Donald Trump orders Israel to immediately halt Gaza bombing, as Hamas agrees to release hostages
Donald Trump urged Israel to immediately stop bombing Gaza after Hamas partially accepted his plan to end the almost two-year war.
The Palestinian group agreed to release the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and hand over power in the Gaza Strip, but demanded further negotiations on several conditions.
Trump's unprecedented order signals that Israel and Hamas are closer than ever to a peace agreement.
Ukrainian minister says Europe must "take seriously" the threat from Russia
Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergiy Kyslytsia, warned that Europe must "take seriously" the existential threat posed by Russia, stressing that the Kremlin is already at war with the continent.
He said that Russian drones that have violated the airspace of EU countries are part of a strategy to "move red lines" and test the Western response.
Without a united response from Europe and the Trump administration, Kyslytsia warned that Putin will "continue to escalate," seeking to destabilize the continent with hybrid and cyber means.
Italy "paralyzed" by nationwide strike in solidarity with Gaza
Italy was paralyzed by a general national strike in solidarity with aid ships to Gaza, which were stopped by the Israeli military leading to the arrest of around 450 activists.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in cities like Milan and Rome, blocking ports, highways and train stations.
The strike, organized by Italy's largest union CGIL, caused chaos in transport, with Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini calling it "illegal" and calling for harsher penalties.
Drones spotted flying over military base in eastern Belgium
Around 15 unidentified drones were discovered over the Elsenborn military base in eastern Belgium during a routine test of surveillance equipment.
Their origin is not yet known, although some local media reported that they may have entered from neighboring Germany.
The incident is being investigated by the Belgian Ministry of Defense and comes at a time when Europe is facing a wave of air violations by unknown drones.
