Hamas terrorists have unleashed a wave of internal terror in Gaza, rounding up Palestinians, torturing them, and executing them in the streets, according to shocking new footage released by Israel.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry shared disturbing video from inside the Gaza Strip showing masked gunmen, believed to be Hamas operatives, dragging a screaming man across the street before viciously beating him.
As the helpless victim writhes on the ground, one of the terrorists raises his rifle and fires multiple rounds into the man’s leg and torso. A second detainee, forced to watch the execution, breaks down sobbing as gunfire echoes through the street.
The gunmen then move on to others they had detained, beating and killing them one by one as part of Hamas’s campaign to crush any internal dissent and reestablish dominance during the fragile cease-fire.
“We call on all media outlets to give appropriate coverage to this threat to regional security,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry posted on X along with the chilling footage. “Responsible journalism should shine a light on this.”
“Hamas — the terror state controlling Gaza — is brutalizing Palestinians as it seeks to reestablish control,” the ministry added, warning viewers that the content was “difficult viewing.”
Another clip released by the ministry shows a group of masked men, also believed to be Hamas members, standing around an injured man and beating him mercilessly with sticks.
The bloodied victim tries in vain to protect his face and head as the attackers continue striking him. When he attempts to crawl beneath a car to escape, one of the men drags him back out to the middle of the road, where the assault continues in full view of bystanders.
These scenes add to mounting evidence of Hamas’s violent efforts to restore its grip on Gaza, coming just days after public executions were reported in Gaza City.
Both Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials have pointed to these brutal acts as proof that Hamas has no intention of laying down its weapons or relinquishing control — core conditions outlined in President Trump’s peace plan.
While Trump initially signaled understanding toward efforts to suppress armed gangs in Gaza, the escalating violence against civilians prompted him to issue a warning to Hamas that the attacks must stop — or international forces could intervene. Trump stated Tuesday that several Middle Eastern allies were ready to send troops to “straighten [out] Hamas” if the group “continues to act badly.”
{Matzav.com}
Vice President JD Vance spoke to reporters in southern Israel Tuesday evening while on a mission to bolster the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, laying out his assessment of the early days of the U.S. diplomatic push.
“We are one week into President Trump’s historic peace plan in the Middle East, and things are going, frankly, better than I expected that they would,” Vance said as he opened his remarks.
Asked about Ankara’s potential part in enforcing the truce and helping stabilize Gaza — despite Turkey’s past backing for Hamas — Vance said multiple actors will be needed to address the region’s humanitarian and security challenges.
“We think everybody has a role to play here,” Vance responded. “Some of that’s going to be financial, some of that’s going to be in reconstruction, some of that’s just in communication with the various parties.”
He stressed that any deployment of foreign forces would be decided with Israel’s consent, while praising steps Turkey has already taken in the process.
“We’re not going to force anything on our Israeli friends when it comes to foreign troops on their soil, but we do think that there’s a constructive role for the Turks to play, and frankly, they’ve already played a very constructive role,” he added.
Vance acknowledged difficult history when addressing Turkey’s ties to Hamas, but urged forward-looking cooperation as the best path to lasting calm.
He noted that Turkey “has supported Hamas is the past,” but argued that pointing fingers won’t replace the work needed to secure a stable future: “no one who is a party to this conflict can look at the conflict and not point at something that they don’t like and that they disagree with … The way that we’re going to get to peace is to focus on the future, which is what the President of the United States has asked us to do.”
On the sensitive subject of recovering the remains of hostages still in Gaza, Vance said bringing the deceased home is a shared priority for all involved.
“it is a focus of everybody here to get those bodies back home to their families so that they can have a proper burial.”
But he warned the public that the recovery effort faces severe practical obstacles and that results will not be immediate.
“some of these hostages are buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. Some of the hostages – nobody even knows where they are. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work to get them, and that doesn’t mean we don’t have confidence that we will. It’s just a reason to counsel in favor of a little bit of patience.”
Turning his remarks directly to Hamas, Vance reiterated the core demands of the administration’s plan and the consequences of refusal to comply.
“Our warning to Hamas is very straightforward. The terms of the 20-point plan that the President put out there are very clear,” he continued. “It’s that Hamas has to disarm, it’s that Hamas has to actually behave itself, and it’s that Hamas – while all the fighters can be given some sort of clemency, they’re not going to be able to kill each other and they’re not going to be able to kill their fellow Palestinians. Now again, that’s going to take time … but right now, where I stand, I feel confident we’re going to be in a place where this place lasts, where it’s durable.”
He concluded with a stark threat should the group refuse to cooperate, while stopping short of setting a deadline for compliance.
“If Hamas doesn’t cooperate, then as the President of the United States has said, Hamas is going to be obliterated.”
{Matzav.com}
New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill has been absent from more than half of her congressional votes this year—by far the worst attendance record among members of the House, according to official data.
The Democratic congresswoman, now in her fourth term, has seen her voting participation plummet since declaring her candidacy to succeed outgoing Governor Phil Murphy late last year. Her Republican rival, Jack Ciattarelli, has accused her of abandoning her congressional duties to focus on her campaign.
While it’s common for sitting lawmakers running for higher office to miss some votes, Sherrill’s record stands out. Reports by PolitiFact and the New Jersey Globe reveal that since announcing her bid on November 18, 2024, she has failed to vote on about 55% of major House measures.
Fox News added that since the start of the 119th Congress in January, Sherrill has skipped 53% of votes—145 in total—placing her far behind her colleagues in attendance.
Her absentee rate dwarfs that of the next most absent New Jersey representative, Donald Norcross, who has missed 83 votes this year.
Ciattarelli’s campaign wasted no time attacking her record. “She ran for re-election to Congress in 2024 knowing full well she had no intention of doing her job,” said campaign strategist Chris Russell in a statement to Fox News.
“And when she did show up, the two most consequential votes she cast were to raise taxes on working people and shut down the government,” he continued, referencing her opposition to a temporary spending bill and to President Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”
“That Sherrill missed nearly 90% of the votes she was supposed to cast over the last three months is shameful,” Russell added, citing her voting record between July 23 and September 18.
In response, Sherrill’s campaign avoided commenting directly on the absences but defended her commitment to New Jersey. “Mikie Sherrill is out there every day fighting for New Jersey on critical issues like the Gateway Tunnel Project, which Trump ‘terminated’ and said ‘is dead,’” campaign communications director Sean Higgins told The New York Post.
The campaign also took a swipe at Ciattarelli, accusing him of being subservient to the Trump administration. “No wonder Jack continues to trail, even in Fox News’ polling, where he can’t break through the mid-40s and voters are rejecting him on healthcare, costs, taxes, and utilities,” Higgins said.
The race between Sherrill and Ciattarelli has turned increasingly combative as polls tighten heading into the final stretch.
Data from GovTrack shows that as the campaign intensified, Sherrill missed 56% of her votes from April through June and 64% from July through September.
Although other members of Congress running for higher office have occasionally skipped votes, none have done so at the same rate. For instance, Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin participated in 99% of votes while campaigning for the Senate, and six other House lawmakers pursuing Senate seats maintained attendance above 80%.
Only Senator Adam Schiff, then a California congressman running for the Senate, had a comparably poor attendance record, missing 48% of House votes last year, according to Fox News.
{Matzav.com}
Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman joins ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss the state of the NYC mayoral election, his thoughts on Zohran Mamdani, state of the economy, his thoughts on the second Trump presidency, state of U.S.-China relations, U.S. government’s stake in Intel, AI boom, and more.
WATCH:
The Israel Defense Forces announced that the remains of two hostages have been returned to Israel after Hamas handed the coffins over to the Red Cross for transfer.
“Two coffins of deceased hostages, escorted by IDF troops, crossed the border into the State of Israel a short while ago and are on their way to the National Institute for Forensic Medicine, where identification procedures will be carried out,” the military said. “IDF representatives are accompanying the families. The IDF urges the public to act with sensitivity and wait for official identification, which will first be communicated to the families of the deceased hostages.”
Before the exchange took place, the army urged restraint as the Red Cross prepared to retrieve the coffins from Hamas. “The IDF requests that the public act with sensitivity and wait for the official identification, which will first be provided to the families of the hostages. Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages,” it said.
Shortly afterward, the military confirmed that the handover was in progress. “According to information provided by the Red Cross, two coffins of deceased hostages have been transferred into their custody and are on their way to IDF troops in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages,” the IDF reported.
Following the transfer, Israel noted that thirteen additional bodies of hostages remain in Gaza.
The Prime Minister’s Office released its own statement confirming the process. “Israel has received, via the Red Cross, coffins containing the remains of two deceased hostages, which were handed over to an IDF and ISA force inside the Gaza Strip. From there, the coffins will be transferred to Israel, where they will be received in a military ceremony in the presence of the IDF Chief Rabbi.”
“They will then be transferred to the Health Ministry National Center of Forensic Medicine. Upon completion of the identification process, formal notification will be delivered to their families. All of the hostages’ families have been updated accordingly, and our hearts are with them in this difficult hour. The effort to return our hostages is ongoing and will not cease until the last hostage is returned. The public is requested to respect the families’ privacy and to refrain from spreading rumors and unofficial and unverified information. We will continue to provide updates with reliable information as necessary,” the PMO said.
{Matzav.com}
Vice President JD Vance lashed out at sections of the American and Western media on Tuesday, accusing reporters of showing “a weird attitude” and even “rooting for failure” as the administration’s landmark Middle East peace initiative gains momentum.
“Things are going, frankly, better than I expected that they were,” Vance said during a press conference in southern Israel to mark the inauguration of the new Civilian-Military Cooperation Center. “This is a very, very tough situation. You have two peoples, two enemies who fought a very tough conflict against each other.
“You have a terrorist organization on one hand that murdered a lot of innocent people. You’ve got an Israeli army that was defending itself on the other, that has learned a lot over the past couple of years.”
Vance said that even with Sunday’s brief interruption in the ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces, the process continues to move forward. He applauded the teamwork among Israeli officials, U.S. representatives, and regional allies, while taking issue with what he described as consistently gloomy portrayals in American news outlets.
“There’s this weird attitude I’ve sensed in the American media and the Western media, where there’s almost this desire to root for failure,” he said. “Every time there’s an act of violence, there’s this inclination to say, ‘This is the end of the ceasefire.’
“It’s not the end. We are in a very good place.”
The vice president went on to commend the leadership of Ambassador Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Adm. Brad Cooper of U.S. Central Command, and American servicemembers who are working alongside Israeli personnel at the new coordination hub.
He acknowledged that achieving lasting peace will not happen overnight, but said the groundwork being laid offers real hope for a stable future. “You have Israelis and Americans working hand in hand to begin the plan to rebuild Gaza, implement long-term peace, and ensure security forces on the ground that can keep the peace,” Vance said.
{Matzav.com}
Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia, in a startling interview, suggested the need to “get rid of” Donald Trump amid a heated dispute over the U.S. crackdown on drugs. The conflict escalated after Trump threatened to shut down what he called the “killing fields” in Colombia, and announced that the U.S. would reduce its subsidies to the Latin American country, following Petro’s accusation that the U.S. committed “murder” by attacking a suspected drug boat on September 15.
In a televised discussion with Daniel Coronell on Univision, Petro said, “Humanity has a first offramp, it is to choose to change Trump in various ways,” when asked about his ambition for securing the best possible deal for Colombia.
He then added, “The easiest way may be through Trump himself,” followed by, “If not — get rid of Trump,” punctuating his remark with a dramatic snap of his fingers.
When Coronell pressed him by suggesting that his primary mission was “to seek the best possible negotiation,” Petro denied that his immediate objective was to “change Trump.”
Petro conceded that his nation is “out of control,” yet asserted that Bogota is governed by its citizens and not by a monarch. “Trump said: ‘Colombia is out of control.’ Of course, it is out of his control. In a democracy, a government is under the control of the people, not Trump. He is not a king in Colombia; we do not accept kings here, period,” he declared.
He added later, “In the 21st century, some believe they can become kings and viceroys, but in republics, it is not possible,” noting, “Here, the heads of kings are cut off if they come with a king’s attitude.”
The feud between the two leaders began after the Trump administration’s strike on a suspected drug boat in September. Trump claimed the attack eliminated “confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela” who were in international waters at the time.
Petro countered, arguing the vessel was Colombian, used for fishing rather than drug transport. On X, he stated: “US government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters,” explaining that “The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure. … We await explanations from the US government.”
A later report by CNN indicated that one of Trump’s recent strikes in the Caribbean killed Colombian nationals, citing officials from the United States Department of Defense.
In his remarks on Sunday, Trump blasted Petro as “a very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America” and accused him of being “an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs.”
Beyond cutting off foreign aid to Colombia, Trump also threatened to increase tariffs on Bogotá, which currently pays a baseline rate of 10 %.
According to foreignassistance.gov, the U.S. has provided over $207 million in foreign aid to Colombia this year.
Trump has authorized at least seven known strikes against alleged drug-boats in the area, targeting vessels suspected of ties to Venezuela — a strategy that has raised concerns among Democrats in Congress and Republicans such as Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
The harsh rhetoric from Petro drew alarm from Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), a member of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees. On X, he warned: “In an interview with [Univision Noticias], Colombia’s narcoterrorist-in-chief, Gustavo Petro, has just threatened to ‘overthrow’ President Trump. Petro threats must be taken seriously, he is a genuine threat to the safety & security of our hemisphere.”
{Matzav.com}
