NEW: Israel’s military has, for the first time, accepted Gaza Health Ministry death figures, acknowledging about 71,000 Palestinians killed since the war began.

The IDF said the total does not include missing people under rubble.

Source: Haaretz

Kadyrov on Ukraine:

I believe that negotiations should not be held.

German Foreign Minister Wadephul on Syria:

Syria's central government rightly makes the claim that the monopoly on the use of force in all parts of Syria is exercised by them and not by others, and a basic agreement on this must also be possible in northeastern Syria.

This is fully supported by the international community: that this must happen in a peaceful way, that this is a process of slow integration, also of the SDF forces into the Syrian army.

That is clear. That is what we are working towards, but in the end it will have to happen.

Germany's Merz:

We must make our economy competitive again.

The growth gap of the European Union compared to the U.S. and compared to China has been widening to our disadvantage for well over a decade.

We must reverse this dynamic now.

If we mean business with world-political shaping power, then world-political shaping power depends on economic power.

We have blocked this economic power ourselves. So we can and must solve the blockades ourselves now.

Senior defense and intelligence officials from Israel and Saudi Arabia are in Washington, D.C., meeting with U.S. leaders as Trump weighs possible military action against Iran.

The Israeli delegation is sharing intelligence on potential targets, while Saudi officials are pushing to avoid a broader war and promote diplomacy.

Source: Axios

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Germany's Merz:

Anyone in the world who is of the opinion they have to make politics against Europe with tariffs must know that we are ready and able to defend ourselves against it too, if it is necessary.

They know it now.

EU’s Kaja Kallas:

I can’t imagine that countries will create a separate European Army.

It has to be the armies that already exist.

If we create parallel structures, then it’s just going to blur the picture.

Kremlin:

Russia is currently talking about Moscow, not the UAE, as a possible venue for a meeting with Zelensky.

Trump:

WE SHOULD BE PAYING LOWER INTEREST RATES THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!

Ethiopian federal troops and Tigrayan forces clashed in western Tigray this week, prompting flight cancellations and cash shortages in Mekelle, as aid cuts leave up to 80% needing support and fears rise of renewed conflict after the 2022 peace deal in Pretoria.

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Germany's Merz:

Bureaucracy in the European Union must be significantly reduced.

Germany's Merz:

Germany is bound by two internationally binding treaties not to possess its own nuclear weapons.

That does not mean, however, that we cannot talk with other European countries about joint nuclear deterrence.

These talks are taking place, but they are still at a very early stage.

Germany's Merz:

We see that Ukraine itself is now in a position to build long-range missile systems that are better than some of what we in Europe had offered and discussed in earlier years.

Germany's Merz on Russia-Ukraine:

We see that a ruthless bombardment of the entire civilian infrastructure is taking place, especially of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

These are daily war crimes being committed by the Russian side against Ukraine and its population.

Trump's Border Czar Tom Homan in Minneapolis:

This is common sense cooperation that allows us to draw down the number of people we have here.

Yes, I said it. Draw down the number of people here.

Trump's Border Czar Tom Homan in Minneapolis:

All operations are going to be targeted. But the prioritization are gonna be criminal aliens, public safety threats, and national security threats.

We've got a lot of them. But if you're in the country illegally, you're never off the table.

Russia Readies Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant for Evacuation in Iran

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Keir Starmer in China:

President Xi tells the story of blind men presented with an elephant.

One touches the leg and thinks it is a pillar; another feels the belly and thinks it is a wall. Too often this reflects how China is seen.

But I profoundly believe that broader and deeper engagement is our way of seeing the whole elephant, and therefore building a more sophisticated relationship fit for these times.