INTERNACIONAL
Parents of Hamas hostages urge Trump to be ‘tough with enemies and friends’ amid Israeli siege in Gaza
The parents of the American hostages still held by the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza have called on President Donald Trump to use his reputation for being «tough» and apply pressure on not only known enemies but one of his closest allies: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
There are 59 hostages still in Gaza, at least 24 of whom are assessed to be alive, including American-Israeli Edan Alexander, now 21 years old after having spent two birthdays in Hamas captivity.
Itay Chen, 19, Omer Neutra, 21, Judy Weinstein Haggai, 70, and her husband, Gadi Weinstein, 73, are all believed to have been killed by Hamas in it’s attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and whose bodies were taken into Gaza.
«I believe that the president is a very tough person, and he should be tough with the enemies and with friends as well,» Adi Alexander, who is Edan’s father, told Fox News Digital in a direct reference to Israel.
Edan Alexander and family (Adi Alexander)
PRESIDENT TRUMP GAVE ME BACK MY LIFE AFTER 471 DAYS OF HAMAS CAPTIVITY – PLEASE SAVE THE REMAINING HOSTAGES
«We asked of the president to keep everybody accountable,» Alexander, who sat next to his wife, Yael, described after the second phase of a ceasefire, which was supposed to begin in March but failed and Israel resumed military operations in the Gaza Strip to the immense frustration of mediators.
In addition, the families urged Trump to keep Netanyahu «on a short leash» and to «get him back to negotiate as soon as possible and stop this thing.»
Trump this week marked his 100th day in office, and the families of the five Americans still held hostage urged him to reflect on his strategy and apply pressure on both Israel and Hamas, through both economic and diplomatic means, to secure the release of all 59 hostages.
«With the election results, we had such high hopes,» Ruby Chen, father to Itay, told reporters during a press event on Wednesday. «We know he cares about the topic, and we saw, even before the inauguration, his comments on the topic with the ‘hell to pay’ and ‘all the hostages need to come out.’»
«But I think the 100-day mark that we are at this moment, I think it’s a good time to reflect and say that the job’s not done,» said Chen, sitting next to his wife, Hagit Chen.
Trump sparked international concern in February when he suggested the Gaza Strip should be turned into the «Riviera of the Middle East,» and fears have mounted that as Washington continues to discuss potentially displacing Palestinians and Israel continues aggressive military operations, Hamas may be unwilling to give up its leverage: the hostages.
Hagit Chen and her son, Itay, who was 19 years old when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. (Hagit Chen)
AN AMERICAN FATHER’S PLEA: PRESIDENT TRUMP, PLEASE BRING MY SON AND THE OTHER HOSTAGES HOME FROM GAZA
Calls within the Gaza Strip are increasing from Palestinians to return all the hostages so a day-after plan can be discussed as Palestinian civilians continue to feel the consequences of the brutal war.
«It’s easy rhetoric to say that Hamas won’t hold their side of the deal,» Orna Neutra, mother to Omer, told reporters. «If they don’t hold their side of the deal, then [Netanyahu] can return to hostilities.
«But let’s allow them to release all hostages and see if that happens or not instead of just saying they won’t do it,» she added, noting it could be another leveraging point for the Trump administration.
The families of the hostages are careful not to get overly involved in the heated political topics, but instead they have highlighted the importance of and need for a solid strategy to first secure the release of all remaining hostages, and then figure out a day-after plan.
Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has suggested that Hamas could become politically active in the Gaza Strip, but they need to fully disarm.
«I think the best approach will be just to call for both parties to rise above politics, although it will be very difficult with Hamas, which is politically struggling to survive in this region, but definitely to call on [the] Israeli government to rise above politics,» Alexander said. «Do not think about politically surviving and prioritize human life.»
Emaciated Israeli hostages, from left, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who were held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, are taken by terrorists to a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Feb. 8, 2025. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)
The families pointed to polling from Israel that shows nearly 70% of Israelis favor ending military operations against Hamas in order to return all the hostages more than 573 days since they were abducted, including some 48% of Netanyahu’s coalition base. Some 39% of his conservative base apparently oppose the strategy, and another 13% are unsure.
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While there is evident frustration among the families of the hostages, who have made clear the Israeli government has not offered anywhere near the same level of support or communication provided by both the Biden and Trump administrations, they said that, ultimately, the adversary is the terrorist organization that captured, in some instances killed, and continues to hold captive their loved ones.
«Just to be clear, Hamas is the enemy,» said Neutra, who sat next to her husband, Ronen. «Hamas committed these atrocious crimes. They’re holding on to our family members. We don’t want to see them continue to be a threat to Israel.
«But it’s about priority, and it’s about being in the situation for 19 months now,» she added.
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Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…
– Coast Guard overhaul takes off amid Trump administration’s immigration, narcotics crackdown
– ‘Big beautiful bill’ tax cuts touted in ad blitz as Senate GOP gears up for midterms
– NYC council member sounds alarm over Mamdani voters falling for ‘pipe dream’
Brennan directed publication of ‘implausible’ reports claiming Putin preferred Trump in 2016, House found
FIRST ON FOX: The intelligence community did not have any direct information that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to help elect Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, but, at the «unusual» direction of then-President Barack Obama, published «potentially biased» or «implausible» intelligence suggesting otherwise, the House Intelligence Committee found.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified a report prepared by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence back in 2020… READ MORE.
Former President Barack Obama nominates John Brennan, to be CIA director during an event in the East Room at the White House on Jan. 7, 2013, in Washington, D.C. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
White House
WAR OF WORDS: Trump border czar Tom Homan slams ‘former first drug addict’ Hunter Biden over inflammatory immigration rant
HIDDEN HANDS: 7 details revealed in newly released MLK files
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World Stage
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POWER PLAY POLITICS: How China ‘weaponized’ the battery supply chain to control over 80% of the materials needed for batteries in defense tech
HUNGER ON THE FRONT: News agency says its Gaza journalists suffering health woes as union warns they will die without intervention
An airstrike hits a building in the Al-Nasr neighborhood in Gaza City, Gaza on July 21, 2025. (Saeed M. M. T. Jaras/Anadolu via Getty Images)
BACKSTABBING ALLIES: Huckabee hits back at Western countries that ‘side’ with terror group Hamas
REAL ‘WONDER WOMAN’: ‘Wonder Woman’ actress Gal Gadot praises ‘strength’ of freed Hamas hostages during emotional visit
PRICE WAR SHOWDOWN: Trump says he may use trade to force countries, pharma companies to buy into his most favored nation provision
POWER GRAB BACKLASH: Ukraine sees sweeping protests over bill weakening anti-corruption agencies
Capitol Hill
‘QUIET PART OUT LOUD’: Immigrants needed for ‘redistricting purposes,’ House Dem admits in viral clip: ‘Quiet part out loud’
PASSING GRADE: Senate weathers Dem opposition, advances first government funding bill
CASHFLOW: WATCH: Lawmakers break down how billions in the ‘big, beautiful bill’ boost Trump’s immigration crackdown
JUDICIAL SHOWDOWN: Senate votes to consider former Trump lawyer for lifetime as appeals court judge
Emil Bove, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, is sworn in before testifying during his Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on June 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. A whistleblower alleged that Bove, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, told Justice Department staff to defy court orders and continue to carry out Trump’s deportation plans. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
‘POTENTIALLY BIASED’: Brennan directed publication of ‘implausible’ reports claiming Putin preferred Trump in 2016, House found
STAYING PUT: After meeting with Trump, Republican in key House battleground announces major decision on ‘Fox and Friends’
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: ‘Big beautiful bill’ tax cuts touted in ad blitz as Senate GOP gears up for midterms
‘KEEP SHOOTING, DAD’: Grieving mom testifies about Marine vet son’s death at hands of violent illegal aliens
Across America
LEGAL LEGEND LOST: Roy Black, famed defense attorney for Rush Limbaugh and Jeffrey Epstein, dies after illustrious career
COURT ORDER: New Jersey’s ban on privately operated ICE detention centers struck down by court
CRACKING DOWN: Trump’s immigration enforcement push results in skyrocketing arrests of criminal illegal aliens
‘PROHIBITS SPEECH’: Federal judge partially blocks law banning adults from helping minors get out-of-state abortions
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti leaves a press conference discussing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision that upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender transition treatments for transgender minors at the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (The Tennessean )
STEALTH AGENDA: WATCH: DEI efforts were rebranded at 2 red-state colleges to skirt Trump orders, staffers admit
‘CULTURE OF SHAME’: NYC council member sounds alarm over Mamdani voters falling for ‘pipe dream’
‘DEADLY FORCE’: ICE chief warns AI technology could lead to safety risks for agents: ‘Fringe organizations’
Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
INTERNACIONAL
China experimenting with brain-computer interfaces in global race for AI dominance: report
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China is reportedly working to cognitively merge humans with machines as part of its ongoing efforts to compete in the artificial intelligence race.
The communist country is using brain-computer interface (BCI) technology — systems that allow for communication between the brain and an external device — to «augment human cognition and human-machine teaming,» The Washington Times reported, citing a presentation from Georgetown experts delivered to U.S. officials.
AI ARMS RACE: US AND CHINA WEAPONIZE DRONES, CODE AND BIOTECH FOR THE NEXT GREAT WAR
These include invasive, minimally-invasive and non-invasive BCIs, according to The Washington Times.
China’s national flag flutters on Pingtan island, the closest point in China to Taiwan’s main island, in southeast China’s Fujian province on December 11, 2024. (Adek Berry)
Invasive BCIs involve surgery to implant electrodes into the brain, while non-invasive BCIs use sensors on the scalp to monitor brain activity. Meanwhile, minimally-invasive BCIs involve implanting devices, but they do not penetrate brain tissue, according to a report in the National Library of Medicine.
FOX NEWS AI NEWSLETTER: AMAZING BREAKTHROUGH FOR PARALYZED MAN WHO CAN’T SPEAK
The U.S. has primarily focused on building up language models to develop AI technology. However, China is going against traditional thinking about how to achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI) — a type of AI that has the ability to perform as well as or better than a human being in cognitive tasks, according to William Hannas, lead analyst at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
A photo illustration of a robot and a human touching fingers. (iStock)
«There are all kinds of possibilities out there, but if you want human equivalent AI, you’re not going to get it just by increasing the parameters [of models],» Hannas told The Washington Times.
PARALYZED MAN SPEAKS AND SINGS WITH AI BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE
Hannas, who formerly worked for the CIA, collected Chinese government documents that contained information about the country’s AI funding plans for this year and last year. The plans include several brain-inspired AI approaches, The Washington Times reported.
Additionally, Chinese state-run media have quoted statements saying the future involves making AI a physical part of humans, according to the Washington Times.
Close-up of the icon of the ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot app logo on a cellphone screen. (iStock)
In 2018, two technologists working on brain-inspired approaches to AI were also recruited by Chinese officials, they told The Washington Times.
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China’s innovation in artificial intelligence is «accelerating,» Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, told Fox News Digital in April. But he maintained that the United States remains the world’s dominant power in AI and the Trump administration’s «promote and protect» strategy will solidify that standing.
Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
INTERNACIONAL
Mendicidad en las calles y basura como sustento: el rostro de una Cuba en crisis que la dictadura se niega a admitir
En las calles de La Habana, la imagen de personas rebuscando entre la basura para alimentarse se ha vuelto cotidiana. William Abel, de 62 años, es uno de ellos. Desde que su vivienda colapsó hace dos años, duerme al aire libre y sobrevive hurgando en contenedores. “He estado hurgando en los basureros por dos años para comer”, declaró.
Abel no es un caso aislado. La visibilidad cada vez más común de personas sin hogar refleja el deterioro profundo de la economía cubana, considerada por analistas como la peor crisis en más de tres décadas. La escasez de alimentos, la inflación descontrolada y el colapso de servicios sociales han expulsado a miles de cubanos a la indigencia.
En una isla donde el régimen evita reconocer la existencia de pobreza con cifras o términos precisos, el fenómeno se agrava mientras las autoridades insisten en utilizar eufemismos como “personas vulnerables”.
Oficialmente, 350.000 personas reciben ayuda social en Cuba, según datos de la propia dictadura. No obstante, especialistas aseguran que esa cifra está lejos de reflejar la magnitud real de la crisis.
La reciente renuncia de la ministra de Trabajo y Seguridad Social, Marta Elena Feito, dejó en evidencia la desconexión entre el discurso oficial y la realidad en las calles. Feito provocó una ola de indignación al declarar que “en Cuba no hay mendigos”. Las críticas obligaron al dictador Miguel Díaz-Canel a intervenir públicamente: “Son expresiones concretas de desigualdades sociales que debemos atender”, dijo ante la Asamblea Nacional, distanciándose del discurso de su ex ministra.
La reacción del régimen fue inusual, ya que históricamente ha minimizado cualquier señal de desigualdad social. El primer ministro, Manuel Marrero, también reconoció la gravedad de la situación: “Tenemos un problema real”, afirmó.
Para los cubanos afectados, como Juan de la Cruz, de 63 años, el problema es más que evidente. Tras perder una pierna por diabetes, recibe una pensión estatal equivalente a menos de tres dólares mensuales al cambio informal. “No me alcanza ni para un kilo de pollo”, comentó mientras pedía comida en una calle del centro habanero. Su vivienda, aunque “muy pequeña”, está vacía.
El país enfrenta una inflación acumulada que ha hecho subir los precios de los alimentos hasta un 500% en los últimos cuatro años. La libreta de racionamiento, históricamente utilizada para distribuir productos subsidiados, ya no garantiza ni lo básico. Mientras tanto, el la dictadura reconoce que no tiene divisas suficientes para mantener los programas sociales que fueron emblema de la llamada “revolución”.
El colapso económico tiene múltiples causas. Entre ellas, los analistas destacan el impacto prolongado de la pandemia sobre el turismo, la ineficiencia estructural de la economía centralizada y las sanciones de Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, muchos expertos señalan que las decisiones internas del régimen han tenido un peso determinante en la actual crisis.
La socióloga cubana Mayra Espina Prieto ha estimado recientemente que “entre el 40 y el 45 por ciento de los cubanos vive en condiciones de pobreza”. La cifra contrasta con el silencio oficial sobre estos indicadores, ya que Cuba no publica datos de pobreza ni permite estudios independientes sistemáticos sobre desigualdad social.
El deterioro también golpea a los más jóvenes. UNICEF informó en 2023 que casi uno de cada diez niños cubanos vive en condiciones de “pobreza alimentaria severa”, lo que significa que sólo acceden a uno o dos grupos de alimentos al día, en ocasiones menos.
En las afueras de La Habana, Arnaldo Victores, de 65 años y con discapacidad visual, duerme en un taller de motos sobre bolsas plásticas. Al no tener dirección fija, no puede acceder a los beneficios sociales. “Mi sueño es un cuartico con baño”, afirmó a la prensa internacional. Frente al lugar donde pide limosna cada día se levanta un hotel estatal de 42 pisos, el más alto de la capital. Para muchos, es un símbolo de prioridades distorsionadas.
En un país donde durante décadas se presumió de haber eliminado la indigencia, la realidad diaria desmiente el discurso. Las imágenes de ancianos durmiendo en portales y buscando sobras entre desechos evidencian una fractura social que el régimen ya no puede ocultar.
(Con información de AFP)
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