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Hamas Praises Murder of Pregnant Israeli Mother After Terrorist Attack in West Bank
Relatives and friends of Tzeela Gez, who was shot dead while in a car with her husband in the West Bank, as they were driving to hospital to give birth, mourn during her funeral in Jerusalem, May 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Hamas sparked global outrage after lauding the murder of a pregnant Israeli mother of three — shot in the West Bank on her way to the hospital to give birth — as “historic,” amid a surge in violence and ongoing efforts by mediators to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
Shortly after the shooting terrorist attack near the West Bank town of Bruqin, Abu Obaida, spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades — the military wing of the Palestinian terrorist group — issued a statement praising the assault.
“We commend the heroic shooting operation near Bruqin, west of Salfit, carried out by the brave members of our people in the West Bank,” Obaida said.
“We call on our people to rise up against the occupation in defense of Al-Aqsa, to confront the aggression in the West Bank and its refugee camps, and to support their steadfast brothers and sisters in Gaza,” he continued.
On Wednesday, a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on Israeli vehicles in the northern West Bank, fatally wounding a pregnant woman and injuring her husband as they made their way to the hospital to deliver their baby.
After the attack, the 30-year-old woman, identified as Tzeela Gez, was quickly transported to Petah Tikva’s Rabin Medical Center in critical condition. Despite doctors’ efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead early Thursday morning.
With an emergency C-section, doctors managed to deliver her baby, who is now in stable condition but continues to fight for his life.
According to the hospital, her husband Hananel, who was driving the car, sustained minor injuries after his condition was initially reported as serious.
Gez’s funeral took place at Jerusalem’s Givat Shaul Cemetery at 5.30 pm on Thursday.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and described Hamas’s celebration of the murder of Gez — who was in her ninth month of pregnancy — as “sickening” in a statement posted on the social media platform X.
United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also condemned the assault, saying it “shows Hamas is proud to stand behind cold-blooded murder.”
“The savage & uncivilized contempt for a pregnant woman & her baby reveals what Israel is fighting [for],” the American diplomat said.
The savage & uncivilized contempt for a pregnant woman & her baby reveals what @Israel is fighting as per report from @IsraelMFA that show Hamas is proud to stand behind cold-blooded murder. https://t.co/GJIkHYBdBF
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) May 15, 2025
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced an intensive search for the terrorist who fired on multiple vehicles, with Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“This is a difficult and painful attack in which an Israeli civilian was killed on her way to a delivery room,” Zamir said in a statement. “I share in the deep sorrow of the family.”
“We are engaged in broad fighting against terror in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] and we will continue,” the statement read. “We will activate all our tools, and we will reach the murderers to bring them to justice.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the shooting, saying he was “deeply shocked by the horrific terrorist attack.”
“This abhorrent incident precisely reflects the difference between us, who desire and bring life, and the reprehensible terrorists, whose goal is to kill us and destroy life,” the Israeli leader said in the statement released by his office.
אני מזועזע עמוקות מהירצחה של צאלה גז, זכרה לברכה, בפיגוע המחריד בשומרון.
צאלה, שהייתה בהריון מתקדם, עשתה דרכה עם בעלה חננאל לחדר לידה בזמן שהמרצחים ירו בהם באכזריות.
האירוע הנתעב הזה משקף בדיוק את ההבדל בינינו – חפצי ומביאי החיים – לבין המחבלים השפלים שמטרת חייהם היא להרוג בנו… pic.twitter.com/jkWr5K2Ge1
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 15, 2025
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz extended his condolences to the Gez family and offered prayers for the newborn baby’s recovery.
“We will continue to fight terror with great force” in all areas of the West Bank and “will not allow it to raise its head,” he said in a statement.
The post Hamas Praises Murder of Pregnant Israeli Mother After Terrorist Attack in West Bank first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday, condemning the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressing concern about the risks of escalation, the Kremlin said.
“Vladimir Putin condemned Israel’s military operation against Iran and expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Trump, for his part, described events in the Middle East as “very alarming,” according to Ushakov. But the two leaders said they do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran’s nuclear program, Ushakov said.
On Ukraine, Putin told the US leader that Russia was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to state news agency RIA.
Trump reiterated his interest in a speedy resolution to the conflict, the Kremlin aide said.
Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday.
The post Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says
FILE PHOTO: Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi attends a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia July 11, 2023. Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
The latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.
Albusaidi’s statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.
A senior official of US President Donald Trump’s administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday’s talks had been cancelled.
Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped “the Iranians will come to the table soon,” the official said.
The post Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending
USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, Sept. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Iran said the dialogue with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program is “meaningless” after Israel’s biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy, but said it is yet to decide on whether to attend planned talks on Sunday.
“The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran’s territory,” state media on Saturday quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
“It is still unclear what decision we will make on Sunday in this regard,” Baghaei was quoted as saying.
He said Israel “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and the Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington’s permission, accusing Washington of supporting the attack.
Iran earlier accused the US of being complicit in Israel’s attacks, but Washington denied the allegation and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be “wise” to negotiate over its nuclear program.
The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Muscat, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes.
Iran denies that its uranium enrichment program is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump told Reuters that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord.
The post Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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