Middle East News
The Daily Signal provides coverage of Israel, Iran, and other regional players, with analysis on how Middle East events impact America’s security and global stability.
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- News
Israel Warns ‘Gates of Hell Will Open’ Against Hamas If Hostages Aren’t Released
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz says “the gates of hell will open” against Hamas if the remaining hostages still in Gaza are not released soon. “We will return to fighting and [Hamas] will face the [Israel Defense Forces] with strength and methods that it has not known, until [Hamas] is totally defeated,” Katz said while…Virginia Allen -
- News
Americans Sharply Divided by Age Over Support for Israel, Poll Finds
A new poll about the Israel-Hamas war found a 29 percentage point divide between older and younger Americans on support for Israel. Recent polling for the Napolitan News Service of 1,000 registered voters comes as President Donald Trump hopes to end that war in the Middle East. Trump last month hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin…Jacob Adams -
- Opinion
Documents Show How Biden’s State Dept Ignored Warnings About Funding Hamas-Linked UN Organization
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Among the many actions President Donald Trump took during his eventful first two weeks was ruling out any resumption of American funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency—again. In his executive order announcing the decision, he noted, “UNRWA has reportedly been infiltrated by members of groups long designated by the Secretary of State (Secretary) as…Michael Chamberlain -
- Opinion
500 Days in Captivity: The Plight of the Hamas Hostages
Editor’s note: Feb. 17, 2025, marked 500 days in captivity for the remaining 76 of the 250 hostages taken when Hamas terrorists struck southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and killed over 1,200 people. The Heritage Foundation hosted an event marking those 500 days on Tuesday, hearing from family members of those still held hostage…Victoria Coates -
- News
Netanyahu Puts Hamas on Notice: Release the Hostages or ‘Ceasefire Will End’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued an ultimatum to Hamas on Tuesday: Release the remaining hostages who are alive by noon Saturday or the ceasefire agreement will end. “If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the [Israel Defense Forces] will resume intense fighting until the final defeat…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Trump’s Gaza Gambit and the Art of the Ultimate Deal
Days after shocking the world with his upset victory in the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump espoused his hope of negotiating the “ultimate deal” between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs to resolve the “war that never ends.” As Trump told The Wall Street Journal at the time: “As a deal maker, I’d like to do…Josh Hammer -
- Opinion
Expert: US Also Protected by Its Investment in Israel
The relationship between Israel and the U.S. is not one of charity, according to national security expert Victoria Coates. Over the years, the “material assistance” the U.S. has provided Israel has shifted from largely being economic to “become security assistance,” Coates, vice president of the Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage…Virginia Allen -
- News
Speaker Johnson Backs Trump’s Gaza Plan
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., expressed support for President Donald Trump’s ambitious foreign policy goals at a news conference Wednesday, praising the president’s talk of redeveloping Gaza and downsizing the U.S. Agency for International Development. Johnson’s backing came the day after Trump stunned the world with his remarks at a joint press conference…George Caldwell -
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Netanyahu and Trump Discuss Fate of Middle East
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Tuesday for the first time since Trump’s return to the White House to discuss national security issues in the Middle East, including Israel’s war with Hamas. At two separate press conferences Tuesday, Trump struck a friendly tone with his Israeli counterpart. “We have the…Jacob Adams -
- News
Trump: US Will ‘Take Over the Gaza Strip’
The U.S. will “take over the Gaza Strip,” President Donald Trump said Tuesday night while speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. “We’ll own it,” Trump said of the Gaza Strip, adding that the U.S. will “be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Trump’s Gaza Proposal Makes Complete Sense
President Donald Trump recently floated a fantastic idea: Arab nations, he said, should accept large numbers of Gazans as refugees, a move that “could be temporary or long term.” The accommodation would allow Israel to eliminate the remnants of Hamas, which, in turn, would allow the international community to rebuild Gaza. Not only would such…David Harsanyi -
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American Israeli Hostage on List to Be Released
After 16 months in captivity, Israeli American hostage Keith Siegel is slated to be released Saturday. Siegel is 65 and from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but moved to Israel decades ago. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas took Siegel and his wife Aviva Siegel from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and drove them in their own vehicle…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Israel Makes a Deal With the Actual Devil
Only hours after a possible ceasefire deal was announced between Israel and Hamas, Khalil al Hayya, chairman of the terrorist organization, declared victory, contending that the mass murder of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, would “forever be a source of pride for our people.” Speaking from the safety of Qatar, Hayya didn’t express a…David Harsanyi -
- News
What to Know About Hostage Deal Reached Between Israel and Hamas
With President Donald Trump’s inauguration less than a week away, Hamas has agreed to a deal that includes a ceasefire and the release of the hostages being held in Gaza. “Soon, the hostages will be returned home to their families,” President Joe Biden said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon before going on to explain the known…Virginia Allen -
- News
Trump Reacts to ‘EPIC’ Ceasefire Deal Between Israel and Hamas
Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. The Israeli Cabinet still needs to formally ratify the agreement, and multiple details still need to be resolved, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. President-elect Donald Trump responded to the news Wednesday afternoon, calling the ceasefire agreement…Virginia Allen -
- News
‘They Will Get It Done’: Trump Leads Negotiation to End Hamas Hostage Ordeal, Warns ‘A Lot of Trouble’ If It Falters
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—As negotiations over the Hamas hostage deal near completion, President-elect Donald Trump said Monday on Newsmax that failure to secure the hostages’ release could unleash “a lot of trouble.” During an appearance on “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Trump said the negotiation is close to getting done. The deal aims to secure the release of hostages…Mariane Angela -
- Opinion
The Maximum Pressure Campaign: How Trump Isolated Iran
The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently been a destabilizing force in Middle Eastern geopolitics. With Donald Trump resuming the presidency in January 2025, his administration will have to confront how to credibly restore deterrence against the regime in Tehran. While the president-elect instinctually understands the art of deterrence—his recent threat of there being “all…Alex Alfirraz Scheers -
- News
A-List Actress Speaks Out on Israel, But Not in the Way You Might Expect
With just two weeks until President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, Hamas claims to have approved a list of 34 hostages to be exchanged in a possible ceasefire deal with Israel, Reuters reports. One of the hostages on the list is 19-year-old Liri Albag. Hamas released a propaganda video Saturday of Albag, one of the youngest hostages remaining in captivity…Virginia Allen -
- News
‘RED FLAG’: Terrorist’s Mosque Points FBI to Islamic Group That Condemns Israel’s ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ in Gaza
Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, the man who drove a car into New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street after praising the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, had been a member of a Houston mosque where an imam claimed that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler massacred Jews because they controlled the economy. Jabbar’s terrorist attack…Tyler O’Neil -
- News
3 Alive, 4 Dead: US Citizens Still Held Hostage in Gaza
Three U.S.-Israeli citizens believed to still be alive remain hostage in Gaza, including 36-year-old Sagui Dekel-Chen. “This is an American problem, and so far, the Biden administration, despite its best efforts, has not been able to get them home,” Jonathan Dekel-Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen's father, told The Daily Signal. It has been over 14 months…Virginia Allen