INTERNACIONAL
Biden’s woes converge: Last-minute pardons under fire, calls for prosecution mount following Hur tape release
The release of audio recordings of former President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur have intensified criticism of the administration’s use of an autopen on official presidential orders and pardons.
The damning tapes, which bring Biden’s alarming mental decline into sharp relief, were kept under wraps by Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland. Now that Biden’s cognitive problems have been bared, some are calling for Garland to face prosecution for rejecting Congressional demands to release the tapes when he ran the Department of Justice (DOJ).
«Key decisions made in the final days of the Biden presidency, including using autopens to issue blanket pardons for the Biden Crime Family, must be fully examined. There are serious concerns that President Biden lacked the mental capacity to authorize those actions,» House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., posted to X on Saturday.
Axios released hours of Biden’s interview with the special counsel’s office on Saturday – a year and a half after the interviews were held across a two-day period in the fall of 2023. The recordings showed the former president tripping over his words, slurring sentences, taking long pauses between answers and struggling to remember key moments in his life, including the year his son Beau Biden died of cancer.
The recordings have further bolstered conservative outrage stretching back years that Biden’s mental acuity had cratered and that the Delaware Democrat who had served in the Senate for decades had become a «shadow» of himself and was unfit to lead the country as president.
CRITICISMS MOUNT THAT BIDEN IS A ‘SHADOW’ OF HIMSELF AFTER DISASTROUS DEBATE: ‘NOT THE SAME MAN’ FROM VP ERA
Former President Joe Biden is facing renewed scrutiny over his mental acuity following the release of the Hur tapes. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
The flurry of pardons Biden allegedly signed by autopen in the waning days of his administration included ones for his son Hunter Biden, his siblings and their spouses, retired Gen. Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members and staff of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview on Sunday that he has long sounded the alarm over the validity of Biden’s pardons, as many lacked specifically what charges an individual was protected against. Instead, many of the pardons outlined blanket protections, such as preemptively pardoning Milley and Fauci from potential prosecution and blanket pardons for unidentified members of Congress who served on the J6 select committee.
«I’ve been long of the position that the pardons, many of the pardons, are not valid based on the fact that they don’t pardon anything. It’s just a pardon for conduct that’s unnamed … it’s further confirmation that the pardons are not valid,» said Fitton, who had sued for the release of the audio recordings.
WHAT IS AN AUTOPEN? THE SIGNING DEVICE AT THE HEART OF TRUMP’S ATTACKS ON BIDEN PARDONS
«A competent president would say, ‘How is it I could pardon someone for nothing?’» he continued.
Fitton added that «more importantly, Biden should still be prosecuted» after he was «mollycoddled» by the Biden DOJ during the investigation into the documents he possessed from his days in the Senate and when he served as vice president.
Then-Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice under the Biden administration. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
«The audio shows he was mollycoddled by the Justice Department, you know, because Hur was working for the Justice Department. … There’s an argument that the records he had as vice president, he could have. But that wasn’t the position of Justice Department. But certainly he didn’t have the right to have those records from his days of the Senate,» Fitton said.
President Donald Trump railed on Truth Social that the release of the audio recordings revealed a «bigger scandal» about the use of an autopen under the Biden White House.
«Whoever had control of the «AUTOPEN» is looking to be a bigger and bigger scandal by the moment,» Trump posted to Truth Social on Friday.
TRUMP CLAIMS BIDEN PARDONS ARE ‘VOID,’ ALLEGING THEY WERE SIGNED VIA AUTOPEN
He added: «THIS IS WHY THE UNSELECT COMMITTEE OF POLITICAL THUGS, WHO WERE GIVEN A FULL AND COMPLETE PARDON BY THE PERSON WHO WIELDED THE NOW ILLEGALLY USED AUTOPEN, DELETED AND DESTROYED ALL EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION FROM THEIR CORRUPT AND VICIOUS WITCH HUNT AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE, WHOSE LIVES WERE COMPLETELY SHATTERED AND DESTROYED BY THIS HISTORICALLY CRIMINAL EVENT.»
An example of an autopen machine. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
Autopen signatures are automatically produced by a machine, as opposed to an authentic, handwritten signature. The conservative Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project first investigated the Biden administration’s use of an autopen earlier this year and found that the same signature was on a bevvy of executive orders and other official documents, while Biden’s signature on the document announcing his departure from the 2024 race varied from the apparent machine-produced signature.
The reports led to speculation that Biden aides had approved of executive orders and sweeping pardons, not the president.
Hur led an investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents following his departure as vice president under the Obama administration. Hur announced in February 2024 that he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, citing that Biden is «a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.»
Although a transcript was released, the White House asserted executive privilege over releasing recordings after Garland urged the administration not to release the recordings, according to a letter obtained by Fox News in May of last year.
BIDEN’S ‘AUTOPEN SIGNATURE’ APPEARS ON MOST OFFICIAL DOCS, RAISING CONCERNS OVER WHO CONTROLLED THE WH: REPORT
Audio from then-President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, right, reveals that he, and not the special counsel, brought up Beau Biden’s death. (Getty Images)
«The audio recordings of your interview and Mr. Zwonitzer’s interview fall within the scope of executive privilege. Production of these recordings to the Committees would raise an unacceptable risk of undermining the Department’s ability to conduct similar high-profile criminal investigations–in particular, investigations where the voluntary cooperation of White House officials is exceedingly important,» Garland wrote in a letter to Biden last year, justifying why the recordings should not be released.
PRESIDENT BIDEN PARDONS HIS SIBLINGS JUST MINUTES BEFORE LEAVING OFFICE
Comer and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-OH, subpoenaed the Department of Justice in February 2024 for the recordings and other materials related to the interview and investigation, but to no avail. The House voted to hold Garland in contempt of Congress over the matter in June 2024.
Comer announced on Friday that his committee will continue «its investigation into the cover-up of Biden’s mental decline and use of autopen» and the use of the pen when Biden pardoned members of his family.
House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY). (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
«The American people deserve to know who was actually calling the shots in the Biden White House, because it wasn’t Joe Biden. His mental decline was obvious to anyone paying attention. But instead of being honest, the Biden Administration, Democrats in Congress, and the legacy media lied and covered it up. They gaslit the American people while propping up a man who was unfit to lead,» Comer said in a press release on Friday, noting that Garland «defied» a subpoena to release the recordings.
«Key decisions made in the final days of the Biden presidency, including using autopens to issue blanket pardons for the Biden Crime Family, must be fully examined. There are serious concerns that President Biden lacked the mental capacity to authorize those actions. The American people are done being lied to. We’re going to bring the truth into the light, and starting next week, those involved in the cover-up will begin to be put on notice,» Comer said in a statement on Friday.
The recordings «demonstrate that Biden was completely out of it, and we already found documents that the Biden White House had changed the transcript, edited it to hide this. This is what they were hiding. There’s got to be accountability. Garland should be prosecuted by the Attorney General over the contempt he had for Congress to hide this,» Fitton said on Fox News last week.
Fox News host Mark Levin said Garland «should be forced to testify before Congress under oath» over the alleged cover-up of Biden’s health.
«Former Attorney General Garland heard these recordings and used lies and deceit to prevent them from being released to the American people before the Democrats nominated Biden. He should be forced to testify before Congress under oath and held to account for his grotesque abuse of power,» Levin posted to X.
HUNTER BIDEN PARDON: MEDIA TAKES LATEST BLOW TO CREDIBILITY WITH BOTCHED COVERAGE OF BROKEN PROMISE
Hours before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the White House announced pardons for both Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; and Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Less than a half an hour before Trump became president, Biden pardoned members of his family, including his brother James B. Biden, sister Valerie Biden Owens, brother-in-law John T. Owens and brother Francis W. Biden.
The former president had previously issued a «full and unconditional pardon» to his adult son, Hunter Biden, after he was convicted in two separate federal cases last year. Hunter Biden’s pardon covered a 10-year period, between 2014 to 2024, for any offenses he may have committed.
«I do think that the Biden pardons need some scrutiny, and they need scrutiny because we want pardons to matter and to be accepted and to be something that’s used correctly. So, I do think we’re going to take a hard look at how they went and what they did. And if they’re null and void,» Ed Martin said in his final press conference while serving as acting U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump claimed on Truth Social in March that Biden’s pardons were «void» due to the «fact that they were done by Autopen.»
«The ‘Pardons’ that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen,» Trump claimed in a Truth Social post.
«In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them! The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime,» Trump added.
BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW
Martin, who will now lead the Department of Justice’s «Weaponization Working Group» targeting political corruption within the federal law enforcement department, added in a media interview earlier this month that he had been investigating Biden’s last-minute pardons.
«When [former President] Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, and it turned out that Marc Rich had paid a boatload of money to one of Clinton’s friend’s lawyers. That’s not corrupt, it’s not criminal, because the plenary power of the pardon. But in the case of Joe Biden and his pardons, they were so specific. Back 14 years, covering everything you’ve ever done. And when I say specific, they were broad, but they had time stuff on them,» Martin said earlier this month, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Former Interim United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin. (Getty Images)
«And that at least leads to questions, because the plenary power’s true. But the question is what is going on here, and I did get responses from some of them and those questions are ongoing,» Martin continued.
Conservative social media users have sounded off that the recordings show Biden lacked the cognitive ability to know about the pardons or executive orders he allegedly signed off on.
HUR TRANSCRIPT CONFIRMS BIDEN MEMORY LAPSES, CONTRADICTS PRESIDENT’S CLAIM ABOUT EXCHANGE OVER SON’S DEATH
«Joe Biden had no clue where he was for most of his presidency… Just listen to Robert Hur’s interview with him… He’s a complete mess. There’s no way Biden knew about the pardons, executive orders and directives coming out of his office,» conservative X commentator Tim Young posted to the platform.
«I’d say with the Hur tapes coming out, maybe those pardons can be challenged? Biden was CLEARLY mentally incapacitated,» conservative podcast host Shawn Farash posted to X.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment on the tapes and subsequent backlash on Sunday morning but did not immediately receive a reply.
Justice Department,Donald Trump,White House,Joe Biden
INTERNACIONAL
El jefe del Ejército de Israel habló sobre una posible ofensiva total contra Hamas: “Estamos lidiando con asuntos de vida o muerte”
El jefe del Estado Mayor del Ejército israelí, Eyal Zamir, aseguró este jueves que la bautizada como operación Carros de Gedeón, la fase de la ofensiva israelí en Gaza que comenzó a mediados de mayo con el objetivo de ampliar el control militar del enclave palestino, está llegando a su fin tras lograr sus objetivos.
Las declaraciones de Zamir llegan en medio de una creciente tensión entre la cúpula militar y el primer ministro Benjamin Netanyahu por los planes del mandatario para tomar el control total de la Franja de Gaza, una propuesta que el Ejército rechaza categóricamente.
“Hemos cumplido e incluso superado los objetivos de la operación, y continuamos actuando para garantizar la seguridad a largo plazo de las comunidades del sur”, declaró Zamir durante una evaluación de seguridad matutina con la alta dirigencia militar, según comunicó el Ejército israelí.
El alto oficial militar añadió que las fuerzas armadas tienen “la capacidad de crear una nueva realidad de seguridad junto a la frontera, mientras mantenemos la presión sobre el enemigo. No volveremos a limitar nuestras respuestas. Eliminaremos las amenazas en su fase inicial”.
En un mensaje que parece dirigido directamente al gobierno, Zamir también defendió el derecho del Ejército a expresar su opinión profesional, incluso cuando esta difiera de las posiciones políticas. “Una cultura de desacuerdo es una parte inseparable de la historia del pueblo de Israel; es un componente vital de la cultura organizacional de las FDI, tanto interna como externamente”, declaró.
“Seguiremos expresando nuestras posiciones sin miedo, de manera sustancial, independiente y profesional”, agregó el jefe militar, en comentarios que fueron publicados horas antes de una reunión del gabinete de seguridad prevista para esta tarde, donde se discutirán los planes de ocupación de Gaza.
Fuentes en la Oficina del Primer Ministro han sugerido que si Zamir se opone al plan de ocupar Gaza, puede renunciar, según múltiples reportes que indican repetidos choques entre el jefe militar y el gabinete en días recientes.
Las fuerzas armadas israelíes son reacias a operar en lugares donde se encuentran retenidos los rehenes por temor a que los grupo terroristas palestinos en Gaza los ejecuten ante el avance de las tropas, como ya ocurrió a finales de agosto de 2024 con seis cautivos, cuyos cadáveres fueron hallados el 1 de septiembre.
Según la cadena pública israelí Kan, la cúpula militar cree además que ocupar toda Gaza provocará un aumento considerable de las bajas israelíes.
“No estamos lidiando con teoría; estamos lidiando con asuntos de vida o muerte, con la defensa del estado, y lo hacemos mientras miramos directamente a los ojos de nuestros soldados y los ciudadanos del país”, enfatizó Zamir durante la evaluación matutina. “Continuaremos actuando con responsabilidad, integridad y determinación, con solo el bien del estado y su seguridad ante nuestros ojos”.
La resistencia a los planes de Netanyahu no se limita al ámbito militar. El líder de la oposición israelí, Yair Lapid, advirtió este miércoles al primer ministro que la ocupación total de la Franja de Gaza “es una pésima idea”.
Tras reunirse con Netanyahu en Jerusalén, Lapid afirmó que le dijo: “Ocupar Gaza es una pésima idea. La mayoría de la gente no te apoya; al pueblo de Israel no le interesa esta guerra. Pagaremos un alto precio por ello”.
Lapid propuso una alternativa: “En lugar de una ocupación y una anexión de Gaza innecesarias, necesitamos atraer a Egipto a Gaza, para que haya otro gobierno que la gestione en vez de nosotros, y después centrarnos en lo importante, que es eliminar a Hamas”.
A pesar de la oposición militar y política, Netanyahu tiene previsto reunir este jueves por la tarde a su gabinete de seguridad para aprobar sus planes para tomar el control de toda la Franja.
El martes, tras una reunión de tres horas entre Netanyahu y Zamir, la oficina del primer ministro declaró que “las FDI están preparadas para implementar cualquier decisión tomada por el gabinete político y de seguridad”.
Zamir reafirmó el compromiso del Ejército con sus objetivos fundamentales: “Tenemos la intención de derrotar y colapsar a Hamas. Continuaremos actuando con nuestros rehenes en mente, y haremos todo para traerlos a casa”.
Middle East,Civil Unrest,TEL AVIV
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Republican Sen. Tim Scott’s goal in next year’s midterm elections is not only to defend the GOP’s 53-47 margin in the Senate, but to expand the majority.
Scott, the conservative senator from South Carolina, told Fox News Digital soon after taking over late last year as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) that he aimed to increase the GOP’s control in the chamber to at least 55 seats.
And he’s standing by his goal.
«The bottom line is, I believe that we can defend our current seats while adding at least two more seats to our numbers,» the NRSC chair told Fox News Digital earlier this year.
THIS REPUBLICAN JUST JUMPED INTO BATTLEGROUND GEORGIA’S HIGH-PROFILE SENATE RACE
Sen. Tim Scott spoke to a South Carolina GOP delegation breakfast on Wednesday (pictured speaking on the RNC stage). (Getty Images)
Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red to win back the majority.
But the party in power—clearly the Republicans right now—traditionally faces political headwinds in the midterm elections. Nevertheless, a current read of the 2026 map indicates the GOP may be able to go on offense in some key states.
In battleground Georgia, which President Donald Trump narrowly carried in last year’s White House race, Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat incumbent up for re-election next year.
TRUMP-BACKED RNC CHAIR JUMPS INTO THE NATION’S ‘MARQUEE’ SENATE RACE
They’re also targeting battleground Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring at the end of next year, and swing state New Hampshire, where longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen decided against seeking a fourth six-year term in the Senate.
Also on the NRSC’s target list is blue-leaning Minnesota, where Democratic Sen. Tina Smith isn’t running for re-election.
At the top of their list is Ossoff, who narrowly won election to the Senate in a January 2021 runoff contest.
Republicans view Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat running for re-election in the 2026 midterm elections. (AP)
But Ossoff is off to a very hot fundraising start, and a GOP primary in Georgia between Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and former college and professional football coach Derek Dooley, is starting to turn combustible.
DNC CHAIR TELLS FOX NEWS DIGITAL DEMOCRATS HAVE HIT ‘ROCK BOTTOM’ – HERE’S HIS PLAN TO REBOUND
Republicans are also confident they can flip Michigan, another battleground Trump narrowly carried last November.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the 2024 GOP Senate nominee who lost last year’s race by a razor-thin margin, has at this point cleared the Republican primary field, thanks in great part to Trump’s endorsement.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican Senate candidate in Michigan for a second straight election cycle, is interviewed by Fox New Digital in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 2, 2024. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News )
Democrats, meanwhile, have a very competitive primary on their hands. The primary race includes three well-known Democrats: Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who enjoys the backing of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
With Shaheen, who made history as the first woman in the nation’s history to win election as a governor and a senator, out of the running in New Hampshire, the GOP is hoping to win a Senate election in the Granite State for the first time in 16 years.
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, seen at a policy event in Concord, N.H. on Oct. 22, 2024, isn’t seeking a fourth term in the Senate when she’s up for re-election in 2026. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
They’re encouraged by the gains Trump made in New Hampshire in last year’s election, as he improved on his showing from four years earlier and came close to carrying the state.
But four-term Rep. Chris Pappas’ announcement in early April that he would run to succeed Shaheen has cleared the Democratic primary field, as of now, of any potential rivals for the party’s Senate nomination.
Meanwhile, a Republican primary in the state—where the GOP hasn’t won a Senate race in 15 years—is heating up between former Sen. Scott Brown and state Sen. Dan Innis, with the possibility of more candidates entering the race.
In Minnesota, the leading candidates in the Democratic primary to succeed Smith are Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig.
Former professional basketball player Royce White, who won the 2024 Senate nomination in Minnesota, and former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze are currently running in the GOP primary. But another Republican Senate hopeful may soon enter the field.
While Republicans will work to defy political history in next year’s midterms, they point to the Democratic Party’s current brand issues.
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«Democrats have historically low approval ratings because candidates like Jon Ossoff and Chris Pappas keep prioritizing radical policies like men in women’s sports, protecting sanctuary cities for criminal illegal aliens, and raising taxes on working families,» NRSC communications director Joanna Rodriguez argued in a statement to Fox News.
And Rodriguez touted that «Republicans are delivering on policies that keep Americans safe and let families and workers keep more of their hard-earned paychecks. Voters will reward us for it in 2026.»
midterm elections,elections,senate elections,republicans elections,georgia,michigan,new hampshire,minnesota
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Netanyahu’s security cabinet to meet on Gaza war, as some in Israel call to resettle enclave
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to convene his high-level security cabinet on Thursday to discuss expanding the war against Hamas, including the potential full military occupation of the Gaza Strip.
The prospect comes against the backdrop of the 20th anniversary of Israel’s full disengagement from the enclave, as calls for resettlement — once confined to the political fringes — have entered the mainstream, including within the government, particularly in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre.
Rebuilding Jewish communities in Gaza would be «a historic correction to a national injustice,» Yitzhak Wasserlauf, Israel’s minister for the Development of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galilee, told Fox News Digital.
FOX NEWS GETS INSIDE LOOK AT GAZA HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AS ISRAEL WEIGHS NEXT STEPS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands on a platform overlooking the Gaza Strip during his first visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas terrorists where a significant number of this community were killed or captured, near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
«Expelling Jews from their homes in their own country was a strategic and moral mistake that led to the rise of an Islamist terrorist regime called Hamas,» he said. «That mistake enabled Hamas to fire relentless rockets and ultimately carry out the October 7 massacre — which included murder, rape, abuse, looting, and, of course, the kidnapping of soldiers and civilians.»
Wasserlauf invoked the bloc of 17 Israeli communities, collectively known as Gush Katif, which was established in Gaza after the 1967 Six-Day War. In August 2005, as part of Israel’s unilateral disengagement, the government forcibly removed approximately 8,600 Jewish residents from the area.
He said reapplying Israeli sovereignty «would send a clear message: whoever strikes us loses the ground beneath his feet. Only in this way can true deterrence be achieved,» Wasserlauf continued. «We need to create facts on the ground. There must be no agreements with terrorists. Settlement in Gaza must, at the very least, be the price that reminds everyone terrorism does not pay.»
From 1948 to 1967, the Gaza Strip was under Egyptian occupation. After Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War, it remained under full Israeli control until 1994, when administrative responsibility was transferred to the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords — paving the way for Yasser Arafat’s return from exile in Tunis.
Hamas terrorists emerge from the shadows as they surround Red Cross vehicles. (TPS-IL)
In 2005, Israel evacuated all military personnel and civilian communities from Gaza. Shortly thereafter, Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections and staged a violent coup to overthrow the Palestinian Authority and seize control of the Strip.
A year after Israel unilaterally disengaged from Gaza, evacuating all military personnel and civilian communities, Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections and, shortly thereafter, staged a violent coup to overthrow the Palestinian Authority and seize control of the Strip.
Wasserlauf argued that critics of the disengagement had long warned that any concession of land would only embolden terrorists. These warnings, he said, were ignored, but ultimately proven correct by the events that followed.
He acknowledged that renewed settlement in Gaza would likely trigger political backlash both domestically and abroad. «The countries that support us will stand with us, and those that consistently oppose us will remain against us … I remind you that there were countries that urged us not to strike Iran, despite its race toward nuclear weapons and its explicit goal of destroying Israel.»
BROTHER OF ISRAELI HOSTAGE URGES UN TO ACT AFTER VIDEO SHOWS HAMAS STARVING AND TORTURING CAPTIVES
The Israeli settlement of Pa’at Sadeh is seen Dec. 26, 2004 in the southern Gaza Strip.
Brig. Gen. (Res.) Amir Avivi told Fox News Digital that Israel’s core national security doctrine of deterrence is being tested by jihadist groups like Hamas, which operate according to a radically different set of rules.
Avivi, founder and chairman of the Israel Defense and Security Forum, said that Israel’s approach to Gaza may ultimately hinge on U.S. support, especially from President Donald Trump. «If the U.S. president advocates for massive relocation and taking control of Gaza to implement his own vision, it would suggest some kind of basic understanding between the two sides,» Avivi said.
He estimated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) currently controls about 75% of Gaza, with past decisions largely driven by military considerations. However, he said that the remaining 25% of the territory involves broader strategic decisions, shaped by how Israel and the United States view the future of the area, including Jewish settlement.
Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser, told Fox News Digital that resettling Gaza should not be part of Israel’s agenda.
Chief of the General Staff LTG Eyal Zamir conducted a field tour in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip. Zamir spoke with soldiers and was presented with defensive preparations and operational plans. (IDF)
«We have one mission now, and that is to dismantle Hamas,» he said. «We’ll talk about the day after, the day after. To bring back any level of normalcy to Gaza, we need to find partners — and I don’t know who those partners would be if we settle in Gaza.»
SHE FED 100K GAZAN FAMILIES FOR FREE – NOW TERRORISTS AND LOCAL MERCHANTS WANT HER DEAD
Amidror, a distinguished fellow with the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, said that Israel must in the long-term remain solely responsible for security in Gaza, citing past failures when control was transferred to the Palestinians after the Oslo Accords. He argued that reestablishing settlements could complicate that mission, asserting that security should remain solely in the hands of the IDF.
Religious Zionism lawmaker Simcha Rothman told Fox News Digital that «If we are trying to achieve peace, any agreement or situation in which Jews cannot live in their ancient homeland is not just,» but acknowledged it is not one of Israel’s official war objectives. «While resettling Gaza is the right thing to do, it is not part of the current effort.»
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amos Yadlin, former head of IDF Military Intelligence, reiterated that resettling Gaza is not part of the Israeli government’s declared war objectives.
«If Israel needs to reoccupy Gaza militarily, it should be to destroy Hamas and bring back the hostages — not to annex Gaza as part of Israel. There are 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, maybe more,» Yadlin, who is currently president of MIND Israel, told Fox News Digital.
Memorials at the site of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, Israel, on Monday, May 27, 2024. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«Israel does not want to rule over them or provide for all their needs. It would cost billions and alter the demographic balance. This idea is being pushed by right-wing elements in the government, and even the prime minister and his party do not support it,» he said.
Daniella Weiss, general director of the Nachala Settlement Movement, told Fox News Digital that the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 attack signals the start of a new era. «I think we should go much further than what existed in 2005. Back then, we were 10,000 people in Gaza. Our movement, Nachala, has proposed a plan for 1.2 million Jews in Gaza,» Weiss said.
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Israelis march from Sderot toward the northern border of Gaza, calling for the re-establishment of settlements in the territory, on July 30, 2025 in Israel. (Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
She said her organization is already taking tangible steps to begin the process, «We’ve organized six groups of young families—more than 1,000 families—who are willing to move to Gaza now,» she said.
While Weiss expressed regret that the Israeli government has not included Jewish resettlement in its official war objectives, she insisted that in Israel’s democracy, public pressure can influence government policy.
«The basic truth is that the Gaza area is part of the western Negev,» she said. «Historically, it was part of the area of the tribe of Yehuda. To turn your back on that is wrong.»
israel,conflicts,middle east,terrorism
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Sebastián Pareja justificó el armado de listas de LLA en la Provincia: “El desafío era dar una opción diferencial”
Sobre la recta final frente a las elecciones legislativas bonaerenses, Sebastián Pareja, mano derecha de Karina Milei y armador de...
El Como de Fàbregas, el nuevo rico de Italia
En Italia ha nacido un nuevo rico: el Como 1907. El club lombardo, impulsado por los hermanos multimillonarios indonesios Robert...
CHIMENTOS2 días agoMalas noticias para Wanda Nara: por qué la bajaron misteriosamente de MasterChef: «No va a salir este año»
- DEPORTE2 días ago
El Como de Fàbregas, el nuevo rico de Italia
- POLITICA2 días ago
Sebastián Pareja justificó el armado de listas de LLA en la Provincia: “El desafío era dar una opción diferencial”
