Global energy security faces an increasing threat as the world’s five most vital maritime chokepoints, crucial for global oil and gas transit, are under escalating pressure from conflict, piracy, and environmental dangers, according to a recent analysis by Rystad Energy.
In 2023, an estimated 71.3 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil and petroleum products, along with approximately 26 billion cubic feet per day (Bcfd) of liquefied natural gas, were transported through these chokepoints, the Norway-based energy intelligence company said.
By 2024, the volume of oil and petroleum had decreased to 65 million bpd, and LNG to 24.8 Bcfd.
This decline clearly indicates increasing instability in some of the world’s most strategically important waters, Rystad’s data showed.
Recent declines in volume are partly due to temporary disruptions like Houthi attacks off Yemen and Iran-Israel tensions.
However, there’s also evidence of a long-term structural change, as traders and governments reroute flows via the Cape of Good Hope and alternative pipelines to adapt to ongoing instability.
Source: Rystad Energy
Likely impact on countries
China faces significant vulnerability due to its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca for transport.
This contrasts with the US, which is less exposed due to increasing domestic production, unlike Asia and Europe, which are heavily dependent on these straits.
“We have identified the five chokepoints most at risk, assessed the threats they face and outlined the far-reaching consequences for global energy markets,” Mrinal Bhardwaj, senior analyst, upstream research at Rystad, said in the analysis.
Any disruption at these chokepoints could shatter supply chains, trigger sharp spikes in energy prices and inflict severe economic damage worldwide.
The current market dynamics reveal a clear anticipation of continued maritime instability, as evidenced by the significant increase in insurance premiums and freight rates, the energy intelligence company said.
This upward trend suggests that financial markets are already factoring in the heightened risks associated with global shipping routes.
However, despite this preemptive pricing, the complete closure of any major maritime chokepoint—such as the Suez Canal, the Strait of Hormuz, or the Strait of Malacca—would undoubtedly trigger an unprecedented surge in price volatility, according to Rystad.
Such an event would not only send shockwaves through the energy sector but also severely test the inherent resilience of global energy supply chains, potentially leading to widespread disruptions and economic repercussions.
Approximately three-quarters of global oil demand relies on maritime chokepoints for transport. Of this, about one-fourth traverses the Strait of Malacca, and one-fifth passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
Source: Rystad Energy
Strait of Malacca
Handling about 24 million bpd of oil and gas, the Strait of Malacca is the world’s largest trade chokepoint.
This vital passage, situated between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, serves as a crucial route for the transport of the majority of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Middle East to Asian nations, notably China and Japan.
This route’s crude and condensate imports are dominated by China, which accounts for 50% of the total volume. Saudi Arabia is the primary exporter, contributing 25% of the share, Rystad’s data showed.
Since the pandemic, oil and gas flow through the Strait had increased by 2.1 million bpd as of 2024. Although the route is known for piracy and theft, no major incidents have been reported this year.
Source: Rystad Energy
Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran, Oman, and the UAE, is crucial for global energy trade.
It handles about one-fifth of the world’s maritime oil and condensate trade (14.0 million bpd) and nearly half of the Middle East’s daily oil and condensate production, largely destined for Asian markets like China and India.
Half of Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s oil exports and a quarter of China’s oil demand transit this strait.
It’s also vital for LNG, carrying one-fifth of global volumes, including two-thirds of Qatar’s daily gas exports (16.3 Bcfd) to countries like China, India, and South Korea. China’s LNG imports via the strait have surged 2.5 times in five years, reaching 2.7 Bcfd.
“The strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz was underscored during the recent Iran-Israel conflict, when Iran’s parliament proposed a bill to close it, although the plan was reportedly deferred,” Bhardwaj said.
If the strait were to be closed, it could disrupt nearly half of Middle Eastern oil exports, severely impacting global oil and gas transportation.
Suez Canal and Bab El Mandeb
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait has emerged as the Middle East’s second critical chokepoint, posing another potential risk to the stability of global oil and gas trade.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, serving as a critical shipping route between the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean.
The Suez Canal and SUMED pipeline, both vital for global energy, link the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.
Houthi attacks in late 2023 caused shipping volumes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to drop by nearly 50% within six months, impacting global seaborne oil trade and keeping traffic below normal.
A full closure would reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, increasing voyage times and freight costs, further straining energy supply chains.
Source: Rystad Energy
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope, at South Africa’s southern tip, is now a crucial alternative maritime trade route, carrying 8-10% of global shipping traffic.
Oil flows via this route decreased from 7 million bpd in 2021 to 6 million bpd in 2023, largely due to reduced Chinese demand, lower African production, and India’s shift to Russian crude, Rystad’s analysis showed.
In 2024, oil traffic around the Cape of Good Hope spiked by nearly 50% to 8.7 million bpd.
This surge was driven by Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, causing shipping companies to reroute.
Approximately 40% of this oil was destined for China, with significant portions originating from the US and South America. Middle Eastern producers also diverted European-bound crude through the cape.
“Despite higher freight costs and longer transit times, traders increasingly prefer the Cape of Good Hope due to its lower security risks,” Rystad said.
Compared to other global chokepoints, it currently represents one of the safest maritime routes for crude oil transport.
Turkish Straits
Meanwhile, the Turkish Straits, comprising the Bosporus and Dardanelles, are a critical maritime route controlled by Turkiye, connecting the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
This strategic waterway, dividing Europe and Asia, is vital for global energy transport, facilitating oil and LNG shipments from the Caspian region and Russia to Asian and European markets.
Accounting for roughly 5% of global maritime oil trade, the Straits saw approximately 3.5 million bpd of crude oil and 0.5 Bcfd of LNG transit in 2023, with similar volumes projected for 2025.
Oil flow through the Turkish Straits decreased from 3.5 million bpd in 2020 to 3.2 million bpd in 2022 due to COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which cut Ukrainian exports by 100,000 bpd.
Flows recovered to 3.4 million bpd in 2023 and are expected to remain stable in 2024.
The Turkish Straits are crucial, yet they are subject to various operational and geopolitical risks.
“The narrow and winding nature of the waterways increases the risk of maritime accidents and oil spills, while regional tensions and political interference continue to pose potential threats to the route’s stability and security.
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When I first heard that Greg Daniels was bringing back the mockumentary format with The Paper, I couldn’t help but be pulled back into my own newsroom nostalgia.
Having cut my teeth at a local paper before moving into financial journalism, I know the peculiar mix of chaos, caffeine, and absurdity that defines a newsroom on deadline.
Pair that with my long-standing affection for The Office — a show that made mundane office life both hilarious and oddly profound — and I was eager to see if lightning could strike twice.
A familiar setup with new stakes
Two decades after we were first introduced to Dunder Mifflin, Daniels and his team have shifted the lens from Scranton to Toledo, Ohio.
The Toledo Truth Teller, once a proud local newspaper, is now a struggling relic, operating under the shadow of its parent company, Enervate — which makes its profit not from journalism, but from its Softie toilet tissue brand.
That setup alone is pure Daniels: weighty issues of dying local journalism wrapped in toilet paper puns.
Enter Ned Sampson (Domhnall Gleeson), a former top salesman of Softie tissues, who has been tapped (against better judgment) to steer the Truth Teller back to relevance.
With only a handful of unqualified employees and a newsroom where breaking news competes with sales quotas, Ned is immediately out of his depth. It’s a classic fish-out-of-water role, though one that takes Gleeson a while to settle into.
Characters that pop (eventually)
Like The Office and Parks and Recreation, The Paper stumbles out of the gate. The first few episodes lean too heavily on stale wire copy jokes and improv-style chaos, making the humour feel forced.
Mare Pritti (Chelsea Frei) has potential as the jaded but capable journalist trapped in fluff writing, though she initially gets sidelined.
Nicole Lee (Ramona Young), tasked with circulation, becomes funnier once her morally bankrupt data-mining subplot unfolds.
But the real star is Esmerelda Grand (Sabrina Impacciatore). Channelling both camp and menace, she steals nearly every scene she’s in, delivering razor-sharp lines with the theatre and extravagance of a Sopranos character on loan to a newsroom. Her battles with Ned give the series its most electric moments.
Adding a layer of awkward chaos is Tim Key’s Ken Davis, the Enervate head of strategy, who channels a David Brent vibe with misplaced confidence and brilliant, cringeworthy moments, perfectly complementing the unfolding newsroom drama.
Oscar Nuñez’s return as the ever-dry Oscar Martinez is also a sly bit of connective tissue (no pun intended) to The Office, though his presence often feels more like a wink to legacy fans than an essential contribution.
When things click
The turning point comes with Episode 5, “Scam Alert!,” where the newsroom actually attempts real reporting — albeit in pursuit of a bizarre online dating scam linked to one of their own.
Suddenly, the series shifts gears from background chuckles to truly engaging workplace comedy.
The back half of the season leans into sharper writing, character-driven humour, and situations that balance the ridiculous with the depressingly real state of modern journalism.
While the show cleverly skewers the decline of local papers and clickbait culture, it doesn’t wallow in cynicism.
In fact, once Ned stops floundering and the supporting cast gets room to breathe, The Paper begins to echo The Office’s unexpected warmth — that underlying belief that work, no matter how absurd, is still about people and connection.
Final verdict
The Paper doesn’t try to outdo The Office, instead carving a slightly different path through the weird world of a dying newspaper.
Though occasionally relying on familiar mockumentary tropes, it steadily grows into its own identity, driven by standout performances, especially Impacciatore’s Esmerelda and Gleeson’s Ned.
For those who love the chaotic charm of office life or still root for print journalism’s survival, The Paper offers enough to keep you watching—even if it’s not quite the headline story we hoped for.
(The Paper premiered on Peacock in the US on September 4, 2025. In the UK, it airs on Sky Max and is also available to stream on Now.)
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Dow futures nudged over 100 points higher on Monday, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures also saw some gains as investors waited to see what the latest inflation report would reveal.
The market is on the edge of its seat, because whatever the numbers say will likely decide the Federal Reserve’s next move on interest rates.
After a disappointing jobs report in August, there’s some cautious optimism on Wall Street that the Fed might consider a rate cut.
As the major indices sit near all-time highs, it’s clear that any new economic reports will be a big deal for the market this week.
5 things to know before Wall Street opens
1. The technical picture is getting interesting across the major indices. The S&P 500 just hit fresh record highs and is bumping up against trend channel resistance around 6,540.
If it can break through and hold above that level, chart watchers think we could see a move toward 6,700. The Nasdaq 100 is sitting right at its 20-day moving average, which is basically make-or-break territory.
Hold that support, and things look fine, but if it cracks, the next stop could be around 22,400. September’s reputation for volatility isn’t helping the technical uncertainty.
2. This week’s inflation data is probably the most important economic release traders will see before the Fed’s September meeting.
The Consumer Price Index numbers will be crucial since the central bank is now in its blackout period and can’t provide any more guidance.
Everyone’s watching to see how tariffs and supply chain disruptions show up in the inflation print, since that could determine whether rate cuts are on the table and how aggressive they might be.
3. One of the more interesting trends has been the outperformance of small-cap and value stocks. The Morningstar US Value Index jumped more than 5% in August, crushing the Growth Index, while small-caps rose 4.6%.
It’s a complete reversal from earlier this year when growth and large-caps dominated.
Lower valuations and rate cut expectations are driving investors toward these previously unloved areas of the market, with communications, real estate, energy, and healthcare looking particularly attractive.
4. Individual stock moves are telling their own stories about where the market’s head is at.
Last week, Salesforce dropped over 5% on concerns about AI competition, while Broadcom surged 9% after landing a major AI accelerator order.
The consumer sector saw some wild swings too, as American Eagle jumped 38% on strong earnings while Lululemon crashed 19% after management warned about trade policy impacts.
5. Robinhood and AppLovin are both moving higher in pre-market trading on Monday after getting tapped to join the S&P 500 in the September 22 rebalancing.
These kinds of moves show how responsive the market has become to earnings beats, technological developments, and positioning in hot areas like AI and digital marketing.
It’s a market where individual stock picking and sector rotation are becoming increasingly important as broad-based rallies become harder to find.
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The Vanguard and SPDR S&P 500 ETFs are hovering near their all-time highs, continuing a bullish trend that started in April following Donald Trump’s Liberation Day speech. This article looks at some of the top catalysts for the VOO and SPY ETFs this week.
Apple iPhone 17 event
The first major catalyst for the SPY and VOO ETFs this week will involve the third-biggest constituent. Apple will launch its iPhone 17 and other products on September 9 as it competes with the likes of Xiaomi and Samsung.
The event comes at a time when Apple has fallen behind other technology companies in the generative AI industry. As such, the company may use the event to showcase some of its AI features.
Most importantly, the iPhone 17 is expected to have a new design with a new back that differentiates it from the last four phones. It will also launch a new iPhone Air model with an ultrathin body.
A disappointing Apple event may lead to a stock pullback, which may drag the VOO and SPY ETF.
Top corporate earnings
The other major catalyt for the VOO and SPY ETFs will be corporate earnings from some of the top constituents. The most important one will be Oracle, which will publish its results on Tuesday.
Oracle’s stock pricehas been in a strong uptrend that pushed its market capitalization to $653 billion. It has benefited from the ongoing AI investments that have made it one of the biggest players in the industry.
The other notable VOO constituent to watch will be Adobe, another top design company that has lagged behind in the AI industry. Other companies with earnings scheduled this week are Kroger, RH Group, Chewy, Synopsys, Rubrik, and Core & Main.
US inflation data
Meanwhile, the S&P 500 Index will react to the upcoming US consumer inflation data scheduled on Thursday. This report will show the impact of Donald Trump’s tariffs on prices.
Economists expect the data to show that the headline inflation rose to 2.9% in August, while the core figure jumped to 3.2%. If these numbers are accurate, they will confirm that the US economy was in stagflation.
That’s because they come after a report on Friday showed that the economy created just 22k jobs in August as the unemployment rate continued rising. As suc, analysts expect the Fed to focus on the jobs numbers and decide to cut interest rates.
ECB interest rate decision
The other minor catalyst for the VOO and SPY ETF will come from Europe, where the European Central Bank (ECB) will deliver its interest rate decision. This decision is important as many constituent companies do a lot of business in the region.
Economists expect the ECB will leave interest rates unchanged in this meeting after it delivered 8 cuts.
Meanwhile, the ETFs will react to the recent OPEC virtual meeting in which officials decided to increase production in October. They will add 137,000 barrels, continuing a trend that has been going on in the past few months.
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SpaceX has reached a $17 billion agreement to acquire wireless spectrum licences from EchoStar Corp., strengthening its Starlink satellite network’s ability to provide direct-to-device services.
The deal, confirmed on Monday, involves up to $8.5 billion in cash and as much as $8.5 billion in SpaceX stock.
This marks one of the largest spectrum transactions in the US, giving SpaceX access to the AWS-4 and H-block spectrum bands.
Beyond the purchase, SpaceX will also fund about $2 billion in interest payments on EchoStar’s debt until November 2027, cementing its role in reshaping satellite-to-mobile connectivity.
$17 billion deal to reshape spectrum ownership
The agreement comes after months of speculation and follows a Bloomberg report confirming SpaceX’s interest in EchoStar’s spectrum assets. Shares of EchoStar jumped as much as 64% in premarket trading after the news.
The proceeds will be used by EchoStar to reduce debt and fund operations, a crucial step for the company which had recently missed bond payments and was weighing bankruptcy.
EchoStar’s spectrum includes AWS-4, also called the 2 GHz band, and the H-block licences.
These frequencies are critical for mobile operators and satellite providers as they support both terrestrial mobile transmissions and satellite-to-ground communications.
The transaction is also designed to ease pressure from US regulators, who had been pushing EchoStar to offload some of its unused airwaves.
Regulatory scrutiny and FCC investigation
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an investigation in May into whether EchoStar was meeting its obligations to deploy its spectrum effectively.
The probe was sparked by complaints from SpaceX earlier this year, which argued that EchoStar was not putting its holdings to proper use.
SpaceX had also sought FCC approval for shared access to the 2 GHz band, a request that added urgency to the review.
EchoStar originally gained rights to the 2 GHz band in 2011, when its founder Charlie Ergen acquired them from bankrupt satellite firms DBSD and Terrestar.
However, the FCC’s focus intensified in 2024 after doubts about EchoStar’s ability to deploy its 5G network grew.
Bloomberg reported in July that regulators had been encouraging the company to sell its spectrum, which had become a stumbling block to its strategic plans.
Bloomberg reports that regulators had been encouraging EchoStar to sell its spectrum since July, with pressure mounting as the company struggled to meet financial obligations.
Previous $23 billion spectrum sale to AT&T
This latest transaction with SpaceX follows EchoStar’s decision last month to sell spectrum licences worth about $23 billion to AT&T.
Those assets had also been offered to other buyers, including Starlink.
The two sales combined effectively address FCC concerns, ensuring that unused airwaves are put into active service through larger operators.
EchoStar said that the spectrum deals would allow it to stabilise its balance sheet while maintaining its presence in satellite services.
For SpaceX, the purchase represents an opportunity to reduce reliance on existing partnerships and move closer to offering direct-to-device mobile services independently.
Starlink expansion and global growth
Since launching its first Starlink satellites in 2019, SpaceX has expanded rapidly and had about 5 million customers across more than 100 countries by June 2024.
The company also secured regulatory approval in India that month, opening the door to one of the world’s largest internet markets.
While SpaceX maintains a partnership with T-Mobile to connect mobile devices directly via satellites, the acquisition of EchoStar’s spectrum positions it to strengthen its own service offerings.
The company has also agreed to cover $2 billion in EchoStar’s interest payments through 2027, further demonstrating its financial capacity to handle large-scale deals while pursuing global expansion.
By acquiring the AWS-4 and H-block licences, SpaceX secures a stronger foothold in the increasingly competitive space-to-mobile industry.
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Senate Republicans are getting closer to changing the upper chamber’s rules to allow for a slew of President Donald Trump’s lower-level nominees to be confirmed, and they’re closing in on a revived proposal from Democrats to do it.
The hope among Republicans is that using a tool that Senate Democrats once considered would allow them to avoid turning to the ‘nuclear option,’ meaning a rule change with a simple majority vote.
‘The Democrats should support it, because it was their original proposal that we’re continuing on,’ Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News Digital. ‘And I wouldn’t be surprised if they won’t. This historic obstruction by the Democrats is all playing to their far-left liberal base, who hate President Trump.’
Republicans met throughout the week behind closed doors to discuss their options and have begun to coalesce around a proposal that would allow them to take one vote to confirm a group of nominees, also known as ‘en bloc,’ for sub-Cabinet level positions.
So far, the only nominee to make it through the Senate with ease was Secretary of State Marco Rubio in January. Since then, various positions throughout the bureaucracy have stacked up and have not received a voice vote or gone through unanimous consent — two commonly-used fast-track procedures for lower-level positions in the administration.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that before Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was in charge of the Democrats, ‘this was always done in a way where, if you had some of the lower-level nominees in the administration, those were all voted en bloc, they were packaged, they were grouped, they were stacked.’
‘This is the first president in history who, at this point in his presidency, hasn’t had at least one nominee clear by unanimous consent or voice vote,’ he said. ‘It is unprecedented what they’re doing. It’s got to be stopped.’
And the number of nominees on the Senate’s calendar continues to grow, reaching 149 picks awaiting confirmation this week. The goal would be to make that rule change before lawmakers leave town for a week starting Sept. 22.
The idea comes from legislation proposed in 2023 by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Angus King, I-Maine, and former Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. Republicans are eyeing their own spin on it, such as possibly not limiting the number of en bloc nominees in a group or excluding judicial nominees.
Republicans would prefer to avoid going nuclear — the last time the nuclear option was used was in 2019, when then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., lowered debate time on nominees to two hours — but they are willing to do so, given that Democrats haven’t budged on their blockade.
They may only be making a public display of resistance, however.
‘Democrats privately support what Republicans are talking about,’ a senior GOP aide familiar with negotiations told Fox News Digital. ‘They’re just too afraid to admit it.’
Sen. James Lankford, who worked with Thune and Barrasso over the recess to build a consensus on a rule change proposal, told Fox News Digital that his Democratic colleagues acknowledged that they’ve ‘created a precedent that is not sustainable.’
‘But then they’ll say, ‘but my progressive base is screaming at me to fight however I want to. I know I’m damaging the Senate, but I got to show that I’m fighting,’’ the Oklahoma Republican said.
‘We feel stuck, I mean, literally,’ Lankford continued. ‘Some of my colleagues have said, ‘We’re not the ones going nuclear. They’re the ones that are going nuclear.’’
Klobuchar told Fox News Digital that she appreciated the prior work she’s done with Lankford on ‘ways to make the Senate better’ but wasn’t ready to get behind the GOP’s version of her legislation.
‘When I proposed that, it was meant to pass as legislation, which means you would have needed bipartisan votes, and the reason that’s not happening right now is because the president keeps flaunting the law,’ she said.
Not every Senate Democrat is on board with the wholesale blockade, however.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., told Fox News Digital that lawmakers should all behave in a way in which administrations, either Republican or Democratic, get ‘those basic kinds of considerations’ for nominees.
‘That’s not the resistance,’ he said. ‘I just think that’s kind of unhelpful to just move forward. I mean, you can oppose people like the big ones, whether it’s [Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.] Kennedy or others.’
Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Following unrelenting criticism from the United Nations, the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is once again being targeted by NGOs, even as it delivered its 155 millionth meal to Gazans on Saturday.
Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF has launched ads criticizing GHFMeta’s Ad Library shows that in August it ran several Facebook ads targeting the foundation. One ad read ‘This is not aid. This is orchestrated killing.’ Another said, ‘In MSF’s 54 years, rarely have we seen such levels of systemized violence.’
Both allegations are taken from an Aug. 6 article on MSF’s website in which General Director Raquel Ayora describes accounts received from patients reportedly injured around GHF sites. Ayora says aid seekers claimed to have witnessed ‘children shot in the chest while reaching for food. People crushed or suffocated in stampedes. Entire crowds gunned down at distribution points.’
GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay called MSF’s accusations, ‘false and disgraceful,’ saying that it is ‘amplifying a disinformation campaign orchestrated by the Hamas-linked Gaza Health Ministry. They know better. By repeating these lies, they’re not aiding civilians, they’re aiding Hamas.’
‘No civilians have ever been shot at any of our distribution sites,’ Fay told Fox News Digital.
Fay said that ‘Nearly every day, Nasser Hospital issues false reports to the media of civilians killed near our sites, based solely on testimony from others. Not a single MSF doctor has ever witnessed an incident near our sites. Any conflict between Israel and Hamas, sometimes several kilometers away, the Gaza Health Ministry falsely links to GHF.’
In response to questions about whether MSF employees have witnessed injuries or deaths at GHF sites firsthand, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, ‘MSF has documented the impacts of violence and chaos at GHF sites in Gaza, based on firsthand accounts of our personnel and patients at two clinical sites, as well as a body of medical data.’
MSF declined to respond to questions about how much money it has spent on ads targeting GHF, or whether it has advocated for medical care for Israeli hostages taken by Hamas.
The MSF spokesperson added, ‘For the past 22 months, humanitarian organizations working in Gaza and the West Bank have consistently faced baseless and inaccuratesmear campaigns.’
Though there is growing outcry about purported violence near GHF sites, reporting from the United Nations indicates that there were twice as many deaths surrounding humanitarian aid convoys (576) as there were deaths around GHF sites (259) between July 21 and Aug. 18.
A U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs update from August states there were 1,889 deaths near aid sites between May 27 and Aug. 18, 1,025 ‘near militarized distribution sites’ and 864 ‘along convoy supply routes.’ As of July 21, U.N. News reported there were 1,054 deaths at food distribution sites, with 766 near GHF sites, and 288 near U.N. and humanitarian aid convoys.
The U.N. Human Rights Office did not respond to a request for confirmation of these figures by press time.
Amid tensions between GHF and humanitarian aid organizations, Fay said that GHF nonetheless provided support to MSF in early August after it requested help to ‘safeguard their medical aid from the elements.’ A GHF post on X from Aug. 7. showed what it said were pallets of MSF aid in GHF care. MSF did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request to confirm that they asked GHF for assistance with their supplies.
When GHF staff were brought to Nasser Hospital after a Hamas attack in June that killed eight, they did not receive care from MSF staff, according to Fay.
A GHF employee’s written statement provided to Fox News Digital describes how wounded workers were taken to Nasser Hospital, where doctors refused to treat them. The witness said survivors were placed in a courtyard, where hospital staff incited others to beat them. One GHF employee was reportedly stabbed.
‘Three more GHF staff died due to their lack of treatment by Nasser Hospital. MSF doctors work there, yet claim they weren’t aware of the situation,’ Fay said.
In an Aug. 25 report following the Israeli bombing of Nasser Hospital, MSF said that it ‘has been operational in Nasser since before the conflict escalated in October 2023, providing trauma and burn care, physiotherapy, neonatal and pediatric services, and treatment for malnourished children, among other critical services.’
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies has reported multiple times since October 2023 that Hamas fighters have been operating out of Nasser Hospital. On Aug. 26, FDD senior research analyst Joe Truzman shared photos on X of two Hamas summonses that reportedly ordered individuals to come to Nasser Hospital for questioning.
MSF did not respond to questions about GHF employees failing to receive care or whether its staff at Nasser Hospital were aware of Hamas’ operations at the site.
In an online statement about the incident, MSF said it ‘has seen no credible evidence that healthcare was refused by Ministry of Health or other medical staff.’ The group also said ‘MSF staff have not been present in the emergency department of Nasser Hospital since 2024.’
On Saturday, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation announced a new initiative to provide medical care to Gazans through a program with Samaritan’s Purse.
In a statement on X, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said that in addition to treating wounds, injuries and infections, it was also helping pregnant women.
America’s so-called allies – Britain, France, Canada, Australia and others – are about to stab President Donald Trump in the back. The goal is to lay waste to the president’s signature foreign policy success – the Abraham Accords.
The Abraham Accords denied violent Palestinian rejectionists a veto over the normalization of relations between Arab states and Israel. Now Palestinians and their band of useful idiots have launched a coup. The scheme opens by overthrowing the fundamental principle of a negotiated settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict. United Arab Emirates officials have speciously started blaming Israel for the Accords’ demise.
The staging ground for this ‘Et tu, Brute?’ moment is the United Nations. French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sept. 3, 2025, that he, and his Saudi counterpart, have called upon world leaders to assemble at the United Nations in New York City on Sept. 22 and endorse this agenda. Formally, the substance has been committed to paper in what they are outlandishly calling ‘The New York Declaration.’
This means that by the time President Trump addresses the General Assembly on the following day, he will have been reduced to the guy with the broom bringing up the rear. His hopes and plans for peace in the Middle East will have already been rejected by virtually every head of state or government in attendance.
The New York Declaration first appeared at the conclusion of a confab, chaired by the French and the Saudis, at the U.N. in July of this year. The United States and Israel stayed away. The vast majority of states ignored State Department pleas to do the same.
The document weighs in at 30 pages of anti-Israel venom and attacks on American foreign affairs. It twists the horrors of Oct. 7, 2023 – when more than 1,400 Jews (and others in Israel) were murdered, raped, tortured and kidnapped – into a political win for Palestinians.
Here are just some of the Declaration’s extraordinarily dangerous demands:
A ‘State of Palestine’ before ‘mutual recognition’ of the Jewish state.
A Palestinian ‘right of return’ that would flood Israel with millions of Palestinians from the river to the sea – thus ending the Jewish state.
A fully armed Palestinian state (called a ‘one state, one gun policy’) and an indefensible Jewish state.
An arms embargo on Israel (‘ceasing the provision or transfer of Arms’) cutting off the country’s ability to defend itself.
A global pogrom to arrest and prosecute Israelis in national and international courts the world over.
Abandoning the hostages and rewarding the kidnappers by conditioning their release on Israel freeing convicted Palestinian criminals and fully withdrawing from Gaza.
And here is what the Declaration does not mention: Jews. Judaism. The Jewish state. Antisemitism – the actual driver of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Even Jerusalem is only discussed in terms of Islamic and Christian rights. Jewish history is nowhere.
The Declaration represents multilateral bullying at its worst. But the United States is not powerless.
The president has options:
Don’t go. If the event to adopt the Declaration on Sept. 22 isn’t canceled or world leaders don’t decide to pull out, then cancel the president’s appearance on the 23rd. President Trump doesn’t need the U.N. stage to be heard loud and clear. The U.N. needs America.
Send the U.N. packing. Back in 1988, President Ronald Reagan and Secretary of State George Shultz denied Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat a visa to speak at the U.N. The General Assembly reacted by temporarily moving to Geneva. Lesson learned: move the whole lot out of the USA for good.
Stop paying. Bypass the organization and fund directly only what is consistent with American values and interests and is fully accountable to the U.S. taxpayer.
Apply sanctions. Impunity for the Declaration’s signatories is the wrong message to send states that endanger American national security and undermine our vital foreign policy goals.
On Oct. 7, Palestinian terrorists massacred the nationals of 69 countries and kidnapped people from 22. That’s the Palestinian multilateralism the United Nations is all set to reward.
President Donald Trump issued his ‘last warning’ to Hamas to either release the remaining hostages or face the consequences.
‘Everyone wants the hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well.’
‘I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting,’ he continued. ‘This is my last warning, there will not be another one! Thank you for your attention to this matter.’
Last month, Trump said the remaining hostages would only be returned when Hamas is ‘confronted and destroyed.’ At the time, Hamas was citing alleged progress in ceasefire talks.
In July, the U.S. and Israel pulled negotiators from Qatar after Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas showed a ‘lack of desire to reach a ceasefire’ and was likely not negotiating in good faith.
On Aug. 26, Witkoff told Fox News’ Bret Baier on ‘Special Report’ that he and Trump wanted the hostages home that week.
‘There’s been a deal on the table for the last six or seven weeks that would have released 10 of the hostages out of the 20 who we think are alive,’ he said, noting that he believes Hamas is ‘100%’ to blame for the hold-up.
Witkoff did not elaborate on what is delaying the hostages’ return, nearly two years after they were taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Fifty hostages continue to be held by Hamas, only 20 of whom are assessed to still be alive.
Trump previously predicted in late August that there would be a ‘conclusive’ end to the war in Gaza within the next ‘two to three weeks,’ though he did not say how this would be accomplished.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that only a comprehensive ceasefire — one that ensures the return of all hostages and ends the war on Israel’s terms — will be considered.
Israel is preparing a new offensive in Gaza targeting Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, as it expanded ground operations under Operation Gideon’s Chariots II.
IDF spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee warned Palestinians in parts of Gaza City to leave ahead of an expected escalation. The warning included a map marking the area and highlighting one building the IDF planned to strike, citing ‘the presence of Hamas terrorist infrastructure inside or nearby.’
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump issued his ‘last warning’ to Hamas to accept his deal and release the remaining hostages or face the consequences.
‘Everyone wants the hostages HOME. Everyone wants this War to end,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well.’
‘I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting,’ he continued. ‘This is my last warning, there will not be another one! Thank you for your attention to this matter.’
Last month, Trump said the remaining hostages would only be returned when Hamas is ‘confronted and destroyed.’ At the time, Hamas was citing alleged progress in ceasefire talks.
In July, the U.S. and Israel pulled negotiators from Qatar after Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas showed a ‘lack of desire to reach a ceasefire’ and was likely not negotiating in good faith.
On Aug. 26, Witkoff told Fox News’ Bret Baier on ‘Special Report’ that he and Trump wanted the hostages home that week.
‘There’s been a deal on the table for the last six or seven weeks that would have released 10 of the hostages out of the 20 who we think are alive,’ he said, noting that he believes Hamas is ‘100%’ to blame for the hold-up.
Witkoff did not elaborate on what is delaying the hostages’ return, nearly two years after they were taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Fifty hostages continue to be held by Hamas, only 20 of whom are assessed to still be alive.
Trump previously predicted in late August that there would be a ‘conclusive’ end to the war in Gaza within the next ‘two to three weeks,’ though he did not say how this would be accomplished.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that only a comprehensive ceasefire — one that ensures the return of all hostages and ends the war on Israel’s terms — will be considered.
Israel is preparing a new offensive in Gaza targeting Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, as it expanded ground operations under Operation Gideon’s Chariots II.
IDF spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee warned Palestinians in parts of Gaza City to leave ahead of an expected escalation. The warning included a map marking the area and highlighting one building the IDF planned to strike, citing ‘the presence of Hamas terrorist infrastructure inside or nearby.’
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
