a new U.S. ambassador to sort through its strained relations with Washington as the Senate on Wednesday approved President Donald Trump’s nomination of Peter Hoekstra in a 60-37 vote. 

His confirmation as U.S. ambassador to Canada comes at one of the most challenging times in Washington’s long relationship with its northern neighbor after Trump launched a series of tariffs targeting Ottawa and repeatedly claimed he believes Canada should become the U.S.’s 51st state. 

But despite heightened concerns over Trump’s ambitions for Canada, particularly among Democratic lawmakers, Hoekstra’s Senate confirmation process was a relatively smooth road.  

TRUMP PICKS FORMER CONGRESSMAN PETE HOEKSTRA TO BE AMBASSADOR TO CANADA

"I do have a special appreciation for Canada as a neighbor," he told senators at his confirmation hearing last month.

Following questions from Delaware Democrat Sen. Christopher Coons, Hoekstra affirmed that "Canada is a sovereign state."

However, he declined to comment on the president’s repeated desire to incorporate Canada as the next U.S. state – a proposal Ottawa has consistently rejected.

"How the president and the relationship between the former prime minister in Canada and the characteristics, the nature of that relationship… I don’t know," he added.

The Michigan lawmaker and former ambassador to the Netherlands during President Trump’s first term referenced his state’s close ties to Canada during his opening remarks last month before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"My home state is connected to Canada by four and soon to be five, bridge crossings along maritime board, across the Great Lakes, vital lakes that drive businesses, jobs and livelihoods in both states," Hoekstra highlighted. "If confirmed, I will work tirelessly to build on that record of cooperation extended, obviously nationally."

CANADA STARES DOWN CONSEQUENCES OF TRUMP TARIFF WAR: JOB LOSSES, GROCERY PRICE HIKES, POSSIBLE RECESSION

Canada is the U.S.’s largest trading partner and the number one purchaser of U.S. goods.

"I think there’s 36 states that see Canada as their number one trading partner internationally," Hoekstra confirmed. 

The U.S. is also, by far, Canada’s largest trading partner and top purchaser of Canadian goods, but Trump has repeatedly called the relationship "unfair." 

In 2023, the U.S. imported some $443 billion worth of goods, accounting for 72% of all Canadian exports, while Canada imported $317 billion U.S. goods, accounting for 49% of Ottawa's total imports.

TRUMP SAYS CANADA WOULD HAVE NO TARIFFS AS 51ST STATE, AS OBSERVERS BRACE FOR TRADE WAR

In response, Trump slapped Ottawa with a blanket 25% tariff on all Canadian imports in a move to dissuade American consumers from purchasing Canadian goods, with the exception of energy imports, which saw a 10% tariff. 

Additionally, Trump announced a 25% tariff on all imported vehicles and parts, which will also drastically affect Canada as automobiles are a chief export item to the U.S. 

Conservative and center-left parties reached a deal to form a new German government on Wednesday after weeks of negotiations, paving the way for new leadership in Europe’s biggest economy after months of political drift.

Friedrich Merz, the leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union, is expected to become Germany’s next leader under the agreement, replacing outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The parties involved sent an invitation to a news conference on the coalition deal at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT).

Merz’s two-party Union bloc emerged as the strongest force from Germany’s election on Feb. 23. Merz turned to the Social Democrats, Scholz’s center-left party, to put together a coalition with a parliamentary majority.

GERMANY'S CONSERVATIVE ELECTION TURN POINTS TO 'TRUMP EFFECT INTERNATIONALLY,' EXPERT SAYS

It’s still going to be a little while before parliament can elect Merz as chancellor, perhaps in early May. Before that can happen, the coalition deal will need approval in a ballot of the Social Democrats’ membership and by a convention of Merz’s CDU.

Details of the agreement weren’t immediately available.

But already last month, the two sides pushed plans through parliament to enable higher defense spending by loosening strict rules on incurring debt and to set up a huge infrastructure fund that’s aimed at boosting the stagnant economy.

That was an about-turn for Merz, whose party had spoken out against running up new debt before the election without entirely closing the door to future changes to Germany's self-imposed "debt brake."

The election took place seven months earlier than planned after Scholz’s unpopular coalition collapsed in November, three years into a term that was increasingly marred by infighting and widespread discontent. Germany, the 27-nation European Union's most populous member, has been in political limbo since then.

WORLD LEADERS REACT TO TRUMP’S SWEEPING TARIFFS: ‘TUMULTUOUS TIMES’ AHEAD

The market turbulence caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs added to pressure for Merz’s Union and the Social Democrats to bring their coalition talks to a conclusion.

The tariffs threaten to add to the woes of an export-heavy economy that shrank for the past two years, and generating growth will be a central task for the new government.

Increasing doubts about U.S. commitment to European allies also played into the prospective coalition's decision to enable heftier defense spending. Merz said last month that Germany and Europe must quickly strengthen their defense capability and that "‘whatever it takes’ must also go for our defense now."

Another factor in the haste to reach an agreement was a decline for the Union in the opinion polls, showing support slipping from its election showing, while the far-right Alternative for Germany, which finished a strong second in February, gained as the political vacuum persisted.

The prospective new coalition brings together what have been post-World War II Germany’s traditional big parties, but the Union’s election-winning performance in February was lackluster and the Social Democrats dropped to their worst postwar showing in a national parliamentary election.

Together, they have 328 seats in the 630-member lower house of parliament, the Bundestag.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and representatives from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have arrested seven Florida residents in an ongoing international child sexual abuse material (CSAM) crime ring investigation.

Officials say the men purchased the material through ads on TikTok and that the ringleader is believed to be in Turkey. 

One undercover agent working the case was able to purchase 6.7 terabytes of child pornography, comprising roughly 1.2 million videos and pictures, according to Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell.

 "It’s disgusting that child sexual abuse material is advertised in plain view on apps such as TikTok, and we will continue fighting to get these major social media companies to do their part in shutting down the spread of this material. I’m grateful for our FDLE partners who uncovered this deviant network and highlighted their sickening actions. Our Statewide Prosecutors will ensure these disgusting criminals face justice," said Attorney General James Uthmeier.

FLORIDA OFFICIALS DIVIDED OVER ICE DEPORTATION DEAL AIMED AT CRIMINAL ALIENS: 'EMBARRASSED FOR OUR CITY'

The alleged ringleader is in Turkey, according to Florida’s attorney general. A warrant is out for his arrest, and investigators are working to extradite him to Florida.

"The arrests of these predators are just the beginning. Every image of child abuse leaves a lasting scar on an innocent life, and we will aggressively prosecute these heinous crimes," said Uthmeier.

The investigation started in July 2024 after an FDLE agent doing a proactive criminal review of a website known to advertise child sexual abuse discovered someone selling content.

Upon identifying the user, the detectives initiated a full investigation and uncovered multiple listings from the same seller. They were able to have the website down within a week.

SON OF SUSPECTED WOULD-BE TRUMP ASSASSIN ARRESTED ON CHILD PORN CHARGES

The suspect, Krunalkumar Modi, 39, of New Jersey, was arrested on July 31, and charged with 100 counts of promotion of sexual performance by a child, five counts of out-of-state transmission of child sexual abuse material, five counts of distribution of obscene material, and two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

The agents were also able to uncover that Modi was part of a larger distribution ring lead by "John De Vil."

"John De Vil" has been officially identified as Mehmet Bozuyuk, who currently resides in Adana, Turkey. Bozuyuk has several stolen identities and has used them in order to sell and distribute CSAM globally through money mules like Modi, and Ximena Maqueda, an Oregon resident, according to a statement released by FDLE.

The investigation resulted in the arrest of seven CSAM ring "customers" residing in Florida. The "customers" are currently charged with conspiracy to commit RICO, purchase of child sexual abuse material and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

 Arrest warrants are also active for:

Officials are asking that people go to the FDLE website to review tips for keeping your children safe online at https://www.secureflorida.org/SF/Family-Safety/BPParents.

Oded Lifshitz was 83 years old when he was ripped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his wife, Yocheved, during Hamas' attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Yocheved returned to Israel alive in October 2023 and has been advocating for other hostages’ release ever since. On Feb. 20, 2025, Oded returned to Israel in a coffin. His family, however, has not given up hope for those who remain in Gaza.

Daniel Lifshitz, Oded and Yocheved’s grandson, told Fox News Digital that, while the hostages who have returned have brought some light back to Kibbutz Nir Oz, nothing can really be done until all the hostages are back. As of the time of this writing, 13 hostages taken from Nir Oz are still in Gaza, and not all of them are alive.

OPINION: YOU FREED ME FROM HAMAS, PRESIDENT TRUMP. PLEASE SAVE MY BROTHER, TOO

When speaking to Fox News Digital, Daniel described his late grandfather as a "warrior of peace," explaining that while Oded served in four wars, he also fought for the rights of minorities.

Oded and Yocheved were peace activists who helped Palestinian pediatric cancer patients from Gaza cross into Israel for chemotherapy. In the eulogy she delivered at her husband’s funeral, Yocheved discussed their activism and said they "were hit by a terrible attack by those we helped on the other side," according to the Times of Israel’s translation.

Daniel explained that his grandmother felt betrayed not by Hamas or Islamic Jihad, but by Palestinian civilians who she and her husband had spent years helping. 

"After October 7, they didn't — we didn't see the Palestinians going to protest outside against Hamas, going to protests for the release of the hostages, which they know if they would release all the hostage is that will be also the end of the war," Daniel told Fox News Digital. "And they need to show that they don't want Hamas, and that is where my grandmother she feels really great betrayal because it’s for whom we try."

ISRAEL'S UN AMBASSADOR SLAMS HAMAS' 'EVIL AND DEPRAVED' DISPLAY OF HOSTAGES' COFFINS

Oded’s body was returned alongside those of Ariel and Kfir Bibas. The boys’ mother, Shiri Bibas, was supposed to be in the fourth coffin, but her remains were not there when the coffin arrived in Israel. Her body was returned two days later.

"… their return together is symbolizing the failure of the international community for me because in those cars came a 9-month-old baby, the only baby held hostage in the world with an 83-year-old great-grandfather, the only great-grandfather health hostage world," Daniel told Fox News Digital. 

Daniel grew up with Shiri’s sister, Dana, who told Fox News Digital that she is like a sister to him.
When asked about the differences between the Biden administration and the Trump administration’s handling of the situation, Daniel told Fox News Digital that Trump’s team is "more creative."

"If one thing doesn’t work, they don’t continue. They try to bring another solution," Daniel told Fox News Digital.

In the face of tragedy, the Lifshitz family has refused to give up hope that the remaining hostages, alive and dead, will one day return home to Israel. Daniel also hopes his grandmother will be able to get some rest once she knows the hostages are home.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday said the U.S. will take back the Panama Canal from "China’s influence" as Washington tries to reassert control over the major trade route. 

"The United States of America will not allow communist China or any other country to threaten the canal's operation or integrity," he said during a press event from the Central American nation. "To this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades.

"Together we will take back the Panama Canal from China's influence," he added.

SEC HEGSETH TO VISIT PANAMA AFTER TRUMP'S DEMANDS FOR CANAL'S RETURN

Panama has repeatedly rejected the Trump administration’s claims that China effectively controls the canal as it operates two major ports on either end of the waterway. 

However, the Central American nation withdrew from its 2017 Belt and Road Initiative agreements with Beijing earlier this year in a signal that Panama has chosen to side with the Trump administration in this geopolitical spat.

Hegseth laid out a litany of joint exercises, operations and the general presence of the U.S. military in and around the canal in a move to counter China, though Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Pentagon to confirm whether this signified an increase in U.S. presence in the region.

GREENLAND, PANAMA FIERCELY REJECT TRUMP'S AMBITIONS IN ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

"Our relationship with Panama, especially our security relationship, will continue to grow in the months and years ahead," Hegseth said. "Our relationship is growing in part to meet communist China's rising challenges."

The defense secretary said China-based companies continue to install "critical infrastructure" in the canal, which gives China the "potential" ability to "conduct surveillance."

"This makes Panama and the United States less secure, less prosperous, less sovereign," he added.  

"I want to be very clear. China did not build this canal. China does not operate this canal, and China will not weaponize this canal," Hegseth said.

The Chinese embassy in D.C. did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

At least 18 people died and more than 120 were injured after a roof fell at a nightclub in the capital of the Dominican Republic early Tuesday, authorities said.

Crews were searching for potential survivors in the rubble at Jet Set in Santo Domingo, said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations.

"We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble," he said.

DOZENS DEAD, MORE THAN 150 INJURED IN NORTH MACEDONIA NIGHTCLUB FIRE

Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi, was among the victims. Meanwhile, the injured include merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof collapsed, officials said.

His manager, Enrique Paulino, whose shirt was spattered with blood, told reporters at the scene that the concert began shortly before midnight, with the roof collapsing almost an hour later, killing the group's saxophonist.

"It happened so quickly. I managed to throw myself into a corner," he said, adding that he initially thought it was an earthquake.

President Luis Abinader wrote on X that all rescue agencies are "working tirelessly" to help those affected.

"We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred," he wrote.

MISSING AMERICAN STUDENT LINKED TO POPULAR NIGHTCLUB KNOWN FOR EXTRAVAGANT PARTIES, HOURS BEFORE DISAPPEARANCE

Abinader arrived at the scene and hugged those looking for friends and family, some with tears streaming down their faces. He did not speak to reporters.

An official with a megaphone stood outside the club imploring the large crowd that had gathered to search for friends and relatives to give ambulances space.

"You have to cooperate with authorities, please," he said. "We are removing people."

At one hospital where the injured were taken, an official stood outside reading aloud the names of survivors as a crowd gathered around her and yelled out the names of their loved ones.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims his forces captured two Chinese nationals fighting in Ukraine this week.

Zelenskyy made the announcement with a video on Telegram, showing footage of a clearly concerned prisoner of war.

"Our military captured two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army," Zelenskyy says in the video. "This happened on the territory of Ukraine – in the Donetsk region."

"There are documents of these prisoners, bank cards, personal data. We have information that there are significantly more Chinese citizens in the units of the occupier than two," he added.

US WILL KNOW IN 'MATTER OF WEEKS' IF RUSSIA IS SERIOUS ABOUT PEACE OR USING 'DELAY TACTIC': RUBIO

"We are currently clarifying all the facts," he continued. "Intelligence, the SBU, and the relevant units of the Armed Forces are working. I have instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to immediately contact Beijing and find out how China is going to react to this."

TRUMP'S DESIGNATED SPECIAL ENVOY FOR UKRAINE AND RUSSIA SETS LONGER TIMETABLE THAN ‘24 HOURS’ FOR ENDING WAR

"Russia's involvement, directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin is going to do anything, except end the war. He is looking for a way to continue fighting. This requires a reaction from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who wants peace."

The incident comes after Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russia in January.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) told AFP it has "confirmed that the Ukrainian military captured two North Korean soldiers on January 9 in the Kursk battlefield in Russia."

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Ukraine’s military says North Korean soldiers are outfitted in Russian military uniforms and carry fake military IDs in their pockets, a scheme that Andrii Yusov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, says could mean Moscow and "its representatives at the U.N. can deny the facts."

South Korea’s military said its soldiers broadcasted alerts and fired warning shots after 10 North Korean troops crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) in the demilitarized zone (DMZ), according to reports. 

"Our military conducted warning broadcasts and warning shots after about 10 North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) in the eastern area of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) around 5:00 pm local time," the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the press via text message, according to Reuters.

SOUTH KOREA PREPARING 'STARWARS' LASER DEFENSE SYSTEM TO TAKE OUT NORTH KOREAN DRONES

The military said it is "closely monitoring the North Korean military's activity."

No injuries were reported, and the North Korean soldiers returned to their side of the border after the South Korean troops fired warning shots.

A similar incident occurred in June 2024, just before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang. At the time, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North Korean soldiers were carrying work tools. However, a larger group — approximately 20 to 30 North Koreans — was said to have taken part in that incident.

DOZENS OF NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS REPEATEDLY BREACH FORBIDDEN ZONE WITH SOUTH KOREA AHEAD OF PUTIN VISIT

During the visit that followed the June 2024 incident, Putin and North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un signed a landmark defensive pact.

"If one of the two sides is placed under war situations due to an armed invasion from an individual country or several nations, the other side provides military and other assistance without delay by mobilizing all means in its possession," the agreement states.

In October 2024, the Pentagon confirmed that North Korea had sent troops to Russia amid the country’s ongoing war with Ukraine. Then-National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said the U.S. had briefed Ukraine on the situation.

Fox News Digital’s Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump on Monday said the situation with Iran is entering "dangerous territory" as he announced his administration would be talking to Iran on Saturday.

While it's not yet known what the talks will achieve, experts continue to warn that time is running out to not only block Iran’s nuclear program but to utilize existing tools to counter Tehran’s dismissal of international law, a mechanism known as "snapback" sanctions.

"This is the one time that we have the ability to sort of put new sanctions on Iran where we don't need Russia and China's help, and we can just do it unilaterally," Gabriel Noronha of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America told Fox News Digital. Noronha is an Iran expert and former special advisor for the Iran Action Group at the State Department.

The ability to employ snapback sanctions on Iran expires Oct. 18, 2025, which coincides with when Russia will lead the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency for its rotational one-month stint. 

TRUMP, NETANYAHU TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE AS ISRAEL SEEKS TARIFF RELIEF, DISCUSSIONS ON IRAN, GAZA HOSTAGES

The provision for snapback sanctions was enacted under UNSC Resolution 2231, which was agreed to just days after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed in 2015 as a way to ensure that if Iran was found to be violating the nuclear deal, stiff international sanctions could once again be reimposed. 

The JCPOA has increasingly been considered a collapsed agreement after the U.S. withdrew in 2018 under the first Trump administration, followed by increasingly flagrant violations by Iran of the nuclear deal.

This has culminated in the rapid expansion of Tehran’s nuclear program and the assessment by the U.N. nuclear watchdog earlier this year that Tehran had amassed enough near-weapons-grade uranium to develop five nuclear weapons if it were to be further enriched. 

European nations for years have refused to enact snapback sanctions in a move to try and encourage Tehran to come back to the negotiating table and diplomatically find a solution to end its nuclear program. 

Any participant in the JCPOA can unilaterally call up snapback sanctions if Iran is found to have violated the terms of the agreement. But the U.S., which has been calling for snapbacks since 2018, was found by the U.N. and all JCPOA members to no longer be legally eligible to utilize the sanction mechanism after its withdrawal from the international agreement. 

But as Iran continues to develop its nuclear program, the tone among European leaders has also become increasingly frustrated. 

France’s foreign minister last week suggested that if Iran did not agree to a nuclear deal and halt its program, then military intervention appeared "almost inevitable."

EXPERTS WARN IRAN’S NUCLEAR DOUBLE-TALK DESIGNED TO BUY TIME, UNDERMINE US PRESSURE

"Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons," Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot reportedly told France’s Parliament on Wednesday.

"Our priority is to reach an agreement that verifiably and durably constrains the Iranian nuclear program," he added.

It remains unclear how much longer European nations will attempt to hold out for discussions with Iran, as Trump has said he is becoming fed up with Tehran and has threatened direct military confrontation, even while he has made clear his administration's willingness to discuss a deal with Tehran.

With France serving as UNSC president in April and the bureaucratic red tape Russia could employ, UNSC members supportive of blocking Iran’s nuclear program must immediately call up snapback sanctions, Noronha said.

"It takes about six weeks to actually be implemented properly," said Noronha, author of "Iran Sanctions, U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, and the Path to Snapback," which was released last week. "And second, because the distribution of the presidencies and leadership of the U.N. Security Council is weighted towards more favorable leaders right now in the spring before it goes to pretty adversarial leadership in the summer and fall."

The expert said this is a rare moment for the UNSC, which in recent years has become increasingly ineffective in accomplishing major geopolitical wins because it is generally divided between the U.S., U.K. and France on one side and Russia and China on the other.

A single veto is enough to block a resolution being enacted, and progress in the council has become stagnant following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

But even if Russia objects to reimposing sanctions on Iran, as Tehran has become a close ally of Moscow’s, it actually has very few options for blocking the snapback mechanism that it previously agreed to, so long as at least one other nation actually calls for the sanction tool. 

"This is the only time this has ever happened at the U.N. before," Noronha said. "They basically said, when we invoke snapback, what it does is it says U.N. sanctions will automatically return unless there's a vote by the council to unanimously allow sanctions relief to remain on the books."

The snapback mechanism would legally enforce all 15 UNSC member nations to reimpose sanctions on Iran, including Russia and any nation that may be sympathetic to Tehran.

If the snapback mechanism expires come October, the U.N.’s hands will likely be tied when it comes to countering Iran’s nuclear program, as it is unlikely any new resolutions on the issue will be able to pass through the council given the current geopolitical climate between the West and Russia.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was attacked by a different kind of opponent while on a family trip to a safari park in Texas, according to reports. 

Johnson is used to being attacked verbally by journalists and rival politicians, but he received a different kind of barb from a surprising assailant, an ostrich that stretched seven feet tall with four-inch claws. 

Johnson's wife Carrie posted a video of the incident on Instagram, which showed the former leader in a car with his family. 

AFTER VAL KILMER’S PNEUMONIA DEATH, WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE RESPIRATORY VIRUS

The footage shows Johnson sticking his hand out of the car and appearing to call the ostrich over as one of his three children leans toward the window. The animal is seen sticking its neck into the car before biting Johnson, possibly on the hand. 

"Christ!" the one-time Tory leader said. "Oh, f****** hell!"

MEASLES OUTBREAK CONTINUES: SEE WHICH STATES HAVE REPORTED CASES

Johnson's children can be heard laughing. 

"Too funny not to share," Carrie Johnson wrote of the video. 

Viewers seemed to be amused. 

"Boris’s reaction is sooooo British," one commenter wrote. 

Johnson has remained mostly out of the public eye since his resignation as prime minister in 2022 following a series of controversies.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was attacked by a different kind of opponent while on a family trip to a safari park in Texas, according to reports. 

Johnson is used to being attacked verbally by journalists and rival politicians, but he received a different kind of barb from a surprising assailant, an ostrich that stretched seven feet tall with four-inch claws. 

Johnson's wife Carrie posted a video of the incident on Instagram, which showed the former leader in a car with his family. 

AFTER VAL KILMER’S PNEUMONIA DEATH, WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE RESPIRATORY VIRUS

The footage shows Johnson sticking his hand out of the car and appearing to call the ostrich over as one of his three children leans toward the window. The animal is seen sticking its neck into the car before biting Johnson, possibly on the hand. 

"Christ!" the one-time Tory leader said. "Oh, f****** hell!"

MEASLES OUTBREAK CONTINUES: SEE WHICH STATES HAVE REPORTED CASES

Johnson's children can be heard laughing. 

"Too funny not to share," Carrie Johnson wrote of the video. 

Viewers seemed to be amused. 

"Boris’s reaction is sooooo British," one commenter wrote. 

Johnson has remained mostly out of the public eye since his resignation as prime minister in 2022 following a series of controversies.

President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. will engage "directly" with Iran in a high-level meeting set to occur this coming Saturday. 

"We have a very big meeting on Saturday, and we're dealing with them directly," Trump told reporters from the Oval Office while sitting next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

The announced meeting is the first known time the U.S. will directly engage with Iran since the previous Trump administration, when it withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018. 

TRUMP, NETANYAHU TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE AS ISRAEL SEEKS TARIFF RELIEF, DISCUSSIONS ON IRAN, GAZA HOSTAGES

"We’ll see what can happen. I think everybody agrees that doing a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious," Trump said in reference to his threat last week in which he said he would "bomb" Iran if it didn’t enter talks to end its nuclear program.

"[That’s] not something that I want to be involved with, or frankly, that Israel wants to be involved with, if they can avoid it," Trump continued. "We're going to see if we can avoid it. 

"It's getting to be very dangerous territory," Trump warned. "And hopefully those talks will be successful."

EXPERTS WARN IRAN’S NUCLEAR DOUBLE-TALK DESIGNED TO BUY TIME, UNDERMINE US PRESSURE

The president refused to detail where the talks would take place or how they would differ from the JCPOA, saying only that they will be "different" and "stronger."

Following the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement, the nuclear deal essentially collapsed despite the remaining signatories – which included the U.K., China, France, Russia and Germany – and Iran began rapidly developing its nuclear program. 

Earlier this year, the U.N. nuclear watchdog warned that Tehran had amassed enough near-weapons-grade enriched uranium to build five nuclear weapons if the uranium were further enriched. 

"I think if the talks aren't successful with Iran… Iran is going to be in great danger," Trump said Monday.

It is unclear if Israel, or any other nations, will be involved in the talks, though Netanyahu made clear Jerusalem is aligned with the U.S. in securing a deal to end Iran’s nuclear program.

"We're both united in the goal that Iran does not ever get nuclear weapons, that it can be done diplomatically in a full way, the way it was done in Libya," Netanyahu told reporters. "I think that would be a good thing. 

"But whatever happens, we have to make sure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons," he added. 

Israel has denied entry to two British lawmakers who were accused of planning to "spread anti-Israel hatred."

The two Labour Members of Parliament, Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed, were briefly detained over the weekend and denied entry to Israel because they allegedly had plans to "document the activities of security forces and spread anti-Israel hatred," Israel's immigration agency told Sky News.

Israeli officials told the outlet that Yang and Mohamed were with two assistants on the trip, who said they were going to Israel "as part of an official parliamentary delegation."

The officials said that immigration agents did not find "evidence to support the claim... they were traveling as part of an official delegation."

UN GLOBAL COMMS ARM UNDER FIRE FOR ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS AS CRITICS CALL FOR REFORMS

"No politicians or government officials were aware they were coming," the Israeli officials added.

The Council for Arab-British Understanding claimed that the lawmakers were part of a delegation organized by the group as well as Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Mohamed and Yang posted in a statement to X they were "astounded" at the decision by Israeli authorities.

"It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness, firsthand, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory," they wrote. "We are two, out of scores of MPs, who have spoken out in Parliament in recent months on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the importance of complying with International Humanitarian Law. Parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons, without fear of being targeted."

During an April 2 speech, Mohamed accused Israel of ethnic cleansing.

HEAD OF UN WATCHDOG SAYS UNRWA HIRED PEOPLE ‘WHO WERE SUPPORTING TERRORISM’

"On 30 March, the first day of Eid, Israeli attacks on Gaza killed dozens of Palestinians, adding to the death toll since Israel breached the ceasefire agreement. Israel is now in the process of enacting the largest forced displacement, ordering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Rafah. How will this end? Israel cannot and will not stop. Is the goal ethnic cleansing? We are witnessing that. Is the goal the complete destruction of Gaza? We are now witnessing that," Mohamed said. 

In August 2019, Israeli officials blocked U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from entering the country following pressure from President Donald Trump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement at the time that Talib and Omar's itinerary "revealed that they planned a visit whose sole objective is to strengthen the boycott against us and deny Israel's legitimacy."

Fox News' Brie Stimson contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, with Washington’s recently imposed global tariffs set to be part of their talks.

"This meeting comes at a critical moment on many key issues: the efforts to return our hostages being held by Hamas, the instability in Syria and the threats posed by Iranian proxies," Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told Fox News Digital.

"The recent implementation of tariff policy will also be discussed. Just as Prime Minister Netanyahu was the first world leader to visit President Trump in his second term in the White House, he is now once again the first leader to meet with the president with regard to deepening economic ties and putting trade relations in order," he added.

Netanyahu last met with Trump in Washington on Feb. 4. 

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In Wednesday's "Liberation Day" announcement, a 17% tariff on goods imported from Israel – a 10% baseline on all countries that took effect on April 5 and an additional 7% – was scheduled for April 9.

"The fear is that these tariffs will hurt exports of diamonds as well as high-tech or defense systems like drones. If our income were to be reduced as a result, this would be a problem," Alex Coman, a value-creation expert at the Holon Institute of Technology in Israel, told Fox News Digital. 

"These tariffs came as a surprise. Prior to this decision, there were very few imposed, many products did not have them and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich eliminated those that existed," adding, "As such, I am very optimistic that these tariffs will be reduced."

HERE’S A CLOSER LOOK AT TRUMP’S TARIFF PLAN: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW DUTIES

U.S. total goods trade with Israel was an estimated $37.0 billion in 2024, including $14.8 billion in exports, up 5.8% ($813.7 million) from 2023, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. U.S. goods imports from Israel totaled $22.2 billion in 2024, up 6.7% ($1.4 billion) from the previous year.

The U.S. trade deficit with Israel was $7.4 billion in 2024, an 8.6% increase ($587.0 million) over 2023.

The Trump administration reportedly calculated the tariff by dividing the trade deficit ($7.4 billion) by the value of imports to America ($22.2 billion) and then essentially halving the figure to reach 17%.

The subject was raised during a phone call between Trump and Netanyahu on Thursday, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also taking part. The next day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with the Israeli premier to "underscore U.S. support for Israel," according to a U.S. readout of the call.

ISRAEL KILLS TERRORIST LINKED TO BIBAS MURDERS, US CITIZEN KIDNAPPINGS

Trump’s move surprised Netanyahu, prompting him to begin efforts to negotiate a reduction of the tariff to 10%. Smotrich also signed an order to eliminate the last remaining Israeli tariffs on the import of primarily agricultural goods from the U.S. 

Jerusalem and Washington signed a free trade deal in 1985, the United States' first-ever such agreement, and since then some 98% of goods have been traded tax-free.

Netanyahu and Trump will also discuss the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip along with efforts to free the 59 remaining hostages taken during Hamas' terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023; Turkey’s military intervention on behalf of the new al Qaeda-linked leadership in Syria; the Iranian nuclear threat; and the ongoing battle to thwart the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, according to the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem.

"The top issue to be discussed will be Iran because it seems [nuclear] negotiations might begin. I believe Netanyahu will want to caution Trump ahead of time," Ariel Kahana, a senior diplomatic correspondent for the Israel Hayom daily newspaper, told Fox News Digital. 

"We saw the report about the U.S. sending a second THAAD anti-missile battery to Israel on top of equipment America is already sending, and they will want to coordinate all of that together," he continued. 

"They will also talk about the war in Gaza, the hostages and the tariffs, which Netanyahu will try to at least lower. With regards to Turkey, I assume Netanyahu will ask Trump to put some limits on [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan. It seems that both Israel and Turkey are trying to expand their presence or activities in Syria, and it might reach a point that could lead to a direct military conflict," Kahana said.

Upon leaving Hungary on Sunday, Netanyahu told reporters about the importance of his visit to meet with President Trump at the White House on Monday.

"I can tell you that I am the first international leader, the first foreign leader, who will meet with President Trump on this issue, which is so important to Israel’s economy. There is a very long line of leaders who want to do the same regarding their own economies. I believe this reflects the special personal relationship and the special bond between the United States and Israel, which is so vital at this time," Netanyahu said.

Israel struck back on Sunday after Hamas terrorists launched several rockets towards towns in the Southern District of Israel on Sunday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it hit the rocket launchers in the Gaza Strip from which the projectiles were launched earlier Sunday toward Israel. 

The rockets were fired from central Gaza towards Ashdod and Ashkelon on Sunday evening. There were reports of damage and debris in several locations.

There were 10 rockets in total, and Israeli forces only intercepted half.

FUNERAL HELD FOR SHIRI BIBAS AND HER SONS AFTER THEIR REMAINS HANDED OVER BY HAMAS

"Approximately five projectiles were successfully intercepted by the IAF [Israeli Air Force]," the military explained. "Falls were identified in several areas."

"IDF Home Front Command soldiers are dispatched to the scenes and are operating in cooperation with Israeli security forces."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was later briefed on the attack and commanded "a forceful response and approved the continued intensified IDF operations in Gaza against Hamas."

"I instructed the IDF to extend the military operation and deal Hamas a heavy blow in response to the launches," Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz said in a statement. "For every shrapnel that harms a resident of Ashkelon, the Hamas murderers must pay a heavy price."

Later on X, the IDF shared on-the-ground footage of a neighborhood that was struck by a rocket. The video showed multiple emergency vehicles blaring lights at night as first responders tended to a residential neighborhood.

ISRAEL CONFIRMS RETURN, IDENTIFICATION OF SHIRI BIBAS' BODY

"This is just one neighborhood in Israel hit by Hamas rocket fire tonight," the post read. "Hamas continues to hide behind Gazan civilians while firing at Israeli civilians."

"We will continue to defend Israelis from the threat of terrorism," the IDF added.

The latest rocket attacks came as the IDF continues targeting terrorist cells across the Middle East. Last week, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Syrian military airfields, which were intended to be "a clear message to Turkey not to interfere with Israeli aerial operations in Syrian airspace." 

On Friday, the IDF confirmed that it had killed the terrorist leader responsible for killing Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas.

"As part of his role in the terrorist organization, Mohammad Awad was actively involved until his death in recruiting terror operatives in Judea and Samaria and within Israel, through whom he used to plan and carry out attacks against Israelis," the IDF said at the time.

Fox News' Yael Rotem-Kuriel, Caitlin McFall and Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.

Hamas has revised its casualty figures from the Gaza war, removing hundreds of names from its official list of war fatalities, and revealing that 72% of those killed were men aged 13 to 55 – a demographic largely composed of combatants. The updated figures contradict Hamas' earlier claims that most casualties were women and children.

Salo Aizenberg, from the U.S.-based nonprofit HonestReporting, uncovered the changes through a detailed analysis of Hamas’ casualty lists. The investigation revealed that 3,400 names, including over 1,080 children, were removed from the group’s March 2025 report after being listed in 2024.

Aizenberg pointed out that the original reports, published by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, were widely cited by major international organizations, including the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC). "These ‘deaths’ never happened. The numbers were falsified – again," he wrote.

THE HISTORY OF GAZA AMID TRUMP'S PLAN TO REBUILD ENCLAVE

The United Nations did not respond to a Fox News Digital request asking if the world body regretted disseminating those numbers in light of the revised figures.

A spokesperson for the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating Israel for war crimes, told Fox News Digital, "We cannot provide comments on matters related to ongoing investigations. This approach is essential to protect the integrity of investigations, and to ensure the safety and security of victims, witnesses, and all those with whom the Office interacts." 

David Adesnik, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who has also been tracking the figures, reached a similar conclusion. According to his analysis, 72% of the fatalities fall within the male combat-age bracket of 13 to 55.

"Even at age 13, there's a major excess of male over female deaths, and the disparity grows with age," Adesnik told Fox News Digital. "If you calculate from age 13 to 59, there’s a little more than 15,000 excess men. That gives you an idea of how many are actually fighters."

His analysis showed a striking gender imbalance: at age 13, there are 588 male casualties compared to 385 females; by age 19, the gap widens to 800 males versus 285 females. This trend continues throughout the age spectrum, suggesting a disproportionately high number of male combatant deaths.

Adesnik also highlighted issues with how deaths were recorded. "Significant numbers of names disappear from the list over time. It’s like 2,000 names are removed and new ones added," he said.

REPORT EXPOSES HAMAS TERRORIST CRIMES AGAINST FAMILIES DURING OCT 7 MASSACRE: 'KINOCIDE'

He explained that Hamas maintains two lists: one for deaths confirmed by hospitals, and another for deaths reported by family members via an online form – often in cases where bodies couldn’t be retrieved. "Over time, officials realized many of these family-reported names were inaccurate or unverified, and started quietly removing them from the count – replacing one set of data with another to cover up their original manipulation," Adesnik said.

The head of the statistics team at Gaza’s health ministry, Zaher Al Wahidi, told Sky News that names submitted via the form had been removed as a precautionary measure pending a judicial investigation into each one. "We realized that a lot of people [submitted via the form] died a natural death," Wahidi said. Some families submitting false claims, Wahidi said, may have been motivated by the promise of government financial assistance.

Adesnik referenced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s previous comments about Gaza war casualties. "He said 30,000 dead – 14,000 fighters, 16,000 civilians – while Hamas claimed 70% were women and children. This data gives us a clearer picture of the demographic breakdown and supports the IDF's claim that it is targeting combatants," he said.

The broader debate over casualty accuracy intensified after an Israeli strike on March 23 killed 15 humanitarian workers, including a paramedic, according to the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent. The incident sparked outrage. However, the Israeli military stated that "the aid workers were mistakenly identified as terrorists".

According to preliminary findings, the incident occurred during a covert IDF operation. Roughly two hours earlier, Israeli forces had engaged in a firefight with terrorists in the same area. Later, feeling threatened, an IDF official told Fox News Digital, the troops opened fire on suspicious vehicles. The incident is still under investigation by the IDF.

In a related development, the IDF announced this week that Mohammed Saleh Mohammed Al-Bardawil, a senior Hamas terror leader, was killed in a targeted operation. Although referred to as a journalist in Gaza, the IDF said Bardawil was involved in producing propaganda videos, including footage of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

"The IDF and ISA will continue to target and dismantle Hamas' infrastructure to mitigate the threat it poses to Israeli civilians," the military said. In a separate statement, it emphasized: "The IDF makes great efforts to estimate and consider potential civilian collateral damage. The IDF has never, and will never, deliberately target children."

One person was killed Sunday as Russian air strikes hit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, while the death toll from Friday’s deadly attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih continued to rise.

The Kyiv victim was found close to the strike's epicenter of the attack in the city's Darnytskyi district, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. A further three people were injured in the strike, which saw fires break out in several nonresidential areas, damaging cars and buildings.

In a statement on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the intensifying Russian attacks showed that there is still insufficient international pressure on Moscow.

US WILL KNOW IN 'MATTER OF WEEKS' IF RUSSIA IS SERIOUS ABOUT PEACE OR USING 'DELAY TACTIC': RUBIO

He said Russia has launched more than 1,460 guided aerial bombs, nearly 670 attack drones and more than 30 missiles at Ukraine in the past week alone.

"These attacks are (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s response to all international diplomatic efforts. Each of our partners — the United States, all of Europe, the entire world — has seen that Russia intends to continue the war and the killing," Zelenskyy said.

"That is why there can be no easing of pressure. All efforts must be aimed at guaranteeing security and bringing peace closer."

Meanwhile, officials said that the death toll from Friday's attack on the central city of Kryvyi Rih had continued to grow, with 19 dead — including many children — and a further 75 wounded.

Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rih's military administration, declared three days of mourning for the attack, starting on April 7. He said that there was "pain in the hearts of millions of people".

"Together we will stand. And no matter how difficult it is, we will win," he said. "The enemy will be punished for every Ukrainian and for every mother's tear."

Local authorities said the Kryvyi Rih strike damaged 44 apartment buildings and 23 private houses.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Friday that it had carried out a high-precision missile strike with a high explosive warhead on a restaurant where a meeting with unit commanders and Western instructors was taking place.

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The Russian military claimed that the strike killed 85 military personnel and foreign officers and destroyed 20 vehicles. The military’s claims could not be independently verified. The Ukrainian General Staff rejected the claims.

Elsewhere, Russian troops fired 23 missiles and 109 strike and decoy drones across Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said Sunday. Thirteen missiles and 40 drones were shot down, while 53 decoy drones were jammed and did not reach their destinations, it said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its air defenses had destroyed 11 Ukrainian drones, including eight over the Rostov region and two over the Kursk region.

Pope Francis appeared in public for the first time in weeks on Sunday, greeting crowds from a wheelchair in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

It was the first time Francis appeared in public since he briefly addressed crowds when being discharged from the hospital on March 23. The pope suffered a bout of double pneumonia that left him hospitalized for five weeks.

Francis made the unannounced visit near the end of Mass and delivered a brief greeting, all while receiving oxygen via his nose.

"Good Sunday to everyone," Francis said. "Thank you so much."

POPE FRANCIS MAKES FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN FIVE WEEKS

MEDICAL STAFF PROVIDES UPDATE ON POPE FRANCIS’ CONDITION

The Vatican also released a written message from Francis marking Sunday's Mass, which was specially focused on healthcare workers.

"I ask the Lord that this touch of his love might reach all those who suffer and encourage those who are taking care of them," said the text.

Doctors overseeing Francis' care during his stay at Gemelli Hospital in Rome say that they briefly considered ending the pope's treatment due to his condition.

Medical director Dr. Sergio Alfieri recounted the scenes on Feb. 28 when the 88-year-old suffered a coughing fit and inhaled vomit, prompting staff to have to clear his airways and later put on a non-invasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe.

"For the first time I saw tears in the eyes of some of the people around him. People who, I understood during this period of hospitalization, sincerely love him, like a father. We were all aware that the situation had worsened further and there was a risk that he would not make it," Alfieri told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

"We had to choose whether to stop and let him go or force it and try with all the drugs and therapies possible, running the very high risk of damaging other organs. And in the end we took this path," he reportedly added. 

Alfieri said to the newspaper that Francis "delegated every type of healthcare decision to Massimiliano Strappetti, his personal healthcare assistant who knows the Pope's wishes perfectly."

"Try everything, we won't give up," Alfieri recalled Strappetti telling staff at the hospital. "That's what we all thought, too. And no one gave up". 

As a major "liquidity crisis" looms for United Nations entities in the face of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) funding cuts, with experts saying the Trump administration should examine the U.N.’s media branch, the Department of Global Communications, for its role in churning out anti-Israel propaganda. 

"The U.N. continues its spin-cycle messaging machine without washing out its waste and inefficiencies," former National Security Council Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Organization Affairs Hugh Dugan told Fox News Digital. "That’s its real liquidity crisis."

Among the Department of Global Communications’ responsibilities are the provision of press support, upkeep of the U.N. Dag Hammarskjöld Library, heading of worldwide information centers and coordination of the U.N.’s Twitter presence. A full independent review of the Department’s activities is set to begin this year.

HEAD OF UN WATCHDOG SAYS UNRWA HIRED PEOPLE ‘WHO WERE SUPPORTING TERRORISM’

Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and president of Human Rights Voices, expressed her desire for the U.S. itself to examine the Department of Global Communications’ funding. Bayefsky told Fox News Digital that "the United Nations is the world headquarters of global disinformation," with an "assembly line of lies, hate speech, incitement to violence, and antisemitism [that] is totally out-of-control."

Bayefsky said it is the "organization itself that poses an integrity risk — to world peace, civilized discourse, and human rights protection. The information environment cultivated by the U.N. has been poisoning the minds of generations of Americans, so isn't it about time that Washington posed a risk to this U.N. ‘work’?" 

The Department’s fixation on Israel was evidenced in a February report about its operations, in which it briefly described crisis communications cells it runs regarding worldwide disasters in Haiti, Sudan and Ukraine, and went into more expansive detail describing its cell on "Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory."

According to the Department, the crisis in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory "required strong messaging and outreach to ensure continued international support for the work of the United Nations and its partners." The Department also mentioned that the cell "analyzed information integrity risks, such as the spread of misinformation and disinformation about United Nations work." 

Throughout 2024, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) came under serious scrutiny and lost donors after information was uncovered about UNRWA leaders’ and members’ ties to terrorism, and the hate propelled through UNRWA curricula.

UN BLAMES ISRAELIS FOR ATTACK ON COMPOUND BUT DOESN’T MENTION HAMAS, SAYS FORCED TO REDUCE GAZA FOOTPRINT

Fox News Digital asked Melissa Fleming, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Communications, to clarify the department’s allegations of misinformation and disinformation, and to describe why "strong messaging" was required of the department. 

Fleming explained that the Department needed to "clearly explain the role" of the U.N. and its humanitarian agencies, and analyze "information environments to better understand trends that might pose risk to the U.N.’s work."

Dugan, who was a senior advisor to 11 U.S. ambassadors to the U.N. said when it comes to the crisis in Gaza, "there’s some special treatment they’re giving to that region and the coverage of it, which I think is concerning to me." He noted that cells focusing on Haiti, Ukraine, and Sudan "don’t talk about misinformation [or] disinformation." The situation, he said, "wreaks… of the U.N.’s hand in propagandizing and service as a type of mediator of what information gets to whom, and when, and how." 

Asked how many hours the Department of Global Communications devoted to its various crisis cells, Fleming said that time "is determined by a number of factors," including "the scale of the crisis and the speed of developments on the ground," and the level of international interest and U.N. events involved with the crisis. Fleming added that cells meet more often "in the early stages of a crisis." 

Fleming said that "the Israel-Occupied Palestinian Territory crisis communications cell has met on a weekly basis for approximately one hour" following the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. She noted that this was "equivalent to the frequency and timing of meetings for the Ukraine crisis during the first year of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation in 2022." 

WORLD FORGETS ‘CATASTROPHIC’ WAR IN SUDAN AS RUSSIA, IRAN, OTHERS REPORTEDLY FEED FIGHTING WITH ARMS

Fleming did not state how much time has been devoted to the Haiti or Sudan crisis cells. The organization’s report on its activities refers to the situation in Sudan as a "massive humanitarian crisis." 

In January, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that rebel actions in Sudan constituted genocide. Blinken described how tens of thousands of Sudanese individuals had died in conflict, that 30 million required humanitarian aid and that 638,000 were experiencing "the worst famine in Sudan’s recent history." 

Blinken stated that Sudanese rebel group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) "and RSF-aligned militias have continued to direct attacks against civilians, have systematically murdered men and boys — even infants — on an ethnic basis, and (have) deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence."

The U.N.’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan did not mention genocide in its September 2024 findings that "Sudan’s warring parties have committed an appalling range of harrowing human rights violations and international crimes, including many which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity." 

Conversely, the U.N. Special Committee to investigate Israeli practices declared in November 2024 that "Israel’s warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, with mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians."

Former national security advisor Jake Sullivan said last year that the Biden administration does "not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide." 

David May, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that "the focus on an imagined genocide, Gaza, is taking time and focus away from an actual genocide, Sudan." May added that "essentially, the Department of Global Communications is tasked with presenting a Palestinian narrative and uses U.N. funds to act as another pro-Palestinian U.N. body." 

May said that "while the United States withholds funding to the United Nations proportionate to the budgets of Palestinian-specific bodies, Washington does not account for more general U.N. departments carrying out an anti-Israel agenda." 

Dugan expressed concern over the Department of Global Communications’ emphasis on its role in combating misinformation in its latest report. It "sends its mandate to go far beyond daily relations with the press corps," he explained, and instead "sets them up to be judge, jury and executioner on storylines and narratives that the secretariat employees find offensive."