Hunter Biden’s gun pouch had cocaine residue on it, prosecutors claim
Federal prosecutors claim a brown leather pouch used by Hunter Biden to store a gun had cocaine on it. On Tuesday, prosecutors asked a judge to reject President Biden’s son Hunter’s efforts to dismiss gun charges because investigators found cocaine residue on the pouch used to hold his gun, last year. HOUSE COMMITTEES APPROVE RESOLUTION TO HOLD HUNTER BIDEN IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS, MOVES TO FLOOR Prosecutors told the judge, “the strength of the evidence against him is overwhelming,” rejecting Hunter Biden’s claims he was being singled out for political reasons. Hunter Biden previously made incriminating statements about his drug use in a 2021 memoir, but now investigators are saying the cocaine was found on the gun pouch after it was pulled from a state police vault last year. A chemist with the FBI, prosecutors claimed, determined the residue was cocaine. “To be clear, investigators literally found drugs on the pouch where the defendant had kept his gun,” prosecutors said. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of lying about using drugs in October 2018 on a gun purchase form. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Biden administration to relist Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis as designated terrorists amid Red Sea attacks
The Biden administration is expected to redesignate Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis as a terrorist group after its removal from the Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) list in 2021, following repeated recent attacks in the Red Sea, Fox News has learned. Officials told Fox News that it wasn’t clear if the Houthis will be placed under the same designation, but that there are a number of sanction options that can be used in lieu of a formal FTO finding. The decision comes as the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The group said the attacks are in response to Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hours earlier, Houthi fighters launched anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen into the Red Sea. “M/V Zografia, a Maltese flagged bulk carrier reported they were struck but seaworthy and were continuing their Red Sea transit. No injuries were reported,” U.S. Central Command said. US CARRIES OUT ADDITIONAL STRIKE IN YEMEN, OFFICIAL SAYS Secretary of State Antony Blinken delisted the Houthis as both a foreign terrorist organization and as specially designated global terrorists in February 2021, as the Biden administration sought to make it easier to get humanitarian aid into Yemen. The move was a reversal of former President Trump‘s decision to place the Houthis on the FTO list over the strong objections of human rights and humanitarian aid groups in the waning days of his presidency. The foreign terrorist designation barred Americans and people and organizations subject to U.S. jurisdiction from providing “material support” to the Houthis, which the groups said would result in an even greater humanitarian catastrophe than what was already happening in Yemen. CENTCOM RELEASES STATEMENT AFTER HOUTHI ATTACK IN YEMEN: ‘ILLEGAL AND DANGEROUS ACTIONS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED’ The recent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping. Linda Thomas Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said last week that 2,000 ships since November have been forced to divert thousands of miles to avoid the Red Sea. Houthi militants have threatened or taken hostage mariners from more than 20 countries. On Tuesday, U.S. forces struck and destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles that were prepared to launch from Yemen, Centcom said. In addition to the Houthis, groups linked to Iran have launched attacks in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. The Biden administration has raised concerns that the war between Israel and Hamas could escalate into a regional conflict. “We have to guard against and be vigilant against the possibility that, in fact, rather than heading towards de-escalation, we are on a path of escalation that we have to manage,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Massachusetts Gov. Healey pushes childcare spending under new proposal
Parents across Massachusetts, and particularly in the state’s former industrial “Gateway Cities,” would have better access to child care and early education under a plan unveiled Tuesday by Democratic Gov. Maura Healey. The plan would guarantee that every 4-year-old in the 26 cities — which include Worcester, Springfield, New Bedford, Taunton and Chelsea — has the chance, at low or no cost, to enroll their child in a high-quality preschool program, Healey said. The program currently exists in 12 Gateway Cities. Healey hopes to expand the program to the remaining 14. Healey’s proposal would also help an additional 4,000 low-and moderate-income families afford child care by increasing eligibility for Child Fare Financial Assistance — the state’s child care financial assistance programs to help families pay for child care and out-of-school time programs. MASSACHUSETTS GOV. HEALEY ANNOUNCES $375M IN BUDGET CUTS AMID ANTICIPATED SHORTFALL Healey’s plan also would boost eligibility from families currently making 50% of the state median income — or less than $49,467 annually for a family of two and $61,106 for a family of three — to add in those making up to 85% of the state median income, or $84,094 for a family of two and $103,880 for a family of three. “Far too many parents are being held back from returning to the workforce because of the daunting cost of child care, and providers are facing the difficult decision between continuing in the profession they love or leaving for a higher-paid career,” said Healey. She plans to outline the initiative during her 2024 State of the Commonwealth address on Wednesday. Healey also plans to announce she will continue the state’s Commonwealth Cares for Children grants, which also help pay for programs aimed at improving quality and hiring more staff to create more classrooms where families can enroll their children in child care. Healey will also use her address to announce she also plans to sign an executive order recognizing what she said is the “essential role child care plays in driving the state’s economy and competitiveness forward.” The governor said the executive order will bring together teams with experience in housing, child care, education, economic development, health care and human services with members of the business community to develop ways to expand access, build new child care facilities and reduce costs for families. Healey made the announcement Tuesday during a stop in Malden, one of the state’s Gateway Cities.
New Hampshire primaries: A muted ‘circus’ with Biden missing from ballot
“Never going to happen.” That’s how New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu responded early last year to the prospect of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) stripping his state of its first-in-the-nation presidential primary. For more than 100 years, New Hampshire has held the first primary contest in the United States, giving state voters a hefty voice in the process through which candidates ultimately receive their party nomination. It was such a source of pride that the state even enshrined its earliest-primary status in its laws. But the Democratic Party, at the urging of President Joe Biden, was under pressure to rearrange its primary calendar and move forward states that better reflect US demographics. So in February 2023, the DNC demoted the rural, largely white New Hampshire to second on its primary calendar, behind South Carolina, despite the state’s objections. Now, as the primary season kicks off on January 23, the Democratic primary in New Hampshire is set to be a showdown — between state and national party officials as much as between the candidates themselves. The state has refused to relinquish its top primary spot, and in response, the DNC has stripped the primary of its delegates, rendering it purely symbolic. Biden, who likely faces a tight reelection race in 2024, will also not appear on the New Hampshire ballot. But why does going first matter? And with this year’s primary contests widely expected to confirm Biden as the Democratic nominee, will the brouhaha in New Hampshire have any effect? ‘Point of pride’ Liz Tentarelli, the president of the League of Women Voters New Hampshire, a non-partisan group, likens the state’s primaries to when “the circus comes to town”. National media arrive in droves, and candidates crisscross the state, an area of just over 24,000sq km (9,300sq miles). Many presidential hopefuls hold small, in-person town halls and meet-and-greets, allowing some of the state’s 1.3 million residents to engage directly with candidates. “Voting is a point of pride in New Hampshire,” said Tentarelli, a resident of the small town of Newbury, about 50km (30 miles) northwest of the state capital, Concord. Holding the first primary, she explained, is “a big deal”. “I think it reflects that New Hampshire is the state that’s aware of politics more than some other states,” she told Al Jazeera, pointing to historically high voter turnout in primary and general elections. “We’re also a small state that makes it easy for candidates who are not massively funded to campaign in the state. They can get around to different towns and hold these events, and the people turn out.” According to Andrew Smith, a political science professor and president of the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Survey Center, holding the first primary is first and foremost “important culturally and historically to the state”. “It’s what people from New Hampshire are known for,” he told Al Jazeera. “We never set out to have the first primary. It kind of happened by accident.” To save money, the state’s early primaries were initially scheduled to coincide with Town Meeting Day, an occasion for community gatherings. New Hampshire held its first presidential primary in 1916, but it was four years later, in 1920, that the state began its first-in-the-nation tradition. Since then, Smith said, New Hampshire residents have been willing to “fight” to keep their state’s first-place status. Supporters of Donald Trump cheer as he speaks during a rally in Durham, New Hampshire, in December [Brian Snyder/Reuters] Trump leading, Biden not on ballot However, the 2024 primaries have been more muted than in past years, said Tentarelli. That’s in large part because political observers expect this year’s presidential race to come down to a rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump, who lost the 2020 election. Unlike its Democratic counterpart, the Republican National Committee has retained its traditional primary calendar, which began with the Iowa caucuses on January 15 and continues with New Hampshire holding the inaugural primary. Trump remains the frontrunner in the party’s race, with a solid lead both in New Hampshire and across the country. He also notched a decisive victory in the Iowa caucuses. But one of his Republican rivals, former United Nations envoy Nikki Haley, has been gaining ground in New Hampshire in recent weeks, according to recent polls. And on the Democratic side, Biden’s absence from New Hampshire’s primary ballot has highlighted tensions within the party itself. After the state’s row with the Democratic National Committee over the new primary calendar, Biden did not file paperwork to be on the ballot on January 23. That schism was further underscored by a tense exchange between state officials and DNC representatives. In a letter last week, obtained by Politico, the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee called the January 23 primary “detrimental”, “non-binding” and “meaningless” for Democrats. The letter reiterated that New Hampshire’s vote could not be used to choose Democratic Party delegates, who represent the state in picking the party’s nominee for the general elections. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella responded on January 8, calling the DNC’s remarks “false, deceptive, and misleading”. He also warned that any attempt to discourage primary voters could constitute a violation of state law. Biden has not campaigned in the state either, leaving long-shot Democratic candidates like author Marianne Williamson and Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips an opening to post higher-than-expected primary results. Williamson and Phillips “have made some appearances, but they have not generated much interest this year because we know they’re long shots”, Tentarelli said. She added that, among Democratic voters, “there is a sense of annoyance, I think, that Biden is not on the ballot”. Yet, despite the ongoing rift between state and national party officials, some top New Hampshire Democrats have backed a grassroots effort calling on voters to write in the president’s name on their primary ballots. “While misguided DNC rules are leaving Joe Biden off the primary ballot here, New Hampshire Democrats and Democrat-leaning Independents overwhelmingly support Joe Biden and plan to write him in,” the
Trump attends defamation damages trial stemming from E. Jean Carroll lawsuit, after winning Iowa Caucuses
Former President Trump sat in a New York City courtroom Tuesday as part of the civil defamation damages trial stemming from E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit claiming he sexually attacked her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. Trump traveled to New York City late Monday night after dominating the Iowa caucuses and solidifying his place as frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination. EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP TO APPEAL VERDICT IN E JEAN CARROLL CIVIL CASE, SAYS HE HAS ‘ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA’ WHO SHE IS Trump plans to testify in his defense. “I should be in New Hampshire, campaigning and fighting for our Country, and I will be later today, but for now I had to spend time in a Federal Courthouse with a Trump Hating, Radical Left Judge, on a case that is another politically biased WITCH HUNT — ONE DAY AFTER IOWA, AND JUST AHEAD OF THE IMPORTANT NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account Tuesday. “THIS HOAX, WHICH THE ‘BULLY’ JUDGE CHOSE TO HAVE AS TWO TRIALS INSTEAD OF MERGING INTO ONE, IS A DISGRACE, AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT. His former Law Clerk(?) is on the other side.” Trump left New York on Tuesday afternoon to hold a rally in New Hampshire, where he said “a BIG crowd is waiting. MAGA!!!” The second trial comes after a federal jury in New York City decided in May that Trump was not liable for rape but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The former president has been ordered to pay $5 million. Carroll, 79, alleged that Trump raped her at the Bergdorf Goodman department store across the street from Trump Tower in Manhattan sometime in 1996. According to Carroll, the two had a chance run-in at the store, where Trump was shopping for a gift for “a girl.” She said he asked for her advice, and the two shopped together before he pushed her into a dressing room and assaulted her. TRUMP CANNOT ASSERT PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY IN E JEAN CARROLL DEFAMATION LAWSUIT, APPEALS COURT RULES Trump vehemently denied the allegation, and his denial resulted in Carroll slapping Trump with a defamation lawsuit, claiming that his response caused harm to her reputation. Trump and his legal team insist that Carroll’s allegations are fabricated, with the former president’s initial reaction including an accusation that Carroll was motivated by wanting to sell copies of her book. In an exclusive interview just after the jury delivered the verdict, Trump told Fox News Digital that he has “absolutely no idea who this woman is.” “This verdict is a disgrace,” he told Fox News Digital at the time. “It is a continuation of the greatest political witch hunt in history.” The former president told reporters last week that he plans to testify in his defense in the current trial, saying he will “explain I don’t know who the hell she is.” Carroll, 80, plans to testify about the damage to her career and reputation that resulted from Trump’s public statements. She seeks $10 million in compensatory damages and millions more in punitive damages. Last May, a different jury awarded Carroll $5 million after concluding that Trump sexually abused her, then defamed her in 2022 by claiming she made it up after she revealed it publicly in a 2019 memoir. The jury said Carroll hadn’t proven that Trump raped her. Trump, on his Truth Social account Tuesday, posted images of Carroll’s tweets dating back to 2015. In one image, Carroll wrote: “How do you know your ‘unwanted sexual advance’ is unwanted, until you advance it?” Trump also posted that Carroll “has been ‘all over the place’ on the timing of this alleged ‘incident,’ which never took place, and is being coached by Lunatic Radical Left Democrat operative attorney, Roberta Kaplan, who has sued me before, and just lost.” “I am the only one who has been injured by this attempted EXTORTION,” Trump posted. Nine jurors were selected for the trial, which Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said is likely to last three to five days. Testimony will begin Wednesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Biden admin admits migrant drownings occurred before Border Patrol alerted Texas officials
The Biden administration, in a new filing to the Supreme Court, has admitted that three migrants who drowned last week died long before Border Patrol agents sought access to the Shelby Park area from Texas officials — after the administration had blasted the Lone Star state over the incident. DHS and the White House had both taken aim at Texas after the deaths of three migrants, including two children, in the Shelby Park area last week. Texas has seized the area and was the administration said it was refusing to grant Border Patrol access. “Tragically, a woman and two children drowned last night in the Shelby Park area of Eagle Pass, which was commandeered by the State of Texas earlier this week,” DHS said in a statement Saturday evening. “In responding to a distress call from the Mexican government, Border Patrol agents were physically barred by Texas officials from entering the area.” That statement went on to call Texas Gov. Abbott’s policies “cruel, dangerous, and inhumane, and Texas’s blatant disregard for federal authority over immigration poses grave risks.” DHS CLAIMS BORDER PATROL BLOCKED BY TEXAS FROM ENTERING AREA TO RESCUE MIGRANTS WHO LATER DROWNED The White House had been similarly scathing over the deaths on Saturday evening. “On Friday night, a woman and two children drowned near Eagle Pass, and Texas officials blocked U.S. Border Patrol from attempting to provide emergency assistance. While we continue to gather facts about the circumstances of these tragic deaths, one thing is clear: Governor Abbott’s political stunts are cruel, inhumane, and dangerous. U.S. Border Patrol must have access to the border to enforce our laws.” However, in a court filing as part of ongoing litigation, the DOJ said Mexican officials advised Border Patrol at 9 p.m. local time that the migrants had drowned at 8 p.m — but that there were an additional two migrants “in distress” on the U.S. side of the border. The filing repeats the claim that Border Patrol was not allowed to enter the area “even in emergency situations.” The two additional migrants were later rescued by Mexican officials while suffering from hypothermia. However, the DOJ suggested that it may have been able to spot the migrants if they had access to the area. DOJ RENEWS SCOTUS PUSH TO ACT AFTER TEXAS SEIZES BORDER AREAS, BLOCKS BORDER PATROL FROM ENTERING “It is impossible to say what might have happened if Border Patrol had had its former access to the area — including through its surveillance trucks that assisted in monitoring the area,” they said. “At the very least, however, Border Patrol would have had the opportunity to take any available steps to fulfill its responsibilities and assist its counterparts in the Mexican government with undertaking the rescue mission. Texas made that impossible.” Texas had initially pushed back on the narrative, saying that claims of requesting access to save distressed migrants “are inaccurate” “Claims that [Texas Military Dept] prevented Border Patrol from saving the lives of drowning migrants are wholly inaccurate. At the time that Border Patrol requested access, the drownings had occurred, Mexican authorities were recovering the bodies, and Border Patrol expressed these facts to the TMD personnel on site,” the Texas Military Dept. said in a statement. Gov. Abbott blamed lawmakers and some media outlets for being “so eager to point finger at Texas for drowning of migrants they forgot to get the facts.” WHITE HOUSE ACCUSES ABBOTT OF TRYING TO ‘POLITICIZE THE BORDER’ AFTER TEXAS SEIZES PARK ALONG RIO GRANDE “When BP requested access to river the drownings had already occurred & found in MX,” he said. “The fact is the deaths are b/c of Biden’s Open Border magnet.” The dispute over Shelby Park is heightening existing tensions between the federal government and the state. The federal government sent a cease and desist order to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxon this week, threatening legal action if it did not back down. That’s in addition to ongoing lawsuits related to the construction of razor wire by Texas and its destruction by the federal government, the setting up of buoys in the Rio Grande and a new anti illegal immigration law signed by Abbott which allows state and local law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants
Mississippi Gov. Reeves pushes for $350M in EV battery plant incentives
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is asking legislators for $350 million in incentives for a proposed factory that would manufacture electric vehicle batteries and employ about 2,000 people in Marshall County. The Republican governor on Tuesday declined to name the company that plans to spend $1.9 billion to build the facility in northern Mississippi. It would be the second-largest corporate investment in state history. Reeves, who recently started his second term as governor, said jobs at the proposed factory would pay an average salary of about $66,000 a year. GOV. REEVES SWORN IN FOR SECOND TERM AFTER UNDERWHELMING ELECTION WIN IN DEEP-RED MISSISSIPPI “This is a massive win for the state,” he said during a news conference in Jackson. U.S. manufacturing of EV batteries is accelerating as automakers transition to electric vehicles. The Inflation Reduction Act offers $7,500 in tax credits for consumers purchasing EVs, but only if the vehicles and batteries are assembled in North America and include minerals mined or processed domestically. Reeves called a special legislative session to begin Thursday for lawmakers to consider incentives for the Mississippi plant. Citing a confidentiality agreement, the governor said he would not publicly name the company behind it until the special session ends. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Trey Lamar, a Republican from Senatobia, told The Associated Press that the state package would include money for site development at the Chickasaw Trails Industrial Park. If the plant comes to fruition, it will add to a bevy of similar facilities materializing around the country. Ford is building EV battery plants in Kentucky and Tennessee, each through a joint venture with battery partner SK On, of South Korea. Georgia has offered lucrative tax incentives in an effort to become a Southern hub for EV manufacturing, and at a site near Savannah, Hyundai is building its first U.S. factory devoted solely to EV production. ExxonMobil announced in November that it would drill for lithium in southern Arkansas, with the oil giant expected to begin production of the critical material for electric vehicles by 2027.
Senator Chuck Grassley in hospital receiving ‘antibiotic infusions’; in good spirits, office says
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was receiving antibiotic infusions at an area hospital to treat an infection, his office said Tuesday. “He is in good spirits and will return to work as soon as possible following doctors’ orders,” a statement said. GOP PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY BATTLE MOVES ON TO NEW HAMPSHIRE AFTER TRUMP DOMINATES IN IOWA No other details were released. Grassely, 90, was first elected to the Senate in 1980 and has been reelected seven times. He is the Senate’s oldest member following the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., in September. Feinstein faced criticism over her deteriorating health in her final years and her ability to serve. Many aging congressional leaders, as well as President Biden, have also faced questions over their fitness to serve in recent years.
Biden climate czar John Kerry snaps when confronted about carbon footprint
President Biden’s climate czar John Kerry gave a fiery response after he was confronted Tuesday by a reporter in Switzerland who asked about his carbon footprint. “What’s the carbon footprint of these events every single year that you come here? Do you think it’s worth it — peasants paying for your crimes?” Avi Yemini, an Australian reporter with independent outlet Rebel News, asked Kerry who was walking on a street in Davos, Switzerland. “That’s a stupid question,” Kerry responded. “Nobody ever suggested that. Don’t make up stupid questions,” he said when asked a follow-up question about why his carbon footprint didn’t matter. Kerry — who is in Davos to attend the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) summit, which largely focuses on environmental issues like climate change and achieving net-zero ambitions — added that he has done a “huge amount” to combat climate change. Security personnel escorting Kerry between WEF events ultimately blocked Yemini from asking further questions. TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE PROBES JOHN KERRY’S COORDINATION WITH ECO GROUPS PUSHING COAL POWER SHUTDOWN Yemini later said in a social media post that Kerry “found it difficult to justify his carbon footprint in attending the World Economic Forum each year in Davos.” The confrontation comes days after reports surfaced that Kerry would step down from his role as special presidential envoy for climate at the State Department. On Tuesday, he confirmed the reports, but said he would merely shift his efforts, not retire. CHINESE TECH COMPANIES ARE EXPLOITING US GREEN ENERGY GOALS, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS WARN Shortly after taking office in 2021, President Biden appointed Kerry to the role, a position that hadn’t previously existed, didn’t require Senate approval and gives him a spot on the president’s cabinet and National Security Council. The SPEC office is housed at the State Department and has an estimated $13.9 million annual budget with approval for 45 personnel. Since assuming the role, Kerry has traveled worldwide, attending high-profile climate summits and diplomatic engagements in an effort to push a global transition from fossil fuels to green energy alternatives. In addition to attending multiple United Nations global warming summits, he has attended multiple WEF conferences. GOP SENATOR ROASTS JOHN KERRY FOR JETTING OFF TO ANOTHER CLIMATE CONFERENCE But Kerry has received criticism for his carbon footprint, including his past use of a private jet owned by his family. According to flight tracking data obtained by Fox News Digital in July 2022, a Gulfstream GIV-SP jet owned by Kerry’s family made a total of 48 trips that lasted more than 60 hours and emitted an estimated 715,886 pounds, or 325 metric tons, of carbon over the course of the Biden administration’s first 18 months. However, one month after the Fox News Digital report that highlighted the jet’s extensive carbon footprint and after lawmakers blasted Kerry for apparent hypocrisy, the Gulfstream jet was sold to an energy-focused hedge fund in New York City. Whitney Smith, a State Department spokesperson, confirmed the sale in a statement last year and said Kerry travels commercially in his current role. “John Kerry is an unelected bureaucrat who’s making decisions that have major impacts on the lives of Americans, the overwhelming majority of whom are going to be more worried about the cost of gas to drive their cars to work, not the cost of fuel to fly a jet to King Charles’ coronation,” Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., previously told Fox News Digital. “He needs to understand that,” added Mast, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability.
Qatar announces Israel-Hamas deal for medicine and aid to enter Gaza
Shipment of aid for Palestinians and medicines for captives held by Hamas to leave Doha on Wednesday for Egypt and transport to Gaza. Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to allow medicines to be delivered to Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip and for aid to be transported to residents in the besieged Palestinian territory, Qatar has announced. The deal will see humanitarian aid delivered to civilians in “the most affected and vulnerable areas” in Gaza in exchange for the delivery of medication to Israeli captives held by Hamas, the group that governs Gaza, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday. Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said medication and aid will leave Doha on Wednesday for the Egyptian city of El Arish in preparation for their delivery into the Gaza Strip. He said the agreement was mediated by Qatar in cooperation with France. Earlier, Philippe Lalliot, head of France’s foreign ministry crisis centre, which organises aid efforts, said negotiations had been going on for weeks and the initial idea had come from the families of some of the Israeli hostages. Specific medical packages for several months, which were put together in France, would be delivered to each of the 45 hostages. The International Committee of the Red Cross will coordinate on the ground. Hamas seized around 240 people as hostages during its attack on southern Israel on October 7 in which at least 1,139 people were killed, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on offiicial statistics. Israel responded to the assault with a devastating bombardment, siege and ground invasion of Gaza. More than 24,000 people have been killed in the Israeli assault, according to Palestinian authorities. More than 100 captives were freed during a week-long truce in late November following lengthy negotiations mediated by Qatar and the United States. In exchange, Israel released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from jails. Earlier on Tuesday, the White House said US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk was in Doha in recent days discussing a possible deal for the release of captives. National security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that McGurk was involved in “very serious and intensive discussions” with the Qataris about another deal. “We are hopeful it will bear fruit and bear fruit soon,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)