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New York Post
30-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Witkoff could visit Gaza aid sites during Israel trip as at least 48 reportedly killed waiting for food
President Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East may visit the troubled aid distribution sites inside Gaza as part of his visit to Israel after another 48 people were reportedly killed while waiting for food on Wednesday. Steve Witkoff is en route to Israel to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza following Trump's call for the US and other nations to 'get some food' to the refugee population as famine looms over the Palestinian enclave. As part of the work, Witkoff could enter Gaza to visit the controversial distribution sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), Axios reported. 5 Steve Witkoff, President Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, is heading to Israel to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and how best to move forward with a cease-fire deal. REUTERS 5 More than a million people in Gaza stand on the brink of famine as aid slowly enters the Strip. APAImages/Shutterstock 'The president wants to know more about what the humanitarian situation in Gaza is in order to know how to get more assistance to civilians in Gaza,' a US official with knowledge of the trip told the outlet. The GHF sites, which are guarded by armed Israeli soldiers, have been accused of failing to meet humanitarian principles and have been where more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for food, according to the United Nations' human rights office. The sites had served as the only way for Palestinians to receive aid after Israel ended its total blockade in the spring, with other humanitarian groups refusing to work with the GHF and the UN unable to deliver supplies through an active war zone. While Israel has eased some of the restrictions following international outcry over the images of starvation in Gaza, the trip to receive aid remains perilous, with at least 48 people killed and dozens injured at the Zikim Crossing while waiting for food on Wednesday, according to local hospitals that received the bodies. 5 Dozens of children have died of malnutrition, with more than 1,000 people dying while trying to reach aid distribution sites. AFP via Getty Images 5 Nations have begun air-dropping aid directly into Gaza, but humanitarian groups warn that it is not enough. AP It remains unclear who shot the victims, as both the Israeli military and armed Palestinian gangs have previously fired into crowds of people desperately looking to get food. The Israeli military, which has defended such shootings in the past as a means to halt threats to its personnel at the distribution sites, did not immediately comment on the latest bloodshed. The killings came just hours after overnight Israeli strikes and gunfire killed another 46 Palestinians, 30 of whom were in the crowds waiting for food, according to local health officials. 5 A bloodied and injured Palestinian is seen after the latest violence plaguing aid distribution sites in Gaza. APAImages/Shutterstock Seven more children also died on Wednesday due to malnutrition-related causes, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. Along with addressing the crisis in Gaza, Witkoff is set to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about broader policy involving the war with Hamas, including prospects for a new cease-fire deal and hostage exchange plan, according to Axios. Witkoff had withdrawn his team from Qatar last week after accusing Hamas of being 'selfish' in the negotiations, with the US and Israel saying they will explore 'alternative' means to rescue the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza. With Post wires
New York Post
13-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was injured in Israeli airstrike during 12-day war: report
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was reportedly injured by an Israeli airstrike targeting a high-profile meeting in Tehran during the 12-day war, according to state media reports. Pezeshkian, who last week accused Israel of trying to assassinate him during the war, was one of the officials who gathered at an underground facility in Tehran on June 16 for an emergency meeting of the state's Supreme National Security Council, according to the Fars news agency. During the meeting, six bombs were dropped on the location, with Pezeshkian said to have suffered injuries to his leg as he and the other officials escaped through an emergency shaft. Advertisement 3 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly suffered a leg injury when Israeli bombs hit the location where Tehran's Supreme National Security Council was meeting on June 16. APAImages/Shutterstock 3 The 12-day war saw Israel bombard Iran's capital, taking out many high-ranking commanders. ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The airstrikes were extremely precise, according to the state outlet, with the bombs blocking all six main entry and exit points, along with the ventilation system. Although the attack left the underground facility without power, Pezeshkian and the other top officials managed to get out alive. Advertisement The report provides more details on Pezeshkian's claim last week during an interview with former Fox host Tucker Carlson, where the Iranian president said he had been targeted by an airstrike during a high-stakes meeting. 'They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed,' Pezeshkian said when asked if he had been an assassination target. 3 Bomb damage to a residential building in Tehran following the 12-day war in June. Getty Images Advertisement 'I was in a meeting. We were discussing the ways to move forward, but thanks to the intelligence by the spies that they had, they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting,' he recounted. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz denied the allegations, reiterating that a 'regime change' had not been the goal of the 12-day war, which targeted Tehran's nuclear facilities. The plot to kill Pezeshkian has reportedly triggered an internal investigation over how Israeli agents came to know his movements and the location of the Supreme National Security Council's meeting. Advertisement The council serves as Tehran's top rulers after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was also a target during the war, before Israel lost sight of him when he went into deep hiding. Since the 12-day war, Iranian authorities have arrested more than 700 people and killed at least six in a nationwide espionage crackdown, officials and human rights groups said.
New York Post
27-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
President Trump predicts Gaza ceasefire ‘within the next week'
President Donald Trump predicted there will be a ceasefire in Gaza sometime 'within the next week.' Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump called the situation in Gaza a 'terrible situation' but expressed optimism there could soon be a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. 'I think it's close. I just spoke with some of the people involved,' said the president, adding, 'We think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire.' Trump also addressed the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying, 'we're supplying, as you know, a lot of money and a lot of food to that area because we have to, I mean, you have to. In theory we're not involved in it, but we're involved because people are dying.' He called on other countries to also send humanitarian aid to Gaza. 'You see the the lines of people just to get one meal, essentially. But it's too bad other countries aren't helping out,' he said. 'Nobody's helping out where we're doing that because I think we have to on a humanitarian basis,' he went on. President Trump says a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War could occur sometime next week. AP 'I look at those crowds of people that have no food, no anything. And, you know, we're the ones that are getting it there. Some of it's being taken by some bad people, you know, as you give it and you give it out, and they're supposed to be taking care of the people, and they end up stealing the food and selling it. But we have a pretty good system now, so we're helping with that.' Trump told reporters that while the situation in Gaza is terrible, there is still hope that a ceasefire can happen. APAImages/Shutterstock 'We're working on Gaza, trying to get it taken care of and again, you know, a lot of lot of food has been sent there. And other countries throughout the world should be helping also,' he said. This comes after Trump authorized U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear development sites and subsequently declared a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, ending what he called 'the Twelve Day War.' President Trump also took a number of questions on other matters, including one on Ukraine weapons, where he said he 'may' authorize Patriot missiles for Ukraine's air defenses.
New York Post
15-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Israel planned to assassinate Iran's supreme leader Khamenei, but Trump say no: report
Israel had a plan to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but President Trump vetoed the operation, according to reports. Israel reported that they had an opportunity to kill Iran's top leader, but Trump persuaded Israeli officials not to go through with it, the two unidentified officials told Reuters. 'Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership,' an official said. Advertisement 3 Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meet with the Speaker and Representatives of the 12th Session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Tehran, Iran on June 11, 2025. APAImages/Shutterstock 3 President Donald Trump attends a celebration of the Army's 250th birthday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., U.S,, June, 14, 2025. via REUTERS Axios reporter Barak Ravid said Sunday that his sources also confirmed that Trump nixed an Israeli plan to kill the Islamic Republic's leader. US officials have been in constant communication with their Israeli counterparts since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran in a bid to end Tehran's nuclear program. Advertisement Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined comment on the assassination report in a Sunday interview with Fox News' 'Special Report With Bret Baier.' 'There's so many false reports of conversations that never happened, and I'm not going to get into that,' he said. 'But I can tell you, I think that we do what we need to do, we'll do what we need to do. And I think the United States knows what is good for the United States.'
New York Post
15-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Sheikh that owns Qatari jet gifted to Trump embroiled in $20M luxury hotel spat
The Qatari sheikh who is gifting a $400 million plane that's slated to become President Donald Trump's next Air Force One has previously faced allegations of corruption and antisemitism — and is now embroiled in a $20 million legal dispute over a string of luxury hotels, The Post has learned. A Boeing 747-8 jet that has been dubbed a 'flying palace' is owned by the Qatari royal family. It still carries the initials of one of its leading members — Qatar's former prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim, also known as HBJ, in its tail number, aviation records show. Advertisement 8 President Donald Trump was in Qatar on Wednesday where he felt heat for agreeing to accept a donated Qatari plane to become the next Air Force One presidential jet. APAImages/Shutterstock The 66-year-old royal — worth an estimated $4 billion according to Forbes — has been branded the 'Thief of Doha' by a Washington think tank, and allegedly brought senior members of Hamas to the Qatari capital. He was accused by the DOJ of presiding over bribery and corruption when he led the bid to bring the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. HBJ also drew controversy last year over an antisemitic tirade in an interview with Kuwati media outlet Al-Qabas. Advertisement 'Imagine oil was sold by some Jews…what would be the price of a barrel oil? It would be the most expensive thing in the world,' the former Qatari PM was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, HBJ is now facing a fresh lawsuit from Irish property developer Paddy McKillen, who owns the Church of Oak whiskey distillery 40 miles southwest of Dublin with Irish rock legend Bono of U2. The Belfast-born hotelier has accused the Gulf state's monarchy in Los Angeles federal court of 'a lawless plot' to rip him off after he masterminded the expansion of a string of five-star hotels. Advertisement The complaint, filed late last month, focuses on a claim that three Qatari royals led by HBJ tricked McKillen and his firm Hume Street Management Consultants (HSMC) into spending 'significant resources' under 'false pretenses' to upgrade four upmarket properties. The civil suit for $20 million in damages and interest is being brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, anti-Mafia legislation drawn up in 1970 under President Richard Nixon. 8 Britain's Guardian newspaper once dubbed HBJ, seen here with ex-UK PM David Cameron, as 'the man who bought London' after Qatar's sovereign wealth fund snapped up Harrods, London's Olympic Village and the Shard. Reuters 8 The plane, owned by the Qatari royal family, has been dubbed 'a flying palace,' and its tail number carries the initials of HBJ, the ex-PM of the Gulf Nation. YouTube/Spotti Flight Advertisement Once a project had been completed, the lawsuit alleges that HBJ and his two relatives, Qatar's former Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa and the current Emir's sister, Sheikha Lulwah bint Hamad Al Thani, refused to pay up. It said the royal trio 'systematically stonewalled Mr. McKillen and HSMC, refusing to compensate them for many millions of dollars in services in bad faith.' The Post reached out to the Qatari government for comment. 8 This image, posted in 2020, shows the ornate and lavish decor that appears to have caught teh commander-in-chief's eye as he looks to replace the ageing Air Force One plane that the White House currently uses. YouTube/Spotti Flight Michael Gottlieb, a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher law firm, who is representing the hotelier, accused the Qatari royals of believing 'they were above the law because of their wealth and power.' 'Mr. McKillen will not be cowed, and will pursue this suit until the defendants pay what his company rightfully earned,' he told The Post. McKillen sold his majority stake in the Maybourne Hotel Group in 2015 to a company controlled by the ex-PM, the lawsuit states, but he stayed on in a property development role with the firm. The court documents claim that McKillen would continue to receive a 'deferred payment' for 'any net increase in the value of the Maybourne Hotel Group' over a period ending in April 2022. Advertisement 8 McKillen is a business partner of Bono, the Irish rockstar and U2 frontman. PA Images via Getty Images 8 McKillen and U2 frontman Bono own a whiskey distillery near Dublin, Ireland. Eric Kowalsky / MEGA They allege that McKillen 'continued to manage and redevelop the Maybourne hotels, at the direction of the Qatari Royals' and even developed an entirely new property, The Emory, an all-suite hotel close to the British capital's Hyde Park that features designs from artist Damien Hirst, according to the same source. His legal team alleges that the Qataris then 'refused to compensate Mr. McKillen or HSMC for nearly all their efforts and absconded with their vision and hard work, essentially free of charge.' Advertisement The two sides fell out, the lawsuit alleges, when McKillen was 'removed, without warning or reason, from Maybourne Hotels Limited's board of directors on April 1, 2022.' 'These schemes to defraud their business partner and his company for, put crudely, free labor are part of a years-long pattern of illegal racketeering orchestrated by the Qatari Royals, and are in line with a history of illicit, lawless actions,' the lawsuit states. 8 Beverly Hills City Councilmember John A. Mirisch, a former mayor of the city, was the first politician to hit out at Maybourne owner Hamad bin Jassim's anti-semitic remarks. Google McKillen alleges that he was drafted in by the Qataris to overhaul the Maybourne Riviera hotel in 2018 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, close to Monaco, and a five-story, $47 million Manhattan mansion owned by HBJ. Advertisement The former Qatari prime minister bought the 22,000 square-foot townhouse on East 71st Street in 2012 from the billionaire real estate tycoon Aby Rosen. The following year, his attorneys claim, they asked him to work on the redevelopment of the historic Parisian Îlot Saint-Germain building, which is set to open as a Maybourne hotel in 2027, and the Maybourne Beverly Hills hotel in 2019. 8 McKillen also worked on top London hotels, including the Connaught in the British capital's upmarket neighborhood of Mayfair. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images McKillen also worked on two properties in London's upmarket neighborhood of Mayfair: the Connaught and Claridge's, where penthouse suites can go for nearly $80,000 a night. Advertisement Claridge's is a hotspot for the British elite as it is where the late Queen Elizabeth II hosted a wedding reception for the then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981. Work done on those properties does not feature in the Los Angeles legal complaint, but the millionaire investor has also filed claims in the UK and France.
