World
Panama deports 29 Colombian migrants from Darien Gap under US deal
![Panama deports 29 Colombian migrants from Darien Gap under US deal Panama deports 29 Colombian migrants from Darien Gap under US deal](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/AFP__20240820__36EH4LA__v2__HighRes__PanamaColombiaUsMigrationDeportation-1724161445.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)
First group of migrants has been deported under agreement on migrant repatriations signed with the US in July.
Panama has deported 29 Colombians with alleged criminal records who had entered the country through the inhospitable Darien Gap, applying for the first time a deal on migrant repatriations signed with the United States in July.
“We have the first flight of the agreement financed by the United States,” Panamanian Vice Minister of Security Luis Felipe Icaza, accompanied by US officials, told reporters on Tuesday after the charter flight took off at dawn en route to Bogota.
Before boarding the Fokker 50 aircraft, the group was lined up on the side of the runway and each was screened with metal detectors.
The 29 deportees, who had no luggage, were handcuffed and climbed the plane’s stairs slowly.
Panama President Jose Raul Mulino, who took office on July 1, had originally said the flights would be “voluntary” repatriations, but those deported on Tuesday had criminal records, officials said.
Icaza said the next flight could depart on Friday or Saturday under the deal.
Transit countries such as Panama and Mexico have come under increased pressure from Washington to tackle the highly contentious migration issue in a US election year.
Washington pledged $6m in funding for migrant repatriations from the Central American nation in the hope of reducing irregular crossings at its own southern border.
In a first phase, migrants with a criminal record will be deported, but the agreement could see the deportation of any person entering Panama through the notoriously dangerous and rugged Darien Gap region on their way to the US.
This was the first group deported under the agreement, although Panama sent several charter flights earlier this year to Colombia with Colombian nationals with criminal records.
The Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama has become a key corridor for migrants travelling overland from South America through Central America and Mexico to the US.
Despite the dangers, including attacks by criminal gangs, more than half a million undocumented migrants – mostly Venezuelans – crossed the Darien last year.
But at least for now, Panama is not able to deport Venezuelans because the relationship between the two countries has turned tense since Panama refused to recognise the results of Venezuela’s election giving President Nicolas Maduro another term.
The two countries have suspended their diplomatic relations.
Roger Mojico, director of Panama’s National Immigration Service, told reporters on Tuesday that Panama is speaking with other countries, such as Ecuador and India, about coordinating repatriation flights.
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World
Barack Obama Headlines DNC on Tuesday, Will Campaign for Harris
World
Israel recovers 6 dead hostages in 'complex rescue operation,' says bodies held under humanitarian area
![Israel recovers 6 dead hostages in 'complex rescue operation,' says bodies held under humanitarian area Israel recovers 6 dead hostages in 'complex rescue operation,' says bodies held under humanitarian area](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/Six-hostages-.png)
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recovered the bodies of six deceased Israeli hostages in a rescue operation Monday, the forces announced.
“Overnight our forces returned the bodies of six of our hostages that had been held by the murderous Hamas terrorist organization,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
“Our hearts grieve over the terrible loss,” Netanyahu said. “My wife Sara and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families.”
“I would like to thank the brave IDF and ISA fighters and commanders for their heroism and determined action,” he added. “The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to return all of our hostages – the living and the deceased.”
BIDEN SAYS DNC ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS ‘HAVE A POINT,’ RIPS TRUMP AS ‘NOT WORHTY’ OF OVAL OFFICE
Israel announced it had recovered the bodies of six hostages from Gaza, clockwise from top left, Avraham Munder, Alex Dancyg, Chaim Peri, Nadav Popplewell, Yoram Metzger and Yagev Buchshstab. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)
The bodies of Nadav Popplewell, Yagev Buchshtab, Yoram Metzger, Chaim Peri, Alexander Dancyg, and Avraham Munder returned from Khan Yunis area in Gaza thanks to the efforts of the IDF’s 98th Division and carried out by the “Yahalom” Unit of the Paratroopers Brigade, along with others, the IDF announced.
In a statement, IDF International spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said, “This was a complex rescue operation that was conducted both above and below ground. We have not yet finished all our missions in the area. We are still operating inside the tunnels”. He continued, “The bodies were being held in a tunnel under an area previously designated as part of the Humanitarian Area in Khan Yunis”.
![Gaza Hostage recovery](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/IDF-finds-Hamas-hideout-during-recovery-of-hostage-bodies-in-Gaza-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
IDF troops enter Khan Yunis searching for hostages. (Israel Defense Forces)
The forces located a tunnel shaft about 10 meters deep leading to an underground tunnel route where the bodies of the hostages were found, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
“The soldiers of the Yahalom Unit and the ISA investigated the route and neutralized the obstructions, blast doors, weapons, explosives and hideouts used by the terrorists,” the IDF explained. “The rescue was carried out after prolonged combat in a built-up area and in multi-story buildings, in which the forces carried out operations and searches that led to the elimination of terrorists and the destruction of terrorist infrastructure.”
MAN WAVING HAMAS FLAG OUTSIDE DNC SAYS ‘EVERY PALESTINIAN SUPPORTS HAMAS,’ PRAISES TERROR GROUP FOR OCTOBER 7
The IDF and ISA stressed that they continue to deploy “all operational and intelligence means in order to fulfill the supreme national mission of bringing back all the hostages,” according to their statement.
“The recovery of the bodies of Abraham, Alex, Chaim, Yagev, Yoram, and Nadav crucially provides their families with necessary closure and grants eternal rest to the murdered,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
![Israeli intelligence recovery](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/IDF-finds-Hamas-hideout-during-recovery-of-hostage-bodies-in-Gaza-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
IDF troops proceed through the buildings toward the tunnel entrance. (Israel Defense Forces)
“Israel has a moral and ethical obligation to return all the murdered for dignified burial and to bring all living hostages home for rehabilitation,” the organization said. “The immediate return of the remaining 109 hostages can only be achieved through a negotiated deal.”
“The Israeli government, with the assistance of mediators, must do everything in its power to finalize the deal currently on the table,” the organization said.
BLINKEN SAYS ISRAEL ACCEPTS BIDEN CEASE-FIRE PROPOSAL, CALLS ON HAMAS TO DO THE SAME
Hamas still has 109 hostages in their custody, with 36 of them presumed dead and their bodies still in Gaza. Eight of those remaining hostages are American, with three believed to have been murdered in captivity by Hamas.
The rescue operation occurred as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday announced that Netanyahu had “accepted” President Biden’s cease-fire plan, even though Netanyahu has not yet formally agreed to any cease-fire at this time. The U.S. will continue to coordinate with Egyptian and Qatari leadership to “bridge the gaps” between warring parties.
![Hamas terrorism hideout](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/f4b6b8f5-68b3-416f-b167-0c2fc48d9bd1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Members of the IDF’s 98th Division “Yahalom” Unit of the Paratroopers Brigade conferring before entering tunnels. (Israel Defense Forces)
“The parties – with the help of the mediators, the United States, Egypt and Qatar – have to come together and complete the process of reaching clear understandings about how they’ll implement the commitments that they’ve made under this agreement,” Blinken said without specifics on what was included.
“But there is, I think, a real sense of urgency here across the region on the need to get this over the finish line and to do it as soon as possible,” Blinken added. “The United States is deeply committed to getting this job done – getting it done now.”
FETTERMAN SPOKESWOMAN REAMED FOR REPORTEDLY CONTRADICTING BOSS ON ISRAEL: ‘UNPARALLELED HUBRIS’
![Blinken meets with Netanyahu](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/WhatsApp-Image-2024-08-19-at-11.54.56.jpeg?ve=1&tl=1)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Aug. 19, 2024. (Office of the Prime Minister)
Blinken then met on Tuesday with Egyptian counterparts with the aim of trying to finalize a cease-fire deal in Gaza “that would secure the release of all hostages, surge humanitarian assistance and create a path for broader regional stability,” according to U.S. State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel.
“They also discussed other regional issues and priorities relevant to our bilateral relationship,” Patel said. “The Secretary and the Foreign Minister also agreed to continue close coordination on ending the Sudan conflict, and the need for the Sudanese Armed Forces to join negotiations in Switzerland.”
![underground facility hideout](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/fa11aa1c-2da8-4c5d-9391-c46f5ef70334.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
IDF soldiers in the underground tunnels. (Israel Defense Forces)
Additionally, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck two Hezbollah launchers in the areas of Mansouri and Taybeh in southern Lebanon. The launchers were ready to be used immediately against Israeli territory.
The U.S. has also held strategic dialogue with Egyptian counterparts to “further strengthen the bilateral partnership” between the two countries on a range of issues.
Netanyahu assured families of the remaining hostages that the IDF is using “all necessary force to dismantle Hamas’ rule and its military capability, and this is moving forward.”
“At the same time, [we are] making an effort to return the hostages and preserve our strategic security assets in the face of major domestic and foreign pressure.”
“The first thing is to eliminate Hamas and achieve victory,” he told the families in a forum on Tuesday. “We are approaching this step by step.”
World
TVLine Items: Pacific Rim Origin Series, Tomb Raider Trailer and More
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