INTERNACIONAL
With Trump’s backing Israel pushes deeper into Gaza as pressure builds for hostage deal
Nearly a month into Israel’s renewed ground operation, U.S. backing appears to be shaping the conflict on multiple levels—militarily, diplomatically and politically. Israeli officials have suggested the chances of a hostage deal have significantly increased, with some anticipating developments within the next two weeks.
On Monday, sitting beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump told reporters, «We are trying very hard to get the hostages out. We’re looking at another ceasefire. We’ll see what happens.» The remarks highlighted Trump’s dual-track approach: continued diplomatic pressure on Iran and direct support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
With what Israeli officials describe as a «free hand» to operate, Israel has expanded its offensive into Rafah and the strategically significant Morag Corridor. The stated aim is to increase pressure on Hamas and help secure the release of the remaining 59 hostages.
ISRAEL LAUNCHES NEW GROUND OPERATION IN GAZA
A senior Israeli security official told Fox News Digital that the campaign is being carried out in close coordination with the United States. «Everything is coordinated with the Americans — both the negotiations and the operational activity. The goal is to bring the hostages home. We now have a free hand to act, and no longer facing the threat of a veto at the UN Security Council, unlike during the previous administration.»
The same official pointed to a shift in humanitarian policy that, in their view, has enhanced Israeli leverage. «Unlike the previous administration, the U.S. is not forcing 350 aid trucks into Gaza every day. That gives us leverage,» the official said, adding that limiting aid reduces Hamas’s ability to control the population.
On Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the IDF had completed the takeover of the Morag Axis. The Morag Corridor — which separates Rafah from Khan Younis — is part of an effort to establish a new buffer zone and degrade Hamas’s operational capabilities. «The logic is that the more territory Hamas loses, the more likely it will be to compromise on a hostage deal,» the official said.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reinforced that strategy during a visit to front-line units this week. «I expect you to defeat the Rafah Brigade and lead to victory wherever you are fighting,» he told troops. The IDF had previously declared the Rafah Brigade dismantled in September, but forces have returned to key strongholds, where tunnel networks remain.
HAMAS LAUNCHES FIRST ATTACK ON ISRAEL SINCE CEASEFIRE COLLAPSE
Activity of troops of the 36th Division in the Rafah area on April 5th, 2025. (IDF)
In the same statement on Saturday, Katz warned Gazans, «Hamas is unable to protect the residents or the territory. Hamas leaders are hiding in tunnels with their families or living in luxury hotels abroad, with billions in bank accounts, using you as human shields. Now is the time to rise up, to get rid of Hamas, and to release all the Israeli hostages — that is the only way to stop the war.»
In their Oval Office meeting, Trump and Netanyahu reiterated their alignment on core issues. Netanyahu stated that Gazans should be «free to choose to go wherever they want,» in what some analysts view as a reference to renewed discussions about third-country resettlement. Trump went further, floating the idea of a U.S. presence in the Strip, noting, «Gaza is an incredible piece of important real estate. Having a peace force like the United States there, controlling and owning the Gaza Strip would be a good thing.»
Javed Ali, a former senior director at the U.S. National Security Council and now a professor at the University of Michigan, offered a more measured view of the current military strategy. «Now that we’re almost a full month into the resumption of high-intensity IDF operations in the Gaza Strip against Hamas, Israel’s military strategy appears to be focused on clearing and holding remaining pockets of known Hamas elements, which at the same time is displacing Palestinians throughout the territory.»
CEASEFIRE OVER AS ISRAEL STRIKES GAZA AFTER HAMAS REFUSED TO RELEASE HOSTAGES, OFFICIALS SAY
Israeli forces establish the Morag Corridor in Gaza. (IDF)
Ali said it remains unclear how Israel intends to manage or govern areas it clears. He drew comparisons to the U.S. experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. «The U.S. encountered its own challenges in the post-9/11 wars with similar ‘clear and hold’ approaches, since insurgent and jihadist elements in both conflicts utilized guerrilla warfare tactics and terrorist attacks.»
While the Biden administration had previously emphasized humanitarian access, Ali noted that the current White House has not publicly pressed Israel to scale back its operations. «That could change,» he said, particularly as humanitarian conditions worsen or if negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program progress. «If those talks gain momentum, Iran may pressure the U.S. to rein in Israel’s campaign against Hamas to preserve what remains of the group. Whether the U.S. team, led by Steve Witkoff, entertains such demands will be a key regional development to watch.»
On the ground, Israel has moved to reshape the humanitarian landscape in Gaza. The decision to restrict Hamas’s access to aid reflects a broader policy shift under IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who reversed his predecessor’s stance and authorized the military to directly oversee the distribution of supplies. «Hamas will not regain control over the aid, because that was its lifeline,» an Israeli security official explained. «It’s what allowed it to maintain control over the territory throughout this period. People in Gaza know that Hamas controls the aid; if they realize that Hamas no longer does, its control within the Strip becomes ineffective.»
Israeli troops deployed to Gaza. (IDF)
Humanitarian organizations and international leaders continue to condemn Israel. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking on April 8, condemned the ongoing blockade of aid. «More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza. No food. No fuel. No medicine. Gaza is a killing field — and civilians are in an endless death loop,» he said.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Oren Marmorstein, strongly rejected the Secretary-General’s claims. «As always, you don’t let the facts get in the way when spreading slander against Israel,» he posted on X. «There is no shortage of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip — over 25,000 aid trucks have entered during the 42 days of the ceasefire. Hamas used this aid to rebuild its war machine. Yet, not a word in your statement about the imperative for Hamas to leave Gaza. The people of Gaza are braver than you — they’re calling, loud and clear, on Hamas to leave and stop abusing them.»
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Defense Minister Israel Katz (Israeli PM)
Eugene Kontorovich, a senior legal scholar at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital: «One doesn’t need the Israeli Supreme Court to say there is no starvation in Gaza — this was admitted by the UN’s own Food Security Phase Classification, which in June found that prior UN reports were inaccurate and that there is no famine. There is no serious evidence of starvation in Gaza, and what food scarcity does exist can be attributed to Hamas pillaging and hoarding aid. As the truth comes out, it becomes clear that the starvation claims were designed to halt Israel’s legitimate self-defense against a genocidal attack.»
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As military and diplomatic tracks converge, Israeli officials remain cautiously optimistic that talks may soon produce results.
Costos y beneficios
Regreso al punto de partida
El presidente Donald Trump, a la izquierda, junto al primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, en el Ala Oeste de la Casa Blanca, el 7 de abril pasado. Foto AP
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FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to build a paper trail of former President Joe Biden’s autopen usage with the end goal of calling more hearings, passing legislation or amending the Constitution to best address «a mentally incapacitated president.»
Sen. Eric Schmitt, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, is requesting special access under the Presidential Records Act to a trove of Biden-era documents and memos that chronicle his usage of an autopen.
In a letter to Secretary of State and Acting National Archivist Marco Rubio exclusively obtained by Fox News, Schmitt argued that creating a paper trail of key directives made toward the end of his presidency would help in «deciding which legislative remedy is most appropriate.»
TOP BIDEN AIDE ADMITS TO CONGRESS SHE DIRECTED AUTOPEN SIGNATURES WITHOUT KNOWING WHO GAVE FINAL APPROVAL
Neera Tanden, the former director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council, testified for more than five hours Tuesday behind closed doors as part of House Republicans’ investigation into the former president’s mental acuity and his use of an automatic signature tool. (Getty Images)
«In particular, the increased use of the autopen to sign pardons, executive orders, and other documents as his Presidency progressed became a poignant symbol of President Biden’s mental decline and has created questions about the validity of those orders and pardons if President Biden did not direct the use of the autopen,» he wrote.
Schmitt requested access to a slew of documents, including memos about procedures for usage of the autopen, who was granted authority to use the autopen and emails from staff authorizing or requesting authorization for autopen usage.
SENATE HEARING ON WHO WAS ‘REALLY RUNNING’ BIDEN WHITE HOUSE KICKS OFF WEDNESDAY
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., arrives for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Dirksen building Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Getty Images)
He also requested access to all White House records after Nov. 1, 2024, that refer or relate to presidential pardons; that prioritize briefing books, memos and decision memos for pardons; and, eventually, access to all White House records after Nov. 1.
«With that information, the subcommittee will be better positioned to ensure that any potential proposed amendment will be sufficiently comprehensive so as to address any plausible contingency concerning a mentally incapacitated President,» Schmitt wrote.
«It would be challenging enough to amend the Constitution once — much less more than once if it then subsequently turned out not all contingencies around presidential incapacity were adequately considered.»
Schmitt’s letter comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Biden’s alleged mental decline while in office and how the autopen could have played a central role in his inner circle’s alleged attempt to skirt the Constitution while continuing to carry out the duties of the office.
EX-WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS TO TESTIFY ON WHO ‘REALLY RAN THE COUNTRY’ DURING BIDEN ERA
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while flying aboard Air Force One en route from Calgary, Canada, to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, late Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
It also explicitly mentions the closed-door, transcribed hearing with Biden’s former director of the Domestic Policy Council, Neera Tanden, conducted by the House Oversight Committee this week.
A source told Fox News Digital that during the transcribed interview, which lasted five hours, Tanden testified she had «minimal interaction with President Biden» in her role as staff secretary and that to obtain autopen signatures, she would send decision memos to members of Biden’s inner circle.
She said during the interview she was not aware of what actions or approvals happened between the time the memo was sent out and returned with approval.
However, Tanden’s opening statement, shared with Fox News Digital by her lawyer, Michael Bromwich, said that, as staff secretary, she was responsible for «handling the flow of documents to and from the President» and that she was authorized to direct that autopen signatures be «affixed to certain categories of documents.»
«We had a system for authorizing the use of the autopen that I inherited from prior Administrations,» Tanden said. «We employed that system throughout my tenure as Staff Secretary.»
She was later named director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council and said she was no longer responsible for the flow of documents and was no longer involved in decisions related to the autopen.
«I would note that much of the public discussion on the subject matter of this hearing has conflated two very different issues: first, the president’s age and second, whether President Bident was in command as President,» she said. «I had no experience in the White House that would provide any reason to question his command as President. He was in charge.»
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Schmitt requested that access to the swathe of memos and communications be granted no later than July 16.
«It is important for this subcommittee to have a clear picture of President Biden’s decision-making capacity at the end of his presidency and to know the extent to which members of his inner circle possibly usurped the President’s decision-making authority,» he wrote.
Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
China confirmó el acuerdo sobre tierras raras y exportaciones con EEUU tras una nueva ronda de negociaciones en Londres
China y Estados Unidos alcanzaron un acuerdo definitivo sobre la exportación de bienes estratégicos, incluidas las tierras raras, tras concluir su última ronda de negociaciones en Londres. Así lo confirmó este viernes el Ministerio de Comercio chino mediante un comunicado oficial, en el que informó que ambos gobiernos “mantuvieron una comunicación cercana” tras el encuentro y que “con aprobación, ambas partes confirmaron los detalles del acuerdo”.
El documento aclara que, como parte del entendimiento, “China revisará y aprobará las solicitudes de exportación de bienes controlados que cumplan con las condiciones con arreglo a la ley”, en una clara referencia a las restricciones impuestas por Beijing a principios de abril sobre la venta de minerales críticos como las tierras raras. Estos recursos son fundamentales para industrias clave, como la defensa, la tecnología avanzada o el sector automotriz.
A cambio, Estados Unidos se compromete a eliminar “una serie de medidas restrictivas” adoptadas contra China, aunque el comunicado no detalla cuáles serán levantadas ni en qué plazos. Esta medida corresponde a lo pactado en la conversación del 5 de junio entre el presidente chino Xi Jinping y su homólogo estadounidense Donald Trump, que habilitó la reanudación de los contactos comerciales a nivel técnico.
“Se espera que EEUU y China encuentren un término medio y cumplan con los importantes consensos y requisitos alcanzados por los jefes de Estado”, señala el comunicado, refiriéndose al diálogo presidencial que facilitó la reactivación de las negociaciones formales en la capital británica.
La confirmación de este acuerdo por parte del gobierno chino se produce un día después de que Trump asegurara que “Estados Unidos firmó un acuerdo con China” en una declaración pública, aunque sin ofrecer precisiones. Según había adelantado el mandatario republicano a mediados de junio, el pacto incluye un arancel del 55 % impuesto por EEUU a productos chinos y un 10 % recíproco por parte de Beijing sobre bienes estadounidenses.
El acuerdo de Londres sella un marco de cooperación basado en el “consenso” alcanzado en la llamada presidencial, pero se mantenía pendiente de la ratificación final de ambos líderes. La firma llega tras una serie de tensiones renovadas, motivadas por acusaciones cruzadas de incumplimiento del pacto alcanzado en mayo en Ginebra, que dio origen a una tregua comercial de 90 días.
En el marco de ese entendimiento previo, China había reducido sus aranceles a productos estadounidenses del 125% al 10%, mientras que Washington rebajó los suyos del 145% al 30% sobre bienes chinos. Sin embargo, ambas partes se acusaron mutuamente de violar el acuerdo: Beijing denunció restricciones estadounidenses sobre la exportación de chips de inteligencia artificial y software de diseño de semiconductores, así como medidas migratorias contra estudiantes chinos. Washington, por su parte, criticó las limitaciones chinas sobre la exportación de tierras raras.
La disputa comercial entre ambos países se intensificó desde el regreso de Donald Trump a la Casa Blanca, con una renovada ofensiva arancelaria que reactivó la guerra comercial iniciada en 2018. Esta escalada ha derivado en una situación de embargo parcial, con efectos globales sobre cadenas de suministro y mercados estratégicos.
Con este nuevo acuerdo, China y Estados Unidos buscan desescalar las tensiones mediante compromisos mutuos en comercio y exportaciones clave. No obstante, aún queda por determinar cómo se implementarán las medidas anunciadas y si ambas partes cumplirán los plazos y condiciones fijados. Por ahora, el entendimiento representa un paso más en la volátil relación bilateral entre las dos principales economías del mundo.
(Con información de EFE y AFP)
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