JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
150 DEAD , 700 INJURED IN 7.7 QUAKE IN MYANMAR.
EZEK 39:11-16
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: (IN THE JORDAN VALLEY) and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.
12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.
13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God.
14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment, (NUCLEAR SPECIALISTS) passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.
15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.
16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.
MEANING OF HAMONAH
Hamonah, ham-o'-nah (Heb.)-- host; multitude; noise; tumult; commotion of mind. The prophetic name of a city that is mentioned in conjunction with Hamon-gog: "And Hamonah shall also be the name of a city.
Metaphysical meaning of Hamonah (mbd) - Truth Unity
Strong's Lexicon-Hamonah: Hamonah-Original Word: הֲמוֹנָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location-Transliteration: Hamownah
Pronunciation: hah-mo-NAH-Phonetic Spelling: (ham-o-naw')
Definition: Hamonah-Meaning: Hamonah
Word Origin: Derived from the Hebrew root הָמוֹן (H1995), meaning "multitude" or "abundance."Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There is no direct Greek equivalent for "Hamonah" in the Strong's Greek Dictionary, as it is a specific Hebrew proper noun. However, the concept of a multitude or abundance can be related to Greek words like πλῆθος (G4128), meaning "multitude."Usage: The term "Hamonah" is used as a proper noun referring to a specific location mentioned in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. It is associated with the aftermath of a significant battle, symbolizing the multitude of the slain.Cultural and Historical Background: In the context of the Hebrew Bible, names often carry significant meaning and are used to convey theological and prophetic messages. "Hamonah" is mentioned in the book of Ezekiel, a prophetic text that addresses the restoration of Israel and the judgment of the nations. The name reflects the abundance of God's judgment upon the enemies of Israel, serving as a reminder of divine justice and sovereignty.
GODS PROMISED LAND FOR ISRAEL.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE.
PROOF HALF ON EARTH DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD (8 BILLION ON EARTH)
REVELATION 6:7-8 (8 BILLION- 2 BILLION = 6 BILLION)
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth,(2 BILLION) to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).
REVELATION 9:15,18 (6 BILLION - 2 BILLION = 4 BILLION)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,
18 By these three was the third part of men killed,(2 BILLION) by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMBS)
HALF OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION.(THESE VERSES ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
LUKE 17:34-37 (8 TOTAL BILLION - 4 BILLION DEAD IN TRIB = 4 BILLION TO JESUS KINGDOM) (HALF DIE DURING THE 7 YR TRIBULATION PERIOD JUST LIKE THE BIBLE SAYS)(GOD DOES NOT LIE)(AND NOTICE MOST DIE IN WAR AND DISEASES-NOT COMETS-ASTEROIDS-QUAKES OR TSUNAMIS)
34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other shall be left.(half earths population 4 billion die in the 7 yr trib)
35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.(Christians have new bodies,this is the people against Jerusalem during the 7 yr treaty)(Christians bodies are not being eaten by the birds).THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES.BECAUSE NOT HALF OF PEOPLE ON EARTH ARE CHRISTIANS.AND THE CONTEXT IN LUKE 17 IS THE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR 7 YR TREATY PERIOD.WHICH IS JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH.NOT 50% RAPTURED TO HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 24:37-42 (THESE ARE JUDGEMENT SCRIPTURES-SURE NOT RAPTURE SCRIPTURES)
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken,(IN WW3 JUDGEMENT) and the other left.
42 Watch therefore:(FOR THE LAST DAYS SIGNS HAPPENING) for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
NAHUM 3:13
13 Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars.
DR DOCTORION-ANGEL OF THE MIDEAST
"The angel showed me that the United Nations shall be broken in pieces because of the crisis in the Middle East. There shall be no more United Nations. The angel with the sickle shall reap the harvest.
Katz: Fate of Kiryat Shmona is the same as Beirut-IDF strikes Beirut, southern Lebanon after 2 rockets fired at northern Israel-First airstrikes on Lebanese capital since ceasefire announced in November; one rocket intercepted, second failed to cross border; Hezbollah says it is not behind rocket attack-By Emanuel Fabian,Nurit Yohanan-and ToI Staff Today, 2:48 pm-MAR 28,25
Two rockets were fired at northern Israel from Lebanon on Friday morning, leading the military to carry out strikes first in southern Lebanon and later in the capital, Beirut, a first since the November ceasefire went into effect.According to the military, one of the rockets was intercepted and the other fell short inside Lebanese territory, as rocket sirens sounded in the city of Kiryat Shmona and the nearby communities of Tel Hai, Margaliot, and Misgav Am.It was the second attack within the past week, after three rockets were fired at Metula on March 22, the first such incident since the November 27 ceasefire ended over a year of fighting with the Hezbollah terror group.A senior source within Hezbollah told the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen news outlet that the terror group has no connection to the rocket fire on Friday.The source claimed that the recent rocket fire from Lebanon is “part of a suspicious attempt to fabricate pretexts for the continuation of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon.”Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam issued a statement calling on the military to “uncover those behind the irresponsible rocket fire that threatens Lebanon’s stability and security,” and take them into custody.Following the attack, the IDF said Friday morning it was carrying out a wave of strikes on Hezbollah targets in the south of the country, and later that afternoon brought down a building it claimed was used by the terror group’s drone unit in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.According to the IDF, the building struck in Beriut was used by Hezbollah as a drone storage facility. It belonged to Hezbollah’s aerial forces, known as Unit 127, the military said. The unit is responsible for explosive-laden drone attacks on Israel and flying surveillance drones to collect intelligence.“Hezbollah has placed its terror infrastructure in the heart of the civilian population. This is another example of the Hezbollah terror organization’s cynical use of Lebanese citizens as human shields,” an IDF statement said.The IDF issued an evacuation warning for the building and the surrounding area before the strike and also reportedly carried out several warning shots in the area before dropping larger munitions that brought down the building.It marked the first time that the IDF issued warnings ahead of strikes in Beirut since November 27, when it last struck Hezbollah sites in the Lebanese capital, hours before a ceasefire took effect.The strike on Friday came in response to the morning rocket fire, which the military said was a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement.After the rocket attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Friday morning that “the fate of Kiryat Shmona is the same as the fate of Beirut,” in a threat to the Lebanese capital.He said that without peace in Israel’s northern border communities, “there will be no peace in Beirut either.”“The Lebanese government bears direct responsibility for any attacks on the Galilee,” he charged. “We will ensure the security of the residents of the Galilee, and will act forcefully against any threat.”According to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar news outlet, targeted areas in southern Lebanon included the outskirts of Qaaqaait al-Jisr and the town of Khiam in the Nabatieh area.Earlier this week, a Lebanese official said Lebanese leaders have been in intensive contact with Washington and Paris to prevent Israel from bombing Beirut after the rocket fire on March 22.Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Hezbollah operatives and members of affiliated terror groups since a ceasefire in November, following two months of open war aimed at ending rocket attacks from the Iran-backed group that plagued the north for nearly a year.The terror group started firing rockets and drones at Israeli communities and military posts on October 8, 2023, in support of fellow terror group Hamas, which had invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip a day earlier.Israel says it targets Hezbollah military sites that violate the ceasefire agreement.Under the ceasefire, Hezbollah was obligated to pull its forces north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the Israeli border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south, while the Lebanese army deployed to control the area.Israel, in parallel, was obligated to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, though it retains the right to respond to immediate threats.Following an initial postponement, with US and Lebanese approval, of the deadline to withdraw, Israel pulled all its troops out of Lebanon in February, except five strategic posts along the border.Agencies contributed to this report.
Aid agencies say Strip's food, medicine will soon run out-IDF says it hit dozens of terror sites in Gaza as UN agency pans ‘disregard for life’At least 41 dead in past day, according to Hamas health ministry; after World Central Kitchen says volunteer killed in airstrike, military vows to probe incident-By Agencies and ToI Staff 29 March 2025, 1:17 am
The IDF said it carried out 25 strikes across Gaza on Friday, targeting operatives and infrastructure of Hamas and other terror groups, as United Nations agencies accused Israel of atrocities and forced displacement in the Strip.The Strip’s Hamas-run health ministry said at least 41 people had been killed over the past 24 hours. It alleged Israel had killed 896 Palestinians since resuming hostilities on March 18, and over 50,000 since the war was triggered by the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023.The figures cannot be independently confirmed and don’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it seeks to avoid targeting civilians and accuses Hamas of embedding itself among them.The Palestinian Authority’s official news agency WAFA reported several deaths on Friday in airstrikes on homes in Gaza City, Rafah and Khan Younis, as well as a tent sheltering displaced people in the Jabalia camp and a vehicle west of Khan Younis. WAFA also reported gunfire by Israeli military vehicles in Jabalia and Beit Lahiya, artillery fire in Gaza City and demolition of buildings in Rafah by Israeli forces.Meanwhile, amid aid agencies’ warnings of a food shortage in Gaza, the World Central Kitchen charity said Israel had struck one of its food distribution sites in Gaza on Thursday, killing a local volunteer identified as Jalal and wounding six others. The IDF said it was probing the incident and in touch with WCK.In a statement Friday, WCK said it would continue to “operate our field kitchens where possible, based on daily assessments.” The statement didn’t give the precise location of the strike.On April 1, 2024, an Israeli missile strike on a car bearing WCK insignia killed seven aid workers from the charity — three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian.At the time, WCK suspended its activity in Gaza for four weeks, and Israel apologized to the organization, saying an officer had falsely determined that an armed Hamas operative was traveling in the car. Two senior officers were dismissed over the killing.Israel announced on March 2 that it would suspend the delivery of all goods and supplies to Gaza due to what it said was Hamas’s refusal to accept a proposal to extend the initial phase of a ceasefire and hostage release deal that was reached in January. After a two-week impasse, Israel scuttled the deal with a series of airstrikes across the Strip.The 42-day first phase saw Hamas release 33 women, children, civilian men over 50 and those deemed “humanitarian cases,” in exchange for some 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, including over 270 serving life terms in connection with the murders of dozens of Israelis.A potential second phase would have required Israel to withdraw from Gaza and seen Hamas release any hostages still alive, a number believed to stand at 24. All are young men abducted on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.But Israel refused to negotiate over the second phase, with the government saying it would not accept ending the war with Hamas still in power.A third phase would have seen Hamas return the remains of 35 hostages.Mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been scrambling to renew the ceasefire.Amid the aid halt that followed the expiration of the first phase, the UN’s World Food Programme warned Friday that stocks of food and medical supplies were running out fast.The agency said it has 5,700 tons of food stocks left in Gaza, home to some 2.3 million people — enough to support WFP operations for two weeks at most.The World Health Organization added that there were severe shortages of blood supplies to treat the wounded amid the renewed Israeli offensive.“Everything related to trauma is quickly running short. There are fewer than 500 blood units available — 4,500 blood packs are needed each month,” WHO spokesman Rik Peeperkorn told reporters in Geneva via video link in Jerusalem.Amid the aid halt to Gaza, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for UN aid agency OCHA, said in Geneva on Friday that Israel’s actions in the Strip “bear the hallmarks of atrocity crimes.”“There is a callous disregard for human life and dignity,” said Laerke, accusing Israel of striking populated areas in which civilians had been killed.Israel insists that it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and accuses Hamas of putting civilians in harm’s way by fighting from civilian areas, including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights office accused Israel of violating international law by forcibly displacing Palestinians in Gaza under “mandatory evacuation orders.”UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said, “these evacuations fail to comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law.”Since the resumption of hositilies in Gaza, the IDF has issued what the UN described as 10 mandatory evacuation orders, covering large areas across Gaza. Most recently, the IDF on Wednesday called on residents to evacuate the Gaza City area from which rockets were launched at southern Israel that evening.Israel’s mission to the UN in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.“Israel is not taking any measures to provide accommodation for the evacuated population, nor ensure that these evacuations are conducted in satisfactory conditions of hygiene, health, safety and nutrition,” said Al-Kheetan.Over half of northern Gaza appears to be under such orders, he said, while those who have been newly displaced from the south of the enclave in the Rafah area and forced to go to coastal Al Mawasi were not guaranteed safety there.“We are deeply concerned about the shrinking space for civilians in Gaza who are being forcibly displaced by the Israeli army from large swaths of territory,” the statement added.Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
69% of Israelis, 54% of coalition voters back ending war in exchange for hostages — poll-Breaking with government, clear majority appears to prioritize captives; Ron Dermer denies report he has not met hostages’ families since taking lead on negotiations-By ToI Staff Today, 11:38 pm-MAR 28,25
Sixty-nine percent of Israelis support ending the war in exchange for a deal that releases all remaining hostages in Gaza, compared to 21% who oppose such a trade, according to a poll aired by Channel 12 Friday.Even among coalition voters, a majority (54%) back such a move compared to 32% who oppose it.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has long refused any suggestion of ending the war in exchange for the return of the 59 remaining hostages, saying the fighting can only end when the Hamas terror group is removed from power and can no longer pose a threat to Israel.Of those 59 hostages, 24 are still believed to be alive.The government also refused to hold negotiations on a potential second phase of the ceasefire deal — though it had agreed to do so under the original agreement. The second phase would have seen the release of the remaining living hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The deal’s third phase envisioned the release of bodies held by both sides.Netanyahu instead has sought to secure the release of additional hostages through an extension of phase one’s temporary ceasefire, which would allow Israel to later resume fighting against Hamas. The government argues that agreeing to end the war now in exchange for the remaining hostages would allow Hamas to remain in power. Hamas has so far refused such a deal.On March 18, Israel renewed intensive military operations throughout Gaza, saying it would no longer grant Hamas respite if it did not continue releasing hostages.The resumption of fighting in Gaza without the return of the hostages, along with other contentious steps taken by the government against the judiciary and the security establishment, triggered a wave of mass protests throughout Israel, with reports of over 100,000 Israelis demonstrating nationwide last Saturday.Meanwhile, Channel 12 reported Friday that Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer has yet to meet with a single hostage family or present his own initiative for a hostage deal since taking over as the head of Israel’s hostage negotiating team last month.Dermer’s office issued a statement insisting that he has met with four hostage families in the last two weeks, but declined to reveal the names of those families.Critics have argued that additional military operations endanger the remaining living hostages and won’t accomplish what Israel was unable to do over the first 15-plus months of the war. Arab allies have instead proposed sidelining Hamas through a diplomatic initiative that includes gradually returning the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza, something Netanyahu has flatly rejected, as he accuses the PA of implicitly backing terror against Israel.Hamas released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers and five Thai nationals — and the bodies of eight slain Israeli captives during a ceasefire between January and March. The terror group freed 109 civilians in 2023, and eight hostages have been rescued from captivity by troops alive, while the bodies of 41 have also been recovered.A senior Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel on Thursday that Qatar had presented Hamas with a new US proposal to attempt to restore the ceasefire in Gaza through the release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.In exchange for Alexander’s release, US President Donald Trump would issue a statement calling for calm in Gaza and the resumption of negotiations for a permanent ceasefire, the diplomat said, confirming reports on Channel 12 and the Axios news site.The Arab diplomat expressed skepticism that Hamas would agree to release Alexander for only a statement from Trump and said the terror group would likely ask for something more substantial.Hamas has yet to respond to the latest US proposal, but Qatari mediators told the terror group that compliance would create goodwill for them with Trump, making it more likely that he will push Netanyahu to agree to a permanent ceasefire, the diplomat added.Qatari and Egyptian mediators met with a Hamas delegation in Doha on Thursday evening to discuss the latest US proposal, the Arab diplomat said.How Israel will respond to it is also unclear. Netanyahu held consultations with his security chiefs and top advisers on Thursday to discuss the matter, according to an Israeli official.Netanyahu on Wednesday threatened to intensify Israel’s military campaign in Gaza if Hamas didn’t begin releasing hostages, saying the IDF would begin occupying additional parts of the Strip.The premier insisted earlier this week that Israel is nearing the defeat of Hamas — something he has been claiming for over a year.
Netanyahu said to task Mossad with finding countries to house Gazans-With Trump’s focus elsewhere, report says Israel has reached out to Sudan, Somalia, Indonesia and other nations about taking in Palestinians but the outreach has yet to bear fruit-By ToI Staff 28 March 2025, 9:16 pm
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed the Mossad intelligence agency to identify countries that would be willing to take in large numbers of displaced Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, according to a report Friday.While several countries have taken in small numbers of sick Palestinians — mainly children — for treatment, no country to date has agreed to host a significant number of Gazans, who themselves appear uninterested in leaving en masse.Nonetheless, Israel is seeking to advance the removal of Palestinians from Gaza, with some of the biggest proponents being Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.The Israeli effort received a tailwind from US President Donald Trump, who last month announced his plan for the United States to take over Gaza and relocate the entire population of two million people. He has since softened the half-baked proposal, clarifying that no Palestinians will be forcibly evicted and denying that the relocation plan would amount to ethnic cleansing.Israel has also insisted that Gazans would not be forced to leave, but officials have not spelled out how such voluntary emigration could be incentivized and what should happen if it were unsuccessful.According to the Axios news site, the US has not been actively working to advance Trump’s plan, with Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff focused instead on restoring the ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.Israel has tried to fill the vacuum, holding talks with the conflict-plagued East African countries of Somalia and South Sudan, along with Indonesia and other countries, about them taking in Palestinians, Axios reported, citing two Israeli officials and a former US official. Those talks have yet to bear fruit.Previous reports have named Syria, Sudan and the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland as potential destinations for relocating Gazans that the US and Israel are eying.The Palestinian Authority and the Arab world has pushed back vehemently against efforts to relocate Gazans, arguing that Palestinians should be allowed to remain in the Strip and that moving them elsewhere will simply spur more conflict and extremism elsewhere.Israel and the US have argued that Gaza is not a safe place to live after nearly a year and a half of Israeli bombardment targeting Hamas and that Palestinians should be given the opportunity to move elsewhere. But Israel’s refusal to publicly commit to allowing Palestinians who leave the ability to return has led to further questioning of its motives.Trump first revealed his relocation proposal as Netanyahu visited the White House amid the now-defunct ceasefire and hostage release deal that was mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt. The agreement halted 15 months of war in Gaza that began on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led over 5,000 attackers to invade southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251, mostly civilians.The war caused widespread devastation in Gaza, raising the need for a comprehensive rehabilitation plan that Israel has demanded include a new administration to replace Hamas’s rule.Egypt hurriedly put forward a plan after Arab nations were spooked by Trump’s proposal to rebuild the Strip as a “Riviera of the Middle East.”The Arab plan envisions an independent committee of technocrats running Gaza for a six-month period before handing off control of the Strip to the Palestinian Authority. It provides for Palestinians to remain in the Strip while it is being rebuilt, as opposed to Trump’s proposal that the entire population be relocated.The Trump administration has sent mixed signals about the Egyptian plan
IDF arrests over 20 Palestinians after settlers raid southern West Bank village-At least 6 Palestinians said wounded; no Israelis detained for attack on Jinba, which police say came after 2 Jews in the area were assaulted-By Nurit Yohanan-and Jacob Magid-28 March 2025, 8:11 pm
Twenty-two residents of the southern West Bank Palestinian village of Jinba were arrested by the IDF on Friday morning, a resident of the hamlet told The Times of Israel, with the military saying it detained people involved in a violent confrontation with Israeli settlers — none of whom were arrested.Footage from the scene shortly before the Israel Defense Forces arrived showed dozens of settlers raiding the village, attacking residents and property. At least six Palestinians were injured in the assault, four of whom were taken to a hospital, the Haaretz daily reported, citing residents. The IDF said an Israeli was also injured during the violence.Residents of Jinba, in the southern West Bank’s Masafer Yatta area, accused the IDF of using excessive force, saying soldiers hurled stun grenades inside homes. Haaretz cited Masafer Yatta council head Nidal Younis as saying that settlers also threw stun grenades. Younis was among the Palestinians detained at Jinba, according to the newspaper.The settler attack on Jinba followed reports of violence against Jews, according to police and the military.Police said officers were dispatched to the area after two Jewish shepherds were assaulted south of Susiya, one of the Masafer Yatta villages.The IDF said it had received a report that an Israeli citizen was attacked near the southern West Bank’s Mitzpeh Yair outpost. Troops dispatched to the scene along with police officers “began a chase after the terrorists,” the IDF said, without clarifying how forces knew whom to pursue.“Shortly thereafter, a violent confrontation developed between several Israeli citizens and several Palestinians, during which an Israeli civilian was injured and evacuated for medical treatment,” the IDF said. “A report was received regarding several Palestinians who were injured and received treatment from medical personnel.”“IDF troops worked to disperse the violent confrontation and arrested several Palestinian suspects near the location. The suspects were transferred for further interrogation,” the army added.The West Bank has seen a spike in violence since October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.In the West Bank, the military has undertaken large-scale counterterrorism operations that have killed hundreds of people — the vast majority of them combatants, according to the IDF — and displaced tens of thousands.Masafer Yatta, in the West Bank’s South Hebron Hills, has faced frequent raids by settlers and soldiers. It is the subject of Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” about Israel’s demolitions in the area, which the military has designated a live-fire training zone.Israeli forces on Monday night arrested the film’s co-director, Hamdan Ballal, a resident of Masafer Yatta, after he was reportedly injured during clashes between settlers and Palestinians in the southern West Bank village of Susya. He was released the next day. Two other Palestinians and an Israeli were also detained.Arrests of Israelis in incidents of settler violence are extremely rare. The head of the police’s West Bank division is currently under investigation for allegedly refusing to crack down on the phenomenon to curry favor in the eyes of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.Israel’s failure to prosecute near-daily incidents of settler violence led the previous White House and multiple European governments to begin sanctioning violent settlers last year. US President Donald Trump scrapped his predecessor’s sanctions shortly after taking office in January.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Intense wave of suspected US airstrikes hit Houthi-held cities, airport-Particularly fierce attacks injure at least seven according to initial reports, though true extent of damage not immediately known; US yet to offer information on action-By Jon Gambrell 28 March 2025, 1:19 pm
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Suspected US airstrikes pummeled sites across Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels early Friday, including neighborhoods in the capital, Sanaa.The extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn’t immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began on March 15.An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under US President Donald Trump appears more extensive than those under former president Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities.Initial reports from the Houthis described at least seven people being hurt in the attacks Friday in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital that the rebels have held since 2014. Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the rebels’ stronghold of Saada, and in Yemen’s al-Jawf Amran, and Marib governorates.The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge what had been specifically targeted, other than Sanaa International Airport, which is used for both civilian and military traffic. Neighborhoods in the capital are also home to military and intelligence service sites, as well as crowded with civilians.An Associated Press video showed one bomb dropping into Sanaa, with a huge plume of smoke rising into the night sky, with many people awake in the final days of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.Other areas hit included mountainous terrain north of Sanaa in Amran, where military camps and other installations are believed to be. The Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news network described communication networks going down after the attacks, which included at least 19 strikes there alone.The US military’s Central Command, which now has authority from the White House to strike offensively in Yemen without pre-approval, did not immediately acknowledge conducting any strikes. The command, which under Biden offered details on individual strikes, has not provided that information in this campaign.The new campaign of airstrikes, which the Houthis say have killed at least 57 people, started after the rebels threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel’s blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The rebels in the past have had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well.The Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far.The attacks greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting any dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemen’s decade-long stalemated war that has torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.
Daily Briefing Mar. 28: Day 539 – Huckabee: Judge my actions, not my Judea and Samaria stance-US bureau chief Jacob Magid weighs in on Egypt’s ceasefire proposal, one of many on the table; Saudi normalization that’s now off the table; and the incoming US ambassador to Israel-With:Amanda Borschel-Dan-Jacob Magid-Lazar Berman 28 March 2025, 1:15 pm
Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s Daily Briefing, which will be followed by a full episode of ToI’s newest podcast series, the Friday Focus with Lazar Berman.An Egyptian proposal to end renewed fighting in Gaza would see five living hostages released on the first day of the restored ceasefire, with another five living hostages released every 7-10 days, two foreign diplomats with knowledge of the details told The Times of Israel on Wednesday. Magid delves into what else is being reported about this proposal, one of several on the table right now.One well-connected US analyst of the Middle East told Magid this week that the current Israeli government has all but foreclosed any chance for a normalization deal. We hear what Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute (MEI) who regularly speaks to Saudi and other regional officials, has to say — and what the Saudis are potentially planning in the meantime.US President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, tried to present a more moderate stance on Israel and the West Bank — or Judea and Samaria, as he calls the contested land — and urged lawmakers at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday to judge him based on his ability to represent the new administration. Magid weighs in.In the Friday Focus, Berman illuminates the ongoing prejudice against Israel’s Christians, who make up almost 2 percent of the country’s population.
Lebanon, Syria ink border demarcation deal, easing tensions after Assad’s fall-Beirut and Damascus to increase coordination to ensure security along border, which Hezbollah uses to smuggle weapons, and where deadly clashes broke out earlier this month-By AP 28 March 2025, 12:57 pm
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon and Syria have signed an agreement on border demarcation and to boost coordination between the two countries regarding security along their tense frontier, the Saudi Press Agency reported Friday.The deal signed by the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministers in Saudi Arabia late Thursday came after clashes in border areas earlier this month left several people dead and dozens wounded on both sides.The plan for border demarcation also comes after the ouster in early December of the 54-year Assad family rule in Syria, leading to tensions along the frontier where Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group was active on both sides of the border during Syria’s 14-year conflict. Hezbollah had been fighting in Syria alongside Assad during the conflict that has left half a million people dead.The deal also comes after the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war, instigated by the Iran-backed terror group, that weakened its power in Lebanon.Israel has frequently bombed the Lebanon-Syria border to disrupt weapons smuggling efforts by Hezbollah.Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa was scheduled to visit the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Wednesday but the visit was canceled. Menassa and his Syrian counterpart, Murhaf Abu Qasra, later flew to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, where they held talks attended by Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman and signed the deal.The Saudi agency said the Lebanese and Syrian ministers signed an agreement in which both sides agreed on the “strategic importance of demarcating their border” and the formation of legal and specialized committees in different fields. It added that both countries agreed to “activate coordination mechanisms” to deal with any security challenges along the border.It said Saudi Arabia backs security and stability in both countries which boosts regional security.Over the past weeks, authorities on both sides of the nearly 400-kilometer-long (250-mile) border have been closing smuggling routes along the unmarked frontier.Earlier this month, intense clashes broke out along the border after Syria’s interim government accused fighters from Hezbollah of crossing into Syria, abducting three soldiers and killing them on Lebanese soil. The Lebanese government said the three killed were smugglers.Hezbollah denied involvement, and some other reports pointed to local clans in the border region that are not directly affiliated with Hezbollah but have been involved in cross-border smuggling. Authorities in Beirut at the time said seven Lebanese citizens were killed and 52 were wounded.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
3,600-year-old tomb of unidentified pharaoh uncovered in Egypt-Archaeologists date tomb, apparently stripped bare by ancient grave robbers, to chaotic Second Intermediate Period, when Egypt was divided into at least 4 kingdoms-By Will Dunham 28 March 2025, 9:38 am
REUTERS — Archaeologists have discovered the large limestone burial chamber of an unidentified ancient Egyptian pharaoh near the city of Abydos, dating to about 3,600 years ago during a chaotic period in Egypt’s history.The discovery of the tomb seven meters (23 feet) underground at the ancient necropolis of Anubis Mountain was announced by the University of Pennsylvania Museum and Egyptian archaeologists. It marked the second discovery announced this year of a tomb of an ancient Egyptian king.The burial chamber discovered in January at Abydos, an important city in ancient Egypt located about 10 km (6 miles) from the Nile River, was bare — apparently long ago plundered by grave robbers. The name of the king once buried inside was originally recorded in hieroglyphic texts on plastered brickwork at the chamber’s entrance alongside painted scenes showing the sister goddesses Isis and Nephthys.“His name was in the inscriptions but did not survive the depredations of ancient tomb robbers. Some candidates include kings named Senaiib and Paentjeni who we know from monuments at Abydos — they ruled in this era — but whose tombs have not been found,” University of Pennsylvania Egyptian archaeology professor Josef Wegner, one of the leaders of the excavation work, said on Thursday.In addition to the decorated entryway, the burial chamber featured a series of other rooms capped by five-meter (16-foot) high vaults fashioned from mudbrick.The tomb dates to a time known as the Second Intermediate Period, which ran from 1640 BCE to 1540 BCE and bridged the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom eras when Egyptian pharaohs were among the most powerful figures in the region.“The political history of the era is fascinating and not fully understood, a kind of ‘warring states’ period that ultimately gave birth to Egypt’s New Kingdom,” said Wegner, curator of the Penn Museum’s Egyptian section.Among these was the Abydos Dynasty, a series of kings who ruled part of Upper Egypt — the southern portion of the Egyptian realm.“Egypt was fragmented with as many as four rival kingdoms, including the Hyksos of the Nile Delta,” said Wegner. “The Abydos Dynasty was one of these. How it broke apart and was then reunified includes important questions of social, political, and technological change.”The tomb of the unidentified king is built inside the larger tomb complex of an earlier and powerful pharaoh named Neferhotep I. Its architecture shows connections with earlier Middle Kingdom and later Second Intermediate Period royal tombs, Wegner said.“It seems to be the largest and earliest of the Abydos Dynasty group. There may be others in this same area next to the tomb of Neferhotep I,” Wegner said.Wegner’s team previously uncovered the tomb of another Abydos Dynasty ruler named Seneb-Kay in 2014.“The new king’s tomb is likely a predecessor of Seneb-Kay. There are others in the area. Work in royal cemeteries is slow and painstaking, so it takes a while for results,” Wegner said.The excavations are ongoing.The Second Intermediate Period began almost a millennium after the construction of the towering Giza pyramids outside Cairo that held the tombs of certain Old Kingdom pharaohs. Many New Kingdom pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, including Tutankhamun — popularly known as King Tut – whose 14th-century BCE tomb and its full contents were unearthed in 1922.Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on February 18 that a joint Egyptian-British archaeological team had identified an ancient tomb near Luxor dating to the 15th century BCE as that of New Kingdom pharaoh, Thutmose II.
Putin calls to remove Zelensky, 'finish off' Ukrainian troops-by AFP Staff Writers.
Murmansk, Russia (AFP) Mar 28, 2025-Russian President Vladimir Putin called Friday for a "transitional administration" to be put in place in Ukraine and vowed his army would "finish off" Ukrainian troops, in hardline remarks as US President Donald Trump pushes for a ceasefire.A rapprochement between Washington and Moscow since Trump's return to office and the US leader's threats to stop supporting Kyiv have bolstered Putin's confidence more than three years into an offensive that has killed tens of thousands on both sides.Ukraine fears it could be forced to accept a final peace deal on terms that are favourable to Moscow if it loses the support of its most important backer.The renewed call to essentially topple Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky was the latest demonstration of Putin's long-standing desire to install a more Moscow-friendly regime in Kyiv."We could, of course, discuss with the United States, even with European countries, and of course with our partners and friends, under the auspices of the UN, the possibility of establishing a transitional administration in Ukraine," Putin said on the sidelines of an Arctic forum."What for? To organise a democratic presidential election that would result in the coming to power of a competent government that would have the confidence of the people, and then begin negotiations with these authorities on a peace agreement and sign legitimate documents," he said.When launching its offensive in 2022, Moscow aimed to take Kyiv in a matter of days, but was repelled by Ukraine's smaller army.In the first days of the offensive, Putin issued a public call for Ukraine's generals to topple Zelensky, whom Putin has repeatedly denigrated, without providing any evidence, as a neo-Nazi and drug addict.Moscow has also repeatedly questioned Zelensky's "legitimacy" as Ukrainian president, after his initial five-year mandate ended in May 2024.Under Ukrainian law, elections are suspended during times of major military conflict, and Zelensky's domestic opponents have all said elections should not be held until after the conflict.Putin, in power for 25 years and repeatedly elected in votes with no competition, has throughout the conflict accused Ukraine of not being a democracy.- 'Finish them off' -Putin also called for his troops to press their advantage on the battlefield and step up their attacks, even as he says Moscow has halted its strikes on Ukrainian energy targets."I was saying not so long ago: 'We will finish them off.' There are reasons to believe that we will finish them off," Putin said."We are gradually, not as fast as some would like, but nevertheless persistently and confidently moving toward achieving all the goals stated at the beginning of the special operation," the Kremlin leader added, using his term for the offensive.Russia's army on Friday claimed to have captured a village in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region and retaken a border settlement in its own Kursk region.The United States is trying to broker a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv.Putin rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire, but says it has agreed not to strike Ukrainian energy targets for 30 days.Kyiv and Moscow have traded accusations of breaking that pledge.Ukraine's state oil and gas operator, Naftogaz, said that Russia attacked its facilities overnight and Zelensky on Thursday called on Washington to "react" to the ongoing strikes.Russia's defence ministry accused Ukraine of firing rockets and more than a dozen drones at its energy infrastructure over the past 24 hours.The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 163 drones at the country in its latest aerial attack, with regional officials reporting fires at infrastructure and agricultural sites in the south of the country.Emergency services in the southern Odesa region of Ukraine published images of buildings on fire after the attack and said one person was wounded.- 'Few answers' -"Russia is trying to derail the path to peace by choosing to continue the war," Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian presidency's chief of staff, said in response to the attacks.Officials in the Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions said the Russian attacks had damaged agricultural facilities there.Zelensky met in Paris on Thursday with Ukraine's key European backers in a bid to strike a unified position of support against Trump's overhaul of US policy on Ukraine.But he said after the talks he had "many questions" and "few answers" over discussions led by France and Britain on a possible European troop deployment as part of any wider ceasefire or peace deal.
Trump says Iran faces 'bad, bad things' if no nuclear deal.
Washington, March 28 (AFP) Mar 28, 2025-Donald Trump said Friday that Iran faces severe consequences if it fails to reach a nuclear deal, after Tehran responded to a letter from the US president calling for talks."I sent them a letter just recently, and I said: you have to make a decision, one way or the other, and we either have to talk and talk it out or very bad things are going to happen to Iran," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office."I don't want that to happen. My big preference -- and I don't say this through strength or weakness -- my big preference is, we work it out with Iran. But if we don't work it out, bad bad things are going to happen to Iran."Trump, who in 2018 pulled the United States out of an agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program, now says he is open to talks on a deal that could reduce the risk of military escalation.The US president revealed at the start of March that he had sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.At the same time, Trump has pushed ahead with his "maximum pressure" program of additional sanctions on Tehran and the threat of military action if it refuses to negotiate.Tehran has refused to negotiate directly with Washington under these circumstances, but has held out the possibility of indirect talks.On Thursday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the official IRNA news agency that he had delivered a letter responding to Trump's outreach to Oman, which has served as an intermediary in the past in the absence of US-Iran diplomatic relations.
WAR.WIRE-Iran says it has responded to Trump's nuclear talks letter.
Tehran, March 28 (AFP) Mar 28, 2025-Iran has sent a response to a letter from US President Donald Trump that called for nuclear talks and warned of possible military action if it refuses, its foreign minister said Thursday."This official response includes a letter in which our position regarding the current situation and Mr Trump's letter has been fully explained to the other party," Abbas Araghchi told the official IRNA news agency.He added that the letter was delivered to Oman, which has served as an intermediary in the past in the absence of US-Iranian diplomatic relations.He did not disclose the nature of the response nor say when it had been sent.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked by reporters on his plane over the Caribbean whether the United States has received the letter, said: "I'm not going to comment on that yet".He said that the United States had expected there to be a response and "obviously at that point, the president will decide what steps if he any he wants to take next".Trump, who in 2018 pulled the United States out of an agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, now says he is open to diplomatic talks.The US president revealed at the start of March that he had sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.At the same time, Trump has pushed ahead with his "maximum pressure" programme of additional sanctions on Tehran and the threat of military action if it refuses to negotiate."Our policy remains not to negotiate directly (with Washington) under 'maximum pressure' and the threat of military action, but indirect negotiations, such as those that took place in the past, can continue," Araghchi said.- Intermediaries -Iran and the United States have not had official diplomatic relations since 1980.However, the two countries have engaged indirectly via the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents US interests in Iran.Oman has also played the role of mediator in the past, as has Qatar, to a lesser extent.Trump's letter was delivered to Iran by the United Arab Emirates.Iran agreed to the deal curbing its nuclear programme in 2015 after negotiations with major powers including the United States and China.Western government have for decades suspected that Tehran is pursuing a nuclear weapons capability, a charge that Iran denies, insisting that the programme is solely for civilian purposes.Iran continued to respect the deal for a year after Trump pulled out, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, before rolling back its commitments.The US decision to withdraw was driven in part by Iran's ballistic missile programme, which was not covered by the deal and which Washington perceived as a threat.
FEARFUL SIGHTS AND GREAT SIGNS FROM HEAVEN
LUKE 21:11,25-26
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.so was not yet deemed a threat to land.The storm was located about 580 miles (930 kilometers) west-southwest of the southernmost tip of the Cabo Verde Islands and had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), the center said.The storms churned in the Atlantic as rescuers in the U.S. Southeast searched for people unaccounted for after Hurricane Helene struck last week, leaving behind a trail of death and catastrophic damage.
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)
EARTHQUAKES
EZEKIEL 37:7,11-14
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.(POSSIBLE QUAKE BRINGS ISRAEL BACK TO LIFE-SO NOISE AND SHAKING-QUAKES WILL ALSO DESTROY ISRAELS ENEMIES)
11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
MATTHEW 24:7-8
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
MARK 13:8
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:(ETHNIC GROUP AGAINST ETHNIC GROUP) and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
REVELATION 11:11-14
11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they(ELIJSH-MOSES) heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither.(REV 4:1 WE KNOW IS THE RAPTURE FOR SURE) And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.(RAPTURED)
13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
REVELATION 16:18-20
18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19 And the great city (JERUSALEM) was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Massive 7.7 quake topples buildings, kills more than 150 in Myanmar, Thailand-Death toll expected to rise further as ill-equipped Myanmar’s ruling junta makes rare plea for international assistance-By Sebastien BERGER, Hla-Hla HTAY and Damon Wake 28 March 2025, 1:34 pm
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (AFP) — A huge earthquake hit Myanmar and Thailand on Friday, killing more than 150 people and injuring hundreds, with dozens trapped in collapsed buildings and the death toll expected to rise.The shallow 7.7-magnitude tremor hit northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar in the early afternoon, and was followed minutes later by a 6.4-magnitude aftershock. The quake flattened buildings, downed bridges, and cracked roads across swaths of Myanmar, and even demolished a 30-story skyscraper under construction hundreds of miles away in Bangkok.While the full extent of the catastrophe is yet to emerge, the leader of isolated Myanmar, in the grip of a civil war, issued a rare plea for international aid.Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said 144 people had been killed, with 732 confirmed injured, but warned the toll was “likely to rise.”Eight deaths have been confirmed so far in Thailand, with more expected.“I would like to invite any country, any organization, or anyone in Myanmar to come and help. Thank you,” he said in a televised speech, after visiting a hospital in the capital Naypyidaw.He urged massive relief efforts in the wake of the disaster and said he had “opened all ways for foreign aid”.US President Donald Trump said Washington would be offering assistance.‘Mass casualty area’Four years of civil war sparked by the military seizing power have ravaged Myanmar’s infrastructure and healthcare system, leaving it ill-equipped to respond to such a disaster.Power is down in parts of Myanmar’s biggest city Yangon, the local utility said.The country declared a state of emergency across the six worst-affected regions after the quake.Hundreds of casualties arrived at a major hospital in Naypyidaw, where the emergency department entrance had collapsed on a car.Medics treated the wounded outside the hospital, the same one visited by the junta chief. One official described it as a “mass casualty area.”“I haven’t seen (something) like this before. We are trying to handle the situation. I’m so exhausted now,” a doctor told AFP.Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, appeared to have been badly hit. AFP photos from the city showed multiple buildings in ruins.A resident reached by phone told AFP that a hospital and a hotel had been destroyed, and said the city was badly lacking in rescue personnel.The main road bridge linking Mandalay and Sagaing was down, the city’s university and historic palace wall have collapsed, and telecoms have been affected, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.Skyscraper collapse-Across the border in Thailand, a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed into a tangled heap of rubble and dust in a matter of seconds.Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said eight dead bodies have been recovered and, with between 90 and 110 people unaccounted for, the toll is expected to rise.“We see several dead bodies under the rubble. We will take time to bring the bodies out to avoid any further collapses,” he told reporters.“I heard people calling for help, saying ‘help me,'” Worapat Sukthai, deputy police chief of Bang Sue district, told AFP.As night fell, around 100 rescue workers assembled at the scene to search for survivors, illuminated by specially erected floodlights.Visiting the site, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said “every building” in Bangkok would need to be inspected for safety, though it was not immediately clear how that would be carried out.An emergency zone was declared in Bangkok, where some metro and light rail services were suspended.The streets of the capital were full of commuters attempting to walk home, or simply taking refuge in the entrances of malls and office buildings.City authorities said parks would stay open overnight for those unable to sleep at home.Strong quakes are extremely rare in Thailand, and across Bangkok and the northern tourist destination of Chiang Mai, stunned residents hurried outside, unsure of how to respond.“This is the strongest tremor I’ve experienced in my life,” said Sai, 76, who rushed out of a minimart in Chiang Mai when it started to shake.The quake was felt across the region, with China, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India all reporting tremors.India, France and the European Union offered to provide assistance, while the WHO said it was mobilising to prepare trauma injury supplies.Pope Francis said he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread devastation” in a telegram published by the Vatican.Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar.A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the ancient capital Bagan in central Myanmar killed three people in 2016, also toppling spires and crumbling temple walls at the tourist destination.
Powerful earthquake rocks Myanmar and Thailand and kills more than 150 people, over 700 injured-Over 100 missing in Thailand-ByDAVID RISING and JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI AP-Friday, March 28, 2025 5:38PM
BANGKOK -- A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand on Friday, destroying buildings, bridges and a monastery. At least 144 people were killed in Myanmar, where photos and video from two hard-hit cities showed extensive damage. At least 10 died in the Thai capital, where a high-rise under construction collapsed.
The full extent of death, injury and destruction was not immediately clear - particularly in Myanmar, one of the world's poorest countries. It is embroiled in a civil war, and information is tightly controlled."The death toll and injuries are expected to rise," the head of Myanmar's military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said as he announced on television that at least 144 people were killed and 730 others were injured in his country.In Thailand, Bangkok city authorities said 10 people were killed, 16 injured and 101 missing from three construction sites, including the high-rise.The 7.7 magnitude quake struck at midday, with an epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar 's second-largest city. Aftershocks followed, one of them measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude.In Mandalay, the earthquake reportedly brought down multiple buildings, including one of the city's largest monasteries. Photos from the capital city of Naypyidaw showed rescue crews pulling victims from the rubble of multiple buildings used to house civil servants.Myanmar's government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas. In a country where prior governments sometimes have been slow to accept foreign aid, Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar was ready to accept assistance. The United Nations allocated $5 million to start relief efforts.But amid images of buckled and cracked roads and reports of a collapsed bridge and a burst dam, there were concerns about how rescuers would even reach some areas in a country already enduring a humanitarian crisis."We fear it may be weeks before we understand the full extent of destruction caused by this earthquake," said Mohammed Riyas, the International Rescue Committee's Myanmar director.Bridge and monastery collapse and dam bursts in Myanmar-Myanmar is in an active earthquake belt, though many of the temblors happen in sparsely populated areas, not cities like those affected Friday. The U.S. Geological Survey, a government science agency, estimated that the death toll could top 1,000.Myanmar's English-language state newspaper, Global New Light of Myanmar, said five cities and towns had seen building collapses and two bridges had fallen, including one on a key highway between Mandalay. A photo on the newspaper's website showed wreckage of a sign that read "EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT," which the caption said was part of the capital's main 1,000-bed hospital.Elsewhere, video posted online showed robed monks in a Mandalay street, shooting their own video of the multistory Ma Soe Yane monastery before it suddenly fell into the ground. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was harmed. Video also showed damage to the former royal palace.Christian Aid said its partners and colleagues on the ground reported that a dam burst in the city, causing water levels to rise in the lowland areas.Residents of Yangon, the nation's largest city, rushed out of their homes when the quake struck. In Naypyitaw, some homes stood partly crumbled, while rescuers heaved away bricks from the piles of debris. An injured man reclined on a wheeled stretcher, while another man fanned him in the heat.In a country where many people already were struggling, "this disaster will have left people devastated," said Julie Mehigan, who oversees Christian Aid's work in Asia, the Middle East and Europe."Even before this heartbreaking earthquake, we know conflict and displacement has left countless people in real need," Mehigan said.Myanmar's military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, and is now involved in a bloody civil war with long-established militias and newly formed pro-democracy ones.Government forces have lost control of much of Myanmar, and many places are incredibly dangerous or simply impossible for aid groups to reach. More than 3 million people have been displaced by the fighting and nearly 20 million are in need, according to the United Nations.Bangkok building collapsed in a cloud of dust-In Thailand, a 33-story building under construction crumpled into a cloud of dust near Bangkok's popular Chatuchak market, and onlookers could be seen screaming and running in a video posted on social media. Vehicles on a nearby freeway came to a stop.Sirens blared across the Thai capital's downtown as a rescuers streamed to the wreckage. Above them, shredded steel and broken concrete blocks, some stacked like pancakes, rose in a towering heap. Injured people were rushed away on gurneys, and hospital beds were also wheeled outside onto a sidewalk."It's a great tragedy," Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said after viewing the site, adding that there was hope that there were still survivors.The city's elevated rapid transit system and subway shut down.While the area is prone to earthquakes, they are usually not so powerful and rarely are felt in the Thai capital. The greater metropolitan area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.Voranoot Thirawat, a lawyer working in central Bangkok, said her first indication that something was wrong came when she saw a light swinging back and forth. Then she heard the building creaking, and she and her colleagues fled down 12 flights of stairs."In my lifetime, there was no earthquake like this in Bangkok," she said.Fraser Morton, a tourist from Scotland, was in one of Bangkok's many malls when the quake struck."All of a sudden, the whole building began to move. Immediately, there was screaming and a lot of panic," he said. Some people fled down upward-moving escalators, he said.Nearby, Paul Vincent, a tourist visiting from England, recalled seeing a high-rise building swaying, water falling from a rooftop pool and people crying in the streets.The U.S. Geological Survey and Germany's GFZ center for geosciences said the earthquake was a shallow 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to preliminary reports. Shallower earthquakes tend to cause more damage.Injuries reported in China-To the northeast, the earthquake was felt in China's Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and caused damage and injuries in the city of Ruili on the border with Myanmar, according to Chinese media reports.Videos that one outlet said were shot by a person in Ruili showed building debris littering a street and a person being wheeled in a stretcher toward an ambulance.The shaking in Mangshi, a Chinese city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Ruili, was so strong that people couldn't stand, one resident told The Paper, an online media outlet.Adam Schreck, Haruka Naga, Jerry Harmer, Grant Peck and Penny Wang in Bangkok, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Ken Moritsugu in Beijing, Edith M. Lederer and Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations and Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report.
