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Israel Threatens to Level Gaza City if Hamas Refuses to Free Hostages, Disarm By The Media Line The Media Line Staff Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Friday that Israel will destroy Gaza City unless Hamas terrorists release the remaining hostages and surrender their weapons. His remarks came after the cabinet approved military plans to expand operations into Gaza’s largest population center. “The gates of hell will soon open over Hamas murderers and rapists in Gaza — until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and their disarmament,” Katz declared. He cautioned that Gaza City could face the fate of Rafah and Beit Hanoun, both devastated in earlier campaigns. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir confirmed the army is “expanding activity in Gaza,” while tens of thousands of reservists have been called up ahead of the offensive. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tied the planned assault directly to efforts to secure the captives’ freedom, saying, “Defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages go hand in hand.” The comments followed a United Nations-backed report declaring famine in northern Gaza, which Israel immediately rejected. The Prime Minister’s Office labeled the findings an “outright lie” and a “modern blood libel,” arguing that the data relies on Hamas sources and ignores Israel’s humanitarian efforts. Officials cited millions of tons of aid facilitated by Israel and blamed shortages on Hamas’s theft and looting. Hamas responded by demanding an end to the war and unrestricted access through border crossings for food, medicine, and fuel. Meanwhile, mediators continue pressing for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Israel insists that all captives must be freed together, rejecting Hamas’s offer a release of only half of the 20 hostages believed to be alive during a 60-day pause in fighting. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday promised to quickly sign off on a new, Republican-leaning congressional voting map gerrymandered to help the GOP maintain its slim majority in Congress. “One Big Beautiful Map has passed the Senate and is on its way to my desk, where it will be swiftly signed into law,” Abbott said in a statement. Texas lawmakers approved the final plans just hours before, inflaming an already tense battle unfolding among states as governors from both parties pledge to redraw maps with the goal of giving their political candidates a leg up in the 2026 midterm elections. In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved a special election to take place in November for residents to vote on a redrawn congressional map designed to help Democrats win five more House seats next year. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has pushed other Republican-controlled states, including Indiana and Missouri, to also revise their maps to add more winnable GOP seats. Ohio Republicans were also already scheduled to revise their maps to make them more partisan. In Texas, the map includes five new districts that would favor Republicans. The effort by Trump and Texas’ Republican-majority Legislature prompted state Democrats to hold a two-week walkout and kicked off a wave of redistricting efforts across the country. Democrats had prepared for a final show of resistance, with plans to push the Senate vote into the early morning hours in a last-ditch attempt to delay passage. Yet Republicans blocked those efforts by citing a rule violation. Democrats had already delayed the bill’s passage during hours of debate, pressing Republican Sen. Phil King, the measure’s sponsor, on the proposal’s legality. The Texas redraw is already reshaping the 2026 race, with Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the dean of the state’s congressional delegation, announcing Thursday that he will not seek reelection to his Austin-based seat if the new map takes effect. Under the proposed map, Doggett’s district would overlap with that of another Democratic incumbent, Rep. Greg Casar. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2019 ruled that the Constitution does not prohibit partisan gerrymandering to increase a party’s clout, only gerrymandering that’s explicitly done by race. More Democratic-run states have commission systems like California’s or other redistricting limits than Republican ones do, leaving the GOP with a freer hand to swiftly redraw maps. New York, for example, cannot draw new maps until 2028, and even then only with voter approval. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

DETROIT (AP) — Kyle Allen threw a 33-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass late in the first quarter to rookie Isaac TeSlaa, solidifying their roles with the Detroit Lions in a 26-7 loss against the Houston Texans in the preseason on Saturday. Allen has established himself as Jared Goff’s backup, beating out Hendon Hooker, and TeSlaa earned a spot in the receiver rotation behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Texans rookie Graham Mertz, meanwhile, made a bid to earn a spot on a 53-man roster or at least an invite to be on a practice team. Mertz, a former Florida and Wisconsin quarterback, was 14 of 16 for 145 yards with a 6-yard touchdown pass to former Lions receiver Quintez Cephus in the second quarter. He ran two times for 20 yards. Kedon Slovis, who was on Houston’s practice squad last year as a rookie, completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Jackson in the fourth quarter. The Texans (2-1) kept C.J. Stroud on the sideline, a week after he led two drives in a preseason win over Carolina, and did not play No. 2 quarterback Davis Mills. Mertz made the most of the opportunity, showing he could make plays with his right arm and legs. He threw a 24-yard pass to receiver Xavier Hutchinson on his first attempt and converted a third-and-9 with an 11-yard run to help set up Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 53-yard field goal on Houston’s opening drive. On the ensuing possession, Allen and TeSlaa connected to convert a third down and score. TeSlaa made a move to the outside and cut inside as cornerback D’Angelo Ross fell, going low to catch an 8-yard pass to move the sticks. Three plays later from the Texans 33, Allen dropped back and perfectly lofted a pass over TeSlaa’s left shoulder and into his hands after he got past Ross and ran into the end zone. The 29-year-old Allen has started 19 times, including twice with the Texans in 2022, and played in 31 games over seven seasons with Carolina, Washington, Houston, Buffalo and Pittsburgh. He threw 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 12 starts for the Panthers in 2019, the only season he played extensively. Allen, who was 5 of 5 for 66 yards and a score on Saturday, completed 35 of 44 passes for 401 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions in four preseason games. Detroit (1-3) took Hooker in the third round out of Tennessee in 2023, hoping he would eventually become Goff’s backup. Hooker didn’t throw a touchdown pass in the preseason and threw his third interception of the preseason in the fourth quarter against Houston. Detroit drafted the 6-foot-4, 214-pound TeSlaa in the third round even though he had just 28 catches for 545 yards and three touchdowns last season for Arkansas and he has validated the franchise’s faith in him. TeSlaa produced in practices as well as games, with 10 receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns. Texans linebacker Jake Hansen was injured in the first quarter, but was able to walk off the field. Texans: Start season Sept. 7 at the Los Angeles Rams. Lions: Open season Sept. 7 at Green Bay. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler was diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome and will require additional surgery that’s expected to sideline him for six to eight months, the team announced Saturday. Wheeler had a follow-up evaluation following a surgery on Aug. 18 to remove a blood clot from his upper right arm. After receiving a second opinion, it was recommended that Wheeler undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery in the coming weeks. Such a surgery would threaten Wheeler’s ability to start the 2026 season on time. Wheeler, 35, was 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA in 24 starts across 149 2/3 innings this season. His 195 strikeouts lead the National League and he was widely considered a top candidate in this year’s NL Cy Young race. Wheeler is a two-time runner-up for the Cy Young Award, finishing second in 2021 and 2024. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe on Saturday paid tribute to slain presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay at a Bogotá park where he was gunned down, calling for a stronger security crackdown as violence surges nationwide. The 39-year-old politician was shot in the back while delivering a campaign speech in Colombia’s capital in June alongside a small security detail. The two men are not related but belong to the same political party. “May this place symbolize an eternal flame, like Miguel’s eternal love for Colombia,” Uribe said beside a photo of Uribe Turbay. “May those who pass through this place find that Miguel inspires the security needed for peace to come one day.” Uribe Turbay died in August after two months in intensive care. His death stunned the country, once again faced with the assassination of a politician campaigning for president, something not seen in three decades. In the wake of his death, his father Miguel Uribe Londoño announced he would take his son’s place and run for president. The killing sparked a debate about how to prevent conflict in the South American country from roaring back in the lead-up to next year’s presidential election, a race in which the former leader is hoping to weigh in. The former president was escorted Saturday by heavy security: Streets were closed, drones monitored the parks and police with rifles kept watch from the roof of a nearby house. “If Miguelito Uribe had had this kind of security, he wouldn’t have been killed,” said Vilma Ramírez, a local resident, in tears. She joined the crowd of about 200 people gathered in the park. The visit marked one of former President Uribe’s first public appearances since a judge removed his house arrest order while he appeals a 12-year sentence for witness tampering and fraud convictions. Uribe, who governed from 2002 to 2010, is best known for the heavy-handed military campaign that beat back Marxist guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which signed a peace pact with the government in 2016. The leader brought the rebel group to its knees, making Uribe the most powerful political voice on the right. But it also fueled accusations of human rights abuses, including that his government systematically slayed thousands of civilians, dressing many bodies up as guerrillas, in order to boost kill counts. On Saturday, Uribe and members of his Democratic Center party demanded justice and a thorough investigation into the death of Uribe Turbay. Six suspects, including a minor alleged to have pulled the trigger, are in custody. Authorities are investigating whether a guerrilla faction born out of the now-defunct rebel group, known as FARC dissidents, were involved. “Here the assassin, with drugs, money, and a chain of intellectual authors and instigators, took Miguel from us,” Uribe said, surrounded by members of his Democratic Center party. The former president seeks to influence the 2026 legislative and presidential elections and strengthen the country’s right wing amid simmering discontent with current President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first leftist leader. Under Petro, who ran on the promise that he would bring “total peace” to a conflict-torn nation, violence among warring criminal groups has only spiked. On Thursday, 19 people, including police officers were killed in attacks involving explosives against a police helicopter and a car bomb in an urban area that left more than 70 injured. “The country is falling apart at this moment. The war is back, the terror is back,” lamented Claudia Marcela Badillo, a retired police officer who attended the political gathering and had supported Uribe Turbay. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com