Free Republic

A senior Hamas leader declared that surrendering weapons would “criminalize the resistance” and vowed Gaza would never accept “foreign rule,” openly defying President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace framework as Phase Two of the U.S.-brokered plan moves toward implementation. Speaking Sunday at the 17th Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, Khaled Mashaal — the terror group’s former chief and current head of its diaspora office — flatly rejected the core requirement of Trump’s Gaza plan: disarmament tied to reconstruction and international oversight. Mashaal praised the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, arguing that the attack had thrust what he called...

Thousands of protesters are expected to take to the streets in the nation’s largest cities on Saturday night amid a series of damning reports about Qatar’s ties with aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The focus on Qatar, a key backer of Hamas, came after the publication this week of reports and interviews that appeared to tie Netanyahu to the so-called Bild and Qatargate probes in which his top aides have either been prime suspects or indicted. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called Qatargate “the most serious act of treason in Israeli history.” The anti-government rallies are backed by a...

Amnesty’s new report outlines widespread killings, hostage‑taking and abuses by Hamas-led forces during the October 7 attacks, based on verified testimony and forensic evidence.

Based on CAMERA watchdog: https://www.camera.org/article/poynter-politifact-fact-check-misleads-on-beheadings/ and moreHamas Beheading of Israeli Babies During October 7 MassacreDate:October 7, 2023Location:Southern Israel (Kfar Aza, Be'eri, and others)Type:Terrorist atrocity, massacre, decapitationPerpetrators:Hamas terrorists from GazaOutcome:Confirmed beheadings of babies and children by Israeli eyewitnesses, first responders, and forensic experts. Poynter/PolitiFact fact-checks later retracted after CAMERA critique.Hamas Beheading of Israeli Babies During the October 7 Massacre During the barbaric October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, Hamas terrorists beheaded Israeli babies and children — acts verified by multiple Israeli officials, emergency responders, journalists, and forensic pathologists. While hostile media voices fixated on disputing a specific number (“40”), the...

“Following the victory of Zohran Mamdani in the New York mayoral race, Qatari journalists and media figures commented on their X accounts, celebrating his win and attributing it to the impact of the "Al-Aqsa Flood", i.e., Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. These figures wrote that Mamdani's victory reflects a major perceptual shift in the U.S. and the world and the decline in Israel's international standing.”

Shortly after October 7, 2023, Israeli forces sorting through the remains of the 1,200 people killed during the deadliest attack on Israel since the 1973 Yom Kippur war recovered drones that Hamas and other Iranian proxies had used to target Israeli civilians. Officials found that the unmanned aerial vehicles contained multiple U.S.-origin electronic components, and further investigation showed that these parts had been procured by Chinese firms then transferred to Iranian front companies, which in turn passed them on to Hamas. The Iranians distributed U.S.-made technology bought by the Chinese to other proxies as well, including the Houthi rebels, who...

A group called Stand for Palestine Australia announced it would hold a “Glory to Our Martyrs” rally on October 7 — the anniversary of the horrifying Hamas terrorist attack that launched the Gaza war — in the western Sydney suburb of Bankstown. New South Wales (NSW) Premier Chris Minns said he was appalled by the “terrible timing” of the event. “Terrible timing, shockingly insensitive,” Minns said in a radio interview on Tuesday. “We understand that there is concern about innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza, but to do it … on 7th, seems like they are glorifying the actions of these...

Israel and Hamas will begin indirect talks in Egypt on Monday after Hamas said it would accept parts of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, including releasing all remaining Israeli hostages. I spoke with my colleague Josh Keating about what we know about the deal and its chances of succeeding for Vox’s daily newsletter, Today, Explained. Our conversation is below, and you can sign up for the newsletter here for more conversations like this. What happened on Friday? Is the war actually about to end?On Friday, Hamas issued a response to the 20-point Gaza peace plan, which had been put...

U.S. Catholic Bishops Warn of the Greatest Threat We Face: IslamophobiaTalk about poor timing! On the same day that news broke of an Islamist attack on a Catholic Parish in the Congo that left 64 dead and many wounded, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a 15-page booklet, “Islamophobia: A Guide for U.S. Catholics on Anti-Muslim Bigotry.”The purpose of the booklet is to warn Catholics about “the rising tide of anti-Muslim sentiment.” I’m not aware of any “rising tide” of anti-Muslim bigotry in the U.S., but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a rising tide of anti-Muslim...

Four Indian students were rejected for U.S. visas after undergoing a new Trump-era social media screening. All were told they had failed to prove ties to India. Kaushik Raj felt like his future was falling into place. He’d just won a $100,000 scholarship to pursue a graduate degree in journalism at Columbia University. A U.S. visa was the only thing that stood between him and a new life in New York. Raj, 27, wasn’t overly concerned. He had completed every stage of the traditional application process. As a last step, he had to allow American authorities to vet his “online...

After Hamas' horrific Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 Jews and the seizure of 250 Jewish hostages, the headlines cried out in shock, anger and astonishment. The New York Times wrote, "As world leaders condemned the attacks -- and questions arose about how Israeli intelligence had been so surprised -- ordinary citizens tried to make sense of what was happening." On Oct. 7, 2023, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens wrote: "Thanks to defensive systems like Iron Dome, Hamas's punches, while frequent and menacing, rarely landed. For Israelis, Gaza seemed relatively contained. That was, until this weekend. Whatever happens next...

The orchestrated walkout by the Islamic-lobby-dominated Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address at the United Nations was not just a diplomatic stunt—it was a blatant act of intellectual cowardice and a disgraceful betrayal of the UN’s core principles. While Israel stood on the global stage advocating for peace, coexistence, and the fundamental right to self-defense, OIC nations chose petulance over dialogue. This wasn't a protest—it was a refusal to hear the truth. Their exit marked yet another example of the Islamic bloc’s long-standing strategy: silence Israeli voices rather than engage with them, smear Israel rather...

Hamas has declared victory after Sir Keir Starmer announced that the UK formally recognises Palestine as a state. The Prime Minister announced the decision in a video message on Sunday afternoon at the same time that Canada and Australia also recognised Palestinian statehood. He said: “Let’s be frank. Hamas is a brutal terror organisation. Our call for a genuine two-state solution is the exact opposite of their hateful vision. We are clear this solution is not a reward for Hamas, because it means Hamas can have no future, no role in government, no role in security.” The move means that...

@AlboMP My statement formally recognising the State of Palestine.

@Keir_Starmer Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel launched its offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday, vowing to overwhelm a city already in ruins from nearly two years of war as thousands of Palestinians fled in vehicles strapped with mattresses and other belongings that clogged a coastal road. The operation into the largest Palestinian city escalated a conflict that has roiled the Middle East and likely pushed any ceasefire with Hamas farther out of reach. The military would not offer a timeline for the offensive that aims to crush the militant group’s ability to fight, but Israeli media suggested it could take months. “Gaza...

Keir Starmer must obey his “legal duty to act to prevent a genocide”, Greta Thunberg has told the Guardian while travelling onboard an aid flotilla heading for Gaza. The Swedish activist said there was a “huge absence of those whose legal responsibility it is to step up” under international law, and called out the UK prime minister before a potential meeting this week with Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog. In a message to Starmer, who has been urged by his own MPs not to meet the Israeli head of state on Wednesday, Thunberg said: “The words we will use to describe...

On August 13, 2025, Israeli forces eliminated the terrorist Mohammed Naif Abu Shamla, the commander of the Nukhba platoon in the Hamas terror organization, in southern Khan Younis. Abu Shamla infiltrated Israel’s territory and took part in the attempted infiltration of the IDF’s (Israel Defense Forces) Mars outpost during the October 7 massacre. During the war, he promoted numerous terror plans against IDF forces and the State of Israel as part of his role in the Hamas terror organization.(ANI/TPS)

Sandra Solomon was born a Muslim in Ramallah under a different name and raised in Saudi Arabia before eventually moving to Canada, where she made the bold decision to leave Islam and convert to Christianity. In this powerful interview, she shares her personal journey of faith, her escape from religious oppression, and her outspoken fight against radical Islam. As the niece of Sakher Habash, a founding leader of the Palestinian Fatah movement and one of the architects of the Intifada, Sandra’s story is not only courageous but deeply intertwined with Middle Eastern history and politics. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:51 What...

Natasha Hausdorff – barrister and legal director at the UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust – is the latest guest on The Brendan O’Neill Show. Natasha and Brendan discuss Bob Vylan’s vile chants at Glastonbury, the horrors Israel faces in Gaza and how the Holocaust is now weaponised against the Jews. Transcript linked below video and links.