The perverse reasons Hamas and Iran are happy for the cease-fire to collapse and war in Gaza to resume

The fragile cease-fire that stopped 15 months of war in the Gaza Strip looks increasingly likely to end at noon on Saturday after just 27 days.

President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have said intense fighting would resume in the war-torn enclave unless Hamas releases all hostages in Gaza by that deadline.

Currently, 31 people are being held in the Palestinian enclave, along with the bodies of 36 others.

The ultimatum comes after the Iran-backed terror group’s decision to withhold the release of the next three hostages scheduled for Saturday after accusing Israel of violating the terms of the cease-fire agreement.

With Israel and Hamas both preparing their forces to resume war, and mediators scrambling to broker peace, the fate of the hostages and civilians caught in the middle remains unclear.

However, a return to war may be just what Hamas and its backers in Tehran want, experts say.

That’s despite Hamas’ Health Ministry reporting a terrible cost to the war: Officials say more than 48,000 people have been killed, though that figure doesn’t distinguish between terrorists and civilians.

What’s more, Netanyahu’s government and his allies in Washington have become increasingly convinced that the cease-fire is no longer tenable, many observers believe.

 Following the start of the cease-fire deal on Jan. 19, Hamas shocked the world by orchestrating large parades during the weekend hostage exchanges, boasting its ability to rebuild its forces despite Israel’s claim that it killed more than 17,000 fighters.

According to some intel reports, the terror group has used the destruction and deaths in Gaza to recruit and replenish its forces.

As a result, the group has little to lose if the war resumes as Hamas attempts to gain even more concessions from Israel.

Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defending Democracy, said Hamas knows the leverage it holds following the outrage from last Saturday’s hostage exchange, which saw three Israelis, who appeared to be emaciated, paraded through Gaza City.

“Hamas is capitalizing on the public outrage generated by the distressing images of emaciated hostages to amplify pressure on the Israeli government for further concessions,” Truzman said in a statement.

DemonRats Losing it! Faking another Trump ‘crisis’

 

On Saturday US District Judge Paul Engelmayer, an Obama appointee, barred “political appointees” from accessing internal Treasury Department systems — an utterly baseless, and frankly ludicrous, order.

In effect, Engelmayer prohibited Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his politically accountable employees, along with Elon Musk and President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, from doing their jobs, in favor of rule by unelected bureaucrats.

The Constitution nowhere empowers the judiciary to issue such a ruling, so in response, Vice President JD Vance correctly posted on X: “Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”

Then the left lost its mind.

Pam Bondi Blindsides New York's Kathy Hochul and Letitia James with Federal Charges

 

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday that New York is being sued by the Justice Department for its efforts to shield illegal immigrants.

“This is a new DOJ and we are taking steps to protect Americans,“ Bondi said, according to a video posted to social media platform X.

“New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today,” Bondi said.

“As you know, we sued Illinois and New York didn’t listen, so now you’re next,” she said, according to Spectrum News.

"If you don't comply with federal law, we will hold you accountable," Bondi said. "We did it to Illinois, strike one. Strike two is New York. And if you are a state not complying with federal law, you're next. Get ready," according to Fox News.

Bondi announced that the lawsuit is targeting Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and Mark Schroeder, the state commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, according to USA Today.

Six days ago, the federal government sued Illinois and Chicago over their sanctuary policies that protect illegal immigrants from being deported, according to Spectrum.

Bondi said state officials in New York were targeted because of the state’s law that cripples federal immigration authorities when they seek to use state DMV data on illegal immigrants.

"They have a 'tip-off' provision that requires New York's DMV commissioner to promptly inform any illegal alien when a federal immigration agency has requested their information," Bondi said, according to WABC-TV.

"It's tipping off an illegal alien. And it's unconstitutional, and that's why we filed this lawsuit," she said.

“Violent criminals, gang members, drug traffickers, human smugglers will no longer terrorize the American people, and that is why we are here today,” Bondi said, according to Spectrum.

Bondi said the Justice Department will not stop at two states.

“We don’t want to sue you,” she said. “We don’t want to prosecute people. We want people to comply with the law.”

Hochul is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump Thursday.

BREAKING: @AGPamBondi announces the DOJ has filed charges against the State of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul, AG Letitia James, and DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder.

"New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops — it stops TODAY." pic.twitter.com/YkKAPTdtyX

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 12, 2025

'USA will allow Israel to remain in Lebanon'

 

Senior members of the security cabinet have reported that Israel has received approval from the United States to continue the IDF presence at several points in southern Lebanon beyond the expected ceasefire date of February 18.

Kan reports that according to senior officials, the Israeli and American teams discussed the matter before and during the meeting last week between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump. Preliminary understandings were reached, and further work is expected to close the details.

The senior officials noted that the IDF presence in parts of southern Lebanon was necessary to ensure the security of the residents of the north, and that the United States understood this.

Earlier today, the Lebanese television station LBCI reported that the monitoring committee for the implementation of the ceasefire had received a request from Israel to leave IDF forces in some positions in southern Lebanon until February 28, but Lebanon had flatly rejected the request.

Israel considering strikes on Iranian nuclear sites

 

US intelligence agencies concluded during the final days of the Biden administration that Israel is considering significant strikes on Iranian nuclear sites this year, officials familiar with the report told The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

According to the report, another intelligence assessment written in the early days of the Trump administration also determined that Israel is considering strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities.

US military officials said that American support, including arms, is essential for Israel to carry out such attacks.

The report follows comments from US President Donald Trump in recent days that he would rather reach a deal with Iran on its nuclear program than have Israel attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.

In 2018, during his first term in office, Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, reinstating strict US sanctions as part of his "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran.

In response, Iran has taken many steps to scale back its compliance with the deal.

In its latest step to advance its nuclear program, Iran recently informed the IAEA of its intention to "significantly increase" its production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent.

Since the start of his second term, Trump has reaffirmed his “maximum pressure” approach against Iran, and this past week imposed financial sanctions on individuals and entities accused of facilitating the shipment of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian crude oil to China.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, last week cautioned the government against engaging in talks with Washington, describing such a move as “reckless.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi made clear on Saturday that Iran is open to negotiations with the United States but not under Trump’s “maximum pressure” strategy.

“The lifting of sanctions requires negotiations, but not within the framework of a ‘maximum pressure’ policy, because it would not be a negotiation but a form of surrender,” Araqchi stated in a message published on Telegram.

Listen to The Times of London columnist Melanie Phillips Explain The Trump Gaza Idea ...

 

Chuck Schumer's new whistleblower tip line backfired

 

It comes as the Trump administration has been working to shutter federal agencies, shrink the workforce and freeze federal funding in a series of moves that have caused chaos and confusion for workers across the government.

'I’m launching a new portal for anyone who wants to expose corruption, abuses of power, and threats to public safety with the legal protections of being a whistleblower,' Schumer wrote. More than 30,000 people responded to his post with many users blasting Democrats with their own accusations.

Senator Ted Cruz was among those to get in on it with his own repost on X. 'Great! I wanna report: Joe Biden Kamala Harris Chuck Schumer And the entire corrupt Democrat party that weaponized & abused the federal government for the past four years,' the Texas lawmaker wrote.

Multiple conservative commentators and MAGA loyalists also chimed in online to report Schumer. Several pointed to a speech the senator made back in March 2020 where he said Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh had 'released the whirlwind' and should 'pay the price.'

The commentators accused Schumer of threatening the justices for his speech. While some made accusations against Democrats, other made jokes about getting ousted from jobs for clearly made-up outlandish behavior.

One X user said they wanted to file a criminal complaint about being subjected to the videos of Democrats protesting outside buildings across Washington, DC. It included a video of Schumer and Congresswoman Maxine Waters chanting 'we will win' as they protested last week.

Others posted about wasteful government spending as they slammed Democratic lawmakers for the debt and massive budgets despite past spending bills passed with bipartisan support. One user even posted an image previously shared by Schumer himself where he was grilling but put cheese on an uncooked burger. The caption for the image said the senator can't grill.

The whistleblower form itself was set up to link to the Senate Democrats' webpage. The caption read that whistleblowers 'are a vital part of Congressional oversight to hold the administration accountable.' Users could then use the form to report complaints about retaliation, wasteful spending, fraud, criminal activity or other. But thousands of X users signaled they were swamping the form using fake names, contact information and information.

Shai Graucher’s Heartfelt Surprise for the Mother of Freed Hostage Agam Berger

 In a moving gesture, Shai Graucher presented a pair of Shabbat candlesticks to the mother of Agam Berger, who was recently released from Hamas captivity.

Austrailia Hospital Suspends the Two Healthcare Workers Who said They Murdered Their Jewish Patients

 

Well, well, that was quick. @ShirionOr and his team located these Australian doctors who claim to have killed Israelis at their hospital.

FAFO time. https://t.co/1Z58BPe3CL pic.twitter.com/MOrD7p2yrk

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) February 11, 2025

 

Breaking news on the Australian nurses who threatened to kill Israelis and boasted about already having done so… pic.twitter.com/yKKHKjBVIC

— Erin Molan (@Erin_Molan) February 12, 2025

Tragedy in Ramat Beit Shemesh Alef As Man Kills Himself While Fighting With His Neighbor

Tragedy struck the quiet neighborhood of Ramat Beit Shemesh A this evening, as a man was shot and killed on Nahal Shimshon Street.*

Emergency services pronounced the victim dead at the scene, while police cordoned off the area and launched an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.

According to a police report, the shooting occurred after officers responded to a call about a suspect armed with a handgun, who was allegedly threatening his neighbor following a dispute. Upon arrival, the officers found the suspect, a resident of Beit Shemesh in his 40s, reeking of alcohol and handling his weapon. The officers ordered him to cooperate and place his hands on the vehicle, but he refused. In an attempt to subdue the suspect, an officer grabbed him forcefully, at which point the suspect pulled out his gun and shot himself. The officer was not injured.

Medical personnel pronounced the suspect dead at the scene. Police have launched an investigation into the incident, including examining the testimony of an eyewitness who claimed that the suspect attempted to aim his weapon at the officer before shooting himself.

The incident has left the community in shock and mourning, and the investigation is ongoing.

Please note: This is a developing story, and more information will be released as it becomes available.