El Foro de Familias de Rehenes y Desaparecidos ha condenado este viernes la decisión “imprudente” del Gobierno israelí liderado por el primer ministro Benjamin Netanyahu de ocupar la ciudad de Gaza, ya que conduce a Israel a una “catástrofe colosal” y supone “abandonar” a su suerte a los secuestrados en manos del Movimiento de Resistencia Islámica (Hamás).

“Al optar por la escalada militar en lugar de la negociación, estamos dejando a nuestros seres queridos a merced de Hamas, una organización terrorista maligna que sistemáticamente priva de comida y maltrata a los rehenes”, han subrayado en un comunicado.

Los familiares de los rehenes han argumentado que el Gobierno ha “ignorado por completo las reiteradas advertencias” de la cúpula militar y la “clara voluntad” del pueblo israelí. “La expansión de los combates solo pone en mayor peligro a quienes aún permanecen retenidos en los túneles de Gaza”, han reiterado.

No obstante, han afirmado que “aún no es demasiado tarde” y han hecho un llamamiento a la ciudadanía a “detener esta peligrosa” deriva. “La única manera de traer a los rehenes a casa es mediante un acuerdo. Basta de guerras inútiles. No nos quedaremos de brazos cruzados”, han zanjado.

El Gobierno de Israel ha aprobado en la madrugada de este viernes la propuesta de Netanyahu sobre una escalada de la ofensiva militar en Gaza que incluye la ocupación de la homónima capital del enclave en base a premisas como “la desmilitarización” y el control de su seguridad, así como “el regreso de todos los rehenes, tanto vivos como fallecidos”.

Un 30 % de los israelíes cree que su país debe continuar con la presión militar y ocupar la Franja de Gaza, incluso a costa de dañar las vidas de los rehenes, según una encuesta publicada este viernes por el diario Maariv.

La encuesta se hizo los pasados días 6 y 7, cuando ya se habían filtrado informaciones de la intención del primer ministro israelí, Benjamín Netanyahu, de tomar el control de todo el enclave palestino.

Este viernes de madrugada, el gabinete de seguridad del Gobierno israelí aprobó un plan para continuar la ofensiva en Gaza que incluye ocupar ciudad de Gaza, una urbe con un millón de personas, que serán desplazadas al sur.

Según la encuesta, realizada a 504 personas con un error de muestreo máximo del 4,4 %, la mayoría de los israelíes (un 57 %) cree sin embargo que Israel debería esforzarse por lograr un acuerdo con Hamás para liberar a los rehenes a cambio del fin de la guerra y la retirada de la Franja de Gaza.

Respecto a las negociaciones para un alto el fuego entre Hamás e Israel, un 66 % opina que el grupo islamista es responsable de su fracaso, ya sea exclusivamente (44 %) o principalmente (22 %); el 15 % culpa a Israel y el 13 % dice que ambas partes son igualmente responsables.

El gabinete de seguridad del Gobierno de Israel dio luz verde en la madrugada de este viernes a un plan militar propuesto por Netanyahu que incluye ocupar ciudad de Gaza.

En declaraciones a la cadena estadounidense Fox News anteriores a la reunión del gabinete, Netanyahu afirmó que su objetivo era ocupar toda Gaza, pero que no pretende quedársela ni gobernarla, sino mantener un “perímetro de seguridad” y entregarla a “fuerzas árabes que la gobiernen” sin amenazar a Israel y sin Hamas.

Las fuerzas armadas israelíes se han mostrado reacias a este plan, que supone operar en lugares donde se encuentran retenidos los rehenes (quedan 20 vivos y 30 muertos), por temor a que las milicias palestinas en Gaza los ejecuten ante el avance de las tropas, como ya ocurrió a finales de agosto de 2024 con seis cautivos, hallados el 1 de septiembre.

Según la oficina de la ONU para la Coordinación de Asuntos Humanitarios (OCHA), el 88 % del enclave palestino está sometido ya a órdenes de desplazamiento forzoso o se ha convertido en una área militarizada del Ejército israelí, que cifra en un 75 % el territorio controlado por sus fuerzas.

(Con información de Europa Press y EFE)

El arsenal actual

El presidente ruso, Vladímir Putin, se reúne con la cúpula del Ministerio de Defensa y representantes de la industria de defensa en Moscú, Rusia. Foto EFE

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans last month were able to advance President Donald Trump’s desire to clawback billions in federal spending, an effort carried to fruition for the first time in nearly three decades by a first-term senator.

While the effort to slash funding to NPR, PBS and foreign aid was born in the White House, it was executed thanks in large part to Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.

Schmitt, who was first elected to the Senate in 2022, has become an envoy of sorts for Trump’s agenda in the upper chamber. He has a strong relationship with the president that dates back to his first campaign, which has developed into a regular invite to join Trump for rounds of golf.

‘LONG OVERDUE’: SENATE REPUBLICANS RAM THROUGH TRUMP’S CLAWBACK PACKAGE WITH CUTS TO FOREIGN AID, NPR

He’s launched probes against former President Joe Biden’s alleged mental decline, helped smooth over concerns during passage of Trump’s «big, beautiful bill» and contends that «intuitively» he understands the president’s America First message. 

And his role in bridging the gap between the White House and the Senate, along with negotiating among his conference to get the $9 billion package across the line, has seen his stock rise immensely within the Senate GOP.

But, in an interview with Fox News Digital, he said his entire goal is to just be helpful.

«I think I approach it with that kind of humility,» Schmitt said. «But I also, I want to be successful, and I want the agenda to move forward. I think it’s really important. Being on the golf course with President Trump is a great honor, and we have a lot of fun. He’s a very good golfer.»

Schmitt, who previously served as Missouri’s attorney general before launching a bid for the Senate, regularly clashed with the Biden administration and said that his role of rebuking lockdowns, vaccine mandates, censorship and mass migration informed how he currently views legislating.

SENATE TO DEBATE TRUMP’S $9B CLAWBACK BILL AFTER DRAMATIC LATE-NIGHT VOTES

President Donald Trump tees off during the opening ceremony for the Trump International Golf Links golf course, near Aberdeen, Scotland, on July 29, 2025.  (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

«My job was to stand in the gap and fight back, with the hopes that President Trump would return,» he said.

Trump endorsed Schmitt in 2022, and in return the lawmaker became one of the first senators to back his reelection campaign the following year. That turned into Schmitt becoming a mainstay on the campaign trail, jetting across the country in Trump Force One where «Big Macs and double cheeseburgers and quarter pounders with cheese» flowed.

And when Trump won, Schmitt had the opportunity to leave the Senate and join the administration as attorney general, but he opted to stay in the upper chamber.

Had he jumped ship, Trump’s recissions package may not have been able to pass muster with the Senate GOP, where appropriators raised concerns about the impact that clawing back already agreed-upon spending would have on the government funding process and others raised issues with the funding that was targeted.

«This wouldn’t have happened without Eric Schmitt,» Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital. 

Britt was part of the same 2022 class of freshman senators as Schmitt, which included other notable Republicans, like Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Vice President J.D. Vance.

She said Schmitt’s leadership on the rescissions package, like listening to lawmakers’ concerns and negotiations with Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, to take the lead on the package, led to a final product that could actually pass in the diverse Senate GOP.

‘SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREPARED’: GOP SENATORS FIGHT FOR UNIFIED MESSAGE ON TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

Sen. Katie Britt talks to reporters following the weekly Senate Republican Caucus policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on January 14, 2025, in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla)

Indeed, Schmitt agreed to allow as many amendments to the bill as lawmakers wanted and included his own change to the clawback that would save funding for global AIDS and HIV prevention — a key change that helped bring more Republicans on board.

«When Eric speaks, people listen,» Britt said. «And he is thoughtful about when he uses his voice, and when he does it most definitely makes an impact.»

Schmitt, however, is more humble in how he views his part in the process.

«People can label,» Schmitt said. «I don’t get too hung up on any of that. Like for me, honestly, I feel fortunate to be in the position that I’m in. There’s really not a lot of daylight between the President’s agenda and the things that I support.»

Still, he was hopeful that another recissions package would come, describing it as «a good exercise for us,» but noted that the timing for the remaining fiscal year would be tricky given the GOP’s continued push to blast through Democrats’ blockade on nominees and the looming government funding deadline when lawmakers return after Labor Day.

But getting the first one done was key to opening the door for more.

«I think that was also part of what was on the line,» he said. «When we were, you know, in the middle of the night, trying to make sure we had the votes, was that we have to prove that we have the ability to do it. And once you do it, there’s muscle memory associated with that. There’s a cultural shift in how we view things.»

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However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has demanded that Republicans commit to a bipartisan appropriations process and eschew further rescissions packages.

Should another come from the White House in the waning days of this fiscal year, it could spell trouble in Congress’ bid to avert a partial government shutdown by Sept. 30.

«I really think it would be a bad idea for Republicans to alter our course of action based on what Democrat threats are,» Schmitt said. «At the end of the day, they’re an obstructionist party without a message, without a messenger.»