President Donald Trump is expected to announce the next stage of a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire, advancing a strategy designed to marginalize Hamas terrorists and overhaul how the devastated territory is governed, according to a report published Tuesday by the Financial Times.
Despite doubts from some U.S. allies and a shortfall in international funding, officials in Washington and Jerusalem say they are pressing ahead with what they describe as “phase two” of the ceasefire arrangement that brought an end to more than two years of fighting, the report said.
This next phase is expected to focus on restructuring Gaza’s civil administration, increasing humanitarian access, and taking concrete steps to strip Hamas of control over civilian institutions within the enclave.
According to the Financial Times, the United States could present a new governance model for Gaza as soon as Wednesday. The plan would transfer daily administrative responsibilities from Hamas to a Palestinian technocratic committee.
The report said Nickolay Mladenov, a former United Nations envoy and Bulgarian defense minister, is slated to be appointed as “high representative” for Gaza. In that role, Mladenov would supervise a 14-member Palestinian technocratic panel responsible for restoring essential services and rebuilding civilian governing structures.
At the same time, the report noted that the formal launch of Trump’s proposed Board of Peace is expected to face delays.
U.S. and Israeli officials involved in shaping the plan argue that visible progress is achievable in the near term, pointing to potential “early wins” such as reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, increasing medical assistance, and loosening restrictions on imports into Gaza.
Significant hurdles remain, however, including the absence of an international peacekeeping force and a major gap in reconstruction funding. The report said only about $1 billion has been secured so far, well below the tens of billions of dollars estimated to be necessary for rebuilding.
Western and Muslim nations have been hesitant to provide troops or substantial financial support while Israeli forces continue operating in parts of Gaza and Hamas terrorists maintain influence in other areas, the Financial Times reported.
Another unresolved issue is Hamas’ disarmament, which Israeli leaders insist must be addressed before any broad reconstruction effort or large-scale withdrawal of forces can take place.
The report also pointed to disagreements within policy circles over earlier aid initiatives, including the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-supported effort intended to deliver assistance while bypassing Hamas-controlled distribution channels.
That program encountered serious challenges, including security breakdowns and disputes over who was responsible for food shortages and deadly incidents near aid distribution centers.
Even so, officials in the Trump administration remain optimistic, citing the ceasefire itself and the release of Israeli hostages as evidence that their strategy is producing results. They are expected to seek further political and financial support at the Davos economic forum later this month.
{Matzav.com}
Senior officials from Denmark and Greenland are scheduled to hold talks at the White House on Wednesday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as tensions rise following President Donald Trump’s renewed push for U.S. control of Greenland, according to Denmark’s foreign minister.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, requested the meeting after Trump intensified public statements about taking over Greenland, which is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
“U.S. Vice President JD Vance also wanted to participate in the meeting, and he will host the meeting, which will therefore be held at the White House,” Rasmussen told reporters in Copenhagen on Tuesday.
“Our reason for seeking the meeting we have now been given was to move this whole discussion… into a meeting room where we can look each other in the eye and talk about these things,” he added.
Trump initially raised the idea of the United States acquiring Greenland in 2019 during his first term, but the proposal encountered resistance in Washington, including from members of his own party. Greenland, which Denmark has governed for hundreds of years, has steadily expanded its autonomy since 1979 and continues to move toward eventual independence, a position supported by every party represented in Greenland’s parliament.
Separately, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said he will meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels next week to address security issues in the Arctic, alongside Greenland’s Motzfeldt.
Poulsen also said Denmark intends to increase its military footprint in Greenland, with additional NATO nations expected to take part in training and military exercises there in 2026.
“It has been a Danish priority over the past several years to have a discussion within NATO, but not least to also get greater attention from NATO in relation to issues regarding NATO’s presence in and around the Arctic,” Poulsen said.
{Matzav.com}
The 2026 global passport rankings have been released, confirming that Singapore once again holds the top position, offering its citizens the widest international mobility of any country in the world.
Holders of a Singapore passport can travel to 192 destinations without needing a visa. Close behind, Japan and South Korea are tied for second place, with each passport providing visa-free access to 188 countries.
A group of five European nations occupies the third spot. Citizens of Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Luxembourg can each enter 186 countries without a visa.
The United Kingdom is ranked seventh in the new index, with its passport allowing entry to 182 countries. Overall, European nations continue to dominate the upper tier of the rankings, reflecting the strong global standing of their travel documents.
The United States places tenth on the list, with Americans able to visit 179 countries visa-free. Israel is ranked 18th, with access to 165 destinations.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Afghanistan sits at the bottom of the index in 101st place, as its passport permits visa-free travel to only 24 countries.
Syria follows just above Afghanistan, with access to 26 countries. Iraq’s passport allows entry to 29 destinations, while citizens of Yemen and Pakistan can travel visa-free to just 31 countries.
The United Arab Emirates stands out for its dramatic rise over time, having added 149 visa-free destinations since the Henley Passport Index began tracking changes in 2006. In the 2026 rankings, the UAE places fifth overall.
{Matzav.com}German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday that Iran’s governing structure is approaching collapse, arguing that the Islamic Republic is reaching its final stage amid expanding nationwide protests and a harsh security response.
Speaking with reporters during an official visit to India, Merz said any government that survives only through coercion has already forfeited its legitimacy. “If a regime can only keep itself in power by force, then it’s effectively at the end,” he said. “I believe we are now seeing the final days and weeks of this regime.”
Merz went on to say that Iran’s leadership does not command genuine public support, stressing that it is not grounded in free and democratic elections. “The population is now rising up against this regime,” he said.
Demonstrations began spreading across Iran in late December, fueled by worsening economic conditions, including runaway inflation, a collapsing currency, and sharp increases in food prices. Protests have been reported in many cities, in what analysts describe as the most extensive unrest Iran has seen in years.
Authorities in Tehran have answered the protests with force. A senior Iranian official has acknowledged that roughly 2,000 demonstrators have been killed, according to reports cited by Reuters, though human rights activists say the actual figure may be higher. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reports that more than 10,700 people have been arrested. Witnesses have also accused security forces of fatally shooting civilians who were not actively participating in the demonstrations.
President Donald Trump has strongly condemned the Iranian government’s response and has warned of repercussions. Earlier this week, he said the United States would impose a 25% tariff on imports from countries that continue doing business with Iran. He has also warned that Washington could step in if Iranian authorities persist in using deadly force against peaceful protesters.
Trump recently said that Iran’s leaders have indicated an interest in talks, but he warned that additional steps could be taken if the violence continues. Iranian officials, meanwhile, have cautioned that any US military action would trigger a severe response.
{Matzav.com}
A report released Tuesday by Iran International asserts that more than 12,000 people were killed in Iran amid a recent wave of nationwide protests, with the majority of fatalities said to have occurred during two back-to-back nights late last week.
The outlet reported that the unrest has unfolded alongside a sweeping clampdown on information, including internet disruptions, the silencing of media outlets, and intimidation designed to block the flow of information and obscure the extent of the violence used against demonstrators.
In the face of those restrictions, Iran International said it launched a large-scale effort to corroborate fragmented accounts of killings and repression emerging from across the country.
According to the report, information was collected from a broad network of sources, among them individuals with proximity to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, figures within the presidential office, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel stationed in several cities, eyewitnesses, relatives of victims, reporters operating on the ground, and medical staff.
Iran International’s editorial board stood by the reported death toll, stating that the number was established through a “rigorous, multistage process conducted in accordance with established professional standards.”
“In the largest killing in Iran’s contemporary history, carried out largely over two consecutive nights, Thursday and Friday, Jan. 8 and 9, at least 12,000 people were killed,” the editorial board said in its conclusion.
The demonstrations mark the latest surge of unrest in Iran, fueled by widespread frustration over economic collapse, systemic corruption, political repression, and the clerical regime’s reliance on force to crush opposition.
Protests have erupted repeatedly across the country in recent years, often met by security forces employing mass detentions, live fire, and sweeping internet blackouts to restore control.
Iran’s government has a well-documented record of responding violently to public dissent, including during the protests of November 2019, when human rights organizations estimated that hundreds, and possibly thousands, of people were killed.
Officials have consistently rejected independent casualty estimates, curtailed outside reporting, and pressured victims’ families in an effort to prevent information about deaths from becoming public.
As details of the latest crackdown surfaced, U.S. officials told CNN that President Donald Trump has weighed military options aimed at assisting Iranian protesters, including potential strikes on security units in Tehran involved in suppressing demonstrations.
Trump has also offered explicit public backing for the protest movement. Writing on Truth Social on Tuesday, the president said, “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!
“Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY. MIGA!!”
Iranian authorities have not independently verified the reported death toll and continue to depict the unrest as the result of foreign interference rather than a grassroots uprising driven by domestic grievances.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump on Tuesday publicly encouraged Iranians to take control of their country’s institutions, announcing that he has suspended all contact with Iran’s leadership as long as security forces continue to violently suppress protests.
In a series of posts on social media, Trump warned that those responsible for killing demonstrators would face consequences, rejecting Tehran’s claims that it has been maintaining dialogue with Washington during the unrest.
“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price.”
He followed by declaring a complete freeze on diplomatic engagement with Tehran until the bloodshed ends.
“I have canceled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” he added.
Human rights groups say the violence has already claimed hundreds of lives. Since the demonstrations erupted, Iranian forces are believed to have killed at least 646 protesters, with fears that the final toll will be far higher. Reuters has reported that as many as 2,000 people may have been killed, citing an unnamed Iranian official.
Amid the escalating crisis, the White House confirmed on Monday that Trump is considering military action against Iran in response to the crackdown.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that while diplomacy remains the administration’s preferred course, the president is prepared to act forcefully if he believes it is required. She said Trump “has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary.”
Leavitt stressed that the president is deeply disturbed by the images emerging from Iran’s capital and beyond.
“He certainly doesn’t want to see people being killed in the streets of Tehran. And unfortunately that’s something we are seeing right now,” she added.
Iranian authorities have responded to the protests with lethal force and widespread repression, including shutting down internet access across large parts of the country to prevent photos and videos from reaching the outside world.
The current uprising marks the most serious challenge to the Islamic Republic since the nationwide demonstrations that followed the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police.
International leaders have also weighed in, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggesting that Iran’s ruling system may be nearing collapse.
“I assume that we are now witnessing the final days and weeks of this regime,” he told reporters during a visit to India on Tuesday.
Merz said the government’s reliance on violence signals its weakness rather than strength. “When a regime can only maintain power through violence, then it is effectively at its end. The population is now rising up against this regime,” he added.
{Matzav.com}
