WILL IT BE HEAVEN OR WILL IT BE HELL?

Donald Trump Says He Doesn't Think He's 'Heaven-Bound' After Fundraising for Help Getting There

Speaking to press aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Oct. 12, the president said, "I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make heaven, but I've made life a lot better for a lot of people"

 

By Charlotte Phillipp

 

People

Oct 12, 2025

 

 

President Donald Trump jokes with reporters about his chances of entering heaven aboard Air Force One on Sunday October 12 2025

 

President Donald Trump is once again referencing his wish to be "heaven-bound."

Speaking to press aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Oct. 12, the president, 79, answered a question about his August statements regarding his attempts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine — during which he said, "If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s pretty — I want to try to get to heaven if possible."

"I'm being a little cute," Trump told reporters on Sunday about his previous comments, before quipping, "I don't think there's anything going to get me in heaven."

"I really don't. I think I'm not maybe heaven-bound. I may be in heaven right now as we fly on Air Force One," he continued. "I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make heaven, but I've made life a lot better for a lot of people."

Trump went on to tell the press that "had the election of 2020 not been rigged," he could have prevented Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine.

"We had an incompetent administration. We had an incompetent president. And because of a crooked election, millions of people are dead," Trump said, referring to former President Joe Biden. "And by the way, the Israeli thing was much harder to get settled because of the past administration." 

During a phone interview with Fox & Friends on Aug. 19, the president gave a new explanation for taking action to end the war in Ukraine — including positioning himself as a mediator between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s pretty — I want to try to get to heaven if possible," Trump said at the time.

"I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole,” he added, to laughter from the Fox News hosts. "But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”

Last month, Trump referenced his goal to "get into heaven" again when his campaign sent out emails asking for donations that read, "I want to try and get to Heaven."

The recent emails — which reportedly began on Aug. 23 — requested supporters to donate $15 during a “24-HOUR TRUMP FUNDRAISING BLITZ” to the president, the Independent, Snopes and Newsweek reported. The new emails’ subject line includes, “I want to try and get to Heaven,” per the outlets. 

“Last year, I came millimeters from death when that bullet pierced through my skin. My triumphant return to the White House was never supposed to happen!” the email says in reference to the July 2024 assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pa. 

“But I believe that God saved me for one reason: TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!,” the message says, according to the Independent. “I certainly wasn't supposed to survive an assassin's bullet, but by the grace of the almighty God, I did. SO NOW, I have no other choice but to answer the Call to Duty, but I can't do it alone.” 

During a briefing that same day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that she didn't believe Trump was joking.

“I think the president was serious,” she said. “I think the president wants to get to heaven — as I hope we all do in this room as well.”

CA LAWMAKERS NOW FEEL SECURE

By Bob Walsh

 

 

Thanks to a change in the law just signed by Gavin Newsom, CA legislators are now free to spend an unlimited amount of money from campaign funds to pay for personal security for themselves and their immediate family.  There are just SO MANY ways to tweak that.  I wonder how many will have a cousin, uncle or significant other being paid to provide security?  I wonder how many of them will have any actual qualifications?  I wonder how hard it will be for them to get gun permits? 

HE'S ALIVE TODAY BECAUSE HE GOT FIRED

Tennessee bomb factory worker who saved dozens of lives with garden hose was FIRED... as latest tragedy at plant kills 16

 

By Ben Ashford 

 

Daily Mail

Oct 12, 2025

 

 

Satellite images from before and after the explosion clearly show how the bomb factory, known as the Melt Pour, was completely decimated by the explosion

 

A former maintenance worker says he once used a garden hose to prevent a potential explosion at the Tennessee bomb factory that was obliterated Friday in a mystery blast that likely killed 16 people.

Greg McRee, 44, was hailed a hero in 2020 after dousing flames shooting from an industrial chimney at Accurate Energetic Systems (AES).

His quick thinking, according to colleagues, stopped the fire from reaching a nearby stockpile of TNT boosters and blowing the building sky high.

But instead of being rewarded, McRee says he was dismissed days later from his $28-an-hour supervisor job at the sprawling munitions plant in McEwen, 70 miles west of Nashville.

‘On Friday afternoon I was a hero. On Monday morning I was told I was a piece of c**p and a failure,’ the married dad-of-three told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview.

‘By Wednesday I had been terminated. It was wrong.’

The exact same building – known as the Melt Pour - was the epicenter of a devastating blast last week that left 16 workers missing and shook homes and businesses within a 20-mile radius.

Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis warned Saturday there was virtually zero chance of locating survivors among the smoldering ruins.

 

Greg Mcree was hailed a hero in 2020 after he prevented a fire at the Tennessee bomb factory he worked at from spreading, but he was fired just days later 

 

Authorities are identifying the dead from DNA, Davis said, adding: ‘It’s a tremendous loss, a great loss.

McRee was friendly with several of the workers who likely perished in the disaster which is being investigated by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

‘What can you say or do to make it better, nothing,’ he said. ‘I feel terrible for the families.’

McRee had been a maintenance supervisor at AES for nine months when fire broke out in an evaporator room adjoining the Melt Pour on October 30, 2020.

The building was being used for the manufacture of cast booster canisters, which are high-energy primers used to set off bigger explosives in mining or demolition.

To make any excess explosive material that spilled on to the factory floor less volatile, it was sprayed with water which drained into the evaporator, he explained.

‘The purpose of the evaporator is to get rid of the water. They reclaim and reuse the explosive material,’ said McRee. ‘That machine can run to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.'

McRee arrived on the scene to see flames flickering from a plywood roof close to the evaporator’s chimney.

 

Smoke from the blast last week that likely killed 16 people could be seen for miles

 

'It was a very dry October. The chimney got hot. There was wood within probably four inches of that pipe and it was dried out enough to catch fire,’ he recalled.

McRee decided to tackle the fire because it was limited to the plywood frame and wasn’t close to any explosives.

‘I felt I could control it with a garden hose. Just a regular sprayer nozzle. I just kept spraying it at the flames,’ he went on.

‘It was very smoky but I managed to stop it from spreading until the firefighters arrived on scene within 15 minutes.'

Had the flames spread to the boiler or ignited the stacks of boosters waiting to be stored in an underground bunker, the effect could have been catastrophic.

‘It would have leveled the building. Same thing that happened to the building the other day,’ said McRee of Pinewood, Tennessee.

By the following week, however, he had been fired.

AES claimed McRee ignored warning notices posted throughout the 1,300-acre facility, reading ‘do not fight explosive fires'.

 

The evaporator which caught fire in 2020 before McRee put it out was reportedly filthy and had not been properly cleaned

 

An internal disciplinary report obtained by Daily Mail blamed the accident on a ‘lack of preventative maintenance and poor housekeeping on the evaporator'.

‘These types of negligent and unsafe actions are unacceptable in the explosive industry,’ it read.

McRee disputed the findings, however, and insisted he was made a scapegoat. ‘The evaporator itself never caught fire. Someone had built a building out of wood that should not have been a wood structure,’ he said.

‘They demolished the entire evaporator building in about three days so I don’t know how well it was investigated. They self-investigate a lot down there.’

A second maintenance worker, James Creech, 78, was fired for not cleaning the evaporator properly. But Creech denied any responsibility for the fire and sued AES for age discrimination, saying they used it as a pretext to dismiss him for being ‘too old and slow.’

His suit blamed ‘deficiencies of the building and/or building materials’ for the near-miss incident.

Creech said he was unable to discuss the terms of a confidential settlement he reached with the company, which manufactures industrial explosives and supplies claymores and mines to the US military.

But he told Daily Mail: ‘Greg put the fire out with a garden hose all by himself.

 

Court disclosure documents included a file from Accute Energetic Systems that said they fired James Creech for not cleaning the evaporator properly 

 

‘He was covered in soot and ashes. He was a hero. He saved that building.’

A co-worker named Jimmy Sugg also came to the defense of his fired colleagues in a statement provided to Creech’s lawyer during the case.

‘If a true investigation had been performed it would had been discovered that the exhaust stack was run out of the plywood decked roof during the installation and the exhaust stack temperature ran around 900 degrees which should had been the contributing factor for this building catching on fire,’ Sugg wrote.

‘Why wouldn’t this had been looked into and questioned? Why wasn’t the one that installed the evaporator disciplined? Why did the Safety Manager not do the investigation on this incident?’

Daily Mail has reached out to AES, founded in 1980, for comment.

It said in a previous statement that Friday’s explosion was under ‘active investigation’.

‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, coworkers, and community members affected by this incident,’ the statement read.

‘We extend our gratitude to all first responders who continue to work tirelessly under difficult conditions. We will provide updates as more verified information becomes available.'

CORPUS CHRISTY IS FACING A DEVSTATING WATER CISIS

Inside the Texas city where locals are running out of water because huge energy plants are guzzling the supply

 

By Emma Richter 

 

Daily Mail

Oct 12, 2025

 

Corpus Christi, a city of more than 500,000, anticipates it won't be able to meet its water demand within the next 18 months

 

Residents of a Texas city are running out of water due to huge energy plants hoarding the supply, according to officials.  

Big name companies, including Exxon Mobil and Tesla, have gone on to call South Texas their home in recent years so they can scoop up cheap energy, land and copious amounts of water. 

Over the past 20 years, the companies have shelled out billions of dollars to build massive plants that use up tons of water to turn fossil fuels into gasoline, and other products like jet fuel. 

And in recent years, these corporations have pushed further with the move to electric vehicles and batteries. In doing so, they refine lithium to make the batteries and produce plastic pellets. 

All of this has severely impacted locals in Corpus Christi, a coastal city about two hours outside of San Antonio. 

An active drought has taken over the area that is home to about more than 500,000.

The city anticipates it won't be able to meet its water demand within the next 18 months, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

The city's water supply not only serves the big companies, but is also the source for residents across seven counties. 

 

 

 

Residents in Corpus Christi, Texas are running out of water because large companies, including Exxon and Tesla, snatching it for their business 

 

And the excess use of water is not only affecting locals, but the companies that guzzle it all away. 

Soon, they could also see a water shortage that could then trickle down to layoffs and a pause in the industry. 

Meanwhile, residents are just trying to do the best they can with what they have while also preparing for the worst. 

Many are trying to financially prepare for booming water prices and also keep their lawns from running dry. 

According to Mike Howard, chief executive of Howard Energy Partners, the water situation 'is about as dire as I've ever seen it.' 

Howard, who runs a private energy company that owns multiple facilities in the area, said his powerful business can't even make it through because of the lack of water. 

'It has all the energy in the world, and it doesn’t have water,' he said. 

Corpus Christi might not be the only location in the state to be impacted by the drought, as its refineries provide products to markets and regional airports in San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, Texas. 

They also provide supplies to Mexico, as Corpus Christi sits approximately 150 miles from the border.  

 

Because of the excess use of water, the companies that are taking it, will soon run out as well 

 

The city is also close to a Navy base that holds the world's biggest rotary-wing repair center that services major aircrafts, including Black Hawk helicopters.

When drought previously occurred in Corpus Christi, the area would turn to two reservoirs to get their water. A 101-mile pipeline also acted as a source. 

But three years ago everything changed when no rainfall came and water restrictions came into play. 

Presently, the drought levels are the lowest they've ever been, and mixed with the boom of companies calling the area home, water is practically non-existent. 

In the past decade alone, Corpus Christi has brought in more than $57.4 billion in industrial investment, per the 2024 city report reviewed by WSJ. 

Elon Musk's Tesla opened a lithium refinery there while LyondellBasell, a chemical plant, increased its capacity of an ethylene factory there by 50 percent. 

On top of that, OxyChem, a chemical maker, and an unnamed Mexican business, built a $1.5 billion ethylene plant. 

Exxon and Saudi Basic Industries Corp. have crafted a $7 billion plastics facility in the city. 

 

Presently, the drought levels are the lowest they've ever been, and mixed with the boom of companies calling the area home, water is practically non-existent. (Pictured: People gathered at the Port of Corpus Christi) 

 

That plant uses about 13 million gallons of water a day, an insider told the outlet. That accounts for about 13 percent of all of Corpus Christi's water supply, former CEO of the city's water utility Drew Molly, said. 

In total, Molly, who recently resigned, said about eight companies tap into the city's water supply. 

Molly said: 'Every city wants to grow. I think the City of Corpus Christi was doing it in a reasonable way, but never had imagined that there would be a drought of this proportion.' 

Because the city has long expected the worst could happen, it's been trying to build  the first ever large-scale desalination plant in the US. 

The plant is meant to take seawater from the Gulf and turn it into 36 million gallons of potable drinking water by 2028. 

Initially, the introduction of the plant was meant to buy the city some time, but with the new additions of monstrous facilities and financial fall throughs, it might not be enough. 

The city obtained permits for $757 million in low-interest loans from the Lone Star State for the plant, but the entire plan was cut off in September when the estimated cost rose to about $1.2 billion. 

At that point, Corpus Christi had already borrowed $235 million from the state. The city also spent around $50 million on the project itself. 

Some are for the new plant and others don't see how it could make the situation any better. 

'Once desalination is completed, then there’s no way of stopping industry,' Sylvia Campos, a local council member who is not for the plant, said. 

She believes it would do exactly what the city is trying to avoid - benefit the large companies that are taking over. 

Existing industry customers anticipate water cuts will start in November 2026, leading Corpus Christi into a water emergency. 

Exxon is trying to pivot to alternative water sources, a company spokesperson told WSJ. 

She said the plant was made to recycle water and that it will do everything it can to reduce water use. 

Other companies are looking into their very own groundwater to offset possible curtailments, Molly stated. 

WHILE IMMIGRATION WAS THE CENTRAL FOCUS OF TRUMP'S ELECTION CAMPAIGN, THAT'S NOT WHAT GOT HIM ELECTED ... IT WAS THE SHEER STUPIDITY OF KAMALA HARRIS THAT MADE VOTERS REALIZE SHE WAS UNFIT TO BE PRESIDENT

Marjorie Taylor Greene sparks seismic split with Trump as she rebels on the policy that got him elected

 

By Laura Parnaby 

 

Daily Mail

Oct 12, 2025

 

 

MAGA firebrand and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (pictured) has split with Donald Trump over the issue that got him elected - immigration and the ongoing aggressive ICE raids 

 

Marjorie Taylor Greene has split with Donald Trump on immigration as she believes the ongoing ICE raids are going too far. 

The MAGA firebrand told The Tim Dillon Show on Saturday there 'needs to be a smarter plan than just rounding up every single person and deporting them'. 

Greene's comments mark her latest departure from the president's policies, after she spoke out against plans to expand the number of visas given to Chinese students, and broke ranks with Republicans over the ongoing government shutdown. 

In August, the 51-year-old Georgia Rep. even told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview that it may be time for her to walk away from the Republican Party. 

Her latest comments about the ICE raids may be the boldest split from the party line yet, as she openly criticized the execution of the policy which many say got Trump elected - his promise to secure the borders. 

'As a conservative, and as a business owner in the construction industry, and as a realist, I can say, we have to do something about labor,' Greene told Dillon.

'And it needs to be a smarter plan than just rounding up every single person and deporting them just like that.

'I'm going to get pushback for that, but I'm just living in reality from here on out. If anyone's mad at me for saying the truth, then, I'm sorry.'

 

The Trump administration has aggressively pursued his immigration policy through shock ICE raids which have seen more than two million people deported in less than 250 days 

 

Immigration was the central focus of Trump's campaign for the White House in 2024. He promised the 'largest domestic deportation operation' in history and to re-start construction on a border wall. 

Trump, 79, also pledged to end birthright citizenship and revoke the visas of Pro-Palestinian student protesters. 

His administration has aggressively pursued these policies through shock ICE raids which have seen more than two million people deported in less than 250 days during his first year as the 47th president.  

The Department for Homeland Security celebrated this 'milestone' on September 23. 

'The numbers don't lie: two million illegal aliens have been removed or self-deported in just 250 days— proving that President Trump's policies and Secretary Noem's leadership are working and making American communities safe,' Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement about the deportations. 

'Ramped-up immigration enforcement targeting the worst of the worst is removing more and more criminal illegal aliens off our streets every day and is sending a clear message to anyone else in this country illegally: Self-deport or we will arrest and deport you.' 

However, immigrants account for a large proportion of workers across several industries in the US, like construction, as pointed out by Greene, who owns Taylor Commercial, a building and renovation company.

Greene also told Dillon that Trump's tariffs will also harm American people once the impact of the supply issued they have caused are passed on to consumers. 

 

Greene was a key supporter of Trump's second bid for the White House in 2024, frequently appearing on the trail with the Republican frontrunner, while making speeches at his rallies

  

'I'm talking to major manufacturing companies that are, they're saying we support the president, we support his long-term goal, but we're having problems with these tariffs,' she said. 

'And now we're having problems. We can't get supplies from this country, and we can't get supplies for this country.

'But have have regular people's bank accounts been, been affected? Has the stress come off? No, that has not happened yet and that needs to be the major focus,' argued Greene. 

'It shouldn't be about helping your crypto donors, or your AI donors, or welcoming in these people that hated you and spent money to try to beat you, but all of a sudden are excited to come out to the to the new Rose Garden patio. That shouldn't be the focus.'

'The focus should be the people that showed up at the rallies, stood there for freaking 18 hours trying to get in the rain, in the cold, in the 100 degree heat, for those people, those are the ones that I care about. 

'Those are the ones that voted for not only the president, but every single Republican gave us power. I don't think those people are being served.'

Trump's mass deportations will have a 'devastating' toll on the economy, according to the Economic Policy Institute non-profit, which based this on a study out of DC. 

 

Greene was known as a stalwart of Donald Trump's MAGA movement until recently 

Greene told The Tom Dillon Show there 'needs to be a smarter plan than just rounding up every single person and deporting them' as she took aim at the aggressive ICE raids across the US

 

'If a large number of workers were to be deported, it is unlikely that a sufficient number of US-born workers could replace all of them, especially in industries heavily reliant on undocumented immigrants like hospitality and construction,' the firm said. 

'This large loss of workers would cause a labor supply shortage and force businesses to shrink. 

'Labor shortages would also lead to higher prices, increasing the cost of living for DC residents who will pay more for groceries, restaurants, construction, child care, home health care, and more.'

The impacts of widescale deportations are yet to be revealed, but it is clear that the American public voted for tighter controls on illegal migration. 

Greene was a key supporter of Trump's second bid for the White House in 2024, frequently appearing on the trail with the Republican frontrunner, while making speeches at his rallies. 

But recently, she has changed her tune. Greene recently departed from Trump on several more key issues, including breaking ranks with her Republican peers over the ongoing government shutdown. 

In a lengthy X post shared this week, Greene instead sided with Democrats claims that the bill currently causing a stalemate in the Senate would impact healthcare if passed.

 

Kimmel ripped into Republicans for their rhetoric on the government shutdown - but praised Marjorie Taylor Greene for breaking ranks over the issue in her X post shown above

 

'I'm going to go against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year my own adult children's insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district,' Greene wrote. 

'No I'm not towing the party line on this, or playing loyalty games.'

Greene also spoke out against Trump's plans to expand the number of Chinese students admitted to U.S. universities by up to 600,000 people per year.

'We're going to allow their students to come in. It's very important - 600,000 students,' he said. 

Greene said this undermined the administration's immigration clampdown, while also claiming that American colleges 'are being propped up by the CCP' via admissions from China. 

'We should not let in 600,000 CHINESE students to attend American colleges and universities that may be loyal to the CCP,' wrote the Georgia lawmaker on X.

'If refusing to allow these Chinese students to attend our schools causes 15 percent of them to fail then these schools should fail anyways because they are being propped up by the CCP,' Greene added. 

'Why are we allowing 600,000 students from China to replace our American student's opportunities?'

737 DAYS IN HELL

Starved, tortured and made to dig their own graves by Hamas... The ordeal of Israeli hostages will finally come to an end in HOURS after 737 days in captivity

 

By Matt, Strudwick, Aidan Radnedge and Katharine Lawton 

 

Daily Mail

Oct 12, 2025

 

This screengrab from a video released on August 1, 2025 by the armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas, shows Israeli hostage Evyatar David looking weak and malnourished as he is forced to dig his own grave

 

Israel expects all living hostages to be released by Hamas within hours - bringing to an end horrifying ordeals that included starvation, torture and being forced to dig their own graves. 

It is believed they will all be released at the same time and transported to the Red Cross in six to eight vehicles, after being held captive for 737 days. 

Shosh Bedrosian, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said: 'Israel is ready... if a living hostage requires any urgent medical attention, they will be brought to a medical facility immediately.' 

In a speech to Israelis earlier, Netanyahu spoke of the hostages' return tomorrow and a new 'path of healing' ahead. 

Israel and Hamas are said to be locked in last-minute negotiations over the release of Palestinian detainees. 

Today's disputes have revolved around requests to free senior Hamas commanders as well as Marwan Barghouti, a prominent Palestinian prisoner, amid the US-brokered peace deal to end the war in Gaza.

Donald Trump, who pushed to clinch the ceasefire deal, is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday morning. He will meet with families of hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, according to a schedule released by the White House.

He will then continue to Egypt, where the office of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has said he will co-chair a 'peace summit' attended by regional and international leaders.

Ms Bedrosian told reporters today the deceased hostages would be placed in coffins, which will be draped with the Israeli flag, before being taken to a forensic institute for identification. 

A convoy of ambulances is being readied to meet the living captives with Soroka and Barzilai hospitals in southern Israel being placed on standby. 

Ms Bedrosian said: 'Israel is prepared and is ready to immediately receive all of our hostages. 

'The release of our hostages will begin early Monday morning. We are expecting all 20 of our living hostages to be released together at one time to the Red Cross and transported among six to eight vehicles without any sick displays by Hamas, the terror organisation.

 

Shosh Bedrosian (pictured), a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said they expect the hostages to be released on Monday morning

A placard shows an image of slain hostage Idan Shtivi as people gather at 'Hostages Square' in Tel Aviv amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, October 12, 2025

 

'The hostages will then be driven to forces inside of Israeli controlled parts of Gaza and then transferred to the Re'im base in southern Israel, where they will then reunite with their families.' 

The family of Israeli hostage Segev Kalfon packed a bag with clothes, toiletries and a Jewish prayer book in their Dimona home on Sunday ahead of his upcoming release.

He is one of 20 hostages still held by the Palestinian militant group Hamas and believed to be alive. Twenty-six others are believed to be dead and the fate of two others is unknown.

Among the other captives has been Evyatar David, who was kidnapped from the Nova festival in southern Israel with his best friend Guy Gilboa-Dalal.

Both 24-year-olds spent their first weeks of captivity bound hand and foot with bags over their heads, blood dripping from their wounded limbs.

The last sign of life had come in February, when Hamas cruelly filmed them watching other hostages released, and then returned them to the tunnels - with the militant group releasing harrowing footage in August this year.

His mother Galia David told the Daily Mail: 'I want everyone in the world to see this image, to know what Hamas terrorists are doing.' 

Among the most sinister aspects of hostage testimony already revealed has been details of sexual violence, including rape, forced nudity, and day-to-day humiliation.

Women such as Amit Soussana and Ilana Gritzewwsky have been the main victims - though Hamas has been found to not discriminate when it comes to the routine degradation of the hostages, and men testified to suffering sexual violence in captivity too.

 

Trucks carrying fuel enter Gaza through the Karem Abu Salem crossing and reach Deir al-Balah following a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, on October 12, 2025

A large crowd gathers for the first aid trucks arriving in Khan Yunis

Attendees listen to a concert at a plaza in Israeli city Tel Aviv on October 12, 2025

Evyatar David is among the Israeli hostages kidnapped in the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas

His mother Galia David told the Daily Mail of images released of him by Hamas in August: 'I want everyone in the world to see this image, to know what Hamas terrorists are doing'

Pictured is Segev Kalton, an Israeli hostage seized in Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023

Also taken that day was Maxim Herkin (pictured)

Other captives have included Elkana Bohbot (pictured)

Hamas also took hostage Bar Abraham Kupershtein (pictured)

 

Such treatment is part of the terror group's wider 'genocidal strategy', according to an all-women group of Israeli legal experts, who argue that Hamas used rape and sexual humiliation during its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and after, to inflict the ultimate damage on the nation.

On that Saturday - the single deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust - armed militants stormed the border and engaged in gang rape and genital mutilation, often tying up naked victims to trees and executing most of them afterwards by gunfire. Some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, were slaughtered.

The sexual violence only continued for some of the 250 hostages who spent hundreds of days trapped in the Strip's underground fortress, where Israeli women were threatened with forced marriage and even forced pregnancy by the militants who had murdered their families.

The lawyers of the Dinah Project - an independent group which operates from the Rackman Centre at Bar-Ilan University - are battling to bring the sex attackers to justice, after claiming the world turned a blind eye to the depths of Hamas's depraved crimes.

And now a message sent on Saturday from Gal Hirsch, Israel's co-ordinator, told hostage families to prepare for the release of their loved ones starting Monday morning. One of the families of the hostages confirmed the note's authenticity.

Mr Hirsch said preparations in hospitals and in Re'im camp were complete to receive the live hostages, while the dead will be transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification.

An international taskforce will start working to locate deceased hostages who are not returned within the 72-hour period, said Mr Hirsch. Officials have said the search for the bodies of the dead, some of whom may be buried under rubble, could take time.

Timing has not yet been announced for the release of some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel who are to be freed under the deal. 

 

Amit Soussana, a former hostage, speaks to the press near her house where she was kidnapped during the October 7 attack on the kibbutz, on January 29, 2024, in Kfar Aza, Israel

Ilana Gritzewsky is comforted after speaking about her experiences as a hostage during a discussion with the House Foreign Affairs Committee on February 12, 2025 in Washington

Pictured is Muhammad Al-Atarash, an Israeli hostage captured by Hamas on October 7, 2023

Fellow Israeli national Avinatan Or (pictured) was also taken captive that day

Others seized on October 7, 2023 by militant group Hamas included Alon Ohel (pictured)

 

They include 250 people serving life sentences in addition to 1,700 people seized from Gaza during the war and held without charge.

US Vice President JD Vance today told NBC News' 'Meet The Press' that the hostages could be released 'any moment now'.

'The president of the United States is planning to travel to the Middle East to greet the hostages Monday morning, Middle Eastern Time,' Vance continued.

Trump is expected to fly to leave the White House around 3.30pm today and fly to Tel Aviv, Israel. After meeting with hostages and their families, Trump will deliver remarks and then fly to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt for a summit to finalize the peace agreement.

'Which should be late, you know, Sunday night, or very early Monday morning here in the United States.'

Although he said the release is coming soon, Vance said it remains unclear 'exactly' when they will be set free but there is an 'expectation.'

It comes as preparations are under way for a ramp-up of aid entering the Gaza Strip under a ceasefire deal many hope will signal an end to the devastating two-year war.

The Israeli defence body in charge of humanitarian aid in Gaza, COGAT, said the volume entering Gaza is likely to now increase to around 600 trucks per day, as stipulated in the agreement.

Egypt said it is sending 400 trucks carrying aid into Gaza on Sunday. The trucks will have to be inspected by Israeli forces before being allowed in.

Associated Press footage showed dozens of trucks crossing the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing. The Egyptian Red Crescent said the trucks include medical supplies, tents, blankets, food and fuel.

 

Hostage Noa Argamani was taken into Gaza from the Nova Music Festival on October 7

Naama Levy with hands tied behind her back and her sweatpants bloodied, indicating that she had been sexually assaulted, was kidnapped into the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023

Released hostage Ilana Gritzewsky poses for a portrait in her apartment in Kiryat Gat, Israel, on December 15, 2024, with photos of her boyfriend, Matan Zangauker, who is still being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip

A woman looks at messages that have been left for the hostages to read upon their release and when they return to Hostages Square, Tel Aviv, October 11, 2025

One of the messages left for the hostages read: 'Welcome home. I'm so sorry Israel left you there so long. God bless'

 

In recent months, the UN and its partners have been able to deliver only 20 per cent of the aid needed in Gaza because of the fighting, border closures and Israeli restrictions on what enters.

Expanding Israeli offensives and restrictions on humanitarian aid have triggered a hunger crisis, including famine in parts of the territory.

The UN has said it has about 170,000 metric tons of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid ready to enter Gaza once Israel gives the green light.

Abeer Etifa, a spokeswoman for the World Food Programme, said workers are clearing and repairing roads inside Gaza on Sunday to facilitate delivery.

BUT TRUMP OWES QATAR FOR ITS $400 MILLION LUXURY AIRCRAFT BRIBE

Saudi warning: 'Qatar will bring Hamas back'

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are worried about the major role given to Qatar in President Donald Trump's plan for Middle East reconstruction. A senior Saudi official told Israel Hayom that "excessive Qatari involvement will lead to the plan's collapse."

 

by Danny Zaken  

 

Israel Hayom

Oct 12, 2025 

 

Donald Trump and Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al Thani as they attend a state dinner at the Lusail Palace on May 14, 2025, in Doha, Qatar.

 

 

Over the past month, several key moderate Gulf states—Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain—have found themselves sidelined. While they support Trump's initiative to end the war, they are unhappy with the major concessions made to Qatar, still their regional rival and a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement that undermines Arab regimes. They are also uneasy about Washington's expanding defense agreements with Doha. 

 

These states are expected to take part in Gaza's reconstruction, largely aligning with Israel's position. They back the full disarmament of Hamas and insist that the Palestinian Authority only return to Gaza after sweeping reforms and a process of deradicalization. They are already engaged in educational reforms, including religion studies, and promoting a shift in media discourse toward Israel and Jews. However, they are also demanding that Israel advance a political process toward a two-state solution.

 

"A long road to normalization"

A Saudi diplomatic source told Israel Hayom that normalization with Israel remains on the table, but "it will not happen within months. It's a long road that requires seeing the agreement implemented in full, including Israel's commitments to the Palestinian Authority and serious negotiations toward a two-state solution. We will make sure the Palestinian Authority fulfills its obligations, but Israel, regardless of its coalition, must honor what Netanyahu agreed to."

Asked whether he believes the current Israeli coalition will promote a long-term arrangement with the Palestinians, the official said: "We've all heard the extremist ministers in this government. Netanyahu, or the next government, will have to decide whether they support extreme measures like annexation or genuinely want a real solution that will eventually bring calm." Regarding Qatar, the Saudi source was blunt: "It's a mistake to rely on Qatar, which backs the Muslim Brotherhood."

"Excessive Qatari involvement in the next stages of the plan and Gaza's reconstruction will cause Trump's plan to collapse," he warned. "Qatar's interests are different, it will undermine deradicalization efforts and try to ensure that Hamas remains in the picture and returns to power in the not-so-distant future."

Assuming the hostages' release wents smoothly, Israel is entering the next phase without much optimism. Many involved believe Hamas will refuse to give up its weapons, control of Gaza, or continued terrorism against Israel. Pessimism is also fueled by the militant statements of Hamas leaders, who are trying to salvage their image in the Arab and Palestinian world after the devastating destruction caused by the war in Gaza.

Hamas retaliation

Hamas' actions on the ground, such as the massacre of the Durmush clan, armed shows of force in the streets, and executions of alleged collaborators, reinforce this concern. Security sources confirm that in some areas under or near IDF control, Israeli forces have intervened to prevent Hamas revenge attacks, and several terrorists were killed in such incidents.

 

  

Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip 

 

Israel's political and military echelons are preparing for Hamas violations and the likelihood that it will insist on remaining armed, alongside the ongoing negotiations for the second phase. Officials in Jerusalem fear it will not be easy to convince Washington of the need to resume fighting against Hamas, even though the Americans have so far coordinated closely with Israel. This concern grew following Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's event in Sharm el-Sheikh with President Trump, a gathering viewed as marking the formal end of the war.

"A ceremonial event"

Washington has sought to play down the significance of the Sharm summit, to which Israel was not invited. In discussions between the White House and the Prime Minister's Office, with Steve Witkoff also participating, US officials told Israel that the event was merely a ceremonial signing of the first stage of Trump's plan, serving as a foundation for the next phase. Behind the scenes, Jerusalem demanded clarifications from both Washington and Cairo and was assured that no substantive decisions would be made at the event. Still, US officials acknowledged that the event effectively signified the war's conclusion.

The summit has negatively affected Israel-Egypt relations, following harsh criticism in Israel over Egyptian involvement in weapons smuggling to Hamas. Nevertheless, the message emerging from Sharm el-Sheikh was also directed at Hamas: its time is up, and Gaza's reconstruction as part of a broader regional transformation will not include it. Optimistic officials say Hamas will eventually have no choice but to give in, as Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction under Trump's plan will not proceed until it relinquishes its weapons and control.

Meanwhile, the multinational force expected to take responsibility for Gaza and the international body meant to oversee the territory, together with a reformed Palestinian administration, have yet to be established. Both Israeli and American sources say the next phase will take many months and expressed concern that in the interim, military incidents could flare up again and spiral into a renewed conflict.

IDF PREPARES FOR HOSTAGE RELEASE

 

Witkoff, Kushner visit Gaza ahead of Hamas hostage release

The U.S. delegation also included CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper. 

 

JNS

Oct 12, 2025

 

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner during a visit to the Gaza Strip with Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Oct. 11, 2025.

 

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner toured the Gaza Strip with the Israel Defense Forces on Saturday, ahead of the expected return of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists there, the military confirmed.

The U.S. delegation, which also included CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper, was accompanied by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and later observed the military’s preparations for the hostage return operation.

Zamir and Cooper met with senior Israeli commanders focused on the operational situation across “near and distant arenas,” as well as Jerusalem’s operations along the ceasefire lines in the Gaza Strip.

“This meeting serves as another reinforcement of the close, strategic and operational relationship between the IDF and the U.S. military,” the IDF said.

The IDF added that, as part of ongoing coordination efforts, it has remained in “continuous contact” with CENTCOM regarding the implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza deal, “in a manner that ensures the continued security of the State of Israel.”

According to Fox News, the U.S. officials visited soldiers inside a military position in Gaza to confirm Jerusalem held up its part of the agreement and withdrawn to the agreed readiness limits, known as the “yellow line,” which leaves the IDF in control of roughly 53% of the coastal enclave.

Early on Friday morning, the Israeli Cabinet approved the first stage of the U.S.-brokered plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza and securing the return of the 48 hostages held in Hamas captivity.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Palestinian terrorist organization has committed to freeing all hostages, living and dead, within 72 hours.

CENTCOM confirmed on Friday that the IDF “completed the first phase withdrawal to the yellow line at 12 p.m. local time,” Witkoff wrote on X, adding that “the 72-hour period to release the hostages has begun.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday spoke with Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, his point man for the captives and missing, and told him that Jerusalem was “prepared and ready to immediately receive all of our hostages,” according to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office.

In the wake of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of some 1,200 people in the northwestern Negev, in which terrorists also took 251 hostages, the Israel Defense Forces embarked on a 24-month-long aerial and ground campaign against the Iranian-backed organization.

Jerusalem’s goals for the war in the Strip were to eradicate Hamas as a military and political power, bring all of the captives home, and prevent the enclave from reemerging as a threat to Israel in the future.

On Thursday, Prime Minister’s Office spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian declared that through the U.S.-brokered deal with the terrorist group, “all of the prime minister’s objectives have now been achieved.”

After the first phase is completed, Trump’s 20-point plan is to move to a second phase, in which Gaza is to be de-radicalized and demilitarized.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that he instructed the military to prepare for the destruction of Hamas’s terror tunnels, calling it the “main meaning of implementing the agreed-upon principle of demilitarizing Gaza and disarming Hamas.”

The extensive network of tunnels will be destroyed “directly by the IDF and through the international mechanism that will be established under the leadership and supervision of the U.S.,” said Katz.

Brig. Gen. Guy Levy, commander of the IDF’s 98th Paratroopers Division, aka the Fire Formation, which spearheaded operations in the northern Strip in recent weeks, told soldiers on Friday that the military remained “ready for action until all our hostages return.

“This is a historic moment, crucial hours of strength, of mission and of victory,” Levy told soldiers at a redeployment ceremony. “We operated with determination and ingenuity in order to reach the point where we fulfill the commandment: ‘Your children shall return to their borders.'”

The Jewish people are ” entering days in which your steadfastness in the military mission enables us to achieve our national goals, as people, as a state,” he continued. “Know that you are the heroes of victory; together, we will continue to fulfill every mission required of us.”

Speaking at the same ceremony, the head of the Commando Brigade, Col. M., said, “We have proven … that even from the deepest and most painful point of fracture, we can find within ourselves the strength to rise and overcome.

“Operation after operation, arena after arena, step by step, with precision, steadiness and operating toward our goal, the commando units moved from one operational mission to another,” M. continued.

“Over the past two years, we have rebuilt the people’s trust in us, in the IDF’s soldiers and commanders, their trust and their love,” he said