Category: Blog

One of Russia’s most decorated battlefield heroes was unmasked as the alleged mastermind of a brazen fraud scheme in which elite soldiers allegedly shot themselves – and even their own commander – to collect lucrative combat injury payouts, according to local reports.

Investigators allege that Lt. Col. Konstantin Frolov – nicknamed “the Executioner” for his sniper skills – not only fabricated his heroic acts but also helped his troops siphon nearly $2.5 million in a sweeping military fraud scheme, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant. 

The outlet said a former brigade commander, Artem Gorodilov, was also implicated in the case. 

At least 35 officers in Russia’s elite unit, the prestigious 83rd Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade, reportedly sat out of combat and collected almost $40,000 each, the outlet reported. 

‘FAT LEONARD’ MASTERMIND BEHIND LARGEST CORRUPTION SCANDAL IN US MILITARY HISTORY SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS

Frolov has been revered throughout President Vladimir Putin’s three-year war in Ukraine, boasting of surviving five minor and two serious wounds, Kommersant reported, adding that his alleged bravery earned him four “Orders of Courage” – one of Russia’s highest honors – along with two additional medals for valor. 

Investigators now allege those wounds were staged. Frolov ultimately admitted he had ordered his soldiers to shoot him deliberately, ensuring bullets missed his vital organs, according to the Russian report.

NAVY’S FORMER SECOND-IN-COMMAND CONVICTED IN HISTORIC CORRUPTION CASE

The scandal erupted last summer when a whistleblower alerted authorities, Kommersant reported. Frolov was arrested in June 2024, followed by Gorodilov a month later, the outlet said, adding that both now face charges of fraud. 

In addition, Frolov reportedly kept three captured pistols, a machine gun, magazines with ammunition, several mines and grenades, according to Kommersant. The colonel has been accused of bribery and illegal trafficking in weapons and ammunition, the outlet reported.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

According to open data, Gorodilov was also charged with fraud on an “especially large scale,” the outlet reported. 

On Saturday, Israeli tanks and troops began maneuvering ever closer to Gaza City’s outskirts in preparation for a full-scale offensive. Eyewitness accounts reported intensified shelling as Israel is moving toward what could be the defining battle of its war against Hamas terrorists: the capture of Gaza City.

Israel’s security cabinet approved the operation, known as Gideon’s Chariots B, and has deployed up to five IDF divisions toward the city’s outskirts—a highly significant mobilization. Thousands of reservists—some 60,000—have been called up.

John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Madison Policy Forum and executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute, told Fox News Digital the scale of this operation is unprecedented. “This will be a bigger challenge than anything the IDF has faced, arguably ever. It is the densest location in Gaza, the heart of Hamas’s stronghold. And you don’t really know what the tunnels are until you get into them.”

GRASSROOTS PUSH FOR FREEDOM GROWS IN GAZA AS HAMAS TIGHTENS ITS DEADLY GRIP

Spencer said that “Hamas built semi-circles of defenses oriented at Israel. But the IDF has shown creativity in maneuvering around obstacles.” Israel plans to send more combat power into Gaza City than it has deployed across the entire Strip thus far. “If your goal is to clear Gaza City of Hamas’s military capabilities and search for hostages, you need that scale,” he said.

Gadi Shamni, former commander of the Gaza Division and ex-head of IDF Central Command, told Fox News Digital, “It is a crowded city with refugee camps, dense neighborhoods, high-rises and a highly developed underground. People say the IDF controls above and below ground, but in the last campaign we saw that wasn’t always true. Even when you destroy tunnels, Hamas can rebuild them quickly. The longer you stay with more forces, the more opportunities you create for the other side to attack.”

A former senior Israeli security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Fox News Digital, “The IDF can militarily conquer Gaza, but the costs will be immense on both sides. The IDF will fight with a method of ‘destroy everything first’—air force bombs, massive charges, detonating streets from afar, wiping out entire areas and advancing slowly.

ISRAEL, HAMAS TERRORISTS AND THE REOCCURRING BATTLES AROUND THE GAZA STRIP

“The IDF has gained enormous experience over the past two years and will use those tactics in this battle. … You are strong, the enemy is weak, and you have patience. Even the weather is on Israel’s side, with winter not arriving until January.”

The tunnels remain the most formidable element of Hamas’s defense. Unlike ISIS terrorists in Mosul, Spencer said, Hamas has built an underground tunnel network that allows commanders and fighters to move between positions avoid strikes, and conceal hostages. “The IDF that will go into Gaza City is not the IDF of 2023,” Spencer said, pointing to rapid adaptations in the use of drones, robots, and specialized units for tunnel warfare. “They’ve learned so much. But this will still be slow, very careful, and costly.”

To illustrate the scale, Spencer pointed to the 2004 battle for Fallujah in Iraq. “It took the Marine Corps about two weeks to clear Fallujah—every single home, building, shop. About 68,000 structures were cleared, as if somebody physically looked in them,” he said. “If all five of these [IDF] divisions were doing that, absolutely, you could get it done in a few months. But the enemy always gets a vote. You can’t rush to failure.”

The former Israeli senior security official described the operation as “telescopic—very slow, with pistons working one by one. This pace also gives Hamas the chance at every stage to try to cut a deal.”

NETANYAHU EXPANDS SCOPE OF PLANNED GAZA TAKEOVER, SAYS ISRAEL HAS ‘NO CHOICE BUT TO FINISH THE JOB’

On the fate of hostages possibly held in Gaza City, the official was blunt: “Some of the hostages will die. I wouldn’t be surprised if more brigades are brought in—the IDF is using immense ground power to seize urban terrain.”

Shamni also warned Hamas may relocate hostages, 50 hostages, of whom 20 are still believed to be alive, into combat zones to deter strikes—a tactic he said the IDF would be reluctant to engage for fear of harming captives, a conflict between military necessity and core values.

Shamni highlighted a particularly fraught dilemma: evacuating civilians. “You don’t know who will leave, how many will leave, how they’ll react—or whether Hamas will even allow them to leave,” he said. “I assume many will not evacuate, and then you face the hard dilemma of fighting in a place full of noncombatants.”

Spencer added that history shows around 10% of civilians stay behind. “Even 10% of a million is 100,000 people,” he said.

Shamni forecast a protracted operation: “It could take months. Two months might seize the surface, but then you still have to clear tunnels. It will cost many lives—including civilians. The worst-case scenario is that no hostages are found alive or dead because of the destruction.”

Shamni, who also served as Israel’s military attaché in Washington, warned that the dual goals of defeating Hamas and returning hostages are contradictory, risking years of drawn-out fighting. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Spencer, however, called the decision to press forward a “calculated risk,” explaining that while military action carries dangers, “you weigh the risk of Hamas killing the hostages against the certainty that they’re being starved and tortured. Military pressure is the last resort. Without conquering Gaza City, Hamas will continue to hold a sanctuary.”

 

Russia’s top nuclear official this week said Moscow is facing “colossal threats” and needs to update its nuclear capabilities.

Without directly naming where Russia’s chief nuclear threat is coming from, Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev said, “the current geopolitical situation, is a time of colossal threats to the existence of our country.”

“Therefore, the nuclear shield, which is also a sword, is a guarantee of our sovereignty,” he added, according to Russian state news agency RIA. “We understand today that the nuclear shield must only be improved in the coming years.”

RUSSIA AND CHINA TICK DOOMSDAY CLOCK TOWARD MIDNIGHT AS HIROSHIMA BOMBING HITS 80 YEARS

The comments came less than a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump convened for a face-to-face meeting that marked the first time a U.S. leader has met with the Kremlin chief since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. 

While Trump and Putin appeared positive following the talks, little seemed to have been concretely accomplished in the meeting and hope surrounding a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire appeared to decline as the week progressed. 

It is unclear why Likhachev issued comments regarding Russia’s nuclear program at this time, and he did not detail what sort of updates he would be looking to make to Moscow’s “shield” program. 

Trump issued similar comments earlier this year when in May he announced his plans to develop the “Golden Dome” missile defense system — inspired by Israel’s “Iron Dome” defense system — and which is expected to cost at least $175 billion.

Though security experts have been sounding the alarm when it comes to China’s escalating nuclear development, together Russia and the U.S. continue to possess 90% of the world’s nuclear arsenal.

CHINA’S GROWING NUCLEAR ARSENAL AIMS TO BREAK US ALLIANCES AND DOMINATE ASIA, REPORT WARNS

Moscow continues to hold nearly 4,400 nuclear warheads, over 1,500 of which are “strategically deployed” while the U.S. possesses more than 3,700 warheads in its stockpiles with 1,400 deployed, according to the Arms Control Association. 

While nuclear disarmament was the standing international goal following the end of the Cold War, the trajectory of this policy remains dubious as relations between Washington and Moscow have once again turned precarious amid Putin’s war in Ukraine, and his burgeoning relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

The New Start Treaty remains the only bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia, and though it was extended in 2021, it is set to expire in February 2026. The future of the treaty – first signed in 2010 – also remains unclear as Moscow paused its participation in the agreement in 2023.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Putin said that this suspension meant he would continue to abide by stockpile limits under the treaty, but he would not allow for continued U.S. inspections. 

Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for comment as nations increasingly look to expand their nuclear capabilities just six months ahead of when the New Start Treaty is set to expire. 

Britain’s top diplomat found himself in some hot water recently after he went fishing with U.S. Vice President JD Vance – but it wasn’t over anything the politicians discussed. 

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy was given a written warning by the country’s Environment Agency for fishing without a license, the agency said Friday. 

Lammy had invited Vance and his family to his country estate south of London, where the pair had a photo op at a nearby river. 

The pair also held a bilateral meeting during the visit to discuss international issues. 

JD VANCE ‘DIRECTLY’ CONVINCED UK TO DROP APPLE BACKDOOR DATA DEMAND, PROTECTING AMERICANS’ RIGHTS: US OFFICIAL

The agency said that anyone over 13 is required to have a license to fish in freshwater in the country. The agency didn’t say whether Vance had a license, citing privacy issues. 

If he had been fined, the foreign secretary would have had to pay nearly $4,000. 

DNC RIPS JD VANCE FOR FISHING WITH BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY IN LATEST BIZARRE ATTACK; REPUBLICANS HIT BACK

Lammy belatedly purchased a fishing license and reported himself to the agency, with a spokesperson calling the incident an “administrative error.”

Lammy previously told reporters that Vance gave him “Kentucky-style” fishing tips, but it still didn’t help him catch anything. 

“The one strain on the special relationship is that all of my kids caught fish, but the foreign secretary did not,” Vance joked at the time. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital has reached out to Vance and the Environment Agency for comment. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The rescue of an experienced mountaineer has been called off in Kyrgyzstan nearly two weeks after Natasha Nagovitsina, 47, broke her leg not far from the summit of the country’s tallest mountain, according to reports. 

Nagovitsina, a Russian climber who garnered fame four years ago after she refused to leave her husband after he suffered a stroke, has been stuck at 22,965 feet on Victory Peak since Aug. 12, according to the Daily Mail. Despite her efforts, her husband died. 

The summit of Victory Peak, in the Tian Shan Mountain Range on the border with China, is 24,406 feet. Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, is 29,032 feet. 

OLYMPIC HERO LAURA DAHLMEIER SEVERELY INJURED, MISSING AFTER HIGH-ALTITUDE ROCKFALL

The suspension of the rescue mission comes days after an Italian climber named Luca Sinigaglia died while attempting to help Nagovitsina, Italian newspaper, L’Unione Sarda, reported. 

Sinigaglia died of hypothermia on Aug. 15, after making it up to where Nagovitsina was stuck, giving her a tent, sleeping bag, food, water and a gas cooker, the Daily Mail reported. 

Other attempts to save her both via climbing and twice with a helicopter have failed, including an effort in a defense ministry helicopter that crashed. The crash left four injured, according to the London Times. 

TRAGEDY STRIKES AT POPULAR NATIONAL PARK AS CLIMBER MEETS FATAL END ON MOUNTAIN

The final attempt to rescue Nagovitsina was abandoned some 3,000 feet below where she is after the weather took a turn for the worse.

Rescue leader Dmitry Grekov said he didn’t think Nagovitsina could still be alive, according to the Daily Mail. 

“I think not, because she has been there since 12 August – count how much time has passed,” he said. “It is unrealistic. It is unrealistic to survive at such an altitude.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A drone that flew over where she was sheltering confirmed she was alive as of Tuesday, but there was no sign of life when the drone flew over on Thursday as temperatures sunk as low as minus 9 degrees Fahrenheit, The Times reported. 

England’s distinctive red-and-white St. George’s Cross and iconic union jack flags are making a comeback across the United Kingdom, with supporters calling the resurgence patriotic while critics in the media warn it shows extremism, echoing MAGA-like culture wars across the pond.

The dispute over the flag is the latest symbol of Britain’s political discourse, with Reform UK and Nigel Farage invoking U.S. President Donald Trump-style populism to rally Englishmen.

“Operation Raise the Colours” has called for people to put their flags up where they live and in their everyday lives to rally Britons. The online movement is encouraging people to continue putting up England St. George’s Cross and union jack flags.

LGBTQ CELEBRITIES DIVIDED ON STARS AND STRIPES IN NEW DOCUMENTARY ‘RECLAIM THE FLAG’

“Raise The Colours!,” wrote MP for Newark, U.K. and Shadow Lord Chancellor Robert Jenrick on X. “While Britain-hating councils take down our own flags, we raise them up. We must be one country, under the Union Flag.”

Tower Hamlets and Birmingham City Council recently decided to tear down English flags that had been hung up in the streets by patriotic supporters of the movement.

The government has not taken an official stance on “Operation Raise the Colours,” but Downing Street has commented on putting up flags.

“Patriotism will always be an important thing to him,” a spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said. 

Asked if Sir Keir is supportive of people who put up English flags, the spokesperson said: “Absolutely, patriotism, putting up English flags. We put up English flags all around Downing Street every time the English football team – women’s and men’s – are out trying to win games for us.”

Some left-leaning outlets describe the campaign as zealousness, not patriotism. The Guardian cautioned the campaign “may offer cover for far-right agendas.”

THE LEFT IS CELEBRATING JULY 4 WITH PROTESTS WHILE THE RIGHT SEES A PATRIOTIC REVIVAL

One woman who spoke on the condition of anonymity in BBC’s reporting described how the campaigners marked a crosswalk with red crosses to look like the St. George’s flag as “pointless” and said it came across as “very racist.”

A YouGov poll in June showed Reform UK party would be Britain’s largest political party if a general election were held. Farage has always been a longstanding ally of the president and in February hailed Trump’s victory as “an inspiration”.

Historically overshadowed by the union jack until the 1990s, St. George’s Cross flags now dominate at sports events. 

YouGov polling also shows a majority favorable toward flying the St. George’s Cross, but a sizable minority view it negatively. 

A higher majority shows support for the Union Jack, Scotland’s St. Andrew’s Cross and Wales’ The Red Dragon over the St. George’s Cross.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The row over England’s flag is set to intensify ahead of local and national elections, with councils deciding whether to allow the banners.

Farage did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy to Lebanon, said Monday that his team would discuss a possible ceasefire agreement with Israel, after Beirut endorsed a U.S.-backed plan for the Hezbollah terrorist group to disarm. 

Barrack, following a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, also said Washington would seek an economic proposal for postwar reconstruction in the country, after months of shuttle diplomacy between the U.S. and Lebanon. Hezbollah, which the U.S. has officially designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997, remains Iran’s most powerful proxy in the region and has been subject to extensive U.S. sanctions.

Barrack is also set to meet with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri, who often negotiates on behalf of Hezbollah with Washington.

“I think the Lebanese government has done their part. They’ve taken the first step,” said Barrack, who is also the U.S. ambassador to Turkey. “Now what we need is for Israel to comply with that equal handshake.”

FRENCH-DRAFTED UNIFIL RESOLUTION COULD SHIELD HEZBOLLAH AS US STAYS SILENT

Hezbollah drew intensified pressure during President Donald Trump’s first term, when Washington revived enforcement actions against its global finance networks, imposed new sanctions and designated it a Transnational Criminal Organization in 2018. 

In Trump’s second term, the administration has broadened these measures. 

The Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Hezbollah-linked financiers and front companies, including designations in March and July targeting oil smuggling operations, senior officials and the group’s financial arm, Al-Qard Al-Hassan. The State Department has also offered up to $10 million for information disrupting Hezbollah’s financial networks and reiterated that Hezbollah must not participate in Lebanon’s government.

Lebanon’s decision last week to support a plan to disarm Hezbollah angered the Iran-backed terrorist group and its allies, who believe Israel’s military should first withdraw from the five hilltops in southern Lebanon it has held since the end of its 14-month war with Hezbollah last November and stop launching almost daily airstrikes in the country. Naim Kassem, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, has vowed to fight efforts to disarm the group, sowing fears of civil unrest in the country.

“This is our nation together. We live in dignity together, and we build its sovereignty together – or Lebanon will have no life if you stand on the other side and try to confront us and eliminate us,” Kassem said in a televised speech last week, according to Reuters. 

US PULLS TEAM FROM CEASEFIRE TALKS IN QATAR AFTER ISRAEL DOES THE SAME, CLAIMING HAMAS IS ACTING IN BAD FAITH

Salam, Lebanon’s prime minister, said Qassem’s remarks “carry a veiled threat of civil war, and no one in Lebanon today wants a civil war, and threatening or hinting at it is completely unacceptable.” 

In the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas terrorists, Hezbollah launched rocket strikes and artillery fire against Israel, prompting Israel to respond with airstrikes. About 14 months of cross-border combat ensued, and Israel increasingly carried out precision strikes targeting Hezbollah commanders and leadership. Large-scale fighting has not resumed since Israel and Hezbollah reached a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement in November 2024, though there have been violations. 

The Israeli military has said the almost-daily airstrikes in southern Lebanon are intended to weaken Hezbollah’s network and offset the terrorist group’s efforts to reorganize and rearm. 

Barrack warned Hezbollah that it will have “missed an opportunity” if it does not back the calls for it to disarm.

Aoun and Salam both want to disarm Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups, and have demanded Israel halt its attacks and withdraw from the country. 

Aoun said he wants to increase funding for Lebanon’s cash-strapped military to bolster its capacity. He also wants to raise money from international donors to help rebuild the country.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The World Bank estimates that Hezbollah and Israel’s war in late 2024 cost $11.1 billion in damages and economic losses as large swaths of southern and eastern Lebanon were battered. The country has faced a crippling economic crisis since 2019.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX – Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.-backed aid group that has delivered more than two million boxes containing nearly 125 million meals to Gaza, is unveiling a pilot program enabling families to reserve aid parcels in advance. 

The foundation said that as more aid flows into Gaza, families will now be about to use the program to secure their parcels in advance, “bringing more ease, dignity, and order to the collection process.” Under the current set-up at distribution sites, the GHF noted that younger, more fit men often outpace women, children, older men and people with disabilities to access aid, which is collected on a first-come, first-served basis.

“This is real progress,” GHF Executive Director John Acree said in a statement. “It both demonstrates that GHF’s model is working and reflects our commitment to adapting to the needs of those we serve and delivering on President Trump’s call for innovation to get more humanitarian aid into the hands of the people who need it most in Gaza.”

GAZA HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE US-BACKED AID GROUP

The voluntary new pilot program, designed to provide “safe, predictable access to GHF’s food aid parcels,” launched on Sunday in the Saudi Neighborhood with 350 participants and is expected to scale up to full implementation in the coming weeks as the foundation works to develop additional distribution sites. 

GHF said the new system, which includes women-only days and lanes and community-based distribution, has long been requested by the community and is modeled on programs used by humanitarian organizations in Gaza and around the world. GHF said the pilot is the latest example of the foundation’s ongoing efforts to “meet the very dynamic needs on the ground.” 

Under the new system, a trained local worker invites beneficiaries to participate. Those who voluntarily opt into the program will have their photo taken and receive an identification card with their photo and a unique number. GHF said beneficiaries have the option to create a profile online, where they can input information such as household size.

The foundation said a box of aid will be set aside on specific days for each participant, “eliminating the need to partake in the rush.” 

“It has always been our plan to offer a way for families to reserve aid in advance and guarantee access, just as other aid organizations do,” Acree said. “Until now, however, conditions on the ground have made implementation of such a program impossible. But with more aid flowing into Gaza and GHF’s deliveries helping stabilize food availability, conditions are improving. We are proud to take this step to deliver on the requests of the community and make distributions easier and more reliable for the people we serve.”

US ENVOY NEARS LEBANON-ISRAEL CEASEFIRE THAT WOULD DISARM HEZBOLLAH TERROR GROUP

Aid will continue to be available on a first-come, first-served basis to those who choose not to participate, according to the foundation. GHF said all data is securely stored and never shared.

GHF said the new system also enables the foundation to communicate directly with participating households about distribution times, special deliveries and urgent updates, “allowing the organization to adapt quickly to community needs.”

Since the GHF began its operations on May 27, the organization has partnered with local Palestinian aid workers and non-governmental organizations to deliver nearly 125 million meals to Gazans. 

Last month, during a visit to Scotland, President Donald Trump addressed the ongoing hunger crisis in Gaza and the urgency of getting food into the enclave immediately, while doing it safely and securely. 

“The United States recently, just a couple of weeks ago, we gave $60 million.… No other nation gave money,” Trump said at the time, as he urged other nations “to step up.” 

At least $30 million in U.S. contributions to Gaza have been channeled through the U.S.- and Israeli-backed GHF. 

In July, GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay told Fox News Digital that the foundation “has one exclusive mission: to feed the people of Gaza in a way that prevents Hamas from being able to steal or loot or divert the aid.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In addition to having “zero diversion,” Fay said GHF has “put [aid] directly into the hands of the people who need it the most.” 

Fox News Digital’s Beth Bailey contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said Monday that the remaining Israeli hostages will only be returned once Hamas is “confronted and destroyed,” as the Gaza-based terrorist group cited alleged progress in ongoing ceasefire talks. 

The U.S. and Israel pulled their negotiators from Qatar last month, with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff saying at the time that Hamas demonstrated a “lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza” and were likely not negotiating in good faith. 

“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday morning. 

“The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” Trump wrote. “Remember, I was the one who negotiated and got hundreds of hostages freed and released into Israel (and America!). I was the one who ended 6 wars, in just 6 months. I was the one who OBLITERATED Iran’s Nuclear facilities. Play to WIN, or don’t play at all! Thank you for your attention to this matter!” 

US-BACKED GAZA AID GROUP LAUNCHES RESERVATION SYSTEM AFTER TRUMP CALLS FOR INNOVATION IN WARZONE DELIVERIES

The message came ahead of Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House on Monday as they try to iron out a separate peace deal with Russia. 

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, the Iran-backed Hamas said Monday it has accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip that would still need Israel’s approval. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response that Hamas is under “enormous pressure” after Israel announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavily populated areas after ceasefire negotiations again stalled in Qatar last month.

“I hear the media reports – and from them, you can draw one conclusion: Hamas is under enormous pressure,” Netanyahu said in a Hebrew video statement translated by Fox News. 

Netanyahu also said on Monday he visited the Gaza Division, where he met with the senior Israel Defense Forces command staff, and expressed “tremendous appreciation for the great achievements of the IDF in the War of Rebirth – the war on seven fronts.” The prime minister said he was “deeply impressed by the fighting spirit and determination to complete the defeat of Hamas and to bring about the release of all our hostages.” 

He said he also spoke to the defense minister and chief of staff “about our plans regarding Gaza City and the completion of our missions.”

US ENVOY NEARS LEBANON-ISRAEL CEASEFIRE THAT WOULD DISARM HEZBOLLAH TERROR GROUP

A diplomat briefed on the negotiations with Hamas told Fox News that “through pressure on Hamas to accept, Qatari and Egyptian mediators secured a breakthrough that preserves 98% of the Witkoff proposal, which the Israeli side had previously agreed to.” 

“The mediators were able to secure this outcome despite recent events and developments moving toward further escalation,” the diplomat said. “This step marks the beginning of the road to a comprehensive solution.”

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said mediators are “exerting extensive efforts” to revive a U.S. proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, during which some hostages would be released and the sides would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the rest. He spoke during a visit to Egypt’s Rafah crossing with Gaza, which has not functioned since Israel seized the Palestinian side in May 2024. He was accompanied by Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. 

Abdelatty said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had joined the talks, which include senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, who arrived in Cairo last week. He said they are open to other ideas, including a comprehensive deal that would release all the hostages at once.

Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, later told the Associated Press that the terrorist group had accepted the proposal introduced by the mediators, without elaborating.

An Egyptian official, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, said the proposal includes changes to Israel’s pullback of its forces and guarantees for negotiations on a lasting ceasefire during the initial truce. The official said it is almost identical to an earlier proposal accepted by Israel, which has not yet joined the latest talks.

Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas has been disarmed, and to maintain lasting security control over Gaza. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.

Fox News’ Yonat Friling and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev taunted European leaders early Tuesday, accusing them of failing “to outplay” U.S. President Donald Trump during their meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. 

“The anti-Russian warmongering Coalition of the Willing failed to outplay @POTUS on his turf,” Medvedev wrote on X, in English. 

The “Coalition of the Willing” refers to a group of European leaders who formed a pact to support a peace deal in Ukraine. Those leaders at Monday’s meeting included French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. 

ZELENSKYY HEADS INTO CRUCIAL TRUMP MEETING AS US WEIGHS SECURITY GUARANTEES FOR KYIV

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were also in attendance. 

Medvedev alleged that these leaders supposedly “thanked” and “sucked up” to President Trump. 

The question remaining now, Medvedev said, was “which tune” Zelenskyy – whom he mockingly referred to as “the Kiev clown” – “will play about guarantees and territories back home, once he’s put on his green military uniform again.” 

Monday’s meeting came after Trump’s historic summit with Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, last Friday. After the White House meeting, Trump said he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin coordinating next steps in the peace process aimed at ending the years-long war in Ukraine. 

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he had called his Russian counterpart to begin “the arrangements for a meeting” with Zelenskyy. That would then be followed by a trilateral meeting between the two warring presidents and the United States. 

EUROPEAN LEADERS WILL JOIN TRUMP-ZELENSKYY MEETING, SIGNALING SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE

The Republican president also affirmed that the U.S. would back European security guarantees aimed at preventing Moscow from reinvading Ukraine once the war ends. 

Trump was caught on a hot mic earlier in the day telling Macron that Putin wanted to find a resolution to bring an end to the war, though a Russian official later tempered those remarks. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Russian state media, citing Putin’s foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov, said Putin had spoken “in favor” of continuing direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations. 

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.