LINK EU DIGITAL ID WALLET TO SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS TO END ANONYMITY:SPANISH PM.

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)

LINK EU DIGITAL ID WALLET TO SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS TO END ANONYMITY:SPANISH PM.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
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)

THE FIRST JUDGEMENT OF THE EARTH STARTED WITH WATER-IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THE LAST GENERATION WILL BE HAVING FLOODING (BUT WILL NOT KILL EVERY BODY WITH WATER)(BUT 50% OF EARTHS POPULATION DIE (4 BILLION PEOPLE) FROM NUCLEAR WAR)(THE BIBLE SAYS BY FIRE OR ATOMIC BOMBS THIS TIME)
GENESIS 7:6-12
6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
GOD PROMISED BY A RAINBOW-THE EARTH WOULD NEVER BE DESTROYED TOTALLY WITH A FLOOD AGAIN.BUT FLOODIING IS A SIGN OF JUDGEMENT.

OZONE DEPLETION JUDGEMENT ON THE EARTH DUE TO SIN

ISAIAH 30:26-27
26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold,(7X OR 7-DEGREES HOTTER) as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,(ISRAEL) and healeth the stroke of their wound.
27 Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

MATTHEW 24:21-22,29
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened,(DAY LIGHT HOURS SHORTENED) there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake (ISRAELS SAKE) those days shall be shortened (Daylight hours shortened)(THE ASTEROID HITS EARTH HERE)
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

REVELATION 16:7-9
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

EZEKIEL 32:6-9
6  I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7  And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8  All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
9  I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.

REVELATION 16:3-7
3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.(enviromentalists won't like this result)
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
6 For they(False World Church and Dictator and baby murderers by abortion) have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

2 Peter 3:6-7 Amplified Bible (AMP) (HOT SUN, NUKES ETC)
6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.James Paul Warburg appearing before the Senate on 7th February 1950-Like a famous WWII Belgian General,Paul Henry Spock said in 1957:We need no commission, we have already too many. What we need is a man who is great enough to be able to keep all the people in subjection to himself and to lift us out of the economic bog into which we threaten to sink. Send us such a man. Be he a god or a devil, we will accept him.And today, sadly, the world is indeed ready for such a man.

JUDGEMENT-WE ALL(EVERYONE) STAND IN FRONT OF GOD TO GIVE ACCOUNT

JOHN 14:3
3  And if I (JESUS OUR JEWISH MESSIAH) go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

MATTHEW 24:33
33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things,(IN THERE BEGGINING STAGES-NOT FINAL STAGES) know that it is near, even at the doors.

LUKE 21:32
32  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:10
10  For we must all (MEANS EVERYONE EVER BORN ON EARTH FROM ADAM-EVE ON) appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.(THIS IS THE CHRISTIANS IN FRONT OF JESUS)

LUKEWARM CHURCHES

REVELATION 3:15-19
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I(GOD) will spue (VOMIT) thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent

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.

FEARFUL SIGHTS AND GREAT SIGNS FROM HEAVEN

LUKE 21:11
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.

REV 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

JAMES 1:11
11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

The Hebrew noun accurately translated “oven” refers to a “baking oven” as distinct from a kiln or smelting furnace—both of which burn much hotter. (The Hebrew nouns for “kiln” or for “smelting furnace” are more likely to appear in contexts of God's wrath or judgment.)
21 They have roused me to jealousy with a non-god, they have exasperated me with their idols. In my turn I shall rouse them to jealousy with a non-people, I shall exasperate them with a stupid nation.
22 Yes, a fire has blazed from my anger, it will burn right down to the depths of Sheol; it will devour the earth and all its produce, it will set fire to the footings of the mountains.
23 I shall hurl disasters on them, on them I shall use up all my arrows.

Ecclesiastes 1:6 ESV
6 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.

Jonah 1:4 ESV
4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.

Psalm 135:7 ESV
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

Psalm 78:26 ESV
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;

Psalm 1:4 ESV
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Acts 27:14 ESV
14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land.

Amos 4:13 ESV
13 For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!

Fire-ravaged Los Angeles braces for toxic rain runoff-By Ann Saphir-January 25, 20256:15 AM EST

Rain poses risk of spreading toxins from fire debris
Efforts to prevent toxic runoff include barriers and filters
Residents concerned about long-term health and environmental impacts

LOS ANGELES, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Wearing a respirator, goggles, gloves and white protective booties, Shaun Kearney gazed at his house in Sunset Mesa, a coastal community next to Pacific Palisades. It survived the fires destroying Los Angeles, but the weekend forecast is for a different problem: rain.Kearney needs to seal a hole in the roof to stop precipitation that he fears will be laced with toxins.The hazardous chemicals belched from burning homes and cars are top of mind for Kearney as he thinks about recovery and rebuilding that he believes will take years.Most of the neighboring homes were built before 1979, when asbestos was freely used in construction and those houses were reduced to ash."Even though our house is still standing, we obviously can't live here," said the fashion business executive, the CEO of Harry Styles' "Pleasing" brand. "It will be worse when they start removing the debris -- that's my biggest concern."The fires, which began on Jan. 7 and are still not fully contained, have killed 28 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures. The rain will bring cleaner air and improve fire-fighting conditions, but some authorities have expressed concern that overall rain will make things worse.Fire "ripped through homes, vehicles, electronics, plastics, chemicals, furniture, and countless everyday materials, creating a dangerous mix of toxins," LA Councilmember Traci Parks warned residents this week as she announced efforts to contain the runoff. "When it rains, they flow into our gutters, storm drains … eventually our beaches."On Friday, workers placed concrete barriers used to control highway traffic along the Pacific Coast Highway and in Palisades neighborhoods above the coastline to prevent landslides, like those that killed 21 and caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage after a fire seven years ago in Santa Barbara County.Other workers put cloth covers and straw barriers around storm drains to filter out pollutants and slow water flow.Trucks hauled away burned-out cars, many of which are toxic messes. The work is far from done: hulls of incinerated cars line roadsides and fill driveways, and many drains appeared unprotected.Much of the work observable in the Palisades focused on capping broken gas and water pipes, repairing power lines and patching roads. President Donald Trump visited the area on Thursday.The forecast for Saturday, Sunday and Monday is light rain. Still, the U.S. Geological Survey says that short, intense rain can trigger debris flows, with a map showing that much of the area of the Palisades and Eaton fires would have a high likelihood of hazard with a 15-minute burst of rain dropping between a quarter and half an inch (6-13 mm).While toxins from burned houses are at least partially contained by their foundations, vehicles and mobile homes are typically parked on impermeable surfaces like asphalt, so when rainwater picks up metals from burned car batteries or tires, it can run straight into the storm sewers."There is nothing containing that ash," says Jackson Webster, professor of civil engineering at California State University Chico, who studied the effects of the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California.While the immediate danger to human health from dirty stormwater may be limited, he said, the impact on ecosystems including the ocean has not been well studied. Runoff could also sink into soil, contaminating gardens and once well-tended grounds.SOME POSITIVES-In recent days police have escorted hundreds of residents like Kearney back into previously evacuated areas where, even blocks from the worst damage, there are still frequent whiffs of acrid ash. Rain will help, experts say."There is no downside, from the air perspective ... a light rain like this is a good thing," says UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability Professor Suzanne Paulson, who studies air pollutants and says falling water captures airborne particles and deposits them in the soil where they cannot be breathed in.But to many residents, the risks from toxins are incalculable."That is the reason we are not staying here. It is an unknown," said Jose Montelongo, 46, a general contractor whose rented home in the Pacific Palisades was not destroyed in the fire. They have a young son, he added. "It's not worth finding out."Daniel and Miriam Dvorsky, with their son Jake, were sifting through the ruins of their burned-out home a few blocks from Kearney's home in Sunset Mesa on Friday, looking for heirlooms passed down from grandparents. There was little to salvage."We would like nothing more than to rebuild," said Daniel, who, along with his wife wore white coveralls and N95 masks provided by the Red Cross. He added, however, that he feels that political, economic and environmental constraints may make reconstruction difficult.
A couple of firefighters drove by in a truck. "Anything I can help you with," one asked.Daniel, lounging on a blue lawn chair -- one of his only belongings that remained unscathed -- replied: "A Scotch, maybe."

Los Angeles wildfires: Thousands forced to evacuate as huge fire rages By Christopher Weber and Marcio Jose Sanchez The Associated Press-Posted January 23, 2025 12:16 pm

Firefighters fought to maintain the upper hand on a huge and rapidly moving wildfire that swept through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and resulted in more than 50,000 people being put under evacuation orders or warnings.The Hughes Fire broke out late Wednesday morning and in less than a day had charred nearly 16 square miles (41 square kilometres) of trees and brush near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area about 40 miles (64 kilometres) from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week.Though the region was under a red flag warning for critical fire risk, winds were not as strong as they had been when the Palisades and Eaton fires broke out, allowing for firefighting aircraft to dump tens of thousands of gallons of fire retardant. The Palisades and Eaton fires have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out Jan. 7.The California fires have caused at least $28 billion in insured damage and probably a little more in uninsured damage, calculated Karen Clark and Company, a disaster modelling firm known for accurate post-catastrophe damage assessments.Meanwhile, California Republicans are pushing back against suggestions by President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans that federal disaster aid for victims of wildfires should come with strings attached. Trump plans to visit the state to see the damage firsthand Friday, but it wasn’t clear whether he and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will meet during the visit.Hughes Fire-By Wednesday night, about 14 per cent of the Hughes Fire had been contained.“The situation that we’re in today is very different from the situation we were in 16 days ago,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Wednesday evening.Red flag warnings were extended through 10 a.m. Friday in LA and Ventura counties. More than 31,000 people have been ordered to evacuate from the Hughes Fire, and another 23,000 are under evacuation warnings, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said. There were no reports of homes or other structures burned.Parts of Interstate 5 near the Hughes Fire that had been closed reopened Wednesday evening.A 30-mile (48-kilometre) stretch of the major north-south artery had been closed for emergency vehicles, to move equipment and to prevent accidents due to smoke billowing across it. Crews on the ground and in water-dropping aircraft tried to prevent the wind-driven fire from moving across the interstate and toward Castaic.Marrone said that because winds were not as strong as they were two weeks ago, aircraft crews were able to drop fire retardant on the south side of the fire, where the flames were moving, he said. More than 4,000 firefighters were assigned to the fire, he said.Winds in the area were gusting at 42 mph (67 kph) in the afternoon. They had reached as high as 65 mph (105 kph) in some mountain pockets by Wednesday night, according to David Roth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.Kayla Amara drove to Castaic’s Stonegate neighbourhood to collect items from the home of a friend who had rushed to pick up her daughter at preschool. As Amara was packing the car, she learned the fire had exploded in size and decided to hose down the property.“Other people are hosing down their houses, too. I hope there’s a house here to return to,” Amara said as police cars raced through the streets and flames engulfed trees on a hillside in the distance.Amara, a nurse who lives in nearby Valencia, said she’s been on edge for weeks as major blazes devastated Southern California.“It’s been stressful with those other fires, but now that this one is close to home it’s just super stressful,” she said.Sepulveda Fire-An evacuation warning was issued for Sherman Oaks after a brush fire broke out on the Sepulveda Pass near the I-405 Freeway.The blaze was first reported just after 11 p.m. Wednesday, but the Los Angeles Fire Department announced early Thursday that forward progress had been stopped at about 40 acres (16 hectares) and the evacuation warning was lifted. No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported, fire officials said, but firefighters remained at the scene.Palisades and Eaton fires-The low humidity, bone-dry vegetation and strong winds came as firefighters continued battling the Palisades and Eaton fires. Officials remained concerned that those fires could break their containment lines as firefighters continue watching for hot spots. Containment of the Palisades Fire reached 70 per cent, and the Eaton Fire was at 95 per cent.Los Angeles officials began to prepare for potential rain even as some residents were allowed to return to the charred Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas. Gusty weather was expected to last through Thursday and precipitation was possible starting Saturday, according to the weather service.“Rains are in the forecast and the threat of mud and debris flow in our fire-impacted communities is real,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said during a Wednesday morning news conference.Fire crews were filling sandbags for communities while county workers installed barriers and cleared drainage pipes and basins.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned that winds could carry ash and advised Angelenos to visit the city’s website to learn how to protect themselves from toxic air during the latest Santa Ana wind event. LA County public health director Barbara Ferrer cautioned that the ash could contain heavy metals, arsenic and other harmful materials.“Even a brief exposure can potentially cause skin irritation and lead to more serious problems,” Ferrer said Wednesday, asking people to wear protective gear while cleaning up.Luna said Wednesday his department was still investigating 22 active missing person reports in both fire zones. All reported missing are adults, he said.The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating the causes of the fires but has not released any findings.Several lawsuits have been filed by people who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire, alleging Southern California Edison’s equipment sparked the blaze. On Tuesday, a judge overseeing one of the lawsuits ordered the utility to produce data from circuits in the area where the fire started.___Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Ethan Swope in Castaic, Hallie Golden in Seattle, Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.

HOARDING OF GOLD AND SILVER

JAMES 5:1-3
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

REVELATION 18:10,17,19
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.(IN 1 HR THE STOCK MARKETS WORLDWIDE WILL CRASH)
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

EZEKIEL 7:19
19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed:(CONFISCATED) their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

MARK OF THE BEAST (engraved microchip in your hand or forehead)

REVELATION 13:16-18
16 And he(FALSE POPE) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, (SLAVE) to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:(CHIP IMPLANT)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.(6-6-6) A NUMBER SYSTEM

REVELATION 16:1-2
1 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

I KNOW THIS MARK WILL BE A MICROCHIP IMPLANT UNDER THE SKIN. LETS LOOK UP WHAT THE WORD MARK SAYS IN REVELATION 13:16-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4-ALL THESE VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF REVELATION SPEAK OF THIS DICTATORS MARK. NOW LETS SEE WHAT IT MEANS FROM STRONGS EXAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE. UNDER MARK PAGE 684.MARK UNDER MARK. THE OLD TESTAMENT IS UNDER HEBREW AND THE NEW TESTAMENT IS UNDER GREEK. SO WHEN WE LOOK UNDER REVELATION 13:16-17 WE SEE IT IS UNDER GREEK, SO WE GO TO GREEK IN THE BACK SECTION AND GO TO 5480 TO SEE WHAT IT SAYS THIS MARK WOULD BE. SO LETS GET TO IT.MARK IN STRONGS GREEK 5480 XAPAYUA CHARAGMA, KHAR-AG-MAH: FROM THE SAME AS 5482: A SCRATCH OR ETCHING, I.E STAMP (AS A BADGE OF SERVITUDE), OR SCULPTURED FIGURE-(STATUE):-GRAVEN, MARK FROM 5482 XAPAE CHARAX, KHAR-AX; FROM XAPAOOW CHARASSO (TO SHARPEN TO A POINT; AKIN TO 1125 THROUGH THE IDEA OF SCRATCHING); A STAKE, I.E (BYIMPL.) A PALISADE OR RAMPART (MILITARY MOUND FOR CIRCUMVALLATION IN A SIEGE): - TRENCH FROM 1125 YPAPOE GRAPHO, GRAF-0; A PRIM. VERB; TO "GRAVE", ESPEC. TO WRITE; FIG. TO DESCRIBE:-DESCRIBE, WRITE (-ING, -TEN).G5516-GO TO G4742-666 - STRONGS NT 4742: στίγμα - στίγμα, στιγματος, τό (from στίζω to prick; (cf. Latinstimulus, etc.; German stechen, English stick, sting, etc.; Curtius, § 226)), a mark pricked in or branded upon the body. According to ancient oriental usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped themselves in this way with the token of their gods (cf. Deyling, Observations, iii., p. 423ff); hence, τά στίγματα τοῦ (κυρίου so Rec.) Ἰησοῦ, the marks of (the Lord) Jesus, which Paul in Galatians 6:17 says he bears branded on his body, are the traces left there by the perils, hardships, imprisonments, scourgings, endured by him for the cause of Christ, and which mark him as Christ's faithful and approved votary, servant, soldier (see Lightfoots Commentary on Galatians, the passage cited). (Herodotus 7, 233; Aristotle, Aelian, Plutarch, Lcian, others.)

THE INVENTOR OF THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT-CARL SANDERS MICROCHIP ENGINEER LEADER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgH9D6n4ZWo

THE MICROCHIP IMPLANT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND OR FOREHEAD.

LEVETICUS 19.28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

FAMINE

EZEKIEL 5:16
16  When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:

REVELATION 6:5-6
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.(A DAYS WAGES FOR A LOAF OF BREAD)

MATTHEW 24:7-8
7For 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: 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, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

DEUTORONOMY 28:24
24  The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

LOCUSTS (DEMONIC) TORTURES SINNERS 5 MONTHS
REVELATION 9:1-6
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke (DEMONIC) locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

Link EU digital ID wallet to social media accounts to end anonymity: Spanish PM-Jan 23, 2025, 1:57 pm EST    | Chris Burt

Social media accounts held in the European Union should be linked to EU Digital Identity Wallets to prevent anonymity, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.Sánchez presented social media as a promising set of platforms that fulfilled some of their early promise, but ultimately have led to greater concentration of wealth and power and a range of harms to society. These negative effects were brought in through the algorithms that determine what people see on each platform, which he compares to the Trojan Horse with raiders hiding concealed within.Rigour is replaced with immediacy when social dialogues move from newspapers and coffee shops to outlets that limit messages to a few hundred characters, or 30 seconds of video, Sánchez argues.Despite this, he believes social media is too important to society at this point to abandon it entirely.To improve the situation, he proposes ending anonymity on social media, comparing anonymous posting with driving a car without carrying a license. It provides impunity for the worst actors, while making space for the plague of bots.Every user account should be connected to a EUDI Wallet, though the user could post under a pseudonym or nickname.He also notes that this measure could help prevent children from accessing inappropriate or dangerous content.The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) said in comments on the Digital Services Act (DSA) last year that the EUDI Wallet is not designed for age assurance, but part of the reason for that is the anonymity that most stakeholders want to accompany age checks for accessing age-restricted goods and services.European data protection authorities like France’s CNIL have called for age assurance methods to be tokenized, and therefore “double-blind.” That is the opposite approach to that proposed by Sánchez for social media. Spain’s AEPD suggested age assurance be carried out at the device level.Algorithmic transparency and more accountability-The algorithms must be shared with authorities to increase transparency. Digital Services Act must be enforced. And the platform owners must be held accountable for compliance failures.“The owner of a small restaurant is responsible if their food poisons customers; social media tycoons should be held responsible if their algorithms poison our society,” Sánchez says.The biggest fine ever imposed by the EU on a tech company amounted to 0.6 percent of its annual profits, he notes.

Liquid identity verifications surge past 60M as Japan leans into chip-scanning-Jan 24, 2025, 4:39 pm EST    | Chris Burt

Liquid has reached the 60 million digital identity verification milestone with its online KYC service, with a surge in verifications driven by the improving maturity of Japan’s digital ID ecosystem.Verifications performed by Liquid using the IC chip embedded in My Number Cards and driver’s licenses, like those using Japan’s public key infrastructure (JPKI) nearly doubled, growing by 1.8 times to 14 million.The Liquid eKYC service completes identity verification by authenticating ID documents with a photo or chip scan, and a match against selfie biometrics or JPKI.Customers using Liquid identity verifications include financial services and mobile communication providers, second-hand retail shops, sharing economy services, matching applications, crypto trading services and Web3-related services, according to the announcement. Big name customers include PayPal subsidiary Paidy, Rakuten Wallet, Binance Japan, Japan Post Bank, Toyota Finance Corporation, NTT Docomo and DocuSign Japan.The Elements subsidiary offers customers an “IC Omakase Pack” for integrating identity verification. The comprehensive set of tools directs users to the channel with the lowest drop-off rate, guiding iOS users to a web browser to complete verification, while Android users are directed to the Liquid eKYC app. The services also include one for cross-referencing face biometrics to detect fraud across multiple businesses and industries.Liquid had detected approximately 10,000 suspicious applications using previously collected data, as of this month.The jump identity verifications based on ID card chip scans is partly attributed to the “Comprehensive Measures to Protect the Public from Fraud” (Note 1) meeting of the Crime Prevention Cabinet last June, Liquid notes. The government has been steadily tightening identity verification, including with the trial and launch of the My Number Card Face-to-Face Verification app last year. The app also reads the IC chips on ID cards, a point of emphasis in Japan following a string of fraud incidents involving forged My Number Cards.Elements acquired Polarify, a joint venture by partners including Daon, earlier this month, expanding Daon’s footprint in Japan and making Elements the leader in authentication market share in Japan.

Car dealerships rev up digital ID verification to counter rise in identity fraud-Idemia, eLEND provide biometric IDV for auto sales ecosystem-Jan 24, 2025, 4:38 pm EST    | Joel R. McConvey

Whether it’s a fake credit history, a phony license or a test driver with a stolen identity who makes tracks with a vehicle, auto dealerships deal with a host of new fraud threats that can lead to heavy losses. Digital identity verification presents itself as a solution across the dashboard, as providers expand their IDV product lines to meet new verification and authentication needs in the automotive industry.Kudelski launches identity verification tool with biometrics from Idemia-Kudelski IoT, an Internet of Things (IoT) division of Swiss digital security company conglomerate Kudelski Group, is launching an identity verification product for the U.S. automotive market, powered by Idemia.A release says RecovR ID Check is “designed to strengthen dealership defenses against identity theft and fraud,” safeguarding processes such as test drives, sales and financing transactions, both in person and online.The identity verification product offers easy integration into existing dealership workflows, and has no special equipment costs or monthly fees. “Dealers simply purchase a prepaid package of ID checks based on their needs.”“RecovR ID Check is the latest extension of the successful RecovR product line, which has already revolutionized automotive retail with its lot management and vehicle theft recovery and key tracking solutions,” says Patrick Hauert, senior VP of asset tracking at Kudelski IoT.“Our mission is to develop technology solutions that resonate with the dynamic needs of today’s market. RecovR ID Check enhances auto dealers’ fraud prevention program with a powerful tool that helps ensure secure, trustworthy transactions and reduces loss.”More document authentication, IDV options from eLEND Solutions-Identity fraud prevention tools from eLEND Solutions blocked over one billion dollars in potential vehicle purchase fraud in 2024, according to a release from the company.The announcement made at the 2025 NADA Show says the figure represents over 30,000 red-flagged driver’s license scans – still merely the tip of a massive fraud-berg.“There is no question that vehicle purchase fraud is one of the top challenges facing auto dealerships today, with billions of dollars on the line,” says Pete MacInnis, CEO of eLEND Solutions. “Without validating/authenticating ID documents and buyer identities, dealerships remain incredibly vulnerable, especially as the auto purchase transaction becomes increasingly digitized.”In response to the threat, eLEND is accelerating expansion of its suite of identity products. Per the release, the firm’s offerings “encompass robust document authentication, consumer data verification and proof of presence technologies.”They include ID Drive, which “performs an average of 35 forensic tests for robust document authentication,” as well as its mobile version.The Identify product “matches up consumer PII data against hundreds of databases” and establishes “proof of presence” with OTPs.DMV Data Match “extracts the data from scanned driver license documents and matches them up with official government DMV databases in real time through APIs with participating government agencies in 41 states.”Pre-screen and pre-qualification reports “can be pulled from data extracted from driver license scans, instantly identifying a customer’s buying power prior to the test-drive.”Finally, integration with the 700 Credit identity verification platform “delivers identity verification tools to include OFAC Terrorist Search, ID Match, Synthetic Fraud, Military Lending Act, Red Flag and Out of Wallet Questions.” 700 Credit is a provider of credit reports, compliance, authentication, identity verification and fraud detection for the auto industry.

GovTech to deliver $10 trillion in value by 2034, says WEF-Secure identity verification crucial for trust-Jan 24, 2025, 4:14 pm EST    | Joel R. McConvey

At the meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this week, tech is front and center – and it goes beyond reckoning with this week’s speech from a new U.S. president cozying up to Silicon Valley. WEF’s wider take on government technology (GovTech for short) frames it as “a transformative force with the potential to enable governments to be more transparent, efficient and sustainable.”The Forum’s tone leans toward evangelism, and the wider societal implications of a totally digitized government are largely swept aside. But the stated benefits of GovTech – gains in efficiency, transparency and sustainability – speak to concerns across the political spectrum.GovTech maintains trust in government by keeping pace with digitization-An online feature from WEF looks at the proposed benefits in the context of a newly published report, which estimates GovTech could deliver nearly $10 trillion in public value by 2034. The Forum argues that GovTech is about much more than modernizing creaky bureaucracies; rather, it says, reimagining government as an innately digital entity will enable it to keep up with the speed of private enterprise.“As public trust wanes and people grow accustomed to the speed and convenience of private-sector innovation, the machinery of governance too often feels slow, opaque and inefficient,” it says. “When governments lag, gaps widen – between rich and poor, urban and rural, connected and disconnected.”Technology in government offers ‘transformative value to society’WEF’s report on the global public impact of GovTech forecasts that the market will double from $606 billion in 2024 to $1.42 trillion by 2034. “Yet, its significance transcends sheer market growth, offering transformative value to society.”It does so by enabling gains in three critical areas.The first is efficiency gains from automation. WEF points to Azerbaijan’s e-visa system, which “reduced application processing times from nearly a week to three hours, while its digital contracts system cut administrative tasks from days to just 15 minutes.”The second is gains in transparency. “GovTech enhances transparency and combats corruption, which is estimated to cost 5 percent of global gross domestic product annually. Bahrain’s Open Data Portal reflects this commitment to transparency, offering access to over 390 datasets from various ministries.”Finally, sustainability gains address the escalating economic toll of inaction on climate crises. “From resource optimization to emissions reductions,” WEF says, GovTech supports climate goals.WEF ultimately frames digital government as an urgent problem, requiring bold leadership, decisive action, wide collaboration, strategic infrastructure investment and a commitment to inclusivity. “We are at a pivotal moment,” it says. “As climate change accelerates, economies transition, and societies digitize, governments must decide whether to lead or lag.”Per the report, “a true GovTech transformation promises far reaching benefits, from more efficient resource allocation and data-driven decision-making to the creation of new value across public services.”Blake Hall talks digital ID wallets at WEF-ID.me’s CEO Blake Hall is in Davos participating in WEF, and GovTech is on his mind, too.Hall is speaking on a panel, “Reimagining Governance: The Next Frontier in GovTech,” to share insights on “how technology, including digital identity wallets, can improve public trust and enhance government services.”He also contributed an article for WEF on how AI-driven fraud challenges the global economy, and how digital ID wallets can help address the problem.Identity verification a key piece of digital economy-For digital government to work, there must be a solid foundation of trust underpinning transactions. Digital wallets are a conduit for trust – but trust itself is built on identity verification. A piece from Thomson Reuters looks at how digital advancements in identity verification can help build trust, and weighs the risks inherent in implementation.The focus is a case study on the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which now delivers benefits online. Account fraud is a problem. The study looks at how organizations can blend legacy and new identity verification measures to improve security. There are roles for knowledge, possession, inherence (of which biometrics is an example), location and behavior. There is also a need for oversight on data collection, and for systems to be adaptable to change.

Davos discusses digital wallets, AI economy-Jan 24, 2025, 3:56 pm EST    | Masha Borak

This year’s Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) is bringing not only tense trade talks between the U.S. and Europe but also discussions on digital identity operability and balancing AI regulation and competitiveness in Europe.The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other organizations called for boosting standardization efforts for digital public infrastructure (DPI), including globally interoperable digital wallets. The call came on Tuesday during the OpenWallet Forum High-Level Panel, hosted by the ITU, the OpenWallet Foundation and the Swiss Confederation in Davos, Switzerland.Different financial regulations and standards make seamless cross-border operations for digital wallets difficult. To solve this issue, the ITU and other organizations have come up with a list of recommendations, including mapping out different countries’ approaches to digital IDs, identifying open standards and technical specifications and promoting specific initiatives at the national and international levels. The efforts will require increasing collaboration and encouraging private-public partnerships, according to the panel.“A better digital future begins not with technology, but the shared will to build it together,” says Beat Jans, Swiss Federal Councillor. “The cartographers of tomorrow don’t sketch landscapes; they design the architecture of trust.”Meanwhile, lawmakers and business executives in Davos shared comments on AI regulation and boosting European competitiveness.The European Union plans to take a “Europe first” approach when it comes to AI, says Stéphane Séjourné, executive vice president for prosperity and industrial strategy at the European Commission. Séjourné adds that unicorn companies will be supported to grow and scale and that the goal was to create regulations and financing to enable such companies to be competitive on a global level, CNBC reports.Executives, however, say that the rapid growth of AI means it should not be hindered by regulation.“The key question is how will AI regulation (be) on the global scale? The context for Europe is clear, to stay competitive there needs to be a change,” says Thomas Saueressig, executive board member at German software maker SAP.Other executives say that Europe’s lag in AI and other technologies could result in trillions of GDP losses, according to Reuters.

Philippines faces 36 million backlog in ID cards-Jan 24, 2025, 3:46 pm EST    | Masha Borak

The Philippines are still facing a 36 million backlog in distributing the country’s national ID cards which will need additional funds to solve it, according to the country’s main identity agency.The country’s Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has so far issued only 55 million physical cards. This is despite completing a 99 percent successful registration of 91.7 million Filipinos by the end of 2024.The backlog has been piling up since August when the Philippines’ central bank canceled its contract with ID card producer AllCard Inc. (ACI) for failing to deliver the cards on time. The central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), is yet to secure a new supplier, according to Rosalinda Bautista, the PSA’s deputy national statistician.The backlog has been discouraging some Filipinos from registering in the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), says Bautista. However, residents are still able to acquire the national ID in other formats, news outlet ABC-CBN reports.The identity agency is also working on integrating the national ID database with more government agencies and services. In December, the agency signed an agreement with Pilipinas Teleserv, the customer service company that operates the PSAHelpline.ph online platform. The platform allows Filipinos access to civil registry documents such as birth, death and marriage certificates.National ID database as a tool for financial inclusion-Aside from government services, the Philippine Statistics Authority is also taking upon itself the task of boosting the adoption of the national ID system among financial institutions.Among the organizations that have so far accepted the Digital National ID is Asia United Bank (AUB) and its e-wallet service, HelloMoney. The bank was the first to fully integrate with the National ID eVerify for bank account opening and loan applications, the PSA announced in December. Other financial institutions include the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) and its app VYBE which is using the digital ID for account opening and verification.“As many of our transactions are now online, the Digital National ID allows registered persons to have valid proof of identity readily available on their mobile phones for use in transactions,” says PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa.Aside from enhancing service access and streamlining identification processes, the drive is set to promote financial inclusion, particularly in rural areas.Earlier in January, the PSA also launched a National ID Kabalikat project aimed at onboarding rural financial institutions. The project is aimed at rural banks, microfinance institutions and remittance centers. The agency has so far conducted National ID Kabalikat in four locations: Roxas City, Capiz, Antipolo City, Rizal, Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental, and Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija.Philippines fight fraud with biometric ID system for people with disabilities-The Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has announced a pilot project for a unified ID system for persons with disabilities (PWD), running from January to June 2025.The new unified PWD ID will include security features such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips while users will be required to submit biometrics, according to GMA News.Currently, the country has several forms of IDs for disabled people depending on the local government unit. The lack of uniformity has helped the proliferation of fake documents that are now being sold online for as little as 500 Philippine pesos (US$8.58).Fake PWD IDs have cost the country 88.2 billion Philippine pesos (US$1.5 billion) worth of taxes in 2023, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian told the Senate in December last year. According to his office’s estimates, around 8.5 million people have been using fake IDs compared to 1.8 million owning “legitimate” documents.Fakes are often used to obtain discounts at restaurants, pharmacies and healthcare institutions.“These fake PWD IDs are causing a lot of economic damage in terms of foregone revenues and unqualified discounts,” says Gatchalian.

Biometrics Institute identifies dire need for clear language in biometrics and AI-‘Rarely has the biometrics community disagreed on an issue at this level’Jan 24, 2025, 1:22 pm EST    | Joel R. McConvey

These days, biometrics are most often deployed in tandem with AI. A new paper from the Biometrics Institute, “Members’ Viewpoints: The Relationship Between Biometrics and Artificial Intelligence (AI),” collects expert opinions that show “significant disparities,” suggesting that not everyone is comfortable with the pairing.“Rarely has the biometrics community disagreed on an issue at this level before,” says Isabelle Moeller, CEO of the Biometrics Institute, in a post. “This paper reflects the conflicting perspectives of our global community on an evolving topic that is critical technology for biometric success. Understanding the relationship between biometrics and AI is essential for responsible innovation and the development of ethical guidelines for their use.”The problems begin at the baseline, in attempting to define the terms. “Some say that biometrics are an adjunct to AI technology and, as a consequence, are always an integral part of it,” says the report. “Others point out that while biometrics and AI can be used together in a variety of applications it is also the case that some biometric applications exist quite separately from AI.”“The interpretation of this relationship relies heavily on the definition being used for both AI and biometrics.”In short, most biometrics experts agree that no one is exactly sure what anyone is talking about. The Biometrics Institute is trying to help, via its Explanatory Dictionary, a resource that aims to capture the nuances in biometric terminology, “considering both formal definitions and how they are perceived by the public – for example, how someone might explain biometrics or AI to a friend.”Because, as of now, there isn’t a standard that is universally agreed-on, nor is there really a clear way to explain biometrics and AI to your neighbour Ted who works in marketing.“There are no universal definitions of biometrics or AI and those put forward by ISO and some governments are either too technical, obtuse or are not fully aligned with one another or are hidden behind paywalls and not accessible to the majority of the general public.”The paper drills down on the semantics of biometric grammar. What does it mean for a biometric application to “have AI”? Conflation of certain terms in both regulatory and public contexts exacerbates the problem. Media struggles to pick apart the web of language, and contributes its own strands in the process.Is a tool “AI-driven,” or “AI-equipped”? Where do algorithms fit in? What’s the difference between facial recognition and face matching, and how does the distinction affect perceptions of biometrics from a civil liberties perspective? Per the report, “AI and biometrics appear to have become conflated in some regulations e.g. EU AI Act and especially the use of live and remote biometric surveillance.”The public can be forgiven for asking, what is all this stuff and what’s it for?The foremost international biometrics experts don’t have a satisfactory answer. They appear to agree that “there is no agreed definition of AI or biometrics.” Their befuddlement points to the elephant in the roomful of biometrics providers: no matter how accurate your algorithm is – no matter how much friction it reduces or efficiencies it gains – the world won’t care unless they know what the heck you’re talking about.

Trump’s new executive order on AI underemphasizes privacy, security issues-Jan 24, 2025, 12:41 pm EST    | Anthony Kimery

President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) on AI, Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, represents a significant shift in U.S. policy on artificial intelligence. By reducing regulatory constraints, the order aims to strengthen U.S. leadership in AI development. However, it has ignited debate among industry stakeholders, policymakers, and experts over the balance between fostering innovation and addressing critical issues such as privacy, security, and ethical standards.The order marks a reversal of policies implemented by the Biden administration which emphasized regulation, transparency, and ethical safeguards in AI development. Upon taking office, Trump repealed Biden’s comprehensive guidelines that governed federal AI use, reflecting a broader ideological divide over the role of government in technology.Critics of Biden’s policies, including Republican Senator Ted Cruz, said Biden’s EO created “barriers to innovation disguised as safety measures.” This sentiment aligns with the new administration’s efforts to remove what it perceives to be regulatory obstacles to AI development, a policy approach that aligns with the Republican Party’s deregulatory agenda, as Biometric Update has reported, and a position that has received support from companies like NVIDIA, which had described Biden’s policies as “misguided” and potentially detrimental to America’s leadership in AI technology.The AI chip manufacturer praised Trump’s order, particularly its removal of export restrictions on AI technologies, which it previously criticized as detrimental to U.S. competitiveness.Biden’s AI policies emphasized regulation, ethical safeguards, and transparency, and required companies to disclose details about advanced AI models. Trump’s order seeks to remove bureaucratic obstacles to innovation and significantly underemphasizes critical challenges related to privacy, cybersecurity, and ethical concerns. By prioritizing a laissez-faire approach, it risks creating vulnerabilities in areas such as algorithmic bias, data privacy, and the misuse of AI systems.Critics warn that rolling back regulations without implementing robust replacements could exacerbate issues such as invasive data harvesting, cybersecurity threats, and algorithmic surveillance. By removing bureaucratic obstacles, critics say the order risks neglecting the significant challenges that these issues pose, both domestically and internationally.This deregulatory stance may appeal to business leaders and developers eager for fewer constraints, but critics argue it could neglect critical issues such as data privacy, security, and algorithmic biases. The political division over how AI should be governed highlights broader partisan debates about the role of government in technology and innovation. The lack of a bipartisan approach could risk future policy reversals, creating uncertainty for investors and developers.Trump’s EO also underscores broader political and legislative challenges. Since executive orders are not laws, their implementation depends heavily on collaboration among federal agencies, private-sector stakeholders, and Congress. The directive to develop an AI Action Plan within 180 days, for example, highlights the need for coordination, but the order provides little clarity on how to address budgetary and legislative hurdles.Congress holds the power to fund large-scale initiatives, and bipartisan support will be critical to ensuring the order’s effectiveness. Without bipartisan Congressional buy-in, the executive order may encounter delays or outright resistance, especially in areas such as national security oversight, and regulatory reform. Additionally, the lack of specificity regarding which previous policies are being repealed could generate confusion and legal challenges as agencies attempt to reconcile existing statutory mandates with the new directive.Globally, Trump’s executive order appears aimed at countering growing AI advancements in nations like China and the European Union. China has aggressively invested in AI development, leveraging centralized planning to integrate AI into its military, industrial, and social systems. Meanwhile, the European Union has focused on AI regulations emphasizing ethical and human-centered development.The Trump administration’s deregulation-first approach might help U.S. companies compete more effectively in the short term by fostering rapid innovation, but it also risks alienating international allies and trading partners who prioritize ethical considerations in AI governance. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and forthcoming AI Act may create friction for U.S. companies operating abroad if U.S. policies are seen as undermining ethical or regulatory standards.The order’s emphasis on national security reflects recognition of AI’s dual-use nature, as it can be a tool for economic growth or a weapon of geopolitical influence. The absence of concrete measures to address the security and ethical implications of AI development might weaken the United States’ position as a global standard-bearer for responsible AI use, ceding moral authority to the EU or other nations.Addressing these gaps requires a comprehensive framework that prioritizes not only innovation, but also privacy, security, and ethical considerations. Strong data privacy standards, mandatory safety testing for AI systems, and public-private collaboration could mitigate risks while fostering trust and interoperability with international frameworks. Integrating cybersecurity into the national AI strategy is essential to counter threats from adversaries like China and Russia.On the positive side, the order could accelerate U.S. innovation and job creation, particularly through private-sector investments like the $500 billion Stargate initiative announced in conjunction with the order. This influx of capital might ensure that the U.S. retains its leadership in AI infrastructure and talent development while reducing regulatory burdens could enable smaller companies and startups to compete, fostering a more dynamic AI ecosystem.However, the risks are substantial. Deregulation without safeguards might exacerbate issues like algorithmic bias, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and the misuse of AI for disinformation or surveillance. Critics argue that rescinding prior executive orders without establishing comprehensive replacements could undermine advances in AI safety, privacy, and civil rights protections.Critics caution that a lack of regulatory oversight could lead to ethical and security challenges, including issues related to data privacy and algorithmic bias. These risks are not only domestic concerns, they also are international ones, as adversaries could exploit weak oversight to undermine U.S. interests.AI systems rely on vast amounts of data for training, often including sensitive personal information. Without robust privacy protections, this can lead to problematic outcomes. Massive data collection and exploitation could increase, as the order’s deregulatory approach may encourage companies to gather and process data with minimal oversight. This could exacerbate concerns over invasive data harvesting practices, especially as AI models grow more powerful and data intensive.Furthermore, the lack of regulatory guardrails may lead to the unchecked proliferation of technologies like facial recognition or predictive policing, potentially enabling algorithmic surveillance that infringes on individual privacy rights.Trump’s executive order reflects a bold effort to position the United States as a global leader in AI. While it may stimulate economic growth and technological advancement, its long-term success will depend on addressing privacy and security challenges, ensuring ethical governance, and fostering bipartisan support. Without these safeguards, the U.S. risks undermining public trust, global credibility, and the stability of its AI leadership. Balancing innovation with ethical and security considerations is essential to unlocking AI’s transformative potential while protecting individual rights and national interests.

Zimbabwe following in footsteps of India, Nigeria to establish farmer ID registry-Jan 24, 2025, 11:21 am EST    | Ayang Macdonald

Zimbabwe is taking the path of countries such as India and Nigeria with the creation of a digital farmer ID database amid an advocacy for the digitization of Africa’s agricultural ecosystem.The process in the Southern African country is beginning in the tobacco sector where the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) says it wants to establish a biometric database of all tobacco growers in line with Harare’s digital transformation push in all sectors of the national economy.The Herald reports, citing an X post by TIMB which calls on tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe to bring along their national IDs, get their biometrics captured and be “part of a sustainable, secure, transparent, and efficient tobacco industry.”The body said being part of the biometric grower management system means that “growers can verify transactions like input collection, stop order and insurance” while also ensuing efficiency by “allowing growers to get support and payments without delay.”In another X post, TIMB assures that the biometric registration process is “quick, secure and ensures a brighter future for your farming journey.”TIMB has assured members of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association (ZTGA) that the system is safe and that their biometric data is secure.The Tobacco Framers Union Trust (TFUT) leader, Victor Mariranyika, has welcomed the novelty, calling it a “modern way of identifying an individual for closed transactions.”ZTGA and other tobacco farming officials have lauded the initiative, saying it is an important transition that must take every farmer along.SADC Digital Farmer ID-The Zimbabwe initiative falls within the ambits of a wider regional program called the SADC [Southern African Development Community] Digital Farmer ID.It is a program designed to provide farmers in southern Africa with a biometric ID card which can enable them have access to several important agricultural services, as well as close up the gaps faced by farmers in terms of important resources, financial programs and modern technological solutions, according to Devpost.The ID, developed by SADC, in partnership with the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), is a biometric centralized registry which uses blockchain, AI and IoT sensors to deliver results. The system has been designed to meet the specific challenges in communities across that part of Africa.Nigeria farm registry to be linked to G2P card system-The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) of Nigeria has provided additional details about a farmer registry it is working out with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), revealing that the system will be enabled by the National Identification Number (NIN) and a Government-to-People (G2P) card initiative.Last week, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) entered into an MoU with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) to register at least six million farmers for a farmer digital ID in the course of this year.In a joint release, the partners say linking the NIN-backed registry to the G2P card will allow for provision of targeted and ringfenced aid to farmers and other recipients of government benefits under the FMAFS programs.Officials say every farmer whose biometrics are captured will be issued a G2P card, which shall have all information about the farmer linked to it, such as the size and location of their farmlands and the crop or livestock type.They add that the card will be designed with “multiple wallets that can provide verifiable identification and also process transactions without internet connectivity, allowing the Ministry to support beneficiaries in the most remote locations.”“The card is unique to each citizen, and every Nigerian and legal resident is eligible to obtain it, banked or unbanked. The G2P card will be owned by and personalized to each MDA [Ministry, Department, Agency] that adopts its usage.”Soon, no farmer income cash support without farmer ID-In India, state governments have been working to popularize a farmer ID system which has just been introduced.  Last month, reports emerged that in the near future, farmers will be unable to benefit from certain advantages such as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme which provides income cash support to landholding farmer families yearly, as well as other benefits dedicated to farmers.While the initiative appears laudable, there have been concerns, as reported by Rural Voice, about having a farmer ID separate from the Aadhaar digital ID which is already integrated with almost every government service in India.Mastercard’s Community Pass as a trailblazer-In parts of Africa and Asia, one project that has been assisting farmers to easily access vital services and sell their produce is the Community Pass introduced by Mastercard.Stephanie Smith, an official of the payments card company who spoke to Devex recently, emphasized the importance of digital ID to farmers, noting that “agriculture is the number one employer in low-income communities.”The Senior Vice President for Community Pass at Mastercard, said the digital ID they introduced to connect individuals in rural communities, is solving the problem of invisibility which the people have faced over the years.She underscored the place of Community Pass in supporting digital and even financial inclusion because it enables farmers to have a presence in the digital economy.In an interview in 2023, the founder of Community Pass, Tara Nathan, said the digital ID was helping to transform lives and enhancing digital inclusion.In 2024, Mastercard said it intends to reach at least 100 million people in Africa with the Community Pass digital ID in the next ten years.

Railway companies look to digital IDs, facial biometrics and blockchain for ticketing-Jan 24, 2025, 11:15 am EST    | Masha Borak

Railway companies in France, Japan and Indonesia double down on introducing ticketing technology such as digital identity and facial recognition. Meanwhile, a digital ID-focused VC firm argues that rail service providers need to go decentralized if they want to protect themselves from data leaks.French railway experiments with digital IDs for ticket checks-French national rail operator SNCF continues to test using digital IDs for ticket checks through the France Identité mobile app.Starting on January 20th, passengers traveling on TGV InOui high-speed trains can prove their identity by showing a QR code through the app which displays their name and date of birth. By scanning the QR code, train inspectors can confirm that a person is sitting in their assigned seat.SNFC has been testing the France Identité app since June 2024. The current trial is expected to be expanded to other SNCF-operated trains by the end of the year, Connexion France reports.The national digital wallet currently holds a digital driver’s license and identity card while the French government plans to make the healthcare card, the carte Vitale, accessible in the first quarter of 2025.Tokyo introduces facial recognition for airport railway line-The railway line connecting Tokyo’s Narita airport to downtown Tokyo has introduced facial recognition ticket gates to cut down on crowds caused by the rising number of tourists to Japan, Kyodo News reports.On Friday, the Keisei Electric Railway Company (K’SEI) introduced the Face Check in Go system to its Keisei Skyliner trains connecting Ueno Station in Tokyo with Narita International Airport in Chiba. Passengers can take a photo of their face and upload it to the Skyliner E-Ticket website to register.Other Japanese railway operators have also been introducing biometric ticketing options, including Yamaman Co, JR East, JR West and more.Railways should look towards decentralized digital identity: VC firm-The popularity of online ticketing has forced railway companies to deal with rising fraud such as scalping and widespread ticket fare evasion schemes. To prevent these risks, rail companies have started collecting significant amounts of passenger data.The practice of storing large amounts of personal data centrally, however, has already led to several high-profile leaks and data breaches, including for U.S. rail service Amtrak, India’s largest ticketing website RailYatri, the Dutch National Railway and local transportation network Transport for London.A solution for these issues could be decentralized digital identity, according to digital identity-focused venture investment firm Key State Capital. The company says its recent study has recorded over 400 government-backed decentralized identity initiatives.The two core advantages of decentralized ID are using decentralized databases such as a blockchain which are harder to target and applying technologies such as Zero Knowledge Proof. ZKP systems allow passengers to only share necessary data to the official or software platform requiring identification.Key State Capital says that its conclusions were backed by a study from researchers from the University of Birmingham which urges rail providers to adopt a blockchain ticketing system.Indonesian KAI passes 10M passengers using facial recognition-Indonesian state-owned railway service Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) or KAI announced earlier in January that 10.3 million passengers have used its facial recognition to board trains since the implementation of the system in 2022.The system has been used to replace paper tickets for rail services across the islands of Java and Sumatra. Passengers can sign up for the boarding service using the KAI application and scan their faces at the boarding gate.KAI President Director Didiek Hartentyo assured users that the company has implemented the ISO 27001 international standard to ensure data security. Passenger photos are stored for one year after which they are automatically deleted, according to Indonesia news outlet Voi.

Over 4K refugees in Cameroon enjoy inclusion thanks to govt-issued biometric ID cards-Jan 23, 2025, 10:15 am EST    | Ayang Macdonald

A pilot project aimed at issuing biometric ID cards to about 10,000 refugees living in Cameroon has begun yielding results with more than 4,000 of them already in possession of the cards.The initiative to issue ID cards to refugees in Cameroon started in 2022. The project which is a tripartite effort of Cameroon’s Ministry of External Relations, the General Delegation for National Security (DGSN) and the country office of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), is intended to facilitate access to important services for these forcibly displaced persons in the country. Cameroon is host to around 500,000 refugees and asylum seekers.According to a UNHCR blog article, the ID cards are already being distributed in two centers: Touboro in the North region of the country and in the capital Yaounde, where hundreds of applicants have already showed up for collection.In Touboro, the exercise is unfolding under the supervision of Ali Bappaladane, president of the association of refugees in Mbaimboum in the northern part of the country. Touboro is host to a big number of refugees as it is a frontier town with Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR).“Having the ID card has really helped me. I can move around freely without fear of arrest or harassment,” Shelly Teckombi Yazembrou, a CAR refugee tells UNHCR, describing the ordeal she went through without a legal identity document for seven years.Another refugee, Hadidja, who is pursuing medical studies in Yaounde, says her recently acquired ID card will significantly serve her, namely by allowing her access to financial services or even scholarships if she ever has the opportunity win one.Going the UNHCR’s plan, 10,000 cards are to be issued for a start, and the commencement of distribution recently is an important stage in a long process that required collaborative work, says Bettina Gambert, UNHCR’s head of Protection in Cameroon. She notes that issuance of the cards is a right step in the right direction and squarely fits into the mandate of the UNHCR in Cameroon to protect refugee and given them a better life. It also reflects progress toward meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, she mentions.A resolution to engage concrete steps toward issuing biometric ID cards to refugees in Cameroon and other countries of the central Africa subregion was taken at an international ministerial conference in Yaounde in April 2022.The conference resolved that it was urgent to “integrate refugee registration and documentation in national registration systems, including biometric systems in accordance with applicable data protection regulations, to facilitate the issuance of civil documentation as well as identity and travel documents by government agencies, and to ensure their recognition by private and public services including financial institutions.”

INVENTION OF THE ATOMIC BOMB.

2 PETER 3:10-11
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements (NUKES) shall melt with fervent heat,(BLAST) the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.(BUT ITS NO END OF THE WORLD HOGWASH)
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,(BY NUKES INCLUDING 3 BILLION PEOPLE) what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

NUCLEAR WEAPONS WILL BE USED.

JESUS SHED HIS BLOOD FOR US THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FOREVER.AND DURING WW3 PEOPLES BLOOD WILL BE SHED AS A JUDGEMENT FOR HATING HIM AND ISRAEL.GOD IS NOT MOCKED.

ZEPHANIAH 1:2-3
2  I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
3  I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.

PSALMS 97:3
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

EZEKIEL 5:15-17
15  So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the (ARAB/MUSLIM) nations that are round about thee,(ISRAEL) when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.
16  When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:
17  So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts,(WHEN RUSSIA/MUSLIMS GET DEFEATED THIER BODIES GET EATEN BY BIRDS,ANIMALS IN ISRAEL MIGRATION SEASON) and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee;(NUKES) and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.

REVELATION 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city,(JERUSALEM) and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.(200 MILES) (THE SIZE OF ISRAEL)

ISAIAH 66:15-18
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire,(NUKES) and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

ISAIAH 26:21
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:(GOD/ISRAEL HATE AND BRAKING OF HIS COMMANDMENTS) the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.(WW3,1/2 earths population die - 3 BILLION).

ISAIAH 13:6-13 KJV
6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:(FROM FRIGHT)
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

ISAIAH 24:17-23 KJV
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous (DANGEROUS) times shall come.

JOEL 2:3,30

ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)

EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

REVELATION 8:7
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

REVELATION 9:18
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.(ATOMIC BOMBS)(RUSSIA CHINA DESTROYED BY ISRAELS ATOMIC BOMBS)

REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

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.

Israel blocks Palestinians from returning to north Gaza after Hamas breaks truce terms-Under deal Hamas was to free civilian female hostage Arbel Yehud ahead of soldiers; Hamas official says she is alive and will be released next week, Israel said pushing for sooner By Emanuel Fabian,ToI Staff and Agencies Today, 3:02 pm-JAN 25,25

Israel on Saturday said that it would hold off on allowing displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza after Hamas violated the terms of the ceasefire-hostage deal by not freeing female civilian captive Arbel Yehud.The announcement came after Hamas instead freed four female soldiers held hostage by Hamas for 477 days — Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag.Following their return to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying that after Hamas did not stand by the agreement to release Yehud, Israel would delay allowing Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza Strip.“Israel has received four female hostage soldiers from the Hamas terrorist group today, and in return will release security prisoners” according to the deal, the PMO said.“In accordance with the agreement, Israel will not allow the passage of Gazans to the north of the Gaza Strip until the release of civilian Arbel Yehud, who was supposed to be released today, can be arranged” the statement added.The decision was reportedly made during security consultations held by Netanyahu on Friday night, soon after Hamas had released the names of the four female soldiers it was freeing, but announced after the releases so as not to jeopardize them.The announcement meant that the IDF would not withdrawal from part of the Netzarim Corridor on Sunday. The corridor bisects Gaza from east to west.Israel had earlier this week conveyed to Hamas that it expected Yehud — who is thought to be held by fellow terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad — to be released this weekend. However, she was not named by Hamas on Friday. In November 2023, Yehud had been on the list to be released in the only previous hostage-truce deal, but the deal collapsed before the final scheduled group of releases.IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement on Saturday that Hamas violated the hostage agreement with the release of the four female soldiers before releasing the civilian women. “Hamas did not abide by its obligation in the deal to free civilian women first,” he said.Hagari said Israel will make sure that Yehud — who Israel believes to be alive — is released soon, along with Shiri Bibas and her children, adding, “We have heavy concerns for their fate.”He said Israel expects more information on the Bibas family soon. Shiri Bibas is the only other female civilian hostage on the list of 33 yet to be freed in the first phase of the deal.Hagari also said the military was “committed to the return of” Agam Berger, another surveillance soldier kidnapped on October 7, 2023, and all the other hostages. Berger was the only one of the five remaining female soldiers not released Saturday.The five are among seven female soldiers abducted from the IDF surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz army base during the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023. One of the abducted surveillance soldiers, Ori Megidish, was later rescued alive, and the body of a second one, Noa Marciano, was recovered after she was murdered in captivity.An official from the Hamas terror group told the Reuters news agency that mediators have been informed that Yehud is alive and will be released next Saturday.A similar message was conveyed to the Al Jazeera network by the terror group. However, there was no formal announcement from Hamas on the matter and it was not clear why they did not release her as scheduled.Israel’s Channel 12 news reported that Israel may demand that the Gaza terror groups provide some kind of sign of life or guarantee that Yehud was alive and will be released next Saturday, Channel 12 news reported.However, the Kan public broadcaster said that Israel was in contact with the mediators in a bid to secure Yehud’s release before Saturday.“We expect that Arbel Yehud will be freed in the next few days, before Saturday. If that happens, Gazans will be allowed to return to northern Gaza before Saturday,” an Israeli source told Kan.In a statement, Yehud’s family said, “Our hearts filled with joy at the return of Karina, Daniella, Liri and Naama. We are waiting and expecting that the moment we can hug our Arbel will come as soon as possible.”Following the announcement, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi wrapped up an assessment a short while ago with the heads of the military’s regional commands.The IDF said Halevi spoke on the military’s preparations in the Netzarim Corridor area of central Gaza and stressed the troops’ preparedness to remain there “until further notice.”Under the deal, Israel was supposed to withdraw from the northern half of the corridor on day seven of the ceasefire to allow Palestinians to return to north Gaza via the coastal road.On Saturday, the IDF reiterated its warning to Palestinians against returning to the northern Gaza Strip from its south via the Netzarim Corridor, where troops are still deployed.“We confirm that all the instructions we issued are still in effect, especially the ban on approaching the Netzarim Corridor until it is announced that it is open,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, says on X.“The instructions will remain in effect until new instructions are issued with the transition to the next stage of the agreement and after Hamas [carries out] its commitments,” he says. (@AvichayAdraee) January 25, 2025-The Hamas-run interior ministry had said earlier that displaced Palestinians would be allowed to return to northern Gaza starting Sunday. The ministry, which oversees police forces, said Palestinians will be able to move between southern and northern Gaza on foot through the coastal Rashid road.Hamas is expected to provide Israel with details on the status of the 26 remaining hostages on the list later Saturday, providing long-sought specifics on which hostages are alive. There was concern in Jerusalem, however, that Hamas might merely provide an overall number of how many of the 26 are alive.

Police kill a man who set himself on fire outside a Tunisian synagogue-No motive given for incident that occurred as congregation was holding Friday evening Shabbat prayers; officer and bystander wounded By AP Today, 3:18 pm-JAN 25,25

TUNIS, Tunisia  — A man set himself on fire in front of the Grand Synagogue in the Tunisian capital and was killed by police, the Interior Ministry said. A police officer and a passerby suffered burns.The man started the fire after sundown Friday, around the time the synagogue holds Shabbat prayers.The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the man advanced toward a law enforcement officer while ablaze, and a second officer opened fire to protect his colleague. The officer was hospitalized with burns, as was a passerby, the statement said.The ministry did not release the man’s identity or potential motive for his act, saying only that he had unspecified psychiatric disorders.Tunisia was historically home to a large Jewish population, now estimated to number only about 1,500 people. Jewish sites in Tunisia have been targeted in the past.A national guardsman killed five people at the 2,600-year-old El-Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba after an annual pilgrimage in 2023. Later that year, anti-Israel protesters vandalized a historic synagogue and sanctuary in the southern town of El Hamma. And a garden was set ablaze last year outside the synagogue in the coastal city of Sfax.Tunisia’s recent history was also marked by the self-immolation of a street vendor in 2010 in a protest linked to economic desperation, corruption and repression. Mohamed Bouazizi’s act unleashed mass protests that led to the ouster of Tunisia’s autocratic ruler and uprisings across the region known as the Arab Spring.

Israel reminds UNRWA it must end operations in Jerusalem and leave premises by Jan. 30-UN envoy Danny Danon officially updates Guterres after Knesset passed legislation last year; UNRWA chief Lazzarini has said agency will ‘stay and deliver’ services where possible By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 3:02 am-JAN 25,25

UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, must end operations and leave all its “premises” in Jerusalem by January 30, Israel’s UN ambassador said Friday, affirming timelines set out in controversial legislation passed last year.Despite widespread international opposition, Israeli lawmakers in October passed two bills that essentially bar the UN agency from operating in Israel, and severely curtail its activities in Gaza and the West Bank.Without coordination with Israel, it will be almost impossible for UNRWA to work in Gaza or the West Bank, since Jerusalem would no longer be issuing entrance permits to those territories or allowing coordination with the IDF. Israel also currently controls access to Gaza from Egypt, with Israeli forces deployed along the border between them.The agency has faced criticism from Israel that has escalated since the war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught on southern Israel, including claims that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the deadly assault.Israel alleges that more than 10 percent of UNRWA’s staff in Gaza have ties to terrorist factions and that educational facilities under the organization’s auspices consistently incite hatred of Israel and glorify terror.Israeli ambassador Danny Danon wrote to United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Friday, “UNRWA is required to cease its operations in Jerusalem and evacuate all premises in which it operates in the city no later than 30 January 2025.”UNRWA — short for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East — provides education, health care and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The UN says it is the backbone of humanitarian operations for Palestinians.Israel had been extremely critical of UNRWA long before the Hamas invasion and slaughter in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, saying that its near uniqueness in the world — granting refugee status not just to the first generation of refugees but to their descendants — perpetuated the conflict and a culture of dependence among Palestinians.It also accuses UNRWA schools of fomenting anti-Israel and antisemitic beliefs.While East Jerusalem has long been an administrative hub for the agency, it also runs schools and health clinics in the sector.Israel has also passed a law that prohibits contact between Israeli officials and UNRWA, but its parliament has not banned UNRWA from operating in Gaza or the West Bank.UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said earlier this month that the agency planned to “stay and deliver” services in areas where it can operate.But having “no bureaucratic or operational relation,” with Israel “makes your operational environment even more challenging,” he said.In February, the IDF revealed the existence of a subterranean Hamas data center directly beneath UNRWA’s Gaza Strip headquarters. The IDF has also repeatedly targeted Hamas command centers and gunmen hiding out in UNRWA schools.Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.

UK warns of Iran’s apparent attempts to force ships into its waters amid IRGC drills-Several vessels receive ‘radio challenges,’ which British military unit reports are likely linked to ongoing naval exercises that the Guards launched after Israeli strikes-By Agencies Today, 5:10 pm-jan 24,25

A warning went out to seafarers in the Persian Gulf on Friday over what appeared to be attempts by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to compel ships to enter Iranian waters, probably explained by the paramilitary’s ongoing naval exercises.A notice from the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations says that there have been “several incidents involving VHF radio challenges to vessels.”“It is assessed that these are most likely part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ large-scale exercise, Great Prophet XVIII,” UKMTO said.Iran has been engaged in an extraordinary two-month-long military exercise across the country after being twice hit by Israel in retaliation for two separate ballistic missile attacks launched by Tehran.Naval units from the IRGC were indeed conducting operations in the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz on Friday as part of the exercise, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.Earlier, the UKMTO reported an incident involving a vessel 86 nautical miles northeast of Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia. The ship, which was approached by a small military craft flashing a green laser and urged to enter Iranian territorial waters, proceeded to its next port of call.The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Joint Maritime Information Center, part of a 46-nation naval partnership, said on Friday it had investigated and found there was a possible connection between the incident reported by UKMTO and the Great Prophet 19 exercise.While Iran has a history of harassing and impounding vessels, it hasn’t directly launched many such attacks recently. Instead, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been attacking ships since November 2023.Iranian media has reported a likely IRGC exercise in the Persian Gulf coming this weekend as well.

Video appears to show Hamas shooting several alleged ‘collaborators’ in Gaza-Palestinian reports say Hamas executed six Gazans in Rafah accused of spying for Israel, shot 17 people in the feet for raising prices-By Emanuel Fabian and ToI Staff Today, 3:48 pm-jan 24,25

Hamas operatives reportedly executed several alleged “collaborators” in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, and a video shared by the popular online media channel Gaza Now showed Hamas gunmen firing at the men lying on the ground.Gaza Now, which boasts 1.7 million followers on Telegram, published a video showing more than a dozen Hamas operatives, many of them in uniform, opening fire on three men.The video was captioned “The moment of punishing the agents of the Zionist occupation who caused the killing of thousands of our Palestinian people in Gaza.”The graphic video could not immediately be verified.It came after Palestinian reports were cited by the Kan public broadcaster Thursday that the terror group had executed six Palestinians in southern Gaza’s Rafah on suspicion of spying for Israel, and that 17 other Palestinians, among them merchants, were shot in the feet for allegedly raising prices.Hamas did not issue an official confirmation of the reports, but the terror group’s police chief told Qatari network Al Jazeera that the group will “beat with an iron fist anyone who does harm to security and order in Gaza.”Hamas has regularly issued death sentences for people it says were found guilty of “collaboration” with Israel, executing dozens of Palestinians in recent years.Under Palestinian law, a death sentence requires the approval of the president of the Palestinian Authority which is headquartered in the West Bank, but Hamas ignores this.The terror group, which remains the only civil authority in Gaza, has moved to reassert control across the territory since a ceasefire with Israel went into effect last Sunday, after more than fifteen months of war sparked by the terror group’s October 7, 2023 cross-border onslaught in Israel, when thousands of terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

Taliban slams possible ICC arrest warrant, says court should go after Israel and US-Kabul accuses court of trying to ‘impose a particular interpretation of human rights’ after chief prosecutor says Taliban leaders suspected of gender-based crimes against humanity By AFP Today, 3:21 pm-jan 24,25

KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Friday slammed an arrest warrant sought by the International Criminal Court for its leaders, saying the move was “politically motivated” and that the court should instead pursue Israeli leadership over the war against Hamas in Gaza.ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan announced on Thursday that he was seeking warrants against senior Taliban leaders in Afghanistan over the persecution of women –- a crime against humanity.Kabul assailed the Khan for the request.“Like many other decisions of the (ICC), it is devoid of a fair legal basis, is a matter of double standards and is politically motivated,” said a statement from the Afghan Foreign Ministry posted on social media platform X.“It is regrettable that this institution has turned a blind eye to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by foreign forces and their domestic allies during the twenty-year occupation of Afghanistan” — an apparent reference to the US and allied Afghan militias’ 2001-2021 war against the Taliban.Kabul said the court should “not attempt to impose a particular interpretation of human rights on the entire world and ignore the religious and national values of people of the rest of the world.”The Taliban, which was ousted in the US invasion, swept back to power in a rapid military takeover, toppling the American-backed government days after US forces withdrew from the country. After returning to power, the Taliban re-imposed its severe interpretation of Islamic law, or sharia, on the population, heavily restricting all aspects of women’s lives.Afghanistan’s deputy interior minister Mohammad Nabi Omari, a former detainee at the US Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, said the ICC “can’t scare us.”“If these were fair and true courts, they should have brought America to the court, because it is America that has caused wars, the issues of the world are caused by America,” he said at an event in eastern Khost city attended by an AFP journalist.He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should also be brought before the court over the war in Gaza, which was sparked when thousands of Hamas led a thousands-strong invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.The ICC had in November issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over the war, six months after Khan announced he was seeking warrants against the two, as well as three Hamas leaders whom Israel has since killed. Israel has strenuously rejected all accusations of war crimes.‘Unconscionable persecution by Taliban’Afghanistan’s government says it secures Afghan women’s rights under sharia, but many of its edicts are not followed in the rest of the Islamic world and have been condemned by Muslim leaders.It is the only country in the world where girls and women are banned from education.Women have been ordered to cover their hair and faces and wear all-covering Islamic dress, have been barred from parks and stopped from working in government offices.ICC chief Khan said there were reasonable grounds to suspect that Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani “bear criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of persecution on gender grounds.”Khan said Afghan women and girls, as well as the LGBTQ community, were facing “an unprecedented, unconscionable and ongoing persecution by the Taliban.”“Our action signals that the status quo for women and girls in Afghanistan is not acceptable,” Khan said.ICC judges will now consider Khan’s application before deciding whether to issue the warrants, a process that could take weeks or even months.The court, based in The Hague, was set up to rule on the world’s worst crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.It has no police force of its own and relies on its 125 member states to carry out its warrants — with mixed results.In theory, this means that anyone subject to an ICC arrest warrant cannot travel to a member state for fear of being detained.Khan warned he would soon be seeking additional arrest warrant applications for other Taliban officials.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

US intel figures show Hamas has recruited up to 15,000 new fighters during Gaza war-Sources acknowledge Palestinian terror group’s success in enlisting new members but say many of the recruits are young and untrained; Israel estimates some 20,000 terrorists killed By Reuters and ToI Staff Today, 11:20 pm-JAN 24,25

NEW YORK — The Palestinian terror group Hamas has recruited between 10,000 and 15,000 members since the start of its war with Israel, according to two congressional sources briefed on US intelligence, suggesting the Iran-backed fighters could remain a persistent threat to Israel.The intelligence indicates a similar number of Hamas fighters have been killed during that period, the sources said. The latest official US estimates have not been previously reported.Hamas and Israel began a ceasefire on Sunday after 15 months of a conflict that began with the terror group’s devastating attack on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East.The sources briefed on the intelligence, which was included in a series of updates from US intelligence agencies in the final weeks of the Biden administration, said that while Hamas has successfully recruited new members, many are young and untrained and are being used for simple security purposes.The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.On January 14, then-president Joe Biden’s secretary of state Antony Blinken said the United States believed Hamas had recruited almost as many fighters as it had lost in the Palestinian enclave, cautioning that this was a “recipe for an enduring insurgency and perpetual war.”He did not provide further details about the assessment, but Israeli figures have put the total terrorist death toll in Gaza at around 20,000.“Each time Israel completes its military operations and pulls back, Hamas militants regroup and reemerge because there’s nothing else to fill the void,” Blinken said.Asked for comment, a Hamas official said he was checking with the relevant parties in the group. Hamas armed wing spokesman Abu Obeida said in July that the terrorist organization had been able to recruit thousands of new fighters.In the days since the ceasefire, Hamas has shown itself to be deeply entrenched in Gaza despite Israel’s vow to destroy the terror group. The territory’s Hamas-run administration has moved quickly to reimpose security measures and to begin restoring basic services to parts of the enclave, much of which has been reduced to wasteland in the fighting.Since the start of the war, American officials have not said publicly how many fighters Washington believes Hamas has lost, only noting that the group has been significantly degraded and has likely lost thousands.Warnings of a continued threat-US officials have issued similar warnings since the Hamas-led terror onslaught against Israel in October 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and more than 251 taken hostage. More than 46,000 people have been killed in the Israeli assault that followed, according to Hamas health authorities, whose unverified figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.At a congressional hearing in March 2024, then-director of national intelligence Avril Haines said that the war in Gaza would have a “generational impact on terrorism” and that the crisis had already “galvanized violence by a range of actors around the world.”Gathering exact data on Hamas is notoriously difficult because of a lack of verifiable intelligence from inside Gaza and because the terror group’s recruitment and training efforts are fluid. But official US figures show that prior to October 7, 2023, Hamas had anywhere between 20,000 and 25,000 fighters.Asked on Wednesday about Blinken’s comments, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon acknowledged Hamas’s recruitment efforts but played down the threat.“We know that Hamas recruits youngsters,” Danon said. “But even if they recruit youngsters, they don’t have the weapons or the training facilities. So basically, yes, you can incite those youngsters against Israel, but they cannot become a terrorist, because you cannot equip them with weapons or rockets.”Following the ceasefire, Israeli troops have begun to move back from some of their positions inside Gaza. The second phase of the ceasefire deal could bring about a permanent end to the fighting.The terms of that phase still need to be negotiated.In his resignation speech on Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Israel’s military chief, said Hamas had been severely damaged and that most of the group’s military commanders had been killed. But he said Hamas had not been eliminated and the Israel Defense Forces would continue to fight to further dismantle the terror organization.One of the most difficult issues involved in negotiating the next phases is postwar Gaza’s governance. Some Israeli officials say they won’t accept Hamas staying in power. Hamas so far has not given ground.Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Sunday that Hamas will never govern Gaza and if it reneges on the deal, Washington will support Israel “in doing what it has to do.”

ICC bracing for possible US sanctions over arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant-After House approves sanctions bill, source says the court is backing up digital files over fears that Microsoft could stop working with it, and paying salaries 3 months in advance By Reuters and ToI Staff Today, 10:10 pm-JAN 24,25

The International Criminal Court has taken measures to shield staff from possible US sanctions, paying salaries three months in advance, as it braces for financial restrictions that could cripple the war crimes tribunal, two sources said on Friday.The US House of Representatives voted this month to punish the court for issuing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over the military campaign against Hamas, which started the war in Gaza with its devastating invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.The court also issued arrest warrants for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammad Deif, all of whom have since been killed, though the warrant for the latter remains standing as the terror group has yet to confirm his death.The bill would impose sanctions on any foreigner who investigates, arrests, detains or prosecutes US citizens, or those of allied countries that are not members of the court. That includes Israel, which is not a formal ally of the United States.While the exact scope of the sanctions and the targets are still unclear, the court is preparing for major financial fallout, the sources, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said.One of the sources said evidence was being backed up due to fears US tech giant Microsoft would have to stop working with the court.The ICC told Reuters in an email it would not comment on any internal measures that may have been taken to protect the organization and its staff.The bill’s sponsors said they wanted a vote as soon as possible, which could be next week, but lawmakers have been busy confirming officials for new US President Donald Trump’s administration.It will be the second time the court has faced US retaliation as a result of its work. During the first Trump administration in 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the ICC’s investigation into alleged war crimes by American troops in Afghanistan.Any banks with ties to the United States, or who conduct transactions in dollars, are expected to have to comply with the sanctions, severely limiting the ICC’s ability to carry out financial transactions.The 125-member ICC is a permanent court that can prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression against the territory of member states or by their nationals. The United States, China, Russia and Israel are not members.In December, the court’s president, Judge Tomoko Akane, warned that sanctions would “rapidly undermine the court’s operations in all situations and cases, and jeopardize its very existence.”

Syria’s new leaders cancel port contract with Russian firm-Syrian media reports Tartus port management deal with Russia’s STG Stroytransgaz has been annulled, after new administration says contract with Assad’s government was not fulfilled By Reuters Today, 7:06 pm-JAN 24,25

Syria’s new ruling administration has canceled a contract with a Russian firm to manage and operate the country’s Tartus port that was signed under former President Bashar al-Assad, according to three Syrian businessmen and media reports.Syrian government spokespeople either said they could not confirm the reports or did not respond to requests for comment.Semi-official Syrian newspaper Al-Watan on Thursday quoted the head of Tartus customs, Riad Joudy, as saying that the investment contract had been annulled after the Russian firm, STG Stroytransgaz, failed to fulfill the terms of the 2019 deal, which included investments in infrastructure.The report was confirmed by three Syrian businessmen, including one with work at Tartus port.STG Stroytransgaz is a major construction company whose mandate was to invest and develop the commercial port, Syria’s second-largest after Latakia.The contract is separate from the Russian naval base in Tartus, built by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and part of a decades-old military agreement between Moscow and Damascus on the use of the Mediterranean port.Russia and Syria’s new ruling administration have said they are in talks over the future of Russia’s military presence in Syria after Islamist rebels ousted Russia’s ally Assad on December 8, 2023.

Security detail ended for ex-officials despite Iranian threats-Trump says ‘would be nice’ to solve Iranian nuclear crisis without Israeli strikes-US president reportedly set to tap Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff as Iran point man, signaling turn away from ‘maximum pressure’ policy of 1st term: ‘Certainly somebody I would use’ By Jacob Magid,ToI Staff and AP 23 January 2025, 11:26 pm

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he hopes the Iranian nuclear crisis can be solved without Israel having to carry out a military strike against the Islamic Republic.The remarks came after it was reported that Trump is planning to name his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff as his point man on Iran, signaling the new administration’s resolve to address Tehran’s nuclear program diplomatically rather than militarily.“I’m not going to answer that,” Trump first replied when asked by reporters in the Oval Office whether he would support an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, adding that he would be holding meetings with various senior officials on the matter shortly.“Hopefully that can be worked out without having to worry about it. It would really be nice if that could be worked out without having to go that further step,” Trump continued.“Iran will hopefully make a deal, and if they don’t make a deal that’s okay too,” he said.His administration has signaled in recent days that it wants to try and reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran to curb its nuclear program, rather than carrying out a military strike.There had been some in Israel who assumed that Trump’s return to the White House would lead to the US backing an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites or even carrying out such an attack itself.Trump had criticized his predecessor Joe Biden for publicly telling Israel not to strike Iranian oil and nuclear sites in retaliation for Tehran’s ballistic missile attack last year. Trump had argued that Biden shouldn’t be publicly telegraphing Israel’s next move.Senior Trump officials were earlier quoted by Channel 12 news as saying the new US president “doesn’t want to kick off his term with a war,” is interested in a “firm deal” to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear arms, and assesses that “the Iranians will run to the negotiating table under his leadership.”Witkoff ‘certainly somebody I would use’Trump on Thursday also addressed the Gaza hostage release and ceasefire deal he helped finalize, saying it“should hold.”The comments appeared to soften ones he made earlier in the week, when he said he was not confident that the agreement would hold.Asked to elaborate on those comments, Trump told reporters, “It’s a very tricky place.”Trump credited his envoy Witkoff for securing the agreement that had been elusive for months. Noting that “both sides” liked Witkoff, Trump said, “That deal would have never been made without Steve.”“The deal should hold, but if it doesn’t there will be a lot of problems,” Trump warned.Trump was also asked whether he’ll want Witkoff to be negotiating directly with Iran, amid the reports that he was planning to have him handle US diplomacy with Tehran.“No, but he’s certainly somebody I would use,” Trump said.The Financial Times had reported that Witkoff, known for his central role bringing the Gaza ceasefire deal to a conclusion, will oversee efforts to tackle Iran’s nuclear ambitions as part of a broader attempt to curb conflicts in the region, adding that the ceasefire agreement will remain Witkoff’s main focus.News of Witkoff’s tentative appointment came as Trump revoked the security detail of two prominent Iran hawks from his previous administration: former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Iran envoy Brian Hook, both of whom were considered under threat by Iran.Pompeo and Hook were the public faces of the US “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign against Iran after Trump in 2018 withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal. The deal, signed in 2015, offered relief on sanctions in exchange for Iran’s drastically limiting its nuclear program.In response to Trump’s withdrawal, Tehran, which is sworn to destroy Israel, has breached the deal in several ways, including by accelerating its uranium enrichment to levels that are unfeasible for civilian use.Iran also operates an “Axis of Resistance” network of anti-Israel regional proxies, including Gaza’s Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, and has struck Israel directly twice in the past year.Mohammad Javad Zarif, a top Iranian official who was Tehran’s lead negotiator on the 2015 deal, said Wednesday that he hopes “this time around, a ‘Trump 2’ will be more serious, more focused, more realistic.”Centrifuges line a hall at the Uranium Enrichment Facility in Natanz, Iran, in a stilL-Though Trump has publicly vowed to resume “maximum pressure” on Iran, the Financial Times said that the US president and his aides have indicated in meetings that they want to keep the door open to diplomacy with the Islamic Republic.According to the newspaper, some Trump officials have told foreign counterparts that they expect Witkoff to check whether diplomacy with Iran was possible.However, US officials cited by the newspaper said that Trump’s approach to Iran in his second term, and Witkoff’s mandate vis-a-vis the Islamic Republic, were not yet settled.A senior Republican staffer in the US Congress, quoted by the Financial Times, expressed frustration at Witkoff’s appointment, saying the new Iran point man was not hawkish enough.“He’s already lifting pressure on Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, and in the process abandoning American hostages and endangering Israel,” said the aide — though the White House on Thursday re-designated the Houthis as a terror group.“He keeps saying he knows what Trump wants, but he doesn’t understand what Trump believes,” the aide added.The Financial Times noted that two of Trump’s appointments — Michael DiMino, the Pentagon’s new top Middle East official, and Elbridge Colby, nominated for under-secretary of defense for policy — have expressed skepticism over the use of military force to thwart Iran’s nuclear program.A more robust approach, meanwhile, has been advocated by Trump’s designated national security adviser, Michael Waltz, and new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.The top diplomat, who was confirmed on Wednesday, said in a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day that “he looks forward to addressing the threats posed by Iran and pursuing opportunities for peace,” according to a State Department readout.Iran hawks Pompeo and Hook lose security detail-A congressional staffer and a person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss personal security details, confirmed Thursday that Trump had revoked Pompeo and Hook’s security details.Neither source could offer an explanation. They said Pompeo and Hook were told of the loss of protection on Wednesday and that it took effect at 11 p.m. that night.A day earlier, Trump had revoked the security clearance and Secret Service protection from John Bolton, another Iran hawk who was fired as Trump’s national security adviser during his first term.Bolton, who has been targeted for assassination for Iran, later wrote a book whose publication the White House unsuccessfully sought to block on grounds that it disclosed national security information.Trump had soured on Pompeo some months ago, saying publicly that he would play no role in his new administration. In a social media post this week, Trump also fired Hook from his presidentially appointed position on the board of the Wilson Center, a think tank.A representative for Pompeo did not immediately reply to a request for comment, and Hook has not responded to multiple voice and text messages from the AP since Bolton was stripped of his protection on Tuesday.The New York Times first reported on the loss of protections.The Biden administration’s State Department had provided and then systematically renewed round-the-clock protection by the Diplomatic Security Service for Pompeo and Hook since January 21, 2021, when they left office along with Trump. The last such authorization was on October 21.Iran has blamed both for the killing of Iran Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani on January 3, 2020.According to a March 2022 report to Congress, the State Department said it was paying more than $2 million per month to provide 24-hour security to Pompeo and Hook. But later determinations did not give a dollar amount.In those notifications, the State Department told lawmakers that threats against Pompeo and Hook remain “serious and credible” and continue to warrant government-provided security details.Biden administration officials briefed Trump officials earlier this month about the ongoing threat posed by Iran to Pompeo, Hook, Bolton and others and why the administration had extended the security details for them, according to a former senior Biden administration official familiar with the matter.The official, who requested anonymity to discuss the private briefing, said Trump administration officials are “well aware” of the “active threats” against the former government officials and called the move “highly irresponsible.”

US air force seeking to upgrade Cyprus airbase as Mideast humanitarian staging post-Cyprus has been transit point for repatriation of foreign nationals fleeing conflicts in Middle East and for delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza amid Israel-Hamas war-By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS 23 January 2025, 8:14 pm

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Experts from the US Air Force are looking at ways to upgrade Cyprus’s premier air base for use as a humanitarian staging post in future operations in the Middle East, a Cypriot official told The Associated Press Thursday.Cyprus, which is only 184 kilometers (114 miles) from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, has acted as a transit point for the repatriation of foreign nationals fleeing conflict in the Middle East and beyond on numerous occasions in the past. It has also served as a transit point for humanitarian aid to Gaza.Experts from the 435th Contingency Response Group based out of Ramstein, Germany will spend the next few days at Andreas Papandreou Air Force Base to assess the upgrade needed to accommodate a wide array of US air assets and other forces.A key priority is to ensure air traffic safety in and around the base, which abuts the island’s second-largest civilian airport, the official said. The base’s location makes it easy to transfer evacuees onto civilian aircraft at the adjacent airport for their trip home.The official spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to speak publicly about the details of the experts’ visit.Air traffic safety would need to be enhanced through new high-tech installations, including state-of-the-art radar, to ensure the independent operation of civilian and military aircraft at safe distances.“The Americans are very specific on safety issues and want to make some upgrades to further improve the base’s safety,” the official said.Other essential upgrades include expanding both the base itself and the runway to accommodate more transport and fighter aircraft. Hardened shelters to protect those air assets are also envisioned.The Cyprus government agreed to the air base upgrade assessment following the recent deployment of a US Marine contingent at the base. The Marines, who were equipped with V-22 Osprey tiltrotor military transport and cargo aircraft, were on stand-by in the event of a swift evacuation of US citizens from nearby Lebanon during Israel’s strikes against Hezbollah targets late last year.Deputy government spokesman Yannis Antoniou told the state broadcaster Thursday that any use of the base by the forces of the US or other nations would require prior Cyprus government approval. He insisted the air base would not act as a forward base for military strike operations against targets in the region.“We’ve shown interest in working with [US Forces] because we consider this to serve the vital interests of the Cyprus Republic,” Antoniou said, adding that in their report, the USAF experts will offer an estimate of the upgrade costs and which percentage of those the US government would be willing to cover.Bilateral relations between European Union member Cyprus and the US, especially in terms of military cooperation, have grown significantly over the last few years following a pledge by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides to affirm the ethnically divided country’s “clear Western orientation.”A manifestation of those ties was last week’s directive by former president Joe Biden that allows Cyprus to buy arms from the US government and get surplus American military equipment.The Cypriot government noted the development as a tangible acknowledgment of Cyprus’s reliability as a US partner in the region.

Saudi FM makes first official trip to Lebanon in decade after years of strained ties-Top Saudi diplomat says kingdom has ‘great confidence’ new president and PM can ‘build safety, stability and a united Lebanon,’ as Beirut looks to fix ties with Middle East giant By Kareem Chehayeb 23 January 2025, 8:12 pm

BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat visited Lebanon on Thursday for the first time in a decade following years of strained relations between the oil-rich kingdom and the small Mediterranean country.Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit comes almost two months after a ceasefire went into effect that halted Israel and the Hezbollah terror group’s conflict that battered southern Lebanon and destroyed much of the group’s military capabilities.It also comes following a lightning insurgency in Syria in December that ousted Bashar al-Assad and ended decades of his family’s rule.Lebanon this month elected its first president in over two years and appointed a new prime minister. The ascension of both army chief General Joseph Aoun as president, as well as diplomat and former head of the International Criminal Court Nawaf Salam as prime minister-elect, are both seen as major blows to the Hezbollah group.“We have great confidence in His Excellency the president, and the prime minister designate’s ability to work on the necessary reforms to build safety, stability and a united Lebanon,” the prince said after his meeting with Aoun.The Saudi foreign minister also reiterated Riyadh’s support for the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah, calling for the “complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from Lebanese territory.”He is also scheduled to meet parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, and outgoing caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have been concerned about Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies’ rising influence in the government, and the situation eventually led to a diplomatic crisis in 2021.Riyadh had been critical of Lebanese authorities’ failure to combat drug smuggling from Lebanon into Saudi Arabia, and eventually imposed punitive measures following televised remarks of Lebanon’s information minister where he criticized Riyadh’s war in Yemen against the Houthis.Saudi Arabia banned imports coming from Lebanese, which compounded economic pain for Lebanese farmers and industrialists as the country was in the throes of an economic crisis that crippled its banks and pulled many into poverty. Lebanese authorities have since unsuccessfully tried to convince Saudi Arabia to reverse the ban.Lebanon for years has aspired to rekindle ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, which for years have been key trade partners and whose nationals came to Lebanon to boost its tourism economy. It’s a critical time for the country, which is mired in an economic crisis, but needs billions to rebuild dozens of towns and villages battered by war.Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.

Jeremiah 6:14
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

Isaiah 57:21
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.

1 Thessalonians 5:3
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Ephesians 2:2
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Explainer-How the ceasefire-hostage deal in Gaza is set to unfold, and why it’s so precarious-Israel still vows it won’t let Hamas control post-war Gaza, but relies on the terror group to release its remaining hostages, as Gazans return to northern Strip, amid flood of aid By AP and ToI Staff 23 January 2025, 11:27 pm

Israeli troops have pulled back to the edges of Gaza, the first hostages have been released and many Palestinians have returned to what remains of their homes in the first few days of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, stopping fighting for only the second time since the war began with the terror group’s October 7, 2023 cross-border onslaught.If the deal’s implementation goes according to plan, there will be no fighting in Gaza for at least six weeks, and dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners will be freed while more aid flows in.The question is if the ceasefire will survive beyond the first phase — and an appendix to the deal shows some of the tensions in it.Extending the ceasefire depends on even more negotiations meant to begin soon and eventually tackling the tough issue of how Gaza will be governed, with Israel still demanding the elimination of Hamas.Hanging over those talks is the possibility Israel could resume its campaign to destroy the terror group — even as dozensIsraeli troops pull back and Palestinians return home-As part of Phase 1, Israeli troops have pulled back into a buffer zone along Gaza’s borders with Israel. According to the appendix, which AP has verified, that buffer is 700 meters (about 0.4 mi) wide in most areas.That has allowed displaced Palestinians to begin to return to their homes, many of which were destroyed or heavily damaged by Israel’s campaign.But their return has been a complicated point in the negotiations. Israel long demanded it keep control over Palestinians’ movement to ensure Hamas does not move weapons back to northern Gaza close to Israeli communities.Throughout the war, the Israeli military had barred Palestinians from returning to the north by severing Gaza along the Netzarim corridor, a belt that runs east to west across the strip where troops cleared out the Palestinian population and set up bases.According to the appendix, Israel will start on Saturday allowing displaced Palestinians to return to the north without searches, but only on foot via the main north-south coastal road. In the coming weeks, it is supposed to open another route to foot traffic, without inspection.A private company — the details of which are yet to be formally announced — will search Palestinians returning in vehicles to prevent military hardware from reaching the north, according to the appendix. The document says this will also start from Saturday, but it is still unclear how it will work.Swapping hostages for Palestinian security prisoners-During the first phase, Hamas is set to free 33 hostages in exchange for Israel’s releasing up to 1,904 Palestinian security prisoners and detainees.The first exchange took place Sunday with the release of three Israeli hostages and 90 Palestinian prisoners. By the end of the 42 days, all living women, children and older people held by the terror group should be freed.Currently, some 91 hostages, alive and dead, remain captive inside Gaza, a mix of civilians, soldiers and foreigners. The military believes at least a third of them are dead.The next exchange is set for Saturday. After that, if the deal does not collapse, there will be weekly releases.The 33 include women, children, sick people and those over 50 — almost all civilians, but the deal also commits Hamas to freeing all living female soldiers in Phase 1. Hamas will release living hostages first; Israel believes most but not all of the 33 are alive.In exchange, Israel will free 30 Palestinian women, children or older people for each living civilian hostage freed. The deal says those released will include more than 110 Palestinians serving life sentences. For each female soldier freed, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 serving life sentences.Many of the security prisoners who will be released were convicted of deadly attacks. Several will be sent abroad or to Gaza, according to the deal, but it is unclear who this will apply to and which country will accept them.According to the appendix, Israel will also release 1,000 people detained from Gaza since the war began, as long as they are not accused of involvement in the October 7, 2023, attack that started the war, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages, amid acts of brutality and sexual assault.Dozens of male hostages, including soldiers, will remain captive in Gaza, pending the second phase.The Philadelphi corridor-At the end of the first phase, Israel has also pledged to begin reducing its forces in the Philadelphi corridor, a strategic strip of territory along Gaza’s border with Egypt — and, according to the appendix, they will completely withdraw by Day 50. Israel’s demand to maintain a long- term presence in the corridor while Hamas demanded a full withdrawal was one of the knottiest issues in the ceasefire negotiations.At the same time, the document states that the Rafah Crossing into Egypt will be reopened to allow wounded and sick Palestinians — including a few dozen wounded fighters, whose exit would have to be approved by Israel and Egypt — to be evacuated for treatment, but only when all the female hostages have been released, including female soldiers.An Israeli official told the AP that Israeli troops will not be drawn down in Gaza during the initial 42 days, only redistributed. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door talks, also said that if it does reach a deal with Hamas on Phase 2 that meets Israel’s war aims, which include the full dismantling of the terror group, Israel will stay in the corridor.Humanitarian aid-In the first phase, aid to Gaza is ramping up to hundreds of trucks a day of food, medicine, building supplies and fuel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. This already has begun.The need is great. Malnutrition and diseases are rampant among Palestinians, while hospitals have been damaged and are short of supplies.Implementation, however, could bring problems.Even before the war, Israel restricted the entry of some equipment, arguing it could be used for military purposes by Hamas. Further complicating matters, Israel’s government is still committed to its plan to ban UNRWA — the UN agency that is the main distributor of aid in Gaza — from operating and to cut all ties between the agency and the Israeli government.The ban came following revelations that many of the agency’s employees were Hamas fighters, and that some participated in the October 7 attack.Beyond Phase 1-Phase 2’s broad outlines are laid out in the deal: All remaining hostages are to be released in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a “sustainable calm.”But that seemingly basic exchange opens up much bigger issues.Israel has said it won’t agree to a complete withdrawal until Hamas’s military and political capabilities are eliminated. Hamas says it will not hand over the last hostages until Israel removes all troops from Gaza.So both sides will have to agree to a plan for governing Gaza. Hamas has said it would be willing to step aside, but it may still seek a hand in any future government, which Israel has vehemently rejected. And it is unlikely to give up its weapons. Israel has also rejected the alternative of having the Palestinian Authority govern Gaza.If all sides reach the third phase, it is likely to be less contentious: The bodies of remaining hostages would be returned in exchange for a three- to five-year reconstruction plan in Gaza, but who will pay for it also remains unclear.

Israel won’t complete full withdrawal from Lebanon by Sunday deadline, PM says-Netanyahu declares Lebanon ‘has not fully enforced’ terms of November deal, which calls for Lebanese army to deploy south of Litani River as Israel withdraws, Hezbollah pulls north By Amy Spiro and Emanuel Fabian-Today, 4:22 pm-jan 24,25

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israel will not complete its full withdrawal from southern Lebanon by the 60-day deadline set under the ceasefire deal with the Hezbollah terror group.Under the terms of the November 27 truce agreement that ended the fighting started by Hezbollah, the Israel Defense Forces is required to cede all of its positions in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese Armed Forces by January 26. At the same time, Hezbollah is required to retreat north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Israel.In the first public confirmation of such a delay, following weeks of speculation, Netanyahu’s office declared in a statement that “the IDF’s withdrawal process is conditional,” citing what he said are Lebanon’s and Hezbollah’s obligations under the agreement, though the Iran-backed terrorist organization is not a party to the deal signed between Jerusalem and Beirut.Netanyahu said that since Lebanon “has not yet fully enforced” its obligations under the ceasefire, “the phased withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States.” The original 60-day deadline was slated for Sunday, January 26.The prime minister said that the terms of the deal were worded “with the understanding that the withdrawal process may continue beyond 60 days.”The deal’s text says that the withdrawal process “should not exceed 60 days.”In recent weeks, however, Israel assessed that the Lebanese army has deployed too slowly across the region, delaying the IDF’s withdrawal as a result. Israeli soldiers are continuing to find Hezbollah weapons caches in areas covered by the truce, and army officials have reportedly said that Lebanon’s army is in some locations helping Hezbollah.The Haaretz daily similarly reported on Thursday that the US and France were discussing the requested extension with Israeli and Lebanese officials. The source assessed that France saw no issue with granting the extension, so long as the other parties were in agreement. However, also Thursday, Army Radio reported that US President Donald Trump’s administration was less inclined to grant a 30-day reprieve than was his predecessor Joe Biden, and wanted the full withdrawal completed by Sunday. During his first phone call with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, new Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday praised Israel’s “ongoing efforts to implement” the ceasefire ahead of the looming deadline.The IDF is currently deployed to several villages in southern Lebanon, mostly in the eastern sector. The Lebanese Armed Forces have deployed to villages in the western sector in recent weeks as the IDF has withdrawn.The Israeli military is preparing for the possibility of renewed hostilities with Hezbollah. The Iran-backed terror group warned yesterday that it would not accept the IDF staying in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day limit.

More funding needed to reach targets for Gaza aid shipments, UN official says-Muhannad Hadi, head of aid operations in Gaza and West Bank, says he’s ‘very happy’ with first days of shipments amid ceasefire, but only 3.6% of 2025 funding goal met so far By Agencies and ToI Staff Today, 1:00 pm-jan 24,25

Funding shortages may affect the UN’s ability to maintain aid flows at target levels throughout the Gaza hostage-ceasefire deal, a UN official told Reuters on Thursday.The Strip is set to be flooded with aid over the next five weeks, amid the first phase of the agreement, which went into effect last Sunday, between Israel and the Hamas terror group. The deal will initially see Hamas release 33 hostages, and Israel free almost 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners, with fighting stopped in Gaza.The deal also stipulates that at least 600 trucks of humanitarian aid will enter the Strip each day. Daily deliveries have surged tenfold since the deal went into effect, according to UN data, meaning those levels have been surpassed on some days.Muhannad Hadi, the top UN aid official for Gaza and the West Bank, told Reuters late on Thursday he was “very happy” with how the first few days had gone, but flagged funding as a concern.Muhannad Hadi, the top UN aid official for Gaza and the West Bank, told Reuters late on Thursday he was “very happy” with how the first few days had gone, but flagged funding as a concern.“Funding is an issue. We need immediate funding to make sure that we continue providing the aid for the 42 days, but also after the 42 days, because we’re hopeful that we’ll go from phase one to phase two,” he said, after returning from Gaza earlier this week.The UN is seeking $4.1 billion for the Palestinian territories this year, with nearly 90 percent set to go to Gaza. It is currently 3.6% funded.The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the body largely responsible for providing services to Palestinians, has suffered serious hits to its funding in the thirteen months since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel — when terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages — started the war.Countries have pulled their support for UNRWA or frozen it, in light of revelations that many of the agency’s employees in Gaza were Hamas fighters, and that a handful even participated in the October 7 attack.Hadi described scenes of widespread joy and relief across the enclave since the ceasefire began, with many Gazans eager to return to the remnants of their homes and find work.“I’ve received clear messages from the people: they don’t want to continue depending on humanitarian aid. They want to rebuild their lives… We can’t afford to let them down.”Asked how the UN had managed to ramp up supplies so quickly, he cited an improvement in security for aid convoys, saying he saw local police everywhere during his visit. “The looting has reduced drastically,” he said.The police Hadi described were presumably Hamas-affiliated, as the terror group still represents the only civil authority in Gaza.Photos of aid trucks moving in Gaza have shown armed men atop them. Footage circulating in recent days has also shown Palestinians chasing aid trucks as they move through the enclave.One of the remaining challenges for aid workers is the difficulty of moving food and supplies through the damaged streets of Gaza with many thousands of Palestinians on the move.He said this could get worse starting this weekend, when many thousands of people are expected to be allowed to return to northern Gaza, under the terms of the ceasefire and hostage deal.Throughout the 15-month war, the UN has said its humanitarian operations have faced problems with Israel’s military activities, access restrictions by Israel into and throughout Gaza, and looting by armed gangs.The Israeli military has said that attacking and stealing aid is an ongoing problem, especially in southern Gaza. COGAT, the Defense Ministry body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, has said convoys are attacked by Hamas terrorists and known crime families.

Witkoff has said he plans to visit Strip to oversee ceasefire-Trump’s Mideast envoy to reportedly stop in Israel after visiting Saudi Arabia-Reports say US security contractors, Egyptian firm to be tasked with monitoring Netzarim corridor to ensure Palestinians traveling between southern and northern Gaza aren’t armed By ToI Staff Today, 6:48 am-jan 24,25

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Israel next week after first making a stop in Saudi Arabia, Israeli television reported Thursday.According to Channel 12 news, Witkoff’s trip to Israel is expected to focus on negotiating the second phase of the hostage release and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the first stage of which took effect this Sunday.His talks in Saudi Arabia, whose crown prince was the first foreign leader Trump spoke with since returning to office, are expected to address the administration’s efforts to broker a normalization agreement between Jerusalem and Riyadh.While in the region, Witkoff is also planning to visit the Gaza Strip, which he confirmed publicly earlier this week.“I’m actually going to be going over to Israel. I’m going to be part of an inspection team at the Netzarim Corridor, and also at the Philadelphi Corridor,” Witkoff said Wednesday in an interview with Fox News but did not give an exact timeline for when he’ll depart.Netzarim is an east-west strip that Israel cleared during the war. It prevents Palestinians’ free movement between northern and southern Gaza. Philadelphi is a narrow border strip between Gaza and Egypt.“That’s where you have outside overseers, sort of making sure that people are safe and people who are entering are not armed and no one has bad motivations,” Witkoff added.He did not say who else might be part of the inspection teams, though reports Thursday by the New York Times and Axios new site said US security contractors will be responsible for overseeing the truce along the Netzarim Corridor as Palestinians travel between the south and north of the enclave, with their duties to include ensuring Palestinian cars are not being used to carry weapons.Palestinians traveling on foot will not be subject to inspection, according to the agreement between Israel and Hamas, which also stipulates that they cannot be armed.The deal also states that the inspection of vehicles “will be performed by a private company to be determined by the mediators in sync with the Israeli side, based on an agreed-upon mechanism.” The New York Times said one of the companies hired, Safe Reach Solutions, will be responsible for the operational management of crossings along the corridor, while another American firm and an Egyptian company will carry out the inspections. Axios named the other US company as UG Solutions.“There may be additional members and nationalities in the future,” a source familiar with the matter told the news site.Rubio cheers flow of aid into Gaza-Also Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held his first phone call with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar, a day after speaking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The US readout on Rubio’s call with Sa’ar was largely the same as the one released after he spoke to Netanyahu, though notably, it said America’s new top diplomat “welcomed continued flow of aid into Gaza,” indicating the issue will continue to be at the top of mind for the US under the new administration.The readout on the call with Sa’ar also included Rubio’s praise for Israel’s “ongoing efforts to implement” the ceasefire with Hezbollah, as next week’s deadline for Israeli troops to withdraw from Lebanon quickly approaches.Rubio also “conveyed the mutual understanding that the pursuit of peace in the region requires addressing the threats posed by Iran,” the State Department added.The Israeli statement on the call said Sa’ar thanked Rubio for the steps Trump has taken in his first days in office.“I expressed Israel’s appreciation for President Trump’s decisive executive actions against the International Criminal Court, the Houthis, and removing the unjust sanctions against Israelis in Judea and Samaria,” Sa’ar was quoted as saying.The foreign minister said the pair also spoke about “the politicized ‘international legal institutions’ and the steps that must be taken in that regard,” an apparent reference to actions against Israel in both the ICC and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the war with Hamas in Gaza, which was started by the terror group’s October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.Sa’ar said he invited Rubio to visit Israel and the pair agreed to meet soon. Israel is “committed to working hard and closely with President Trump and his administration to deal with our common challenges and to expand our alliances,” he added.Jacob Magid and Amy Spiro contributed to this report.

Saudi crown prince promises Trump $600 billion of US investment, trade over 4 years-Bin Salman does not clarify source of funds, offered in US president’s first call with a foreign leader since returning to office; figure represents more than half of Saudi GDP By AFP Today, 10:08 am-jan 24,25

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promised on Thursday to pile $600 billion into US trade and investments as he congratulated Donald Trump on his return to the White House.Prince Mohammed, de facto leader of the world’s biggest oil exporter, made the pledge in a phone call following Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Saudi state media said.Trump forged close relations with Riyadh in his first term and is now expected to push Saudi Arabia, home of Islam’s holiest sites, towards normalizing ties with Israel as a major foreign policy objective.“The crown prince affirmed the kingdom’s intention to broaden its investments and trade with the United States over the next four years, in the amount of $600 billion, and potentially beyond that,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.It did not give details of the source of the funds, which represent more than half of Saudi GDP, or how they are expected to be used.Prince Mohammed, 39, also passed on congratulations from his father, King Salman, during the call.President Donald Trump said he would ask Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations to “bring down the cost of oil” as he addressed world leaders gathered in Davos. He also said he'd "demand that interest rates drop immediately" https://t.co/cOwzMzHVtE pic.twitter.com/ItU2me4vb9— Bloomberg (@business) January 23, 2025-The White House said it was Trump’s first phone call with a foreign leader since his return to office.“The two leaders discussed efforts to bring stability to the Middle East, bolster regional security, and combat terrorism,” a statement said.“Additionally, they discussed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s international economic ambitions over the next four years as well as trade and other opportunities to increase the [two countries’] mutual prosperity.”Trump’s first visit as president in 2017 was to Saudi Arabia, and this week he joked that a major financial commitment could persuade him to do the same again.“I did it with Saudi Arabia last time because they agreed to buy $450 billion worth of our product,” he said.Trump quipped he would repeat the visit “if Saudi Arabia wanted to buy another 450 or 500 (billion dollars) — we’ll up it for all the inflation.”During Trump’s first term, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco broke with longstanding Arab policy to recognize Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords.The new Trump administration is expected to try to repeat the process with Saudi Arabia, following similar efforts under US President Joe Biden.Iran threats-Saudi Arabia broke off talks with US officials about ties with Israel early in the Gaza war, and has repeatedly insisted it will not recognize Israel without the existence of a Palestinian state.However, a long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza and a possible easing in regional tensions could pave the way for a resumption of dialogue.In exchange for recognizing Israel, the Arab world’s richest country hopes to secure a US defense pact and Washington’s help with a civil nuclear program.In his own call with the crown prince on Thursday, new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and “the threats posed by Iran and its proxies,” according to a statement.“They also discussed the benefits of the US-Saudi economic partnership and the opportunities to grow their economies in a variety of fields including AI,” a spokesperson for Rubio said.Trump actively courted Saudi Arabia, long an important energy and security partner for Washington, during his first term.When he arrived in Riyadh in 2017, he was treated to an elaborate welcome involving a sword dance and a fly-past of air force jets.Relations later cooled with Prince Mohammed faulting Trump for failing to respond more aggressively after a 2019 attack widely blamed on Iran halved the Gulf kingdom’s crude output.Riyadh and Trump’s team nevertheless sought to boost ties after his departure from the White House, in particular through investments and construction deals for his privately owned conglomerate the Trump Organization.Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has defended receiving a Saudi investment in his private equity firm that reports put at $2 billion.

Trump orders release of classified documents on assassinations of JFK, RFK and MLK-US president vows ‘everything will be revealed;’ gives pen he signed executive order with to RFK Jr., whose dad was killed in 1968 by Palestinian angered by his support for Israel By AP Today, 5:52 am-jan 24,25

DALLAS — US President Donald Trump has ordered the release of thousands of classified governmental documents about the 1963 assassination of US President John F. Kennedy, which has fueled conspiracy theories for decades.The executive order Trump signed Thursday also aims to declassify the remaining federal records relating to the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The order is among a flurry of executive actions Trump has quickly taken the first week of his second term.Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “everything will be revealed.”Trump had promised during his reelection campaign to make public the last batches of still-classified documents surrounding US President Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas, which has transfixed people for decades. Trump made a similar pledge during his first term, but ultimately bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to withhold some documents.Trump has nominated Kennedy’s nephew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to be the health secretary in his new administration. Kennedy’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968 as he sought the Democratic presidential nomination. The younger Kennedy has said he isn’t convinced that a lone gunman was solely responsible for the assassination of his uncle, President Kennedy, in 1963.The order directs the director of national intelligence and the attorney general to develop a plan within 15 days to release the remaining John F. Kennedy records, and within 45 days for the other two cases. It was not clear when the records would actually be released.Trump handed the pen used to sign the order to an aide and directed it to be given to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination of President Kennedy have yet to be fully declassified. And while many who have studied what’s been released so far say the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations, there is still an intense interest in details related to the assassination and the events surrounding it.“There’s always the possibility that something would slip through that would be the tiny tip of a much larger iceberg that would be revealing,” said Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of “The Kennedy Half-Century.” “That’s what researchers look for. Now, odds are you won’t find that but it is possible that it’s there.”Kennedy was fatally shot in downtown Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, as his motorcade passed in front of the Texas School Book Depository building, where 24-year-old assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had positioned himself from a sniper’s perch on the sixth floor. Two days after Kennedy was killed, nightclub owner Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer.In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of over 5 million records was required to be opened by 2017, barring any exemptions designated by the president.The order notes that although no congressional act directs the release of information on the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy or King, those governmental records being made public “is also in the public interest.”During his first term, Trump boasted that he’d allow the release of all of the remaining records on the president’s assassination but ended up holding some back because of what he called the potential harm to national security. And while files have continued to be released under President Joe Biden, some still remain unseen.Sabato, who trains student researchers to comb through the documents, said that most researchers agree that “roughly” 3,000 records have not yet been released, either in whole or in part, and many of those originated with the CIA.The documents released over the last several years offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas.King and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated within two months of each other in 1968.King was outside a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, when shots rang out. The civil rights leader, who had been in town to support striking sanitation workers, was set to lead marches and other nonviolent protests there. He died at a hospital less than an hour later.James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to assassinating King. He later though renounced that plea and maintained his innocence up until his death.FBI documents released over the years show how the bureau wiretapped King’s telephone lines, bugged his hotel rooms and used informants to get information against him. The agency’s conduct was the subject of the recent documentary film, “ MLK/FBI.”Robert F. Kennedy, then a New York senator, was fatally shot on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after giving his victory speech for winning California’s Democratic presidential primary. His assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, was convicted of first-degree murder and is serving life in prison. Sirhan, a Palestinian from Jordan, has acknowledged he was angry at Kennedy for supporting Israel.There are still some documents in the JFK collection though that researchers don’t believe the president will be able to release. Around 500 documents, including tax returns, weren’t subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement. And, researchers note, documents have also been destroyed over the decades.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

‘Done a lot of praying’: Family of hostage Agam Berger finds strength, hope in faith-As relatives anxiously await Agam’s possible return home, her cousin, YouTuber Ashley Waxman Bakshi, says Jewish rituals have been a source of succor since she was taken captive By Jessica Steinberg-Today, 5:03 am-jan 24,25

With her cousin Agam Berger on the list of the 33 hostages expected to be released in the first stage of the ceasefire deal, YouTuber Ashley Waxman Bakshi headed to Tel Aviv Hostages Square on Thursday night for another evening of baking challah and praying for the safe return of the captives.“We’ve been doing hafrashat challah events for the entire 16 months, but this is the most important one,” said Waxman Bakshi, referring to the tradition of separating a piece of challah dough to bless it. “We’ve been inviting everyone because this is the one that matters.”Religious practice has not always been a part of the YouTuber’s life or played a major role in Agam Berger’s family life either, but according to Waxman Bakshi it has offered them all much succor in the last 16 months.“I was completely atheist two years ago, but Agam has really inspired all of us,” she said.When 105 hostages were released from Hamas captivity in November 2023, some of those who were held alongside with Agam told her family that she was saying blessings over her food, and that she had told her captors she wouldn’t cook food for them on the Sabbath.These testimonies on Agam’s acts of faith and religious ritual have inspired the rest of the family since she was taken hostage during the Hamas terror onslaught on October 7, 2023, which started the Gaza war.“We’ve done a lot of praying over the last year,” said Waxman Bakshi, who started going to synagogue for Shabbat services.Agam’s parents, Shlomi and Merav, have been observing Shabbat since Agam was taken hostage, taking their faith “to the next level,” said Waxman Bakshi.“I think it’s a good thing, I think it helps them,” she said.Like many hostage families, the Bergers have also worked to keep the image of Agam and the other hostages in the public eye, organizing various kinds of activities and concerts, as she has played the violin since she was a child.A video of Agam playing the violin in her room was the acoustic background for a performance by the judges in Wednesday night’s final of the “Hakochav Haba” (Rising Star) reality contest, which selects the singer to represent Israel at the Eurovision.Berger, now 20, one of the surveillance soldiers taken captive by Hamas terrorists from the IDF surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz army base, is one of the 12 women and children who are on the list of 33 hostages.She may be one of the four women expected to be released on Saturday.“I want her to come home as [much as] if she was my sister,” said Waxman Bakshi, who is a second cousin to Shlomi Berger, Agam’s father.Waxman Bakshi, 39, grew up in Canada, the daughter of two Israeli parents, and moved to Israel in 2006.Her mother and Agam’s grandmother were close as children, and Waxman Bakshi’s older brothers played as children with Shlomi Berger.However, in their large, extended family, Waxman Bakshi, who is 19 years older than Agam, didn’t know her younger cousin all that well.She heard this year that Berger was a big fan of her YouTube makeup tutorials, like many young Israeli women her age.On October 7, 2023, when news began filtering in that Agam may have been taken hostage, Waxman Bakshi was focused on her husband’s first cousin, who they had just heard was killed at the Nova rave, and other family members being called up to fight in the Gaza Strip.“A lot was going on, and my mother kept telling me that Hana’s granddaughter, Agam, was maybe one of the hostages,” said Waxman Bakshi. “Everything was so chaotic, I honestly thought we’d find her.”She headed to the US to do Israel advocacy work for seven weeks, and by the time she returned to Israel, it had long been confirmed that Agam was one of the 251 hostages taken captive during the Hamas-led atrocities.Berger had been identified in a Hamas Telegram video, in which she was seen being led to a car, bloodied and still dressed in her pajamas.Agam’s parents, Merav and Shlomi Berger, asked Waxman Berger to get involved and be the public voice for the family.“They didn’t want to be interviewed, they said their English wasn’t good enough,” she said.As Waxman Berger met the other hostage families, including the parents of the other four female surveillance soldiers, they told her that their daughters had grown up watching her makeup videos.“I said, “Okay, this is Hashem calling on me,'” said Waxman Bakshi, using a Hebrew term for God.Since then, Waxman Bakshi, who recently joined professional forces with former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy, has become a public advocacy figure for Israel. She usually posts on Instagram, often with a full face of makeup but not always.As she’s focused on lobbying for Agam’s release, Waxman Bakshi’s YouTube channel and makeup line in recent months has taken a back seat to her advocacy work.“I thought, ‘Do I really want to go back to eyeshadow?” said Waxman Bakshi, who is considering doing advocacy work full-time.During the last 16 months, she joined delegations of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on trips abroad, meeting foreign leaders and politicians as part of the struggle to bring the hostages home.Agam’s parents didn’t want to travel out of the country in case their daughter was possibly rescued and returned home.They also wanted to make sure their three other children, Agam’s twin sister Li-Yam, another sister Bar and younger brother Ilai continue to thrive.Li-Yam Berger recently finished an officer’s training course and her younger sister, Bar, enlisted in the army two months ago. Ilai marked his Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall last year.“They’re amazing parents, they really have their act together,” said Waxman Bakshi. “They could have been so depressed and destroyed the lives of all their children, but their faith is strong, they’re holding onto hope.”

US freezes new funding for most foreign aid programs, Israel military aid unaffected-State Department to conduct review to ensure funding aligns with Trump’s ‘foreign policy agenda’; humanitarian food programs and military assistance to Egypt also won’t be impacted By Ellen Knickmeyer and Farnoush Amiri Today, 11:38 pm-JAN 24,25

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department on Friday froze new funding for almost all US foreign assistance, making exceptions to allow humanitarian food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt to continue.The sweeping order threatened a quick halt to countless projects globally aiding health, education, development, job training and other efforts by the United States, the largest provider of foreign aid. It appears to begin enforcement of a pledge to eliminate aid programs that President Donald Trump judges not to be in US interests.The order — sent in a cable to US embassies worldwide and obtained by The Associated Press — prohibits new government spending, which appears to limit programs to running only as long as they have cash on hand.Some leading aid organizations on Friday were interpreting the directive as an immediate stop-work order for US-funded aid work globally, a senior aid organization official said. Many would likely cease operations immediately so as not to incur more costs, the official said.The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.The State Department during the freeze will conduct a review of which of the thousands of US aid and development programs can continue. Its order spells out the execution of the aid-freezing executive order Trump signed on Monday.Friday’s order especially disappointed humanitarian officials by not including any exemptions sparing health clinics and other health programs worldwide from the new funding freeze.The freeze was necessary to ensure that “appropriations are not duplicated, are effective, and are consistent with President Trump’s foreign policy,” the global cable stated.Within the next month, standards for a review of all foreign assistance are expected to be set to ensure that it is “aligned with President Trump’s foreign policy agenda.”Within three months, the government-wide review is expected to be completed with a subsequent report to be produced for Secretary of State Marco Rubio to make recommendations to the president.

4 female soldier hostages freed by Hamas, paraded on Gaza stage, returned to Israel-Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, Liri Albag reunite with parents; Israel cancels planned return of Gazans to north, demands civilian Arbel Yehud’s release be ‘arranged’By Emanuel Fabian,ToI Staff and Agencies Today, 1:59 pm-JAN 25,25

Four female soldiers held hostage by Hamas for 477 days — Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy, and Liri Albag — were released by the terror group on Saturday after being paraded through a Gaza City square before being handed over to the Red Cross.The release marked the second set of hostages to be freed under the latest ceasefire-hostage release deal. Israel was later to free 200 Palestinian security prisoners, including dozens serving life sentences for murder and terror.Crowds of Palestinians gathered early in the morning in the same central square in Gaza City where Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, were released last week.However, the chaotic scenes of that release were not repeated, with Saturday’s handover heavily stage-managed by Hamas.Dozens of armed and masked Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen formed a cordon around a stage that had been set up in the square. A drone could be seen distributing candy to members of the crowd.After the arrival of the Red Cross transport, the four hostages were brought into the square in separate vehicles. Dressed in olive garb meant to look like IDF uniforms and clutching “gift bags” from Hamas, the young women were marched onto a stage festooned with English and Arabic slogans such as, “Palestine: The victory of the oppressed people vs the Nazi Zionism.”A large sign in Hebrew also read, “Zionism will not win.”All four women appeared in good physical condition as they went up on stage, holding hands, waving to the crowd and smiling before being escorted by masked gunmen into the waiting Red Cross vehicles. (According to Israel’s Health Ministry, freed hostages were drugged by Hamas to appear “happy” in previous releases.)The four women’s appearance today was in stark contrast to the images of the young soldiers seen after they were captured on October 7, 2023, at the Nahal Oz military base, bloodied and frightened as they were dragged into Gaza in their pajamas.Ariev, 20, Gilboa, 20, Levy, 20 and Albag, 19, were then taken by the Red Cross and handed over to IDF special forces who escorted them across the border, back home into Israel to the Re’im IDF facility where they were reunited with their families and underwent a brief medical check.“They are in safe hands and on their way home,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.IDF slams cynical Hamas-Hagari slammed Hamas for the staged ceremonial handover.“Hamas is a murderous terror group. In the last few hours, Hamas proved its cruelty by organizing a cynical ceremony,” he said, adding that Hamas “presented a misrepresentation of treatment and care for the hostages, while in reality, it is cruelly holding for 477 days innocent civilians.”“The mission will not end until all of them return to Israel,” he added.The military said that the four were checked by army doctors when they were handed over to the IDF by the Red Cross inside Gaza and were in relatively good physical condition.“Their medical condition is normal, with no findings that require special [emergency] medical intervention on the ground,” officials said. They will undergo further assessments by doctors and mental health officers at an army base near the border, before being taken to a hospital.Tears of joy-Video showed their families at the IDF facility near Re’im clapping, cheering and crying with joy as they watched their loved ones emerge from the Hamas vehicles.Hundreds of people gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, viewing a livestream of the release while friends and families of the four watched from their homes.Some in the growing crowd wore Israeli flags; others held posters with the hostages’ faces.“I’m extremely excited, exhilarated,” said onlooker Gili Roman. “In a heartbeat, in a split of a second, their lives are going to turn upside again, but right now for a positive and a good side.”He said his sister was released in the only other ceasefire in November, but another relative was killed in captivity.The friends and families of the four released hostages expressed their joy.“Yes! Yes! Yes! Liri the hero,” Albag’s friends told the Ynet news site. “We saw Liri coming back. She waved her hand and she seems fine. It’s crazy. We were really worried, but she’s a hero with a huge smile.”Gilboa’s family told Channel 12 news that they were elated to see her walking out of the Hamas vehicle.“She is a hero. We were so happy to see her on her feet,” they say.One of Levy’s friends told Ynet that the four women were “amazing” and that they had been concerned that they would not be on their feet.“I have no words to describe the feelings now to see Naama back on her feet along with three other amazing, heroic girls,” the unnamed friend said.“We don’t know what she went through there, and we can only imagine the hell. I thought the worst, I dreamed that she was coming out in the worst possible condition, sitting or lying down or worse,” the friend said.Despite the joy, concern remained, particularly for other hostages who are on the list to be freed.Violating the deal-Hagari said Hamas violated the hostage agreement with the release of the four female soldiers before releasing all civilian women. “Hamas did not abide by its obligation in the deal to free civilian women first,” he said.Hagari said Israel will make sure that civilian hostage Arbel Yehud, who Israel believes to be alive, is released soon, along with Shiri Bibas and her children, adding, “We have heavy concerns for their fate.”He said Israel expects more information on the Bibas family soon.Hagari also said the military is “committed to the return of Agam Berger, another surveillance soldier kidnapped on October 7, 2023, and all the other hostages.The five are among seven female soldiers abducted from the IDF surveillance unit at the Nahal Oz army base during the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023.One of the abducted surveillance soldiers, Ori Megidish, was later rescued alive, and the body of a second one, Noa Marciano, was recovered after she was murdered in captivity.Following the return of the four soldiers to Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement saying that due to Hamas not standing by its obligation to release Yehud, Israel would delay allowing Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza Strip.“Israel has received four female hostage soldiers from the Hamas terrorist group today, and in return will release security prisoners” according to the deal, the PMO said.“In accordance with the agreement, Israel will not allow the passage of Gazans to the north of the Gaza Strip, until the release of civilian Arbel Yehud, who was supposed to be released today, can be arranged,” the statement added.The decision was reportedly made during security consultations held by Netanyahu on Friday night, soon after Hamas had released the names of the four female soldiers it was freeing, but announced after the releases so as not to jeopardize them.The announcement means that, as things stand, the IDF will not be withdrawing from part of the Netzarim Corridor on Sunday.Under the deal, Israel was set to withdraw from the northern half of the corridor on day seven of the ceasefire to allow Palestinians to return to north Gaza via the coastal road.Israel had conveyed to Hamas that it expected Yehud — who is thought to be held by fellow terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad — to be released this weekend. However, she was not named by Hamas on Friday. Yehud had been on the list to be released in the only previous hostage-truce deal, in November 2023, but the deal collapsed before the final scheduled group of releases.Hamas is expected to provide Israel with details on the status of the 26 remaining hostages on the list later Saturday or Sunday, providing long-sought specifics on which hostages are alive. There was concern in Jerusalem, however, that Hamas might merely provide an overall number of how many of the 26 are alive.Terrorists to be freed and deported-Following the scheduled release of the hostages on Saturday, Israel is set to free another batch of Palestinian security prisoners. The agreement stipulates that for each of the female soldiers, Israel will release 50 Palestinian prisoners, 30 of them convicted terrorists who are serving life sentences.Hamas said that around 70 are set to be deported, but did not say where, while the rest will be sent to the West Bank and Gaza. Hebrew media said the deported prisoners would first go to Egypt and then be sent to Turkey, Algeria and Tunisia.Terrorists being released include Mohammad Odeh, 52, and Wael Qassim, 54, both from East Jerusalem. They were jailed for carrying out a series of deadly Hamas attacks against Israelis, including a bombing at a cafeteria at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2002 that killed nine people, including five US citizens.It is believed that 87 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.Hamas has so far released seven hostages during the current ceasefire. The terror group released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, and four hostages were released before that.Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 40 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza in January.