US National Intelligence Director: Monitoring Gaza Ceasefire is a Challenging Mission

FILE PHOTO: Former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of national intelligence, testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of national intelligence, testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
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US National Intelligence Director: Monitoring Gaza Ceasefire is a Challenging Mission

FILE PHOTO: Former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of national intelligence, testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be director of national intelligence, testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Monday in remarks to Fox News that monitoring the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip is a “challenging” task which requires “communication, coordination and transparency.”

"This is a challenging mission which requires clear communication, coordination and transparency," Gabbard said. "Intelligence supports not only security, and achieving lasting peace and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians."

Her remarks came during a surprise visit to the US-operated Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) as American forces work on the planning and implementation of phase two in the ceasefire deal, according to the news service.

"It’s a living example of what can happen when nations unite for common interests with the potential impact of lasting peace that benefits generations to come," Gabbard told Fox News about the CMCC.

The CMCC will support the stabilization efforts inside Gaza and facilitate humanitarian and security assistance that is under development as part of the broader Trump administration peace plan.

"For the first time in a generation, there’s a genuine sense of hope and optimism, not just in Israel, but across the Middle East," Gabbard added. "That’s because of President Trump’s leadership and the groundwork he laid through his historic peace deal”, she told Fox News.

Intelligence sharing and coordination are expected to play a critical role in the success of the ceasefire, part of the reason Gabbard arrived in Israel to see operations first-hand.

The Director of National Intelligence revealed that right now 16 countries and 20 NGOs are working side-by-side as part of this multinational civilian and military force aimed at bringing stability to Gaza, while ushering in a new chapter for the Middle East.

"The American people should know that the US presence at the CMCC is about leadership, coordination, and service," Gabbard said.

Around 200 US service members are on the ground participating in the CMCC, but will not enter the Gaza Strip. A coalition of forces from Arab countries will ultimately send stabilization personnel into the enclave to assist with implementing the administration’s peace plan, said Fox News.

"In conversations I had with leaders from across the region, including in Manama, people spoke openly and hopefully about a future defined not by conflict, but by cooperation and stability," Gabbard said. "Progress is possible with strong leadership and a shared vision for peace."

Gabbard, who also visited the Kerem Shalom Crossing along the Gaza border, is the latest Trump administration official to visit Israel as part of a broader push to ensure the peace plan is successful. Her trip follows similar visits by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

"This is a challenging mission which requires clear communication, coordination and transparency," Gabbard concluded. "Intelligence supports not only security, and achieving lasting peace and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians."



Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

At least two people were killed and four rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the building when it fell.

The bodies pulled out were of a child and a woman, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air.

The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon’s second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards, according to The AP news.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state’s expense.

The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of “blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security,” and said it is “not an isolated incident.”

The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse.


Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
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Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)

Israel's security cabinet approved a series of steps on Sunday that would make it easier for settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israeli authorities more enforcement powers over Palestinians, Israeli media reported.

The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Citing statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israeli news sites Ynet and Haaretz said the measures included scrapping decades-old regulations that prevent Jewish private citizens buying land in the West Bank, The AP news reported.

They were also reported to include allowing Israeli authorities to administer some religious sites, and expand supervision and enforcement in areas under PA administration in matters of environmental hazards, water offences and damage to archaeological sites.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the new measures were dangerous, illegal and tantamount to de-facto annexation.

The Israeli ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The new measures come three days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Washington with US President Donald Trump.

Trump has ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building, which the Palestinians say denies them a potential state by eating away at its territory.

Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

His ruling coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view.


Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the attack by the Rapid Support Forces on humanitarian aid convoys and relief workers in North Kordofan State, Sudan.

In a statement reported by SPA, secretary-general's spokesperson Jamal Rushdi quoted Aboul Gheit as saying the attack constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilians and depriving them of their means of survival.

Aboul Gheit stressed the need to hold those responsible accountable, end impunity, and ensure the full protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and relief facilities in Sudan.