After more than a year and a half of war, Israel has found itself in an "impossible dilemma" as it tries to defeat Hamas and bring home the remaining hostages, former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy says.In an interview with Fox News Digital, Levy said that it is crucial that Hamas not remain in power and that it is also vital to save the hostages languishing in tunnels under Gaza."If this war ends with the Hamas regime that perpetrated October 7th still in power, it won't end, it will just pause, and the next war will be a matter of time," Levy said. "Israelis dont want war. We need this war to be over, but we need this war to be over with the total defeat of the Hamas regime, or else this won't be the last Gaza war."PARENTS OF HAMAS HOSTAGES URGE TRUMP TO BE 'TOUGH WITH ENEMIES AND FRIENDS' AMID ISRAELI SIEGE IN GAZAIsrael has faced international criticism over its handling of the war in Gaza, with the U.K., France and Canada releasing a joint statement earlier this month demanding that Jerusalem end its military operations in the Gaza Strip. The U.K. also suspended trade talks with Israel because of Londons objections to the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of being "on the wrong side of humanity.""I think anyone criticizing Israel needs to come up with a better plan for how you remove Hamas from power, because otherwise they're just giving it political power and trying to save [it] from the war that it started," Levy told Fox News Digital.The international community has been pressuring Israel regarding hostage swaps. Jerusalem has been pressured to free Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of hostages taken on Oct. 7. Levy acknowledged that while Israel cannot leave the hostages behind, there are valid concerns about these releases."Israel is facing the impossible dilemma because Hamas is demanding the hostage-takers of tomorrow for the hostages of today," Levy said.Levy also called out the international community, saying that most countries would not "pay ransoms to terrorist hostage-takers.""Here's the absurdity of international pressure on Israel to pay a ransom. Most countries don't pay ransoms to terrorist hostage takers because they understand it only incentivizes more hostage taking, it rewards it, it encourages more of it," Levy told Fox News Digital. "Israel has paid a ransom to get hostages out in two cease-fires because we say we know the dangers, we know it's risky, but we've got to get out these poor people who are being starved and tortured and even executed in the dungeons."Levy believes Israel "found itself stymied along the way" as countries that initially backed efforts to defeat Hamas "got cold feet very quickly" as they understood what removing the terror group from power would entail.Looking at the broader picture, Levy wonders if Israel had taken on a different strategy from day one, whether the war would have ended sooner, though he admits it would have meant "defying international pressure."FORMER BIDEN DIPLOMAT SAYS THERE'S 'NO QUESTION' THAT 'FREE PALESTINE' SLOGAN HAS BECOME A CALL FOR VIOLENCE"I do wonder if that had been the strategy from the beginningdefying international pressurethen it's possible the war might have ended sooner," Levy said. "But again, Israel is caught in this impossible bind because there are still hostages who are trapped in Gaza, whom Hamas is threatening to execute if the Israeli army gets anywhere near them to try to rescue them."This is not a new or empty threat. Several former hostages reported being threatened and said they were told that their captors would execute them if Israeli forces got close. Six other former hostages, including American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, met this fate when they were fatally shot just before the IDF could reach them.Not all of Israels international counterparts have turned on the Jewish state. Americas approach to Netanyahu shifted as President Donald Trump returned to the White House. While the Biden administration put more pressure on Netanyahu, Trump appears to support Israel doing what it must to end the war.Levy told Fox News Digital that "Israelis definitely got the impression that the Trump administration has Israel's back and is willing to endorse any military strategy that it wants to implement, but there are also signs the Trump administration, you know, may want to wrap this up very quickly."Since Trumps return to the Oval Office, dozens of hostages have been freed, including American-Israelis Keith Siegel, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Edan Alexander.Trying to get the hostages out of harms way while also taking Hamas out of power seem to be conflicting goalssomething Levy acknowledges, saying, "We cannot afford to pay this ransom, but we also can't afford not to pay it."

President Donald Trump asserted on Tuesday that many "bad things" would have befallen Russia if it were not for him, warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "playing with fire!""What Vladimir Putin doesnt realize is that if it werent for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. Hes playing with fire!" Trump declared in the Truth Social post.Trump, who has unsuccessfully been aiming to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, unloaded on both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Sunday Truth Social post.PRO-UKRAINE REPUBLICAN AGREES WITH TRUMP ON CRAZY PUTIN, URGES SECONDARY SANCTIONS & ARMS SUPPORT NOW"Ive always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and Im not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. Ive always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe thats proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!" Trump declared in the first part of that post.But Trump's tough talk was not reserved only for the Russian figure he also criticized Zelenskyy.GOP LAWMAKER BLASTS DUMB TRUMP COMMENT ON ZELENSKYY DESPITE PERFECT CRITICISM OF PUTIN"Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I dont like it, and it better stop," Trump declared of the Ukrainian president.Trump has so far failed to achieve his goal of seeing the bloodshed end.In a tweet on Monday, Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian "air defense forces and rescuers were working all night," noting that Russia's "army launched the largest number of drones against our cities and communities since the beginning of the full-scale war 355 attack UAVs, mostly Shaheds. There were also 9 cruise missiles," he noted.PUTIN REJECTS TRUMP'S VATICAN PUSH AS KREMLIN ACCUSES HIM OF BEING EMOTIONAL: ENVOY KELLOGGCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"Like any criminal, Russia can only be constrained by force. Only through strength the strength of the United States, of Europe, of all nations that value life can these attacks be stopped and real peace achieved," Zelenskyy declared in the post.

A Maryland congressman has returned to the U.S. from El Salvador having failed in his attempt to meet deported illegal migrant and suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia.Rep. Glenn Ivey said he was "stonewalled" in his efforts to check on the welfare of Abrego Garcia, whose deportation in March has become a deeply polarizing issue for Republicans and Democrats. The Trump administration accuses Abrego Garcia of also being a human trafficker and a wife beater, while Democrats say he is a "Maryland man" who was not given his due process in court before being deported."I was very, not just disappointed, but angry, actually," Ivey told reporters after returning from his trip Tuesday morning.DEM IMMIGRATION TALKING POINTS FIZZLE AS DARK PICTURE OF ABREGO GARCIA EMERGESIvey, who said he did not use taxpayer money to fund his trip, said he had arranged with embassies in the U.S. and in El Salvador to meet Abrego Garcia in prison but was met with bureaucratic hurdles when he got there. Ivey said he was told he had to obtain a permit at a location 90 minutes away, which blocked his plans."And I won't tell you what I said, but I mean, it's ridiculous that an international delegation would get that kind of treatment, especially when we're making this kind of request," Ivey said.WATCH: Democrat Rep. Glenn Ivey fumes he was not allowed access to Kilmar Abrego GarciaHe didnt say if he attempted to get a permit but added that locals also told them no onenot even familieswere getting permits to visit loved ones in detention."It was a clear run around and not a way that a foreign government should be treating the Congress of the United States," he said.Ivey said he wanted to see Abrego Garcia to confirm the detainees condition, location and ensure he receives due process in U.S. courts. Several other Democrats, including Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, have rushed to meet with Abrego Garcia and decried what they said was a lack of due process extended to him.WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BLUNTLY SHOWS WHERE PARTIES STAND ON IMMIGRATION AMID ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATIONWhen asked about Abrego Garcia's condition, Ivey told reporters, "Nothing's been confirmed along those lines. We believe he is and we believe he's at Santa Ana. But they didn't confirm that yesterday. So it was kind of a runaround."In a video posted to X on Monday, Ivey wrote that he traveled to the Central American country to visit his "constituent" and called on the government there to "cut the crap."Abrego Garcia was sent in March to El Salvador's notoriously high-security prison equipped to handle violent gang members, known as CECOT, which sparked Van Hollen to lead the surge of Democrats traveling there.The Trump administrationhas repeatedly cited court and police documents showing that the El Salvadoran man was not only in the U.S. illegally, but also connected to the MS-13 gang and that his wife had sounded the alarm to police about his violence.Court records show Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, filed a protective order against her husband in August 2020. The order said their shared son and stepchildren needed protection from Abrego Garcia, accusing him of verbal and physical abuse against her and mental abuse against her children.Some Democrats and left-wing media have characterized Abrego Garcia as a "family man" who was wrongly deported back in March and the following weeks.Ivey, meanwhile, also railed over what he said were more than 250 Venezuelans jailed in El Salvador after deportation from the U.S., claiming that around 50 of them have no criminal records and were sent to a country where they have no pending offenses."That's un-American. That's not what we should be doing," Ivey said.Fox News Emma Colton contributed to this report.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders disputed a post on social media that said he had purchased a luxury vehicle after signing his rookie contract with the organization.A video posted on X showed a "custom Rolls-Royce" on a flatbed tow truck being delivered to a house. It is unclear whose home was in the video. For a split-second, Sanders face showed up on a phone.The vehicle was reportedly worth $500,000.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMAs the clips went viral, Sanders put the rumors to rest."Another lie. Im focused on my team not a car purchase!" he wrote in a post on X.Sanders agreed to a four-year contract with the Browns after Cleveland selected him in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in April. He was predicted to be a first-round pick as high as No. 2 before his slide, which garnered national attention.GIANTS' JAXSON DART BALKS AT BUYING PREFERRED JERSEY NUMBER FROM TEAMMATE, SUGGESTS PRICE TAG WAS 'TOO MUCH'He is set to make more than $4.6 million over the course of the deal with an average annual value of just over $1.1 million, according to Spotrac. He will reportedly earn $840,000 as his base in 2025. Sanders has already gotten to work this spring as he is no sure shot to make the 53-man roster once training camp is over.He was asked back on May 10 how he was able to block out the attention and media scrutiny."By doing what my dad raised me to do since I was like five years old," he said. "You know, Ive seen it, Ive seen what he was able to do. And I have a lot of great resources and mentors, you know, to keep me on the right track and especially coming to this building, we have great coaches in the building able to, you know, keep me focused, keep me in a straight, narrow line."Cleveland has four healthy quarterbacks on the roster, including Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. Deshaun Watson is unlikely to play in 2025.Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Democrats are spending $20 million on a study examining how to speak to "American men" after losing ground with the demographic during the 2024 election cycle, The New York Times revealed."Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan" is a $20 million project crafted by Democrats to "study the syntax, language and content that gains attention and virality in these spaces" of male voters, the Times reported Sunday.Known as "SAM," the study will specifically examine young male voters and how the party can connect with the demographic. Additionally, the study advised rolling out pro-Democrat ads in video games.The study's revelation was made in an overarching article detailing the uphill battle Democrats face after the 2024 election, which included Democrats scrambling to replace former President Joe Biden as the nominee with just more than 100 days left in the election cycle and ultimately delivering all seven battleground states to President Donald Trump."The Democratic Partys tarnished image could not come at a more inopportune moment," the article detailed. "In this era of political polarization, the national partys brand is more important and influential than ever, often driving the outcomes of even the most local of races."DEMOCRATIC PARTY SCRAMBLES TO FIX IMAGE AS MEMBERS ACKNOWLEDGE PARTY 'LOST CREDIBILITY'In response, Democrat operatives and donors have gathered at swank hotels to craft plans on how to draw back the working class and male voters, the Times reported.Trump made big in-roads with the male vote during the 2024 election cycle. A Fox News Voter Survey published in November 2024 found that men aged 1844 supported Trump at 53%, compared to former Vice President Kamala Harris 45%.While The Associated Press found that more than half of male voters under the age of 30 voted for Trump instead of Harris including roughly six-in-10 White male voters supporting Trump about one-third of Black male voters supported Trump, as did about 50% of young Latino male voters.Trump's support among young Black and Latino male voters jumped by about 20% compared to his 2020 support, the AP reported.Democratic strategist Michael Ceraso told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he does not take issue with Democrats investing in voter engagement strategies but added that he found it "hilarious" that "people in suits are hanging out at luxury hotels asking how they can talk to day-to-day Americans.""We're having an issue with the messenger more than the message," Ceraso said, arguing that voters support longstanding Democratic policies such as affordable housing, but that "Democrats just need to take a reality check" on how they convey their messaging to voters."I just don't understand how, after all these years and all these Democrats who've been in the game, how we continue to make those same choices," he added. "Like Rahm Emmanuel, or all these sort of big names, they're just like, 'Yeah, we're going to figure out how to win in, you know, rural North Carolina by hanging out in a New York hotel.' That makes no sense to me. And strategically, I don't care how much money you spend on focus groups, if you're doing that, you're just negating any type of investment you're putting into how to have a conversation with voters."Democrats spending millions studying American male "syntax" sparked condemnation from conservatives and Democrats alike on social media, Fox News Digital found.FETTERMAN HITS PARTY'S LOSSES AMONG YOUNG MALE VOTERS: 'IT'S UNDENIABLE THAT DEMOCRATS HAVE LOST A LOT'"Democratic donors treating men like an endangered species on a remote island they need to study probably wont rebuild trust," MSNBC contributor Rotimi Adeoy posted to X in response to the Times' report. "This kind of top-down, anthropological approach misses the point: people dont want to be decoded, they want to be understood and met where they are.""The idea that you can "fix" the male voter problem that exists with Black, Latino, and white men by spending $20 million to study their syntax like theyre a foreign culture is exactly why theres a disconnect," Adeoy continued. "These voters arent a research subject. Theyre citizens."Chief political analyst at the Liberal Patriot, Michael Baharaeen, posted to X, "This really says it all," in response to a tweet quoting the article regarding how "Democratic donors and strategists have been gathering at luxury hotels to discuss how to win back working-class voters, commissioning new projects that can read like anthropological studies of people from faraway places.""The fact that Democrats need to drop $20 million just to figure out how to speak to American men tells you everything you need to know. This is the same move they pull on black people. They don't care about you they only care about your vote!" conservative podcaster DeVory Darkins posted to X.CRINGEWORTHY PRO-HARRIS AD SHOWCASING MALE SUPPORT FEATURES PROFESSIONAL ACTORS"Democratic donors are planning to spend $20 million to figure out how to talk to dudes," polster Frank Luntz posted to X.A handful of critics reposted a video from the 2024 campaign cycle that featured men declaring they were "man enough" to support Harris for president. The grassroots ad went viral in October 2024 as social media commenters panned it as "the cringiest political ad ever created" and pointed out it was created by a former producer for Jimmy Kimmel and featured actors vowing support for Harris.The video featured six self-described manly men who claimed they were so masculine that they ate "carburetors for breakfast" and were not "afraid of bears," while adding they also do not fear women and would support Harris for the Oval Office.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"Remember the month before the election and Democrats tried to relate to men?. Now theyre trying again spending $20 million," one social media commenter posted this week, accompanied by the October 2024 video.

Kurt Knutsson reports World ID's iris scanning tech launches in six U.S. cities to verify identity, fight AI bots.

Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker says Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to 'ignore' President Donald Trump on 'The Story.'

Former Kamala Harris battleground state director Dan Kanninen and Sentinel Action Fund president Jessica Anderson weigh in on the Biden White House's alleged 'politburo' and whether the Democratic Party has a 'weak' brand on 'America Reports.'

Kurt Knutsson reports World ID's iris scanning tech launches in six U.S. cities to verify identity, fight AI bots.

Nick Wright breaks down why the Minnesota Timberwolves need a superstar-level performance from Anthony Edwards to keep their playoff hopes alive.