Why is Halevi Visiting Washington Weeks Before He Steps Down?

Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi is set to travel to Washington on Sunday for talks with US military officials, the army said.

A military statement said Halevi will meet with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), and other senior officials to discuss key strategic and operational issues.

Halevi “will take the opportunity to express his gratitude to his counterparts for their support, commitment, and personal ties,” the statement said.

The three-day visit comes a few weeks before Halevi steps down.

Last month, the army chief of staff said he would resign as of March 6.

The visit comes as a ceasefire agreement took effect in Gaza on Jan. 19, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 48,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave according to Anadolu.

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Israel Kills Over 48,000 in Gaza

Palestinian medics and rescue teams retrieved six more bodies from the rubble in the Gaza Strip over the last 24 hours, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 up to 48,271, the Health Ministry stated, Sunday.

Five injured people were also admitted to hospitals, bringing the number of injured in the Israeli onslaught to 111,693 the ministry confirmed.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads, with rescuers unable to reach them,” it stated.

A ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since 19 January, pausing the Israeli war that has caused widespread destruction and left the Palestinian enclave in ruins. Israel has violated the ceasefire multiple times.

Last November the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave according to Anadolu.

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Israel Displaces 40,000 West Bank Palestinians

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) confirmed that more than 40,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed and forcibly expelled from their homes in the occupied West Bank due to the ongoing Israeli onslaught.

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, highlighted at the Munich Security Conference 2025 that the agency’s financial situation is dire, with no clear outlook for the future.

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Spanish PM Sanchez Vows to Fight Trump on Gaza

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez vowed to fight against US President Donald Trump’s plan to displace Palestinians and turn Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East” at a rally on Saturday.

“No real estate operation can cover up the disgrace, the crimes against humanity… that we have seen in Gaza in recent years. We should not allow it. And from Spain, we will not allow it,” he said in the Basque Country.

Spain’s Socialist Party leader insisted instead on a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis live in “peace, harmony, and safety.”

Earlier this month, Trump said the US would ‘take over’ and ‘own’ Gaza, sending its entire population to neighboring countries to make room for luxury real estate development.

Spain’s Sanchez also rebuked US Vice President JD Vance’s recent comments in Munich, in which he called for European leaders to broaden their tolerance for far-right parties.

“What the international far-right wants is to destroy Europe from within,” said Sanchez, calling it a “Trojan horse.”

“Today we need more Europe than ever, not less,” he said, calling on Spain’s conservative Popular Party to break its pacts with Spain’s far-right party Vox.

Sanchez accused Spain’s right-wing groups of avoiding criticisms of the US while it slaps tariffs on European goods, both for countries like Spain and far-right-led nations like Hungary.

“They are tough against the weak but servile to the powerful. They don’t put country first; they put money first,” he added.

He described the far-right as a “multinational” made up of “neoliberals, billionaires, and the far-right” who want to privatize social welfare, roll back human rights, and disregard climate change.

“If we accept it, we normalize it, and our defeat begins… we need to raise our voice against this type of backsliding,” he added.

With the threat of further US tariffs on Europe, Spain’s prime minister said he is against trade wars and will fight for the interests of Spanish workers.

Sanchez also said Spain would stand up against “those who want to unilaterally break international law” and fight for multilateralism.

He said that when peace negotiations begin for Ukraine, “any future of Ukraine must pass through Ukrainian leadership. And any conversation about Europe’s security must be negotiated with Europeans.”

Besides leading Spain, Sanchez is also president of Socialist International, an organization that promotes democratic socialism globally according to Anadolu.

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Freed at Last

Gaza | Journalist Ahmed Shuqoura raises the victory sign after being freed from Israeli prisons as part of the exchange deal. He was detained by the Israeli occupation during the genocide war.

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