International

With its top unheaded, Hamas seeks new leadership in the middle of the war in Gaza

“Sinwar’s death will not end the resistance or the cause,” Hamas assured by confirming that the top leader of the movement died last week in clashes with Israeli troops in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

The group then said that the Shura Council, its highest advisory body, would meet in the coming days to elect the new head of the political bureau to replace Sinwar, who in turn in August replaced In that position Ismail Haniyeh, eliminated in Tehran in an attack attributed to Israel.

However, Hamas sources have pointed out to EFE the possibility of postponing that decision to March, when internal elections are planned; and delegating the leadership to a five-member steering committee, which will assume the strategic political and military decisions.

“The next step is still under consultation in the direction of the movement. No decision has been made,” a source from the Hamas political bureau told EFE.

It is not the first time that Hamas has faced the assassination of its leaders, but its internal mechanisms are designed to make the movement survive above specific personalities.

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The figures that follow in the first line are:

– Jaled Meshaal: One of the vice presidents of the Hamas political bureau, a body that he already led between 1996 and 2017, when he was succeeded in office by the head of the movement within the Strip, Ismail Haniyeh. That transfer marked the transfer of power from the leaders abroad to those inside Gaza (two years later Haniyeh moved to Qatar).

Born in the West Bank in 1956, he has lived in exile since 1967, when his family fled to Jordan in the Six-Day War. He then moved to Kuwait, where he joined the Muslim Brotherhood. A two-month tour in 1975 through Palestinian lands imbued him with patriotic feelings and he is one of the founders of Hamas in 1987.

He survived a poisoning assassination attempt in Amman by Mossad agents in 1997, by order of Benjamin Netanyahu. With Meshaal in a coma, the King of Jordan demanded the antidote under threat of breaking relations with Israel and trying his spies. Netanyahu had to give in after Bill Clinton’s intervention.

He has lived in Syria, Qatar and Turkey, and is the main representative of Hamas among the Palestinian exodus. With the murders of Haniyeh and the vice president of the political bureau, Saleh al Arouri – last January in Beirut – Meshaal remains the strongest figure of the group abroad.

–Jalil al Hayya: He was Sinwar’s right hand in the political branch within the Strip. After his appointment as president of the group in August, Al Hayya replaced him as head of Hamas in the enclave and occupies one of the three vice presidencies of the office, which corresponds to leaders from within Gaza.

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In 2006 he led the Hamas bloc in the defunct Palestinian Legislative Council. He is a prominent supporter of the armed struggle against Israel and has survived several assassination attempts, the most serious in 2007, when an attack on his house in the northern Strip killed several of his relatives.

It was he who, the day after Israel announced Sinwar’s death, confirmed the news on behalf of Hamas, which can augur a prominent role.

– Mohamed Sinwar: He is the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar and a prominent commander of the al Qasam Brigades, the armed arm of Hamas. Before the death of several commanders during the war – including their military chief, Mohamed Deif, and his ‘number two’, Marwan Issa – he assumed military command of the southern half of the Strip, from Nuseirat to Rafah.

He grew up in the ranks of the Hamas military wing since the nineties, when he was a teenager, in the shadow of his brother. Although his leadership is on the military level, the current war context leaves him a wide margin of decision and autonomy. It is one of the “most sought after” by Israel.

– Musa Abu Marzouk: He is a member of the political bureau and, together with Haniyeh, promoted a pragmatic approach in negotiations with Israel for a ceasefire. In the 1990s, when he resided in the United States, he was arrested for raising funds for the armed wing of Hamas, and then remained in exile in Jordan, Egypt and Qatar.

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– Izz ad Din al Haddad: He was the commander of the Gaza City Brigade when the war began, but now he holds military command of the entire northern part of the enclave. Together with the little Sinwar, he is in charge of continuing the “war of attrition” against Israel and co-directing military operations.

– Zaher Jabarin: He was from the circle close to Sinwar and Haniyeh. Handles the financial affairs of the group. Before he participated in military activities, so he was arrested by Israel and released in 2011 in the same exchange of more than a thousand prisoners for soldier Gilad Shalit, in which Sinwar was also released from prison.

International

U.S. Revokes Nearly 900 Visas in Crackdown on ‘Birth Tourism’

The United States has revoked nearly 900 temporary visas as part of measures promoted by President Donald Trump’s administration against so-called “birth tourism,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.

“Nearly 900 visas have already been revoked just since this task force was established. And that is in addition to the actions we have taken since the beginning of this administration to dismantle birth tourism networks around the world,” Pigott said in an interview with Newsmax.

The visa revocations are the result of coordinated efforts between the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify people who allegedly use tourist visas to enter the United States with the intention of giving birth there.

The measures are part of Trump’s broader immigration policies. In January, the president signed an executive order describing birth tourism as a practice that undermines the integrity of the U.S. immigration system in an effort to obtain what the administration considers permanent immigration benefits.

The directive stated that some people enter the country through temporary visas issued for tourism, education, cultural exchanges or temporary employment, and later seek to benefit from the U.S. citizenship their children acquire by being born on American soil.

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Trump targets birthright citizenship

The latest actions are also part of Trump’s broader efforts to restrict birthright citizenship in the United States.

The country has traditionally followed the principle of jus soli, under which citizenship is generally granted based on birth within U.S. territory, rather than solely on parental nationality, as is the case in other legal systems.

The administrative measures come after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship through executive action, ruling that the policy raised constitutional issues involving the Fourteenth Amendment.

The visa crackdown represents another step by the administration to target practices it associates with the use of temporary immigration permits to obtain long-term immigration benefits.

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International

Sinaloa Governor Returns to Office Amid Political Backlash and Cartel Allegations

Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya returned to office on Friday after taking more than three months of leave while facing an investigation into allegations by the U.S. government that he has ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. Rocha has denied the accusations.

His return has drawn criticism from Mexico’s federal government and the ruling Morena party, which have accused the governor of putting personal interests ahead of the public good.

Although she did not mention Rocha by name, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the situation Saturday in a post on X, warning about the dangers of placing personal ambitions above the interests of the country.

“Power without principles becomes arrogance,” Sheinbaum wrote.

The president stressed that no personal interest should take precedence over the interests of the Mexican people and the nation, particularly when the objective is not public well-being but the pursuit of power for its own sake.

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“Mexico deserves public servants who understand that positions are temporary, but responsibility before the nation is eternal,” Sheinbaum said.

She added that public officials should prioritize the dignity, future and hopes of the Mexican people over individual names, political groups or personal interests.

Later Saturday, while attending the inauguration of new agricultural services facilities in Mexico City, Sheinbaum told reporters that she learned of Rocha’s return through the governor’s social media post.

The president said she would provide further comments on the matter during her daily press conference on Monday.

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International

Pilot killed and two Pennsylvania state troopers injured in mid-air collision

A pilot was killed and two Pennsylvania state police officers were injured when a Cessna 150 airplane collided with the helicopter they were traveling in during a routine training exercise at a regional airport in the state.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro identified the officers as Corporal Bryce Corman and Trooper Jason Mills, members of the Pennsylvania State Police aviation unit. Both are expected to recover from their injuries, according to ABC.

The county coroner’s office identified the pilot as 57-year-old Paul Sokoloski.

George Bivens, acting commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, said the collision occurred at around 6:50 p.m. Wednesday. The helicopter was flying several feet above a grassy area near a runway at Carlisle Regional Airport when the small plane approached from behind.

According to investigators, the Cessna suddenly veered to the right moments before the collision, striking the helicopter’s tail rotor before also hitting its main rotor.

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The airplane crashed a short distance away and broke into several pieces, while the helicopter lost its tail and other components before crashing on its side.

Police said Corporal Corman opened a window and helped Trooper Mills escape from the helicopter because they feared the aircraft could catch fire.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.