conflict
‘Got Played’: Israel Reportedly Suspicious Biden Admin Had Backroom Talks With Mediators Over Ceasefire Deal
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From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By JAKE SMITH
Israel is suspicious that the Biden administration had backroom talks with international negotiators to reach a ceasefire deal without Israeli leadership’s knowledge, Axios reported on Tuesday.
Hamas abruptly accepted a Qatari and Egyptian-manufactured ceasefire deal on Monday, which reportedly caught the Israeli government off guard and sent them rushing to review the proposal, the Associated Press reported Monday. The Israeli government is concerned that the Biden administration had prior knowledge about the deal proposed to Hamas, but didn’t tell Israel until after Hamas accepted the deal, several Israeli officials told Axios.
Israel was surprised to see the proposal Hamas accepted had “many new elements” that were not included in previous proposals, Axios reported. “It looked like a whole new proposal,” one official told the outlet.
“Israel got played” by the U.S. and the Qatari and Egyptian negotiators, two Israeli officials told Axios.
CIA Director Bill Burns, who was in Egypt over the weekend for negotiations, and other Biden administration officials knew about the proposal that Hamas accepted but chose not to tell Israel, the officials told Axios. Burns had a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday, but Burns didn’t speak on the proposal; when Hamas accepted it, Gallant was reportedly caught off guard.
The Israeli government is also highly suspicious that the Biden administration secretly gave assurances to Hamas through the relevant negotiators that a ceasefire deal would lead to the permanent end of the war in Gaza, two Israeli officials told Axios. Israel has rejected the idea of ending the war permanently, instead only expressing openness to a temporary halt in conflict.
“We think the Americans conveyed the message to Hamas that it will be okay when it comes to ending the war,” a senior Israeli official told Axios.
A U.S. official countered the Israeli officials’ claims, saying that “American diplomats have been engaged with Israeli counterparts. There have been no surprises.”
“This is an extremely difficult process with negotiations conducted through intermediaries in Doha and Cairo,” the U.S. official told Axios. “[Israel’s ceasefire proposal in late April was] the most forward-leaning proposal to date. To secure a ceasefire, Hamas simply needs to release hostages. It’s all mapped out.”
Israel is still reviewing the proposal accepted by Hamas, but has signaled that it includes unacceptable provisions, according to Axios. The Israeli war cabinet is expected to send a delegation to Egypt for another round of negotiations and Burns is expected to be present.
The White House, State Department and National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
conflict
Hamas, Palestinians paraded dead babies coffins through streets before handover to Israel
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MxM News
Quick Hit:
Hamas paraded the caskets of Israeli hostages, including what they claimed were the bodies of a mother and two young children, through the streets of Gaza before handing them over to the Red Cross. Videos show crowds cheering as armed terrorists carried the coffins as part of a prisoner exchange with Israel.
Key Details:
- Videos from Khan Younis, Gaza, show Hamas and other terrorists parading four caskets, including those of two young children, before handing them to the Red Cross.
- Crowds cheered as the terrorists, armed and unmasked, carried the coffins, with celebratory music playing in the background.
- The deceased were identified as members of the Bibas family, including the youngest hostages from the October 7 attack.
ANIMALS: Hamas paraded the bodies of murdered Israeli babies in coffins while blasting loud music during their celebration today when they handed the bodies over to the Red Cross. pic.twitter.com/CoTV5Rzep7
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 20, 2025
Diving Deeper:
During a ceremony in Khan Younis, Gaza, Hamas paraded the caskets of Israeli hostages through the streets, including what they claimed were the bodies of a mother and her two small children. The display occurred before the remains were handed over to the Red Cross as part of a prisoner exchange agreement with Israel. Crowds of Gazans were seen cheering and celebrating as the coffins were carried by armed terrorists.
Videos from the event show masked militants loading a casket into a Red Cross aid truck, while another militant, adorned with symbols of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, filmed the procession. Another video shows adults and children waving and celebrating as Hamas fighters, armed and in trucks, paraded through the streets. Reuters footage also captured members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP) helping carry a casket, highlighting the involvement of multiple terrorist factions in the display.
Hamas presented the bodies as those of the Bibas family, who were captured during the October 7 attack. The children, aged four years and less than one year, were among the youngest hostages taken during the brutal assault that triggered the ongoing 15-month conflict. The fourth body was identified as 83-year-old Oded Lifshitz, according to Jewish News Syndicate. Hamas has repeatedly blamed the deaths on Israeli airstrikes, though no evidence was provided to support the claim.
Israel and Hamas are currently observing a temporary ceasefire agreement, facilitating the exchange of civilian hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Despite the ceasefire, Hamas has continued to celebrate the October 7 attacks, which resulted in the largest mass killing of Jewish people since the Holocaust. During the ceremony, a stage displayed a poster depicting Israel as a “Nazi Army,” underscoring Hamas’s longstanding agenda of hostility towards the Jewish state.
The shocking parade of caskets, accompanied by celebratory music and cheering crowds, has drawn international condemnation and further underscored the brutal nature of Hamas’s actions. As the exchange process continues, the emotional toll on the families of the victims remains immeasurable.
armed forces
SecDef Hegseth picks investigators to examine botched Afghanistan withdrawal
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MxM News
Quick Hit:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has initiated an investigation into the Biden administration’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Hegseth confirmed that investigators have already been selected to examine the disastrous exit, which left 13 U.S. service members dead and stranded Americans behind. He emphasized that accountability is forthcoming and vowed a thorough review to uncover the decision-making failures behind the debacle.
Key Details:
- Hegseth told Breitbart News that he has already chosen investigators for a full Pentagon-led review of the withdrawal.
- The Biden administration’s 2021 exit resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members, abandoned American citizens, and a botched drone strike that killed an Afghan aid worker and his family.
- No officials were held accountable, while Marine Col. Stuart Scheller, who publicly called for accountability, was the only one punished—he now serves in the Trump administration.
Diving Deeper:
Hegseth, in an exclusive interview, stated that the investigation would be comprehensive, focusing on key decision-making failures that led to one of the most disastrous military withdrawals in U.S. history. While no specific timeline was provided, he stressed the importance of getting the facts right.
The 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, executed under then-President Joe Biden, resulted in a chaotic evacuation at Kabul International Airport. The suicide bombing at Abbey Gate claimed the lives of 13 American troops, while the administration abandoned hundreds of U.S. citizens despite claiming success. Additionally, the U.S. military, in a hasty attempt to prevent another attack, launched a drone strike that mistakenly killed an innocent Afghan aid worker and his family. At the time, then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley defended the strike as “righteous.”
Despite these failures, no senior officials were removed from their posts. The only individual who faced consequences was Marine Col. Stuart Scheller, who was discharged after demanding accountability in a viral video. Now, he serves as a senior adviser to the Defense Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness under the 47th President, Donald Trump.
Hegseth reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring accountability, emphasizing the need to establish a factual timeline of events, decisions, and their consequences. “I don’t think there’s anybody that feels like there’s been an honest accounting of what happened in Afghanistan. That’s our job,” he said.
The investigation, he added, will be critical to rebuilding trust within the Defense Department. “We’re going to drive that full investigation and get a sense of what happened. Accountability will be coming,” Hegseth concluded.
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