White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the Biden administration had earmarked $50 million for a condom distribution programme in the Gaza Strip. Her comments came as she was justifying Donald Trump’s sweeping freeze on all foreign aid.

Already, the fragile deal has come under considerable stress, and it could collapse in the weeks to come. Yet for the time being, the fighting has stopped in both Gaza and Lebanon, and hostages have begun to come home.

US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his proposal to “clean out” Gaza by removing Palestinians living there to Jordan and Egypt, a plan which has appalled some allies but has been quickly embraced by Israel’s far right.

The Trump administration clarified the claim on Wednesday, saying the $50 million was part of a broader aid package

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called US President Donald Trump's proposal to relocate Palestinians from the war-torn Gaza Strip to Jordan and Egypt unacceptable, reports Reuters. "Any resettlement plans,

US aid experts on Wednesday rejected Donald Trump's claim that the United States had spent $50 million to fund condoms for the war-battered Gaza Strip, which the president has sought to make a poster child for wasteful spending.

President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to meet with him at the White House on Feb. 4

A fourth exchange is scheduled for the weekend, but Hamas accused Israel on Wednesday of jeopardising the deal by holding up aid deliveries, an allegation Israel dismissed as "fake news".

Kournikova, who stays mostly out of the spotlight, has been with singer Enrique Iglesias since 2001. Phyllis Fong, a 22-year veteran of the Agriculture Department, had told colleagues that she intended to stay after the White House fired her Friday.

Trump sent Witkoff to ensure the ceasefire agreement advances to the second phase, which will require hashing out more thorny questions about Gaza’s future.