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Trump confirms body of American hostage Omer Neutra returned by Hamas

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The body of Omer Neutra, a U.S. citizen, has been returned by Hamas along with two other deceased hostages, President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday.

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Speaking to reporters on Air Force One heading back to Washington from Florida, Trump also said he had spoken to Neutra’s parents.

«We got Neutra, from New York, from the United States and I spoke to his parents,» the president said.

«They’re thrilled in one sense, but in another sense, obviously, not too great. We’re very happy to have done it. We have three. We got three bodies back today that they found, and we’re looking for the remainder,» Trump added.

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Neutra had joined the Israeli army after a gap year in Israel in 2020 and had attended college at Binghamton University.

RED CROSS TO RECEIVE ‘SEVERAL COFFINS OF DECEASED HOSTAGES’ IN GAZA STRIP, IDF SAYS

An image of Omer Neutra is displayed at his memorial service Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 at the Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, N.Y.  (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo)

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Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced Israel has received the remains of three Israeli hostages through the Red Cross; the remains were recovered by IDF and Shin Bet forces inside the Gaza Strip, according to a statement.

The announcement said the bodies would be transferred to Israel, where they will be honored in a military ceremony led by the Chief Military Rabbi.

Afterward, they will be taken to the National Center of Forensic Medicine of the Ministry of Health for identification. Once the process is completed, official notifications will be delivered to the families.

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All families of the deceased hostages have been informed, and the government expressed deep condolences with the statement saying its «hearts are with them at this difficult time.»

RED CROSS TO RECEIVE ‘SEVERAL COFFINS OF DECEASED HOSTAGES’ IN GAZA STRIP, IDF SAYS

Donald Trump discusses a new peace agreement in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump announced an agreement between Israel and Hamas to release the hostages.  (Leon Neal/Getty; Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty)

The official statement also reaffirmed Israel’s ongoing commitment to bringing all hostages home and declared that efforts will continue «relentlessly and will not cease until the last hostage is brought home.»

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The Israeli public was also urged to respect the families’ privacy and avoid spreading unverified information, with updates provided only from official sources.

Though the identities of the bodies have not yet been confirmed, Hamas said they were three Israeli soldiers.

HAMAS HANDS OVER 3 DECEASED HOSTAGES TO RED CROSS, ISRAEL SAYS

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Hamas terrorists wearing green and black.

Hamas terrorists emerge escorting Red Cross vehicles carrying 3 Israeli hostages to be released as part of the ceasefire deal.  (TPS-IL)

So far, Hamas has returned 17 deceased hostages since the ceasefire began on Oct. 10. But 11 other hostage bodies are still thought to be in Gaza.

Per Reuters, Israel claimed Hamas has been slow at delivering the deceased bodies, while Hamas said it is working as quickly as possible but under difficult conditions.

Otherwise, before Sunday’s hostage release, Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, killing one, according to reports.

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People walking in Gaza.

Hamas has not yet turned over all the dead hostages to Israel.  (Moiz Salhi/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Israeli army claimed its aircraft struck a militant who was a threat to its forces, while Al-Ahli Hospital said one man had been killed in the airstrike in Gaza City, according to reports.

HAMAS HANDS OVER REMAINS OF HOSTAGE WHOSE BODY WAS RECOVERED NEARLY 2 YEARS AGO

IDF soldiers inspect aftermath of Hamas attack on the Nova music festival.

Israeli soldiers inspect the burnt cars of festival-goers at the site of an attack on the Nova Festival by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Oct. 13, 2023.  (REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

«There are still Hamas pockets in the areas under our control in Gaza, and we are systematically eliminating them,» Netanyahu said during an Israeli broadcast.

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Hamas had agreed per the ceasefire to hand over the remains of 28 dead hostages in exchange for the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants that were killed in the Gaza war.

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INTERNACIONAL

US escalation with Maduro halts deportation flights to Venezuela

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Recent U.S. military escalations involving Venezuela have halted flights carrying unlawful migrants from the United States back to the South American country, Venezuela’s foreign ministry said, prompting criticism from anti-intervention voices.

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President Donald Trump warned pilots Saturday that the airspace «above and surrounding» Venezuela should be «closed in its entirety» as his administration weighs potential strikes on targets in and around Caracas.

«Through this action, the United States government has unilaterally suspended the Venezuelan migrant flights that were being carried out regularly and weekly as part of the repatriation of Venezuelans through the Plan Vuelta a la Patria (Return to the Homeland Plan),» the ministry said in a statement.

The deportation flights had been one of the only areas of cooperation between Washington and the government of Nicolás Maduro. Venezuelan officials say nearly 14,000 nationals have been returned on twice-weekly charter flights in recent months.

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The deportation flights had been one of the only areas of cooperation between Washington and the government of Nicolás Maduro. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)

VENEZUELA AGREES TO RESUME DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN RESPONSE TO PRESSURE FROM TRUMP

At the same time, the Trump administration has continued moving forward with plans to end temporary protected status for roughly 600,000 Venezuelans living in the United States.

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«Genius. Enough with this immigration enforcement nonsense. Let’s get back to True MAGA — neocon wars that exacerbate and cause migration crises. About darn time,» said Curt Mills, executive editor of The American Conservative, criticizing the shift toward military action.

So far, U.S. strikes have targeted alleged narco-traffickers operating in the Caribbean near Venezuela. But officials have signaled that operations could expand to land-based targets as Washington increases pressure on Maduro to relinquish power.

VENEZUELA WILL FACE ‘SEVERE, AND ESCALATING SANCTIONS’ IF IT DOESN’T ACCEPT ITS CITIZENS, RUBIO SAYS

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Dozens of U.S. bombers have deployed to the region alongside the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, underscoring the scale of the buildup. With U.S. bombers and the Ford already positioned in the region, much of the world is waiting to see whether Trump will green-light the next phase of strikes against Venezuelan targets.

Venezuelan migrants

Venezuelan migrants repatriated from the U.S. gesture seen upon arrival at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, April 4, 2025.  (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

Venezuelan migrants flown from Guantanamo Bay via Honduras

Venezuelan migrants flown from Guantanamo Bay via Honduras walk up a ladder after arriving on a deportation flight at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, La Guaira State, Venezuela, February 20, 2025.  (Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)

Trump confirmed he spoke with Maduro by phone recently. 

«I wouldn’t say it went well or badly. It was a phone call,» he told reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday. 

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Trump presented Maduro with an ultimatum — step down or face potential U.S. military action. Maduro, the Miami Herald reported, sought global amnesty for himself, demanded to retain control of the military and resisted an immediate exit from power.

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Restraint-minded foreign policy analysts have sounded the alarm against a regime-change-driven intervention in Venezuela, arguing such a move could make migration patterns worse. 

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«Escalatory dynamics could trigger regional instability and hostility, with migration flows among the most predictable consequences,» a report by Stimson Center analysts Evan Cooper and Alessandro Perri claimed. «Absent a credible transition structure inside Venezuela, external pressure is far more likely to deepen chaos — driving more Venezuelans to flee — than to produce political change.»

Analysts in the libertarian foreign-policy space have issued similar warnings. 

Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, argued that «U.S. militarized pressure on Venezuela is far more likely to worsen instability than to produce meaningful political change,» adding that history shows «coercion in Venezuela leads to unpredictable outcomes and episodes of mass flight.» 

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«Escalation without a stable political alternative inside Venezuela risks accelerating the very migration pressures Washington is trying to contain,» said George A. López, a senior analyst at the Quincy Institute. 

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Teen with dreams of lion taming mauled to death after climbing into enclosure at zoo

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A 19-year-old man was mauled to death after climbing into a lion enclosure Sunday morning in Brazil.

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Viral video captured the incident, showing the victim scaling a roughly 26-foot-tall fence to enter the lioness’s enclosure at Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park, known locally as Bica, in João Pessoa, Paraíba.

Local media Correio Braziliense identified the victim as Gerson de Melo Machado who has long aspired to be a lion tamer. Machado reportedly had mental health issues and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The zoo confirmed in a statement that the individual deliberately entered the enclosure, was attacked by the animal, and did not survive his injuries.

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RISING CLIMBING STAR PLUNGES TO DEATH FROM YOSEMITE’S EL CAPITAN MID-LIVESTREAM

An lioness stands on a platform at a zoo enclosure on Aug. 19, 2024. (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu)

«The Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park (Bica) deeply regrets what happened this Sunday morning, when a man deliberately invaded the lioness’s enclosure, resulting in his death,» the zoo said in a statement on social media Sunday. «This is an extremely sad episode for everyone, and we express our solidarity and condolences to the family and friends of the man.»

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In the video, witnesses watched in horror as the teen climbed the towering fence and shimmied down a nearby tree. A lion in the enclosure spotted him, prowled to the base of the tree and waited as he continued his descent.

When the boy got close enough to the ground, the lion sprang on him. He tried to flee, disappearing into the bushes and briefly reappearing during his escape, only to be leapt on again by the lioness. The mauling then continued out of view behind a wall.

MAN CAUGHT ON CAMERA APPROACHING, SPRAYING UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE TOWARD YELLOWSTONE WOLVES: RANGERS

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Zoo patrons look through a window at a lion enclosure on Feb. 21, 2008. (Justin Sullivan)

Following the incident, the park was closed to allow for safety procedures and the removal of the body. The zoo stated that Bica will remain closed to visitors until the investigation and all official procedures are complete.

Machado had struggled with mental health issues throughout his life, and his mother had also been diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to Correio, which cited child welfare counselor Verônica Oliveira, who had been monitoring him since childhood. Oliveira told the outlet that Machado had always dreamed of traveling to Africa to become a lion tamer and was once caught hiding in the landing gear of a plane, believing it would take him there.

The zoo stated it does not plan to euthanize the lion, emphasizing that the killing resulted from deliberate trespassing, an incident that was «completely unpredictable» and «outside of any scenario within the park’s routine.»

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Visitors view two lions through a window in their enclosure on July 22, 2025. (Justin Sullivan)

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The lion is reportedly stressed but shows no signs of behavior that would warrant concern for euthanasia.

«It is important to emphasize that euthanasia was never considered,» the zoo said. «Leona is healthy, does not exhibit aggressive behavior outside the context of the incident, and will not be euthanized.»

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Macron con Zelenski: un plan sobre Ucrania «sólo puede finalizarse» con Kiev y los europeos «alrededor de la mesa»

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Un presidente ucraniano debilitado por las acusaciones de corrupción dentro de su gabinete, en su décima visita a París, en negociaciones con Donald Trump y una Europa que puja para no ser dejada de lado en las transacciones entre Estados Unidos y Rusia por el futuro de la guerra en Ucrania.

Así podría sintetizarse el agitado día del presidente Volodimir Zelenski en París junto a su esposa, el encuentro con Emmanuel Macron y sus pares europeos. A él se sumó una llamada al enviado especial norteamericano Steve Witkoff, que se encontrará este martes con el presidente Vladimir Putin mañana en Moscú, cuando la delegación ucraniana estaba negociando en Florida con Estados Unidos.

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El objetivo de la visita de Zelenski a París era consolidar su apoyo europeo, en vísperas de esta reunión en Moscú.

«Queremos terminar esta guerra con dignidad»

Tras un almuerzo con sus esposas en el Eliseo, una reunión sin traductores a solas con Macron y un diálogo con los europeos, una conferencia de prensa finalizó el largo día.

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Zelenski y Macron repasaron la situación militar en Ucrania, las conversaciones diplomáticas y las garantías de seguridad, al tiempo que elogiaron el papel de los socios europeos y de Estados Unidos. También abordaron el endurecimiento de las sanciones contra Rusia y destacaron la necesidad de poner fin al conflicto.

El director general del fabricante de aeronaves francés Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier (izq.), la ministra delegada francesa para las Fuerzas Armadas, Alice Rufo (der.), y el presidente ucraniano, Volodimir Zelenski. Foto EFE

«Queremos poner fin a esta guerra de forma digna, en beneficio del mundo democrático a largo plazo«, declaró Zelenski. Un plan de paz solo puede «finalizarse» con Ucrania y los europeos «en la mesa», afirmó Macron.

No darán lecciones a Ucrania

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Frente a los casos que involucran al ex jefe de gabinete y a un amigo del presidente ucraniano en casos de corrupción en cuestiones de energía, Macron se negó a «dar lecciones» a Ucrania sobre corrupción.

El presidente francés declaró que se negaba a «sermonear» a Ucrania, que se está recuperando de un escándalo de corrupción que ha implicado a su gobierno, argumentando que «la verdadera dictadura» estaba del lado ruso y no en Kiev.

«Observo que, en cualquier caso, la lucha contra la corrupción está funcionando, ya que se están tomando decisiones abiertas y políticas», añadió el presidente francés, antes de declarar: «Nunca se ve este tipo de decisión por parte de Rusia, porque la verdadera dictadura está ahí» dijo Macron.

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El presidente ucraniano agradeció a todos sus socios europeos las conversaciones de las últimas semanas y elogió el papel de Estados Unidos en las negociaciones.

«Un plan de paz entre Rusia y Ucrania solo puede concretarse con Kiev y los europeos sentados a la mesa«, declaró Emmanuel Macron el lunes durante una rueda de prensa con su par Zelenski en París. Pero Rusia no quiere ni escuchar hablar de los europeos.

«En rigor, hoy no hay un plan definitivo sobre las cuestiones territoriales. Solo puede ser finalizado por el presidente Zelenski», declaró el presidente francés, añadiendo que «mediadores estadounidenses viajarán a Moscú en las próximas horas».

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«En cuanto a los activos congelados, las garantías de seguridad, la adhesión a la Unión Europea y las sanciones europeas, (este plan) solo puede concretarse con los europeos sentados a la mesa. Por lo tanto, todavía estamos en una fase preliminar», añadió.

Una invasión sin recompensa

Zelenski advirtió que nada debería permitir que Rusia considere su invasión de Ucrania «como una recompensa», en medio de las negociaciones sobre un plan estadounidense para poner fin al conflicto.

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Zelenski advirtió el lunes que nada debería permitir que Rusia considere su invasión de Ucrania "como una recompensa". Foto APZelenski advirtió el lunes que nada debería permitir que Rusia considere su invasión de Ucrania «como una recompensa». Foto AP

«Para prepararnos para una seguridad genuina, también debemos asegurarnos de que la propia Rusia no reciba nada que pueda considerarse una recompensa por esta guerra», declaró el líder ucraniano, en la conferencia de prensa en París.

Según Donald Trump, el vasto escándalo de corrupción en Ucrania «no ayuda» a las negociaciones de paz. Zelenski destituyó a Andriy Yermak, su mano derecha y jefe de gabinete, acusado de corrupción. Pero Rusia va a tomar ventajas de este escándalo.

Por su parte, el presidente ucraniano, Zelenski, reiteró los desafíos diarios que enfrenta: «Como presidente de un país en guerra, tomo decisiones difíciles a diario para fortalecer a Ucrania», declaró, sin dar más detalles.

Sanciones a Rusia y las negociaciones

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Macron anunció un endurecimiento de las sanciones contra Rusia. «Esta es la primera vez que contamos con un plan de sanciones tan completo, que abarca tanto el petróleo como la flota en la sombra», declaró.

El presidente francés afirmó que la presión sobre Moscú se intensificará en las próximas semanas. «Les aseguro que en las próximas semanas aumentará la presión sobre Rusia para limitar su financiación», añadió.

«El plan de paz está mejorando», para el presidente ucraniano. Zelenski ofreció una actualización sobre las últimas conversaciones sobre seguridad y la recuperación tras el conflicto.

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«Ha habido varias rondas de conversaciones, la última de las cuales finalizó hace unos minutos. Este es un proceso en curso», afirmó.

Zelenski enfatizó que la cuestión territorial sigue siendo la más difícil de resolver y que cualquier discusión sobre la recuperación sería imposible sin los socios europeos, donde se encuentran los fondos necesarios.

Los problemas a arreglar y el frente militar

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«Hay tres cuestiones relacionadas con las garantías de seguridad que son delicadas. Debemos ser cautelosos. El plan está mejorando», añadió Zelenski.

El presidente ucraniano aclaró que las conversaciones continuarán: «Los miembros de la delegación estadounidense compartieron su perspectiva. Nuestra delegación estará en Irlanda mañana y discutiremos esto con los rusos, quienes también recibirán el plan estadounidense actualizado. Veremos nuestra situación después de todo esto».

Zelenski partió hacia Irlanda por primera vez el lunes al amanecer en visita oficial, que será el país que encabezará desde enero la presidencia de la Unión Europea.

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El presidente ucraniano advirtió sobre el costo humano del conflicto. Ofreció una actualización sobre la situación militar en el frente. «Hay un avance del ejército ruso, operaciones en curso y una ofensiva que aún no ha tenido éxito», declaró, añadiendo que los combates son muy intensos, especialmente en Pokrovsk.

Según él, «cuando el ejército ruso anuncia que ha tomado el control de ciertas ciudades, debemos buscar objetividad en esta niebla de propaganda bélica».

Zelenski enfatizó el alto costo para Rusia: «Rusia perdió mucho en octubre; tenemos 25.000 muertos».

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«El frente está activo, se mueve. Hay avances de pequeños grupos que estamos eliminando. Por eso los rusos están sufriendo grandes pérdidas» dijo.

También mencionó la regeneración de las brigadas ucranianas, señalando que «las pérdidas en ambos bandos son diarias». Un factor que, según él, impulsa un fin acelerado del conflicto. «Queremos poner fin a esta guerra de forma digna, en beneficio del mundo democrático a largo plazo», declaró Zelenski.

La reacción de los europeos

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La primera ministra italiana Giorgia Meloni espera que «Rusia contribuya activamente al proceso de negociación». También declaró haber elogiado ante los líderes europeos el enfoque «siempre constructivo» del presidente ucraniano, Zelenski, en las negociaciones. La primera ministra italiana también afirmó que es importante que «Europa y Estados Unidos se alineen para lograr la paz».

Los europeos se opondrán a una «paz impuesta» en Ucrania, afirmó el lunes el canciller alemán, Friedrich Merz, en vísperas de las conversaciones previstas entre el enviado estadounidense de Donald Trump y el presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin.

«Seguimos una línea clara: ninguna decisión sobre Ucrania y Europa sin los ucranianos y sin los europeos, ninguna paz impuesta a espaldas de Ucrania, ningún debilitamiento ni división de la Unión Europea y la OTAN», declaró el líder alemán, tras la reunión telefónica con sus pares ucranianos, franceses, británicos y polacos, entre otros.

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