Trump implies Hamas given approval to act as police force for ‘a period of time’
Israeli hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal returns from Hamas captivity in Gaza. (Photo by Sharon Eilon/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — President Donald Trump implied Hamas has been given approval to act as a Palestinian police force in Gaza “for a period of time” in the wake of implementing phase one of the ceasefire agreement.
While en route to the Middle East early Monday aboard Air Force One, Trump responded to a question from a reporter about reports of Hamas rearming themselves.
“Well, they [Hamas] are standing because they do want to stop the problems, and they’ve been open about it, and we gave them approval for a period of time,” Trump said.
Trump continued that Palestinians are returning to buildings that have been destroyed, after two years of war, and “a lot of bad things can happen.”
“We want it to be safe. I think it’s going to be fine. Who knows? Who knows for sure?” he said. “But I think it’s going to be fine.”
ABC News has asked the White House for further comment and has not yet received a response.
The first phase of the U.S.-brokered peace deal went into effect on Friday, calling for the return of all living and dead hostages in Gaza in exchange for the release of scores of Palestinian prisoners and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area.
While Trump’s overall 20-point peace plan proposal calls for the disarmament of Hamas and stipulates the militant group cannot play a role in the future governance of Gaza, these points are not covered by the initial phase of the agreement.
The final 20 remaining living hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, were returned to Israel on Monday as part of an exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, officials said.
On Monday, Trump said negotiations on phase two of the peace plan for Gaza had “started,” though he did not specify what that entailed.
“I mean, it started as far as we’re concerned,” Trump said during remarks in Egypt, where he attended a signing ceremony after addressing the Israeli Knesset earlier in the day. “Phase two has started. And, you know, the phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other. You’re gonna start cleaning up. You look at Gaza — it needs a lot of cleanup.”
ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Two men were killed and three were wounded in a terrorist incident outside a synagogue in Manchester, England, on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, officials said.
One suspect drove a car into a group of worshippers and then attacked people with a knife outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Thursday morning, Manchester police said.
Responding police shot and killed that suspect, preliminarily identified as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, police said. He was wearing a vest with “the appearance of an explosive device,” police said, adding that the vest was later “deemed not to be viable.”
Three other suspects — two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s — have been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, police said.
The two victims killed have only been identified by police as men.
The three wounded, also men, are in the hospital with serious injuries, police said.
The attack came as worshippers were gathered to mark Yom Kippur, which is considered the holiest day of the year in Judaism.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “A vile individual committed a terrorist attack that attacked Jews because they are Jews.”
He noted that in Britain “Jewish buildings, synagogues, even schools, require round the clock protection … because of the daily threat of anti-Semitic hatred.”
“To every Jewish person in this country … I know how much fear you will be holding inside of you. I really do,” Starmer said. “And so on behalf of our country, I express my solidarity, but also my sadness that you still have to live with these fears. … So I promise you that I will do everything in my power to guarantee you the security that you deserve, starting with a more visible police presence protecting your community. I promise you that over the coming days, you will see the other Britain, the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love. And I promise you that this Britain will come together to wrap our arms around your community and show you that Britain is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong.”
Starmer, who was in Denmark for a summit with European leaders when the attack occurred, said he was returning to the U.K. and would be chairing an emergency “COBRA” meeting — a gathering of senior officials to discuss and respond to national emergencies.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a post to X he was “horrified by the violent attack.”
Khan said he had spoken with his counterpart in Manchester and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, “and would like to reassure Londoners that the Met Police are stepping up patrols in Jewish communities and synagogues across London.”
King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, said in a statement they were “deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific attack in Manchester, especially on such a significant day for the Jewish community.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this appalling incident and we greatly appreciate the swift actions of the emergency services,” the statement said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke out, saying, “Israel grieves with the Jewish community in the U.K. after the barbaric terror attack in Manchester. Our hearts are with the families of the murdered, and we pray for the swift recovery of the wounded. As I warned at the [United Nations]: weakness in the face of terrorism only brings more terrorism. Only strength and unity can defeat it.”
The Israeli Embassy in the U.K. also condemned the attack, saying in a statement, “That such an act of violence should be perpetrated on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, in a place of prayer and community, is abhorrent and deeply distressing. … The thoughts and prayers of the people of Israel are with the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community at this difficult time.”
ABC News’ Victoria Beaule and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — NATO fighter jets were scrambled and air defense units put on alert in the early hours of Sunday in response to a major Russian drone and missile strike on Ukraine, the Polish Operational Command said in posts to X.
“Due to the activity of the Russian Federation’s long-range aviation, which is carrying out strikes on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aviation has begun operating in our airspace,” the command said in a statement.
“On-duty fighter pairs have been scrambled, and ground-based air defense systems as well as radar reconnaissance have reached a state of highest readiness,” the post added.
“These actions are of a preventive nature and are aimed at securing the airspace and protecting citizens, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened regions,” it said.
Dutch F-35 stealth fighters and a German Patriot surface-to-air missile system were among the forces put on alert, the command added. Airspace over Lublin and Rzeszow near the Ukrainian border was also briefly closed.
The alert ended after around three-and-a-half hours with no reported violations of Polish airspace, the command said.
There have been no reported violations of Polish airspace by long-range Russian drones since dozens crossed into the country during strikes on Ukraine on Sept. 10, prompting Polish and allied jets to shoot down several.
Kyiv was the focus of the overnight Russian strikes. Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, Sumy and Odesa were also attacked, President Voloydmyr Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram. The barrage lasted for more than 12 hours, the president said.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 593 drones and 50 missiles of various types, making the overnight barrage the largest combined strike on Ukraine since Sept. 7.
Defenders downed or suppressed 566 drones and 45 missiles, the air force said. Five missiles and 31 drones impacted across 16 locations, the force said.
At least four people — among them a 12-year-old girl — were killed in the capital, according to a post by head of the Kyiv City Military Administration Timur Tkachenko to Telegram.
At least 14 people were also injured in Kyiv, local officials said.
“As of now, there are over 15 locations with damage,” Tkachenko said. “Among them are drone strikes on multi-story residential buildings.” Tkachenko reported damage in at least five city districts.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a five-floor apartment building in the Solomyanskyi district was partially destroyed and caught fire. Strikes also hit a state medical facility, warehouses, private homes, cars and a children’s educational center, officials said.
At least 31 people — among them three children — were injured by Russian strikes on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, according to local Gov. Ivan Fedorov. A high-rise apartment building and several other structures were hit and set ablaze in the city, Fedorov said.
The city — home to more than 710,000 people before Russia’s full-scale invasion — is now only around 16 miles from the front line and subject to continuous Russian attacks.
Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said in a post to Telegram that at least 70 people were injured by strikes across the country.
Zelenskyy noted that the “cowardly” attack took place at the end of a week of high-level meetings and speeches at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“This is exactly how Russia declares its real position,” Zelenskyy said. “Moscow wants to continue fighting and killing and deserves only the harshest pressure from the world.”
Zelenskyy again called for more international measures to choke Russia’s energy export industry. “We count on a strong response from the U.S., Europe, the G7 and the G20,” he wrote.
Andriy Kovalenko — the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council — said in a post to Telegram that it was a “difficult night for many cities.”
“The Russians are also under attack,” Kovalenko wrote. “And the level of these attacks will only increase.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down at least 41 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Rosaviatsiya, Russia’s federal air transport agency, reported temporary flight restrictions at multiple airports, including at the Zhukovsky International Airport in Moscow.
Restrictions were also imposed at airports in Volgograd, Kaluga, Penza, Samara, Pskov and Yaroslavl.
Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(SEOUL) — The South Korean military began dismantling loudspeakers that had been placed along its border with North Korea, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said.
The speakers along the Demilitarized Zone were used by the prior administration to broadcast music and news across the border, where the government run by leader Kim Jong Un keeps a tight grip on the media.
The move amounted to a practical measure that was meant to ease tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang, efforts that have been led by the South’s President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June.
The North Korean leadership had called for the speakers to be taken down, saying they were “psychologically detrimental” to people near the border, but also appeared ready to reject any overtures from Lee’s office.
“We reiterate our official position that we have no interest in any policies established or proposals made in Seoul, and that we have no intention of meeting with South Korea or discussing any issues with it,” Kim Yo Jong, the leader’s sister, said in late July, according to the Korean Central News Agency, a state media outlet.
She added, “The relationship between the two countries has already completely and irreversibly moved beyond the time frame of the concept of compatriotism.”
The South Korean military said the speakers being taken down wouldn’t affect it’s readiness.
