Prime Minister Mark Carney warned this week that Jewish Canadians are being "brutally targeted," while also announcing a new anti-racism council that reportedly includes two members with troubling views on the Jewish state.

Following Carney's speech on antisemitism, critics reacted with anger at the makeup of the council and questioned how a body meant to fight hate and antisemitism includes two members who are reportedly hostile to the concerns of the Jewish community.

Omar Alghabra, a former Liberal party cabinet minister and Member of Parliament, has faced criticism for publicly mourning former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The former leader of the PLO was described by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies as "the father of modern terrorism." In the days following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel, he declined a request to condemn them, when asked by Canada's Rebel News. 

Alghabra has also faced scrutiny over past comments regarding Israel. In 2005, he criticized Toronto's police chief for participating in and leading a "Walk with Israel" event, according to The Jerusalem Post. He described the event as "a show of solidarity for a foreign state currently in the midst of an unresolved conflict" and referred to Israel as "a country that is conducting a brutal and the longest contemporary military occupation in the world."

CANADA’S CARNEY UNDER PRESSURE TO ACT AFTER SYNAGOGUES SHOT AT IN LATEST ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS

Canada's opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, pointed to a separate encounter with him involving a terrorist organization. "I remember Mr. Alghabra lobbying me before he was in politics to keep Hezbollah legal, so I'm not sure that he's the right guy to combat antisemitism," he told reporters. 

Howeer, the Jerusalem Post reported that Alghabra had described Hamas as a terrorist organization during a 2016 parliamentary debate.

The other controversial member of the council, Avnish Nanda, represented efforts to keep a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Alberta in place. Critics of the encampment argued it created a hostile atmosphere for Jewish students following Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. 

In April, B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights released a report showing that 6,800 antisemitic incidents took place in the country in 2025, representing a 9.4% increase over 2024. On average, this represented 18.6 incidents a day and was the "highest volume" the group has recorded since it began tracking incidents.

"I'm a Canadian-born Jew serving as rabbi of the vibrant Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem community in Montreal, and I was truly shocked to learn that among the people chosen to sit on Prime Minister Carney's newest council is Omar Alghabra, who publicly mourned the death of Yasser Arafat and remained silent when asked to condemn the attacks of October 7th," Rabbi Zolly Claman of Montreal's Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem Congregation told Fox News Digital.

"Canadian Jews are struggling to understand how our prime minister believed this would be a constructive appointment," Claman said.

When announcing the new Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion, Carney stated, "The council has a clear mission to combat racism and hate in all their forms and to guide the Government of Canada as part of our efforts to build a fairer, more just, more inclusive society," He also said that, "The crisis of antisemitism in Canada today is specific, it’s severe, and it demands a targeted response. And that is what our government is fully committed to," Reuters reported.

FROM AUSCHWITZ, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR ISSUES URGENT WARNING OVER RISING ANTISEMITISM IN CANADA

When asked about Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement, B'nai Brith Canada, one of the country's leading Jewish advocacy organizations said that while it welcomed the prime minister's acknowledgment of rising antisemitism, it believes additional action is needed to address what it views as a growing crisis facing Canada's Jewish community.

"B'nai Brith Canada acknowledges the Prime Minister's solidarity with the Jewish community," Simon Wolle, the organization's chief executive officer, told Fox News Digital. "He was right to mandate that the Special Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion prioritize researching and combating antisemitism."

At the same time, Wolle questioned whether the newly announced council has the authority and scope necessary to effectively address the problem.

"But we are concerned because the council does not have the power or scale to address this crisis in an appropriate and meaningful manner," he said. "It is an important aspect of the government's approach to combating antisemitism, but it is not sufficient."

Wolle added that B'nai Brith Canada will "continue to call on the government to establish a National Emergency Task Force on Antisemitism, among other initiatives, because the Jewish community needs immediate action, not just words during this time of violence, hate, and threats to our right to exist and participate in Canadian society," he said. Wolle did not offer comment on either Omar Alghabra and Avnish Nanda appointments.

NON-JEWISH PROFESSOR SAYS HE WAS FIRED FOR CALLING OUT HAMAS SUPPORTERS IN ONLINE POST

Canadian Jewish activist Ariella Kimmel also questioned the effectiveness of the newly announced council.

"The Jewish community makes up just 1.2% of Canada's population, yet is the target of 75% of hate crimes, which is astoundingly disproportionate. Canada does not have a hate problem; it has a Jew-hatred problem. There is a very specific virus spreading rapidly across this country, and our prime minister is administering a broad catch-all antibiotic that will not help."

Kimmel said his speech lacked concrete solutions and failed to address what she described as growing hostility toward Jewish communities.

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"There was nothing on the vile chants we hear on the streets, nothing about the mobs that target Jewish neighborhoods, nothing calling for police to enforce the laws that already exist," she said.

"What Canada doesn't need is another special council on racism. We need to address the real elephant in the room, the targeting of Jews using 'Zionism' as an excusable reason, led by radicalized progressives and Islamist fundamentalists."

Fox News Digital reached out to Carney’s office and Omar Alghabra and Avnish Nanda for comment.

The Israel Defense Forces announced Tuesday that it eliminated a Hamas terrorist who helped abduct American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who ultimately was murdered in the Gaza Strip. 

The IDF said Yousef Ayesh Awad Ramadan, a deputy commander of a Hamas Nukhba terrorist cell, was killed in the central Gaza Strip on Monday. Nukhba, which is Arabic for elite, is the special forces for the Al-Qassam Brigades, which is Hamas' military wing. 

"Ramadan infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7th massacre and took part in the abduction of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eliya Cohen, Alon Ohel, and Or Levy from the bomb shelter at the Re’im Junction," the IDF said Tuesday. 

"In addition, throughout the war, and in recent weeks, the terrorist advanced attack plans against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians. As such, he posed an immediate threat to IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip," it continued.

HAMAS STRUGGLES TO FILL LEADERSHIP RANKS AS ISRAEL HUNTS OCTOBER 7 TERRORISTS

Goldberg-Polin survived almost 11 months in underground tunnels following his capture but was killed alongside other hostages in August 2024, while still in captivity. He was 23 at the time of his death. 

"According to our initial assessment, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them," then- IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said. 

Goldberg-Polin was abducted at a music festival in southern Israel during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack against the Jewish State.

He lost part of his left arm to a grenade in the attack.  

PENTAGON HOSTS FIRST-EVER ISRAELI-LEBANESE MILITARY TALKS AIMED AT CURBING HEZBOLLAH

Eliya Cohen survived 505 days in captivity. He faced extreme starvation, was kept chained in tunnels, and had surgery for a gunshot wound without anesthesia. He was released in February 2025 as part of a negotiated deal.

Or Levy survived 491 days in captivity. He endured harsh conditions and only learned after his release that his wife, Einav, had been killed in the Oct. 7 attack. He has since reunited with his young son.

Alon Ohel spent more than two years as a hostage in Gaza until his release in October last year. 

A talented pianist, he endured starvation, torture and serious eye injuries from a grenade. He was freed on Oct. 13, 2025, through a U.S.-brokered deal and returned home to recover. He now performs with Israeli artists.

Fox News’ Yonat Friling, Robert McGreevy and Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Just before celebrations for Eid al-Adha, a major Muslim holiday, began in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike hit a building in Gaza City, killing Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of Hamas’ military wing, according to Israeli officials and later confirmed by Hamas.

Reports from regional media said members of Odeh’s family were also killed in the strike. Two hours later, Gaza’s markets were full.

Fox News Digital reviewed video filmed in Gaza showing crowded Eid streets, children shopping and families gathering, with little visible reaction to the killing of the Hamas commander Israel described as one of the architects of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. 

The contrast underscored what many Gazans and analysts describe as a growing disconnect between Hamas leaders and civilians exhausted by nearly three years of war, which has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry — figures that do not distinguish between civilians and combatants — and displaced most of Gaza’s population.

ISRAEL ANNOUNCES IT KILLED ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF THE OCT. 7 ATTACKS

Hadeel Oueis, editor-in-chief of Jusoor News, told Fox News Digital the assassinations are creating "a clear vacuum" inside Hamas and weakening coordination between leaders in Gaza and abroad.

"With the deaths of its leaders and the collapse of strong centralized command, Hamas is turning into a smaller militia competing with other armed groups operating in Gaza," Oueis said. "Hamas is now fighting for survival."

In a joint statement issued Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Odeh, who had replaced senior commander Izz al-Din al-Haddad only days earlier, was "one of the architects of the October 7 massacre."

"Sooner or later, Israel will reach all of them," Netanyahu and Katz said.

Inside Gaza, several residents interviewed by Jusoor News said they no longer viewed the deaths of Hamas leaders as personal losses.

"Of course we didn’t feel anything when Haddad, Sinwar, or others were killed," one Gazan activist and former political prisoner told Jusoor News in an on-camera interview, speaking with his face blurred for safety reasons.

The activist was referring to Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the Hamas military commander Israel said it killed earlier in May, and Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader and chief architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, who was killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza in October 2024.

"Ordinary people are the ones who paid the price, not the leaders who made reckless decisions without thinking," the activist said.

"As a result, Gaza today is almost completely destroyed," the activist said. "There are families who have lost everything, while the remaining leaders abroad and inside continue to gamble with our lives constantly."

GRASSROOTS PUSH FOR FREEDOM GROWS IN GAZA AS HAMAS TIGHTENS ITS DEADLY GRIP

A Gaza-based journalist echoed the frustration. 

"When we heard about the killing of Izz al-Din Haddad or others, we were not affected," the journalist said. "What is even more painful is that the children of the leaders live outside Gaza, in Turkey and Qatar, driving luxury cars and living comfortable lives, while people here have almost gone back to the Stone Age."

Another Gaza journalist and human rights advocate told Jusoor Hamas had harmed Palestinians as much as Israelis. 

"I do not see the deaths of the leaders as losses for the Palestinians, because we ordinary people are the ones who paid the price," the advocate said. "Honestly, Hamas did not only hurt the Israelis — they hurt us as well."

At the same time, Israeli analysts caution that the repeated assassinations do not necessarily mean Hamas is close to collapse.

Michael Milshtein, an expert on the Palestinian arena, told Fox News Digital that Hamas unquestionably has suffered severe damage since Oct. 7, 2023, particularly with the deaths of veteran commanders who helped build the organization’s military structure and doctrine.

ISRAEL, HAMAS CEASEFIRE DEAL COULD ENABLE REARMING OF GAZA TERRORISTS

"Almost nobody remains from the core group that planned and led the October 7 attack," he said.

But he noted that Odeh himself had been viewed largely as a second-tier figure before the war rather than an obvious successor to Hamas’ historic military leadership.

"The people replacing them are far less experienced, less capable and far less charismatic," Milshtein said.

Still, he argued, Hamas continues to maintain functioning chains of command and ideological cohesion despite the losses.

"People know they are likely going to die, and they still compete for these leadership positions," he said.

The debate over Hamas’ future comes as international efforts to shape a postwar political framework for Gaza accelerate.

TRUMP-BACKED BOARD OF PEACE, ISRAEL 'WILL TAKE ACTION' IF HAMAS REMAINS OUT OF COMPLIANCE: NETANYAHU ADVISOR

Nickolay Mladenov, who was appointed High Representative for Gaza under the Board of Peace initiative, published the core elements of a proposed 15-point "Roadmap to Complete the Implementation of President Trump’s Gaza Comprehensive Peace Plan."

The proposal includes a phased Hamas disarmament process, internationally supervised security reforms and the establishment of "one authority, one law, one weapon" inside Gaza.

"Gaza cannot recover while armed groups simultaneously operate as governing authorities," Mladenov wrote while outlining the proposal on social media.

For many Gazans exhausted by years of war, displacement and destruction, the deaths of Hamas leaders now appear to carry less emotional weight than the hope that the conflict itself could finally end.

"Gaza cannot remain hostage to the idea of permanent war while civilians alone pay the entire price," one activist said.

Israeli officials blasted the United Nations after accusing the body of adding Israeli entities to a sexual violence blacklist that also includes the terrorist group Hamas.

"We are done with this UN Secretary-General. Guterres has put Israel on the same blacklist along with Hamas, ISIS and the most depraved terrorist organizations in the world. This is a moral disgrace that proves that Guterres has lost all credibility," Israel's ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

Fox News has confirmed that the UN added three Israeli armed security force groups to an annex of the UN's annual Conflict-Related Sexual Violence report. 

The UN added the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Prison Services and the country's border police Counter Terrorism Unit to the report's annex, Guterres informed Danon in a Thursday letter obtained by Fox News Digital. 

The inclusion came after the UN determined the groups to be "as a party credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other sexual violence," Guterres wrote.

A spokesperson for Danon said Israel was officially freezing relations with the secretary-general's office as long as Antonio Guterres holds the position.

UN DRAFT REPORT ON CHILDREN IN CONFLICT ZONES RAISES EYEBROWS WITH FRAMING OF ISRAELIS

"We are a strong democracy. We invited the representatives of the U.N. to come to Israel to check those ridiculous allegations. They chose not to come. They chose to continue with the campaign against Israel. We saw the lies in The New York Times, and now we see another lie coming from the U.N.," Danon said in a video shared with Fox News Digital.

"We are done with this Secretary-General," he concluded.

In the Thursday letter, Guterres explained his decision to include Israel's security groups.

"Over the past year, and as noted in the country section of this year’s report (S/2026/321), an increasing number of cases of rape and other forms of sexual violence against Palestinians detained in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Israel, perpetrated by Israel Defense Forces, Israel Prison Service and the border police Counter Terrorism Unit continued to be verified. This builds on United Nations reporting of similar patterns and trends of violations in previous years," Guterres wrote.

The U.N. did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.

ISRAEL FOREIGN MINISTRY CONDEMNS NEW YORK TIMES PIECE AS 'ONE OF THE WORST BLOOD LIBELS' IN MODERN PRESS

The Jerusalem Post first reported Wednesday night that the Israeli Prison Service will be included on the U.N.'s list of countries that commit sexual violence in conflict zones.

In early May, The New York Times published an opinion piece from writer Nicholas Kristof accusing Israeli prison guards of conducting institutionalized sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners. Kristof cited a 2025 U.N. report that called alleged Israeli sexual abuse of Palestinians "standard operating procedures towards Palestinians."

Israeli officials strongly rejected the piece's premises and accused Kristof and the Times of blood libel, threatening to sue the outlet in American courts.

THE UN’S BETRAYAL AND ISRAEL’S FIGHT FOR TRUTH

"In an unfathomable inversion of reality, and through an endless stream of baseless lies, propagandist Nicholas Kristof turns the victim into the accused. Israel -— whose citizens were the victims of the most horrific sexual crimes committed by Hamas on October 7, and whose hostages were later subjected to further sexual abuse -— is portrayed as the guilty party," the Israel Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X in response to the Times piece.

The New York Times pointed Fox News Digital towards a previously issued statement. 

"Nicholas Kristof’s deeply reported piece of opinion journalism starts with a proposition to readers: ‘Whatever our views of the Middle East conflict, we should be able to unite in condemning rape.’ He draws together on-the-record accounts and cites several analyses documenting the practice of sexual violence and abuse conducted by various parts of Israel’s security forces and settlers," the statement read.

"The accounts of the 14 men and women he interviewed were corroborated with other witnesses, whenever possible, and with people the victims confided in — that includes family members and lawyers. Details were extensively fact-checked, with accounts further cross-referenced with news reporting, independent research from human-rights groups, surveys and in one case, with U.N. testimony. Independent experts were consulted on the assertions in the piece throughout reporting and fact-checking," the statement concluded. 

The Israeli Foreign Ministry further commented Thursday on the reported U.N. blacklisting.

"Over the past year, Israel's Ambassador to the UN and the Israeli delegation held a series of meetings with U.N. representatives and provided documents, data, as well as a detailed response to all the allegations that were raised. Despite this, the U.N. Secretary-General chose to advance a political decision and include Israel alongside Hamas and terrorist organizations," the foreign ministry wrote in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.

"The shameful and absurd U.N. decision to include Israeli entities in the annex to the CRSV report is further proof of the UN’s true nature: a politicized and corrupt organization that has abandoned its founding principles and systematically targets Israel as its primary mission. This decision is yet another example of the UN’s long-standing, institutionalized hostility toward Israel. Today’s decision must be understood in its true context: an attempt to create a fake symmetry between Israel and the real sexual atrocities committed by Hamas. This is its sole motivation. The person behind this farce is Antonio Guterres," the statement continued.

"This is the same Guterres who sought to 'contextualize' the October 7 massacre, who covered up the involvement of UN employees in those atrocities, and who has dragged the UN to its lowest point. Guterres is now exploiting his final months as Secretary-General to fabricate baseless accusations against Israel, completely devoid of any factual merit. Israel has comprehensively, thoroughly, and unequivocally refuted these allegations. Given that António Guterres has chosen to violate every standard of honesty, integrity, and professionalism, Israel has decided to sever all ties with the Secretary-General’s Office and will wait until a new UN Secretary-General is appointed," the statement concluded.

The new head of Hamas’ military wing has been taken out by Israeli forces in an airstrike. 

Mohammed Odeh, who was "responsible for planning and coordinating Hamas terrorists’ infiltration and attack targets during the October 7 Massacre," was killed in an operation in northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday. 

"Odeh served as the Head of Hamas’ military wing following the elimination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad," according to the IDF, which shared a photo showing Odeh among other now-deceased Hamas leadership. 

"Odeh was responsible for the murder, abduction, and wounding of many Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement. "We will continue to pursue anyone who took part in the October 7 massacre. Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all."

TRUMP-BACKED BOARD OF PEACE, ISRAEL 'WILL TAKE ACTION' IF HAMAS REMAINS OUT OF COMPLIANCE

Haddad was eliminated by an Israeli Air Force strike in Gaza City earlier this month, military officials said.

"The IDF will continue to pursue our enemies, strike them, and hold accountable everyone who took part in the October 7 Massacre. We will not relent until we reach them all — this is our duty to all those who returned and to all our civilians," IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was quoted as saying following Haddad's death.

The IDF said, "Following the elimination of his predecessors, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar," Haddad had "assumed control of Hamas and worked to rebuild its military capabilities and infrastructure — a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement." 

IDF KILLS KEY HAMAS FOUNDER AND MASTERMIND OF OCT 7 TERROR ATTACK IN ISRAEL

"Haddad was one of the longest-serving commanders in Hamas and played a key role in its terrorist rule. He climbed the ranks and advanced into crucial positions, then was tasked with coordinating and planning the October 7 Massacre invasion," the IDF said in the announcement of Haddad’s death.

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 "Throughout the war, he was involved in the holding of many Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity," the IDF added. 

"In every conversation I held with the hostages who returned, the name of the arch-terrorist Izz al-Din al-Haddad… came up again and again," Zamir said.

A non-Jewish Canadian professor says he was fired from his university for defending Israel in a social media post as antisemitism exploded across Canada following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

Paul Finlayson told Fox News Digital that he lost his job at Canada’s University of Guelph-Humber after taking a strong stance online about the massacre and kidnapping of Israelis and foreigners — including Americans and Canadians.

Finlayson responded in November of 2023 to a LinkedIn message from an overseas educator who he said was "calling for the eradication of Israel." Though the author later deleted his post and all corresponding comments, the National Post quoted from Finlayson’s response in a December 2023 article.

"If you say ‘from the River to the Sea’, you’re a Nazi," Finlayson wrote. "I’m not neutral. I stand with Israel. I stand against antisemites who want nothing but dead Jews: who take millions from their education and health care budgets and spend it on making war…You stand with Palestine means you stand with Hitler. You don’t want peace, you want dead Jews…They murdered 1,400 innocents and took 250 hostages and the people celebrated rapist monsters as heroes."

RECORD ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN CANADA FUEL CRITICISM OF CARNEY GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

Since the post, Finlayson says he has faced a targeted campaign against him which has affected his professional standing and job prospects. 

Finlayson said that students at the school found his LinkedIn reply before the post's author erased the thread, leading to outcry. While meeting with a student in his office on Nov. 27, Finlayson said an administrator waited outside, eventually presenting him with a suspension letter.

A copy of the suspension letter, provided by Finlayson, cites "inappropriate online comments" and places the professor "on leave pending the outcome of the investigation." It directed Finlayson not to contact "any of your departmental staff or students or broader members of the [university]."

Finlayson said he was "very well-liked" by students, who ranked him among the highest in the business department faculty. He said that rumors about the accusations against him destroyed his academic reputation, which included formulating courses and writing textbooks.

"My trial has been by defamation, and it continues by defamation," Finlayson said of the "Kafkaesque" situation that ensued.

FEDERAL PROBE CLAIMS UNIVERSITIES ARE 'LEGITIMIZING AND AMPLIFYING ANTISEMITISM'

He says that his union, OPSEU Local 562, refused to represent him. The union did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Finlayson was officially fired by the university in July 2025. He provided a copy of his termination letter, which stated that after a "formal complaint of discrimination and harassment," an investigator found that his "conduct violated the Ontario Human Rights Code and Humber’s Human Rights and Harassment Policy, and that [he] engaged in reprisal under both of those instruments."

The Humber harassment policy states that "anyone who attempts Reprisal or threatens Reprisal against a person who initiates a complaint or participates in proceedings under this Policy may be subject to disciplinary action."

The same policy says that "Humber upholds and supports the right to equal treatment without Discrimination" based on prohibited grounds, which include antisemitism.

CANADA’S ANTISEMITISM ENVOY RESIGNS, CITING EXHAUSTION AMID HATE SURGE

The University of Guelph-Humber did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about Finlayson’s suspension, investigation and firing, and about whether anti-Israel posts shared by its students and a professor at the University violate the Humber Human Rights and Harassment Policy.

The University of Guelph’s "UofGforPalestine" Instagram page, which presents itself as the account of "students, staff, and faculty who stand in solidarity with Palestine," has shared posts with the inverted red triangle that Hamas uses to mark targets. Like the U.S., Canada designates Hamas as a terror group.

In November 2024, the group shared photos on its Instagram account of a guillotine that "appeared on a walking path" in Guelph, which featured photos of the heads of Canadian, American and Israeli leaders coated in red paint. Though purported to be an "anonymous submission," the post notes its "message" as "Death to empire, death to colonialism and imperialism, death to the war machine."

A University of Guelph-Humber professor whom Finlayson believes brought the case against him has posted inflammatory rhetoric on his own LinkedIn account, calling Israel a "terrorist state," and stating that the world "cannot have both" peace and Israel.

The professor did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

While Finlayson lost his position, elsewhere in Canada, activism led to starkly different circumstances for three staffers at York University, who were among 11 individuals charged with "hate-motivated mischief" in Nov 2023 for plastering a bookstore with photos accusing a Jewish CEO of genocide, and splashing the store with red paint, as reported by the National Post.

Though they were initially suspended from the school, at least two staff members appear to have current profiles on the York University website. One, a professor, most recently taught courses at the school in the Winter 2026 semester. York University did not respond to requests for comment about its restoration of staff members’ roles.

Since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, antisemitism has exploded in Canada. In April, B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights released a report showing that 6,800 antisemitic incidents took place in the country in 2025, representing a 9.4% increase over 2024. On average, this represented 18.6 incidents a day and was the "highest volume" the group has recorded since it began tracking incidents.

WARNING: This article includes graphic and disturbing accounts from the October 7 massacre in Israel.

Hamas and its Palestinian collaborators used sexual and gender-based violence "deliberately and systematically" as an inherent part of a wider strategy of the 2023 massacres in southern Israel, according to a report released Tuesday by the Civil Commission on Oct. 7 Crimes Against Women and Children.

The Israeli nonprofit said its investigation documented evidence of abuse at multiple sites during the Oct. 7 terror invasion, including the Nova Music Festival, kibbutzim near the Gaza border, Israel Defense Forces bases, among hostages in captivity and in the condition of recovered bodies showing signs consistent with sexual violence.

According to the report, investigators identified at least 13 recurring forms of abuse, including rape, sexual torture, shootings directed at victims’ genital areas and abuse carried out after death.

ISRAEL'S QUEST FOR JUSTICE EXPOSES HAMAS' SYSTEMATIC SEXUAL VIOLENCE CAMPAIGN DURING OCTOBER 7 MASSACRE

Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, founder and chair of the Civil Commission and a principal co-author of the report, told Fox News Digital that the greatest challenge in compiling the findings was the team’s repeated exposure to graphic material and the trauma associated with reviewing it on a regular basis.

"We had to not only collect materials, but also review and analyze it alongside forensic experts while witnessing human suffering at its worst," Elkayam-Levy said. "What motivated us was the denial, the hesitation and the questioning. We wanted to ensure that the world knows what happened to the victims.

"For us, it is a final act of justice for the victims," she added.

The report also detailed cases in which sexual violence was inflicted in front of or involving family members, including one incident in which relatives were allegedly forced to carry out acts on each other.

FREED HOSTAGE ROM BRASLAVSKI DETAILS ABUSE, STARVATION DURING 738 DAYS IN GAZA CAPTIVITY

It further accused Hamas and allied perpetrators of using videos, digital platforms and social media as tools to magnify psychological harm, spread fear and publicize the attacks, including by distributing sexualized material.

Elkayam-Levy said she hopes the findings will not remain confined to academics, human rights organizations or activists, but will also be studied by counterterrorism and national security experts to better understand and confront such atrocities.

"We cannot prevent what we do not fully understand," Elkayam-Levy said. "No single prosecution could ever capture the full magnitude of these crimes in the way this report does. It is therefore critical that policymakers, decision-makers, members of Congress and senators find ways to formally recognize these findings and hold hearings so we can begin addressing this issue. We want the findings of this report to receive formal institutional recognition."

The report, Elkayam-Levy noted, underscores that victims of the Oct. 7 atrocities came from 52 countries, highlighting the global scope and impact of the attack.

Witness testimony cited in the report included an account of a woman being sexually assaulted before being beheaded. Another witness described seeing a woman dragged from a vehicle, pinned against a wall, repeatedly raped and then stabbed, with the assault allegedly continuing after her death.

In another case, a witness described discovering the body of a man whose genitals had been severed, lying beside the body of a woman holding them, in what the report described as an apparent effort to degrade and humiliate the victims.

JEWISH DEM LAWMAKER PANS NY TIMES, SUGGESTS PAPER ON 'HAMAS' PAYROLL' FOR PALESTINIAN PRISONER DOG RAPE REPORT

Investigators said some female victims were found naked or partially unclothed, with evidence of severe mutilation and objects including grenades, nails and household tools inserted into their bodies. The report also cited gunshot wounds, cuts and burn injuries concentrated on intimate areas.

The report said some female bodies brought to morgues showed broken pelvises or legs, bloodied underwear and additional trauma to the abdomen or groin.

Former hostages, both women and men, have also testified to rape, sexual torture and other forms of abuse during abduction or captivity, according to the report. It said some female captives reported sexual assaults while receiving treatment in Gaza hospitals for injuries sustained during the attacks.

Male hostages likewise described sexual abuse while in captivity, including assaults in showers and incidents carried out under armed threat while victims were naked, the report said. One former hostage recounted being sexually assaulted when a captor forcibly rubbed his genitals against the victim’s anus.

Last month, former hostage Rom Braslavski recounted the abuse he said he endured during captivity in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

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"They would hit me with whatever they had on hand. I underwent severe torture, bondage and sexual abuse. Everything they could do to me, they did. My body is still covered in scars. After four months of torture, I was clinically dead, rolling my eyes and passing out. They decided to stop the violence and brought doctors to treat me with injections and gave me food again," he said.

The report said sexual and gender-based violence was "widespread and systematic" and constituted an "integral component" of both the Oct. 7 attacks and the subsequent treatment of captives, while calling the prosecution of such crimes an "urgent" priority to be pursued through international accountability mechanisms.

Among its recommendations, the commission called for targeted sanctions against individuals and entities accused of carrying out or materially supporting the Oct. 7 attack and its aftermath. It also urged action against what it described as denial, minimization or politicization of the sexual crimes committed during the massacre and in captivity.

"The Commission further recommends that Israel adopt a comprehensive gender strategy within its prosecutorial framework and establish a specialized chamber or panel of judges dedicated to the prosecution of sexual and gender-based crimes committed on October 7th and during captivity," the report said.

Elkayam-Levy said the report has received widespread international attention, including front-page coverage in U.S. and global media outlets. "We feel the discussion has shifted from questioning whether these crimes occurred to examining their consequences," she said. "There is now a substantial legal evidentiary foundation preserved in a secure archive that cannot be denied."

Thousands rallied in London Sunday, alarmed by the massive increase in violent attacks against the country's Jewish population. Marchers made clear their anger towards the British government's inaction.

Speaking a few days before the rally, U.K. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch told Fox News Digital, "Zero tolerance for antisemitism means treating this epidemic of violence as a genuine national emergency." Badenoch has called for stronger enforcement, including deporting foreign preachers who are spreading hate in mosques and other institutions. "Antisemites will not be welcomed or tolerated. Britain has been a haven for Jews for centuries. It must remain so."

Her warning comes as the United Kingdom raised its national terrorism threat level to "severe," the second-highest classification, meaning an attack is considered highly likely. The move reflects what security officials describe as a worsening threat environment amid a spike in antisemitic incidents, arson attacks and targeted violence.

EVEN BEFORE GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL HATE CHANTS, UK JEWS WARNED OF ALARMING RISE IN ANTISEMITISM

"There’s an unholy alliance of the hard Left and Islamist extremists behind some of the spread of antisemitism," Badenoch warned. "What do people think chants such as ‘from the river to the sea’ or ‘globalize the intifada’ mean if they do not mean the erasure of the world’s only Jewish state and violence against Jews everywhere?"

British security officials have long noted that Islamist extremism remains one of the United Kingdom’s primary terror threats, with MI5 warning that radicalization networks and extremist ideology continue to pose serious risks.

Jewish leaders and analysts say expressions of support for terrorist groups such as Hamas, combined with public glorification of violence, have contributed to an environment in which anti-Jewish hostility is becoming increasingly normalized.

Despite mounting criticism over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s handling of antisemitism as incidents continue to reach new highs across the U.K., Starmer, speaking at the No10 Tackling Antisemitism Forum last week, said: "Our Jewish communities [are] feeling frightened, angry and asking whether this country, their home, is safe for them." 

He added: "In recent months, as antisemitic incidents have risen, we have acted decisively to strengthen the safety of Jewish communities," announcing an additional £25 million in funding for increased patrols and enhanced security to prevent serious harm before it occurs." Despite those assurances, critics say the response is still falling short, warning that Jewish communities remain exposed and the situation is continuing to escalate.

Jonathan Sacerdoti, a London-based commentator and writer, told Fox News Digital that authorities have demonstrated the ability to deploy large scale policing when necessary, but many Jewish residents are questioning whether that same urgency is being applied to protecting them.

"Considering they’re able to police massive anti-Israel protests every two weeks for the last two and a half years," Sacerdoti said, "they ought to be able to do the same to protect Jews."

He added that security funding alone cannot solve what he sees as a deeper problem.

ANTISEMITISM IS BECOMING 'NORMAL,' WITH JEWISH TEENS PAYING THE PRICE

"Jews should not need a volunteer security organization," he said. "The state should protect us itself."

For many Jewish families across the United Kingdom, the impact is no longer abstract. It is being felt in everyday life.

Rabbi Albert Chait, senior rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation in Leeds, said one of the most troubling signs is how normalized constant security has become for Jewish children.

"You know what the worst thing is, in my opinion?" Chait said. "The fact that my children do not ask why there is police outside their school. They do not question why there is paid security on the gate and on the street. They do not even question it because that is just normal day to day activity."

ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE ESCALATES AS DEADLY WEAPON ATTACKS SURGE IN 2025: REPORT

According to the Community Security Trust, antisemitic incidents in Britain reached approximately 3,700 in 2025, among the highest totals on record, prompting increased funding for security at synagogues, schools and Jewish institutions.

As Britain confronts what many are increasingly describing as a national crisis, similar warning signs are becoming more visible in the United States.

This past week in Queens, New York, multiple Jewish homes, a synagogue and a Jewish community center housing a preschool were vandalized with swastikas and antisemitic graffiti, raising alarm among residents.

From swastikas scrawled in school bathrooms and subway stations to antisemitic graffiti targeting synagogues and Jewish institutions, symbols of hate are appearing with growing visibility in everyday American life.

"One of the sites houses a pre-K program, where young children, their families and staff were greeted with swastikas and other hateful vandalism," Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York told Jewish Insider. "This is not normal, and we need city leaders to act now."

For many observers, the parallels are difficult to ignore.

What Britain is experiencing, rising antisemitic violence, normalized hostility, and ongoing debates over ideology and enforcement, is no longer confined overseas.

It is increasingly being reflected in American communities.

And as the crisis unfolds, Badenoch’s warning carries implications far beyond the United Kingdom.

"I have never seen the level of racism, discrimination, intimidation and attacks that have been directed at the Jewish community," she said. "If other minority communities were facing similar levels of violence, there would be a national emergency."

As President Donald Trump signals progress toward a possible agreement with Iran, Israeli officials and analysts increasingly are outlining what Jerusalem believes any deal must include to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its military and regional power.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel and the United States remain in "full coordination" as negotiations continue.

"We share common objectives, and the most important objective is the removal of the enriched material from Iran, all the enriched material, and the dismantling of Iran’s enrichment capabilities," Netanyahu said at the opening of a security cabinet meeting.

US AND IRAN CLASH OVER URANIUM ENRICHMENT AS NUCLEAR TALKS RESUME IN ROME

"We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday. 

At the same time, Trump warned that if negotiations fail, "we’ll have to go a big step further."

For Israel, the question is not simply whether the war ends, but whether Iran emerges from negotiations weakened or repositioned to rebuild. Israeli officials fear a weak agreement could allow Tehran to preserve strategic capabilities, regain economic breathing room and eventually restore the regional network of armed groups that threatened Israel before the war. Jerusalem is also seeking guarantees that any future deal preserves military leverage and freedom of action if Iran violates its commitments.

Against that backdrop, Israeli analysts say Jerusalem’s red lines focus on four core areas: dismantling Iran’s enrichment infrastructure, restricting its ballistic missile program, preventing Tehran from rebuilding Hezbollah and Hamas, and ensuring the regime does not gain political legitimacy or strategic relief from the negotiations.

On the nuclear issue, former Israeli National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror said Israel’s position remains uncompromising.

"Weaponized uranium must leave Iran," Amidror said. "The Iranians must not be allowed to enrich uranium."

Israeli journalist and commentator Nadav Eyal agreed, adding that Israel is seeking a much stricter framework than previous agreements. 

"Israel wants Iran to stop enrichment for as long as possible and for the enriched material to leave Iran," Eyal said, adding that Jerusalem is looking for "an arms control agreement that would be extensive and robust."

Avner Golov, vice president of the Mind Israel think tank, told Fox News Digital that Israel also wants Iran’s underground nuclear infrastructure dismantled entirely. 

"In the nuclear arena, what matters is the removal of the enriched material, the destruction of the underground facilities, including those still being built, and a prohibition on new sites," Golov said.

Golov also warned against "sunset clauses" that would allow restrictions to expire after several years. 

"There must be an agreement without sunsets," he said, calling for "unprecedented monitoring and supervision, anywhere, under any conditions and not dependent on Iranian approval."

Jonathan Ruhe, Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) fellow for American strategy, told Fox News Digital, "Ultimately the United States and Israel should have strongly similar redlines for an acceptable deal," he said, including "shutting down Iran’s nuclear weapons program completely, permanently and verifiably."

Ruhe said that goes beyond Iran handing over highly enriched uranium and includes shutting down remaining enrichment-related facilities at Pickaxe and Isfahan.

UN'S ATOMIC AGENCY'S IRAN POLICY GETS MIXED REVIEWS FROM EXPERTS AFTER US-ISRAEL 'OBLITERATE' NUCLEAR SITES

Alongside the nuclear issue, Israeli analysts say Iran’s ballistic missile program has become equally central to Israel’s security concerns.

"One of the key questions is whether there will be any sort of limitation on the ballistic missile program of the Iranians," Eyal said. "Israel sees this as no less of an existential threat than the nuclear issue."

Amidror warned that without missile restrictions, the threat could eventually extend beyond Israel and Europe. 

"If there are no restrictions on the missile program, then missiles that today can reach half of Europe will, within five to 10 years, be able to reach the United States," he warned.

Golov argued that a nuclear-only agreement would leave Iran free to rebuild a missile shield protecting a future nuclear breakout. 

"A deal that focuses only on the nuclear program would allow the Iranians to produce thousands of missiles and create a protective shield around their nuclear program."

Ruhe similarly said limiting Iran’s missile arsenal must include preventing Iran from rebuilding production capabilities damaged during the war.

IRAN DRAWS MISSILE RED LINE AS ANALYSTS WARN TEHRAN IS STALLING US TALKS

Another major Israeli concern is that sanctions relief or renewed trade could funnel money back to Iran’s regional proxies.

"Israel is demanding that the Islamic Republic isolate itself from involvement with Lebanon and Gaza and stop supporting armed groups that operate against Israel," Eyal said.

"For Israel, it is a material issue that the money injected into Iran will not be used to rebuild the proxies in the region," he added.

Amidror said Iran’s ability to support Hezbollah and Hamas has already been weakened by the collapse of regional supply routes. 

"The Iranians cannot effectively support the proxies because there is no longer a land bridge from Iran to Syria," he said, but warned that if negotiations leave the impression that Washington backed down, Iran’s regional proxies could emerge stronger even after the war.

Ruhe similarly argued that Israel wants to avoid any agreement that restores legitimacy to the Iranian regime without fundamentally weakening it.

"Avoiding anything that legitimates Iran’s regime and abandons the Iranian people" is critical, Ruhe said, including "giving guarantees against future attacks or compensating Tehran for wartime damages."

Ruhe warned that for Israel, a "bad deal" is ultimately any agreement that restrains Israel’s future freedom of action against Iran and its proxies.

"This is one big reason Iran wants to ensnare the Trump administration in open-ended negotiations that sideline military options and create daylight between Washington and Jerusalem," Ruhe said.

Germany is facing a sharp rise in antisemitism, with officials warning that Islamist and left-wing extremist networks are exploiting the war in the Middle East to spread anti-Jewish rhetoric, mobilize supporters and contribute to harassment and violence against Jewish communities.

These groups are using the Israel–Hamas war and broader regional tensions as a pretext to amplify antisemitic narratives, according to a study by the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which includes accusations of "genocide" in Gaza and portrayals of Israel as a colonial state, language authorities say is increasingly being used to justify hostility and, in some cases, violence against Jews.

German Interior Minister for the State of Hesse Roman Poseck warned that the trend is escalating.

CALLS FOR US TO DO MORE AS ANTISEMITIC ACTS SKYROCKET IN EUROPE: 'ENORMOUSLY PAINFUL'

"Antisemitism is one of the greatest threats to our social cohesion — especially from Islamism and the left-wing extremist spectrum," Poseck said in a statement. 

The developments are raising broader concerns beyond Germany, as officials and Jewish leaders warn that similar patterns of antisemitic rhetoric tied to Middle East conflicts are emerging across Western democracies, including the United States. With Germany long seen as a bellwether due to its history and legal framework around hate speech, the findings are being viewed as a warning sign of how extremist narratives can move from the fringes into mainstream discourse.

Poseck, who commissioned the report of the Hessian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, warned of a deteriorating social climate, saying that "antisemitic sentiments are becoming increasingly intolerable, even in public spaces." 

"I am deeply ashamed of what Jews in Germany have to endure 80 years after the end of the Second World War," he continued. "We Germans, in particular, bear a lasting responsibility never to forget what happened."

US ALLY WARNS ANOTHER ANTISEMITIC ATTACK IS HIGHLY LIKELY IN NEXT 6 MONTHS

Forty-six of 102 Jewish communities surveyed in Germany reported antisemitic incidents, highlighting the growing scale of the threat, a new nationwide report by the Central Council of Jews in Germany found. 

Among the most common incidents identified in the Central Council survey were verbal abuse, threatening phone calls, vandalism and antisemitic graffiti. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they feel less safe living in Germany since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

"Following the explosive rise in antisemitism after Oct. 7, a ‘new normal’ has emerged," Central Council President Josef Schuster said in the press statement. "A situation in which Jewish communities require constant protection and antisemitism has become normalized as part of the public sphere."

The report also found that broader geopolitical developments continue to directly impact Jewish communities in Germany. Sixty-two percent of respondents said their sense of insecurity worsened following the recent war involving Iran, while two-thirds said a Gaza ceasefire did not improve their safety.

RECORD ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN CANADA FUEL CRITICISM OF CARNEY GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

Jewish leaders say the consequences are being felt in daily life. Many Jews are increasingly avoiding visible signs of their identity, such as wearing a Star of David or a kippah, or Jewish skullcap, amid fears of harassment. In some cases, communities have canceled events due to security concerns.

At the same time, the report highlights a sharp decline in perceived societal support. Only 35% of communities said they feel solidarity from broader civil society, down from 62% in 2023.

Officials say the normalization of such rhetoric is shifting the boundaries of acceptable public discourse.

The findings underscore growing concern that antisemitism, once seen as confined to the margins, is becoming more visible in public life, leaving Jewish communities feeling increasingly isolated and under threat.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it eliminated Hamas Commander Anas Muhammad Ibrahim Hamed, who infiltrated Israel and participated in the Oct. 7 Nova Music Festival Massacre.

Hamed was killed during a targeted Monday strike in Gaza, the IDF announced Tuesday.

"The IDF struck yesterday in the center of the Gaza Strip and eliminated Ans Muhammad Ibrahim Hamed, Nukhba commander in the Hamas terror organization, who raided the territory of the State of Israel and the Nova festival during the murderous massacre on October 7," the IDF wrote in a Tuesday morning post on X.

The IDF called Hamed an "immediate threat to IDF forces operating in the Gaza Strip," and said he was "eliminated in a precise airstrike."

ISRAEL ANNOUNCES IT KILLED ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF THE OCT. 7 ATTACKS

The IDF said it has forces "deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat."

Nukhba, which is Arabic for elite, is the special forces for the Al-Qassam Brigades, which is Hamas' military wing.

Both units were instrumental in the Oct. 7 massacre. The Al-Qassam Brigades planned and executed the attack, according to the IDF and the Counter Extremism Project. Of the 6,000 terrorists who invaded Israel during the attack, more than 3,800 were Nukhba fighters, the IDF stated in an August 2024 assessment.

The Oct. 7 attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,300 Israelis and prompted a sprawling Israeli military campaign in Gaza. During this campaign, the IDF eliminated two commanders of the al-Qassam Brigades and numerous other members of the group's military leadership.

ISRAELI MILITARY OPERATION IN GAZA EXPANDING TO SEIZE 'LARGE AREAS': 'EXPANDING TO CRUSH AND CLEAN THE AREA'

A July 2024 targeted strike killed then-al-Qassam Brigades Commander Mohammed Deif. In May 2025, another airstrike killed his replacement, Mohammad Sinwar.

The latest Israeli strike in Gaza comes just under seven months after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump in October. The IDF accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire in February by using ambulances to transport terrorists and weapons around the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has also accused Israel of violating the ceasefire with daily airstrikes.

HAMAS TERRORISTS USE AMBULANCES, SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS IN VIOLATION OF US-BROKERED CEASEFIRE, IDF OFFICIAL SAYS

Fox News' Trey Yingst asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week if Hamas' refusal to put down its weapons would prompt the Trump administration to support Israel resuming combat operations in Gaza.

"Let’s hope we can avoid that. That’s not the outcome we want," Rubio told Yingst. "The outcome we want is for Hamas to be demilitarized, and a Palestinian security force backed by an international security force is able to secure Gaza.   

Fox News Digital reached out to the IDF and the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: A surge in online claims warning of famine in Gaza is gaining traction across social media and international outlets, but newly surfaced data reviewed by Fox News Digital from the United Nations, the Board of Peace and the Israeli military tells a sharply different story. 

The figures were shared at a meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), a forum that coordinates international aid to the Palestinians, by the Board of Peace and described as based on reporting from the U.N.

Children aged 6 to 59 months admitted for acute malnutrition treatment rose from 2,807 cases in January 2025 to a peak of 17,384 in August 2025 before declining steadily to 3,043 in March 2026, an approximately 83% drop, according to the data. 

EYEWITNESS TO FIGHTING HAMAS TERRORISTS IN GAZA'S DEADLY NETZARIM CORRIDOR: 'THE CHALLENGES ARE CONSTANT'

The figures challenge a rapidly spreading narrative that Gaza is facing widespread famine, a claim gaining traction across global media and shaping international pressure on Israel.

The dataset also indicates that most remaining cases are now classified as "moderate" or linked to chronic medical and genetic conditions requiring sustained support.

Separate figures presented at the same meeting, collected by the Board of Peace, show a sharp increase in humanitarian aid delivery following the establishment of the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in October 2025. The U.S.-led, multinational hub, located in Israel, is designed to manage post-war Gaza stabilization. 

The Civil-Military Coordination Center oversees aid delivery, monitors a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, and coordinates efforts with 60 nations and organizations.

The figures show weekly truck deliveries into Gaza rose from approximately 1,300 to 4,200, while the percentage of trucks diverted en route dropped from roughly 90% to just 1% post-Civil-Military Coordination Center. 

The number of people reached with food assistance increased from about 400,000 before the Civil-Military Coordination Center was established to approximately 2.1 million post-coordination center. 

And yet, April has seen a spike in messaging alleging "engineered starvation" in Gaza, according to HonestReporting, a U.S.-based pro-Israel media watchdog, with the narrative spreading from Hamas-linked channels to mainstream platforms in a matter of days. 

"On April 13, our team began seeing posts about soda and Nutella entering Gaza at the same time that Doctors Without Borders accused Israel of trying to ‘destroy the conditions of life,’" said Jacki Alexander, CEO of HonestReporting. "We used our proprietary AI tool to identify whether this was part of a broader pattern, and that analysis formed the basis of our memo."

"Since then, we’ve seen continued use of famine-related language across social media and ideologically aligned outlets," Alexander said. "Content claiming mass starvation has reached millions of views, and the narrative has expanded to include allegations about blocked medical supplies."

The HonestReporting report said the messaging quickly escalated, with viral posts claiming bakeries were shutting down, food supplies were critically low and an "entire generation" of children faced irreversible harm. The narrative, claimed the report, was further reinforced by coverage in outlets including Drop Site News, Middle East Eye, Mondoweiss and Al Jazeera English.

"Hamas understands that its best leverage exists in the information war," Alexander said. 

"That’s why we developed these tools — to document narrative warfare and create a blueprint to dismantle it," Alexander told Fox News Digital. 

ISRAEL ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE RESUMPTION OF GAZA AID AIRDROPS AMID GROWING HUNGER CRISIS

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies nonprofit, said, "What we’re seeing is a recurring pattern in this conflict where the humanitarian narrative is being weaponized."

Goldberg argued that the timing of the famine claims is tied to growing pressure on Hamas to disarm and to broader diplomatic efforts involving the United States, Arab states and international partners.

"One of those weapons is trying to resurrect a narrative of famine," he said.

Hamas is seeking to "undermine" a coalition involved in shaping Gaza’s post-war future, according to Goldberg, and prevent consensus around next steps. 

"Hamas is the isolated party, and they do not want to disarm," he said.

Goldberg said that, unlike earlier stages of the war, the current environment makes it harder for such claims to take hold. 

"You now have months of ceasefire, and the U.N. and other partners have been directly involved in the humanitarian effort," he said.

"They all have the data… and they are all in a position where there’s a brick wall Hamas is going to find for its disinformation tactics," he added.

WARFARE EXPERT CALLS GAZA REBUILDING PLAN 'DISNEYLAND STRATEGY' TO DEFEAT HAMAS

"What worked against just Israel a year ago cannot work as well against an entire coalition," Goldberg said.

A senior Israeli military official told Fox News Digital that during the ceasefire, humanitarian throughput into Gaza averaged roughly 600 trucks per day, far above what the official said U.N. planning models estimated was required to meet baseline food needs.

"According to the U.N., it’s somewhere between 115 to 130 trucks a day," the official said, while emphasizing that recent aid levels have significantly exceeded that threshold.

The official said that despite temporary disruptions during the Iran conflict, crossings quickly reopened and aid volumes returned to high levels, arguing that current famine allegations are "completely false."

"It’s impossible with the amount of aid that is going in," the official said. "There is no shortage of food in the Gaza Strip for an extended period."

Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) similarly told Fox News Digital that Israel’s defense establishment believes Hamas is attempting to exploit global attention shifting toward Iran and Lebanon by pushing renewed humanitarian collapse narratives about Gaza.

Hamas has repeatedly sought throughout the war to portray "a deliberately false narrative of the collapse of the humanitarian system" in Gaza in order to increase international pressure on Israel and shape negotiations, according to COGAT. 

A security official said Hamas intensifies such campaigns whenever diplomatic pressure rises.

"Hamas is trying to stall for time and is using all means to maintain its grip on power," the official said. "Whenever negotiations over an agreement take place, Hamas intensifies false campaigns about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip in order to secure international support through fabricated crises."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the United Nations and the World Food Programme for comment. 

On Saturday, Gazans in Deir al-Balah will go to the polls to elect new local leaders for the first time in 2o years, a move experts warn could allow Hamas room to maintain influence as it refuses to comply with ceasefire disarmament terms.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer told Fox News Digital that "when you hold elections in the Palestinian Authority and the timing’s not right and the circumstances are still dicey, you get Hamas victories."

Schanzer said the Bush administration’s 2006 decision to advocate for elections "led to Hamas winning, and it led to a standoff which led to a civil war." 

"You’ve got to be really careful when it comes to holding elections with a territory like Gaza in particular, where Hamas has so much control, and where terrorist organizations are still considered to be legitimate players," Schanzer added. 

EXPERTS URGE TRUMP TO BAN TERROR-LINKED UN AGENCY FROM HIS GAZA PEACE PLAN

Gazan journalists and media personnel continue to be posthumously identified as members of terrorist groups, highlighting the difficulty of distinguishing terror affiliates from civilians.

Four parties are contesting the election in Deir al-Balah. To be eligible, candidates were asked to accept the Palestine Liberation Organization and the terms of agreements it has previously made, including recognition of the State of Israel and endorsement of a two-state solution, according to reporting by the Center for Peace Communications.

However, many are concerned that one party, Deir al-Balah Unites Us, is affiliated with Hamas. Two of its candidates have been pictured with Hamas officials or police officers.

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, posted on X that "holding elections in Gaza at this time is extremely reckless and irresponsible," noting that "Gazans are being arrested, jailed, tortured, shot, and killed daily for social media posts and anything they say that’s perceived as being critical of Hamas. 

"These elections should be halted and prevented from proceeding, for they are meddling with the transition process that the Board of Peace, [National Council for the Administration of Gaza], and the international community have planned for Gaza, with Hamas’s disarmament and relinquishment of power being the first necessary step."

TRUMP SAYS 'REAL CHANCE FOR GREATNESS' AS NETANYAHU WHITE HOUSE MEETING LOOMS FOR GAZA TALKS

Disarmament of Hamas, a key demand within the second phase of President Donald Trump’s ceasefire agreement, has yet to be completed. Reports indicate that Hamas has increased its hold in Gaza as of March, continuing to tax locals, building education system and placing police throughout the territory it holds.

Schanzer said Hamas is unlikely to hand over its arms. If it were to do so, he said that they "will try to make distinctions between weapons," possibly offering to give up heavy weapons like RPGs while maintaining a large arsenal of automatic weapons.

Hamas appears to have made a partial disarmament offer. The New York Times reported April 19 that two Hamas officials said they would hand over thousands of weapons from their police force and other security institutions. The officials "did not provide a clear answer" when asked if weapons from Hamas’ so-called military wing would be included.

HAMAS FACES 'LEGITIMACY CRISIS' AS DESPERATE GAZANS FLOCK TO US-BACKED AID CENTERS

Schanzer pushed back on claims that Hamas’ political and military wings operate separately. 

"That is a fiction. The idea that they are separate in any way or that there is a firewall between them is asinine." He said that this is "a distinction that has been made up by the West in order to be able to have political relations with Hamas, or to justify elections. It’s a mistake to buy into that fiction."

Schanzer said weakening Iran could be key to minimizing Hamas’ influence. 

"The psychological impact of their top patron being defeated on the battlefield, I can’t overstate how important that event could be," he said. "It would be a gut punch to Hamas."

With Israel controlling about 53% of the Gaza Strip and Hamas the remaining 47%, Schanzer said, "We could continue to see the erosion of Hamas control" amid the "slow and steady process of Israel winning on the ground." 

He said patience, though, is necessary, adding that "the enemies of the United States and Israel and the West have a very different timeline. They want to wait out everybody because they know that we’d like to move on."

The Trump administration did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about whether a partial disarmament would satisfy its ceasefire terms or if it would take action to stall elections until there’s more stability in Gaza

EXCLUSIVE: Former hostage Rom Braslavski said he endured physical and emotional abuse while held above ground by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, at times surviving on just half a pita bread and a morsel of cheese. And he was injected with an unknown substance after collapsing from exhaustion during a transfer in the Strip, he told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.

Braslavski, 19, was abducted from the Supernova festival during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, where he had been working as a security guard while completing his mandatory military service, a fact he concealed for months. During the first four months of his captivity, he posed as a 16-year-old who sold shawarma at the festival.

A terrorist he described as a Palestinian Islamic Jihad cyber expert later arrived with a laptop and headphones and began questioning him. Fearing his cover had been blown, Braslavski then revealed his identity.

PARENTS OF AMERICAN MURDERED BY HAMAS MAKE 'PLEA' TO TRUMP AFTER LATEST HOSTAGE RELEASE

"They immediately reduced my food by three-quarters. I was on half a pita, a bit of cheese, a rotten tomato and a small bottle of water, when before I received two or three pitas and a liter of water," he told Fox News Digital.

For the next three months, Braslavski said he was held in isolation without daylight, describing the experience as so dark and lonely he began hitting his head against the wall.

At that point, he was forced to walk to a sprawling complex of about 20,000 tents near Nasser Hospital. Along the way, he collapsed from hunger and exhaustion, was injected with an unknown substance and forced to continue moving.

"I was encircled by members of Islamic Jihad. Nobody told me where we were going. I cried, thinking they were either going to kill me or take me to a tunnel to torture me more aggressively," Braslavski told Fox News Digital.

"I walked without energy, breathing air as if those were my last breaths, thinking it would be the last time I would see the light of day. I kept going."

At the complex, Braslavski said tents were tightly packed with no privacy, while vehicles destroyed by missiles had been converted into makeshift shelters. The camp included donkeys and camels, and people relieved themselves in the open. He described extreme heat that made it difficult to breathe.

Braslavski remained in one such tent for four months. While the terrorist in charge instructed others not to abuse him, one of the four guards — a young man whose name he declined to share — ignored those orders.

TRUMP PROMISES 'HELL TO PAY' IN MIDDLE EAST IF HOSTAGES ARE NOT RELEASED BEFORE HE TAKES OFFICE

"He did everything he could to break me. Once, he brought me food, spat in it and forced me to eat it. He humiliated me constantly. I had a small opening in the tent to breathe air, and he would come by and close it. When I told him I couldn’t breathe, he would slap me and laugh with the others. He showed me videos of violence against our soldiers. He would bind my hands and feet for no reason," Braslavski said.

Although he was not supposed to be physically harmed without cause, Braslavski said the guard routinely insulted him, threatened his family and forced him into degrading acts until it became unbearable.

Braslavski told Fox News Digital the abuse left him overwhelmed with hatred, prompting him to attack the guard with all his strength and use whatever he could find around him to inflict harm, ultimately succeeding.

"He started to run to get his Kalashnikov, and I realized I could either continue or take a bullet to the head. I kept hitting him with all my strength. He became weak. I was also weak, but my body and mind disconnected from everything, and I continued," Braslavski recounted.

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After three to four minutes, another terrorist intervened, and the guard Braslavski had attacked was taken to a hospital.

"The day that followed was the second darkest of my life after Oct. 7. It is marked in my memory, my soul and my body. The chief terrorist decided to respond severely to what I did, and, from there, I entered a loop of constant abuse," he said.

Braslavski said he was thereafter allowed to sleep no more than an hour and a half per day in short intervals.

"They would hit me with whatever they had on hand. I underwent severe torture, bondage and sexual abuse. Everything they could do to me, they did. My body is still covered in scars. After four months of torture, I was clinically dead, rolling my eyes and passing out. They decided to stop the violence and brought doctors to treat me with injections and gave me food again," he added.

During Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which began in May 2025 with the stated goal of defeating Hamas and securing the return of hostages through military pressure, Braslavski said the terrorist overseeing his guards was injured and lost a family member, triggering another cycle of torture and starvation.

"I weighed 49 kilos (108 pounds), and the senior terrorist, who weighed 90 kilos (198 pounds), would jump on my neck and try to break it. I was on the verge of death again. That is when the propaganda video showing me was released, and it is possible to see marks on my body from the abuse. My bones were protruding. I could no longer go to the bathroom normally. Everything in my body stopped functioning. I was close to death, and that is when President Donald Trump came into the picture," he told Fox News Digital.

With each step forward in negotiations toward a deal, Braslavski said his condition gradually improved until he was released in October 2025 after 738 days in captivity.

What keeps him going as a free man, he said, is his faith.

"I have a dark past, but I must have a bright future. I want to forget what happened, although I can’t. God gave me back my life as a gift — not once, but twice. I need to do at least the minimum, which is to live, rehabilitate myself and put this all behind me," he said.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain has tried to position himself as the European counterweight to President Donald Trump, but his motives are being questioned by critics.

Sanchez, who is hosting a conference of leftist leaders from around the world in Barcelona this weekend, has rejected increasing Madrid’s NATO spending while positioning Spain against the Trump administration on several key policy issues.

More recently, the Spanish politician has taken a belligerent stand against the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against the Iranian regime, forbidding the U.S. from using its military bases in Spain to refuel aircraft or prepare for military action, decrying the campaign as illegal while staying quiet on the regime’s murder of thousands of protesters and its increased drive to produce ballistic missiles and acquire nuclear weapons-grade enriched uranium.

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A few days after the war began with Iran, Sanchez said, "We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone," Sánchez said, using the slogan "No to the war," the Associated Press reported.

On Saturday, Trump took aim at Sanchez’s policies in a Truth Social post, asking: "Has anybody looked at how badly the country of Spain is doing. Their financial numbers, despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and their military defense, are absolutely horrendous. Sad to watch!!!"

In March, Trump said he had asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent "to cut off all dealings with Spain."

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Critics charge that Sanchez, already well known for his fervently anti-Israel views, has increased his public pronouncements to take pressure off him due to a series of corruption scandals involving family members, something he and his supporters have denied.

Javier Negre, a conservative Spanish journalist and owner of La Derecha Diario and UHN Plus told Fox News Digital. "The stance of President Pedro Sánchez against President Donald Trump is neither improvised nor based on convictions. It is purely electoral marketing. He has realized that by confronting the most powerful president in the world and getting Trump to speak about him, he achieves two things: first, he positions himself in the media as the leading figure of the global left and globalism against the new right."

Negre said Sánchez’s position also "diverts attention from the corruption scandals that have led to investigations involving his wife and his brother and to the imprisonment of people close to him

A Madrid judge formally charged Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, with corruption Monday, creating a political storm for the PM, who’s already embattled in another corruption case involving his brother.

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Gómez’s 39-page indictment follows a two-year investigation charging her with embezzlement, influence peddling in her position at Madrid’s Complutense University, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds to advance her personal interests. She has denied all charges while her husband says the allegations are an attempt by right-wing parties to undermine his coalition.

The charges came as the couple was on a state visit to China last week, during which Sanchez said, "I find it very difficult to find other interlocutors, beyond China, who can resolve this situation in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz," the Associated Press reported.

The complaint against Gomez was brought forward by anti-corruption group Manos Limpias.

The prime minister's family scandals also encompass his brother, David Sanchez, who was implicated in a separate influence-peddling scandal for accepting a bespoke job with a regional government in 2017, right after the Spanish leader became the secretary-general of Spain’s Socialist Workers Party (PSOE).

From 2018 to 2024, Sanchez's government reportedly authorized exports of over €6 million ($7.2 million) in dual technology equipment to Iran. While not a significant sum, the move, critics say, would contravene U.N.-approved sanctions and embargoes against Iran. Leading opposition Spanish politician Santiago Abascal denounced Sanchez in Spain’s Congress, accusing him of selling detonators and explosives to Iran.

Following the accusations, Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court in the Hague against the Spanish PM on Friday, claiming Spain assisted the Ayatollah’s regime by transferring tech related to explosives at the tune of around $1.5 million in 2024 and 2025 despite international sanctions against the regime for the support of terrorism.

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In March, Iran’s regime reportedly plastered a thank-you note with a picture of Spain’s Sanchez to a missile fired against Israel, according to footage from Iran-controlled Press TV obtained by the Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI.)

The Spanish leader has also faced criticism for his anti-Israel views and its war in Gaza after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas carried out the worst attack in the history of the Jewish state, killing 1,195 people and kidnapping 251 nationals and foreigners in 2023.

Sanchez has repeatedly called Israel a genocidal state, downgraded Spain’s diplomatic relations with Jerusalem, imposed a total arms embargo and sanctions on the Jewish state, recognized a Palestinian state, despite wide opposition, and along with Belgium, has received praise from Hamas due to his "clear and bold stance regarding the Gaza war" since the onset of the conflict.

While still popular among the left, the Spanish politician has seen a steady decline in his popularity over the past few months, with 61% of Spaniards holding an unfavorable view of their prime minister, according to a YouGov poll from March — his lowest approval ratings since assuming office in 2018.

Fox News Digital reached out to La Moncloa (the Spanish Prime Minister’s office) and to Spain’s foreign minister with a request for an interview or official comment regarding Sanchez’s diplomatic positions relating to the wars in the Middle East, the alleged sales of technology to Iran, the use by American forces of bases built under NATO in Spanish territory, and relations with the White House.

Spanish authorities told Fox News Digital, "the prime minister was not giving new interviews due to conflicts in his schedule" and that information regarding the prime minister’s positions "could be found in his many public declarations over the past few days."

Tensions between Israel and Turkey are escalating sharply, with a war of words between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reaching new heights and placing President Donald Trump in an increasingly delicate position between the two sides as tension escalates. 

The latest flare-up underscores a broader geopolitical clash about Iran, Gaza and regional influence, even as Washington attempts to maintain cooperation with both sides.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of deliberately seeking a new adversary following its confrontation with Iran, saying the Israeli government is attempting to portray Ankara as its next enemy.

"After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy," Fidan said in a televised interview with the state-run Anadolu news agency. "We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration but also some figures in the opposition — though not all — are seeking to declare Turkey the new enemy," he said.

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The rhetoric reflects a sharp deterioration in relations that have been strained since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack and the war in Gaza, but have now escalated into direct confrontation between the two leaders.

Netanyahu, in remarks posted on X Saturday, accused Erdogan of siding with Iran and its proxies, writing that Israel "will continue to fight Iran’s terror regime… unlike Erdogan who accommodates them and massacred his own Kurdish citizens."

Erdogan has intensified his criticism of Israel’s military campaign, accusing its leadership of war crimes and backing international legal action against Israeli officials.

In one of the most incendiary exchanges, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming, "Netanyahu, who has been described as the Hitler of our time due to the crimes he has committed, is a well-known figure with a clear track record. An arrest warrant has been issued against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Under Netanyahu’s administration, Israel is facing proceedings before the International Court of Justice on charges of genocide."

The escalation has not been limited to rhetoric. Erdogan previously has suggested Turkey could take more assertive military action in the region, referencing past interventions, remarks that have raised alarms in Israel.

Israeli officials have responded forcefully. 

Defense Minister Israel Katz has dismissed Erdogan’s threats as bluster, while officials warn that Turkey’s regional posture, particularly its engagement in Syria, is being closely monitored.

For both leaders, analysts say, the escalation also serves domestic goals. For Trump, the situation presents a growing challenge.

The administration relies on Israel as a central partner in confronting Iran, while also depending on Turkey, a NATO ally, for regional diplomacy and mediation efforts tied to ceasefire negotiations and broader Middle East strategy.

That balancing act has become increasingly difficult as tensions between Jerusalem and Ankara intensify.

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Gönül Tol, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and author of "Erdogan’s War: A Strongman’s Struggle at Home and in Syria," told Fox News Digital, "The Trump administration has played a role in making sure the two countries do not clash in Syria. How Turkey and Israel are managing their differences in Syria, where stakes are high for Erdogan, is telling. But this doesn't mean the two will try to undermine each other's interests from the eastern Mediterranean to Levant to Horn of Africa."

"I think for both leaders, Netanyahu and Erdogan, escalating rhetoric serves a domestic purpose," Gönül added, "Anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian sentiment in Turkey is very strong. At a time when Erdogan is struggling to resolve the country's growing economic problems, responding to Netanyahu's statements harshly scores points domestically and burnishes his strong leader image. But I do not think this rhetoric will turn into direct military clashes between the countries. Despite their military presence and clashing interests, Turkey and Israel have a quiet understanding where each accepts the other's sphere of influence in the country and try to deconflict."

In a policy webinar hosted by the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, Turkish academic Hüseyin Bağcı argued Turkey's ties with Washington limit the likelihood of direct conflict.

"The Turkish state is not interested in fighting with Israel because the Turkish government has very good relations with the United States of America," he said. "You cannot be good with America and then be in conflict with Israel."

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From the Israeli perspective, however, concerns center on actions rather than rhetoric.

Retired Israeli strategist Gabi Siboni said Turkey's behavior in Syria is shaping threat perceptions. 

"I don’t know what Erdogan thinks. I know what he does, and I see what we see in our area," Siboni said in the webinar, adding, "There are true security concerns when we’re talking about what is happening in Syria. … Israel is not going to accept any type of military entrenchment of foreign actors."

Bağcı maintained that the tensions are largely political. 

"There is no structural conflict between Israel and Turkey," he said. "The rhetoric is political … but the geography and the interests remain."

The tensions are also being fueled by renewed friction over Gaza-bound aid flotillas, a long-standing flashpoint in Israel–Turkey relations.

A new Turkish-linked flotilla departed from Barcelona Monday, raising concerns in Israel about a repeat of past confrontations. The issue carries deep historical weight: in 2010, Israeli commandos boarded the Gaza flotilla raid, in which 10 were killed, triggering a years-long diplomatic rupture between the two countries.

Recent reports that Turkish prosecutors are seeking prison sentences for Israeli officials, including Benjamin Netanyahu, over flotilla-related incidents have further escalated tensions, reinforcing how unresolved grievances continue to inflame the current crisis.

While the confrontation remains largely rhetorical for now, the sharp escalation in language, and the competing interests driving it, highlight the fragility of the regional landscape and the limits of Washington’s ability to keep both sides aligned.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Turkish Embassy in Washington, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, and the White House but did not receive a response in time for publication.

AUSCHWITZ: Some 130 police leaders from across the globe converged on Kraków, Poland this week for a first-of-its-kind initiative amid rampant antisemitism. 

The event is aligned with the March of the Living, which brings thousands of participants to Germany and Poland each year to provide a first-hand look at the Nazi death camps and to teach the lessons of the Holocaust through engagement with survivors.

Paul Goldenberg, a law enforcement veteran of 37-years, deputy director of the Rutgers Miller Center on Policing and Community Resilience, which organized the initiative alongside the University of Virginia’s Center for Public Safety and Justice, spoke of the importance of the trip.

"Being here is a testament to who these officers are and to the oath they have taken to protect all communities, regardless of identity," he told Fox News Digital. "It is a commitment not only to ourselves, but to the people we serve. These are very challenging times, and the police, in all their forms, can play a significant role in sustaining democratic values.

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"This initiative is about learning, professional development and remembrance. It is also about reminding ourselves who we are, why we hold these positions and what we must do to ensure people are kept safe — no matter who they are or where they are," he said.

The three-day program included a walking tour of Kazimierz, the Jewish Quarter in Kraków, a guided tour of Auschwitz on Monday; a press conference and testimonies by a Holocaust survivor and survivors of antisemitic shootings, culminating on Tuesday's participation in the March of the Living and a tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Goldenberg said the Holocaust was unique in that it was a state-directed campaign in which police forces played a role, and that a central lesson is how the Nazis’ dehumanization of Jews and other targeted groups enabled the system to function. He added that the goal of the initiative is for participants to return to their departments with a deeper understanding that will help them better train officers, support victims of hate crimes and appreciate the importance and critical nature of their responsibilities.

He pointed to the urgency of the situation, noting that armed military units are now guarding synagogues in Western countries and that both the United States and Canada have deployed specialized police forces to protect Jewish institutions.

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"What is striking is that these are not foreign entities — they are integral parts of the societies in which they exist. A synagogue in Belgium is Belgian. A synagogue in London belongs to London. A synagogue in New York City is part of the fabric of that city," he told Fox News Digital.

"From a policing perspective, what is deeply concerning is the erosion of safety and security for vulnerable communities. It is a deeply alarming scenario — one that, in some respects, echoes patterns seen in the 1930s," he added.

The theme of this year's March is combating antisemitism, which has surged to unprecedented levels since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel.

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Abbie Talmoud, director for Jewish Community Affairs at the Embassy of Israel to the United States, survived a terror attack outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., in May 2025, in which two Israeli embassy staff members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were killed.

Speaking to Fox News Digital in Auschwitz, Talmoud said that amid rising antisemitism, feeling safe in the United States "is really difficult" and would require "systematic change," adding that she has stopped attending some events where she does not feel adequate security precautions are in place.

"There needs to be an understanding that the way we don’t allow racism for other races and ethnicities, we can’t allow antisemitism. It needs to come from the top — the school system, parents, governments," Talmoud said.

Catherine Szkop, director of public affairs at the Embassy of Israel to the United States, who focuses on interfaith relations and engagement, carpooled with Talmoud, Lischinsky and Milgrim to the event that evening and also survived.

"I have a family history tied to the Holocaust. In the Book of Names, I looked up ‘Szkop’ and saw a page taller than me filled with that name, along with dates and locations of those who were murdered. I realized my own name could have appeared there, with ‘murdered in Washington, D.C.’ written next to it," she told Fox News Digital at Auschwitz.

Szkop said she has never been this vigilant or fearful of potential attacks.

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"I wear headphones less; it makes me more aware of my surroundings. It’s a mix of fear and wanting some peace of mind after what happened. I don’t let it stop me from living, but it’s made me a little more afraid," she said.

Jeanne Hengemuhle, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, told Fox News Digital in Kraków that her agency, which includes 3,500 sworn members and 1,500 civilian staff, works closely with community leaders across the state to address hate-related concerns before they escalate into crises, emphasizing that early engagement, information-sharing and collaboration are key to preventing issues before they arise.

"We are law enforcement, but we are also part of the communities we serve, and we must recognize that role as the first line of defense," she said.

Hengemuhle said that, as human beings, there is a responsibility to do everything possible to combat hate, which requires understanding and educating one another, as well as drawing on different policing and professional backgrounds.

"This is my first year, and I am very humbled to have been invited to take part in the march and learn more. To me, it is about coming together and learning from what happened in the past so we do not allow it to happen again in the future," she said.

"The Holocaust did not happen overnight," she continued. "There were small, incremental changes that ultimately led to what took place. I think it is important that, by coming together and having these discussions, we ask whether we are seeing the kinds of early indicators that could lead us down a dangerous path — and how we intervene before it goes too far."

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To this end, senior police officials and associations from Europe and North America signed a landmark memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Berlin earlier this month, formally launching a new transnational initiative titled "Not on Our Watch – The Democratic Policing Initiative."

The agreement brings together the German Police Union (GdP), the European Federation of Police Unions (EU.Pol), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), the Small & Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association (SRLEEA) and the International Police Delegation, in collaboration with leading academic institutions.

The MOU formalizes a shared commitment among participating organizations to strengthen early threat detection and intelligence-sharing across borders, including establishing coordinated operational responses to emerging extremist threats, among other things.

Jim Skinner, sheriff of Collin County, Texas, and incoming vice president of the National Sheriffs’ Association, told Fox News Digital in Kraków that as a law enforcement leader, his responsibility is to serve everyone equally, noting that while there is significant partisanship and political division in the United States, law enforcement must serve and protect all communities equally.

"We all have an obligation to dig deep and make sure hate doesn’t happen on our watch, and to recognize that we have a fundamental responsibility to think critically about how to keep our communities safe," he said.

Skinner noted that North Texas is home to a large and vibrant Jewish community, which he said he is fortunate to serve. He added that he traveled to Israel shortly after the Oct. 7 attack with two other sheriffs and visited Kibbutz Be’eri, an experience he said he will never forget.

"I came away with important, practical lessons for my organization, but also with a deeper understanding of a world filled with hate. It reinforced for me that the authority entrusted to me by the people who elected me must be used wisely in how I approach my job each day — to ensure that something like that does not happen to the citizens where I live, and that if it ever did, we would have a proper and effective response," he said.

"I think about the march," he continued, "it honors Holocaust victims and serves as a reminder of the consequences of hate and the importance of standing against violence and intolerance. That’s the message I want everyone I have influence over to understand."