By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
SvennoJ on 25 October 2025
Edit Thread

Israel’s Smotrich says Trump will change his ‘opinion’ on West Bank annexation

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has reiterated his call for Israel to declare “sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank and eliminate the “dangerous idea of a Palestinian state”.

In a long statement on X, Smotrich said he had no complaints against US President Donald Trump, who “gave up on sovereignty and ‘sold’ it to Arab countries in exchange for an agreement in Gaza and perhaps also for expanding the Abraham Accords”.

“I am convinced that, just as with the hostages’ issue, the President [Donald Trump], who is a true friend of Israel and genuinely wants its best, will change his opinion when he understands how important and existential this is for us,” he said.

On Wednesday, the Israeli government passed two draft bills, one pushing for the annexation of the occupied West Bank and another legalising an illegal settlement. However, the decision received backlash from the US and from Netanyahu.

 

Trump calls on Hamas to release more captive bodies over next 48 hours

US President Donald Trump says he believes there’s a “good chance” of peace in the Middle East being “EVERLASTING”.

In his latest post on the Truth Social platform, Trump warned that Hamas needed to return the bodies of captives, which included two Americans, or the “other countries involved in this GREAT PEACE will take action”.

“Some of the bodies are hard to reach, but others they can return now and, for some reason, they are not,” he wrote.

“Perhaps it has to do with their disarming, but when I said, ‘Both sides would be treated fairly,’ that only applies if they comply with their obligations. Let’s see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely,” he added.

What about the Israeli obligations to stop killing and wounding people, stop arming gangs and let desperately needed aid in.

 

Hamas says search for captives’ bodies will start in new location on Sunday

Khalil Al-Hayya, head of Hamas in Gaza, has spoken to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.

Here are some of the points he made:

  • New areas will be entered on Sunday to search for some of the Israeli captives’ bodies.
  • We agreed with all [Palestinian] factions that the mission of the UN is to rebuild Gaza.
  • We want to go to the elections as a prelude to reunifying the national ranks.
  • Our weapons are linked to the existence of the [Israeli] occupation and aggression, and if the occupation ends, these weapons will revert to the state.
  • The weapons are still being discussed with the factions and mediators, and the agreement is still in its infancy.
  • We accept UN forces as separation forces, border monitors, and monitors of the ceasefire in Gaza.
  • We are not satisfied with the amount of aid entering the Gaza Strip, and we call on mediators to intervene.
  • Gaza needs 6,000 aid trucks per day, not just 600. The occupation is delaying the entry of some materials into Gaza as if we are still in the middle of a war. The humanitarian issue worries us, and the occupation is still delaying the entry of aid into Gaza.