Critics are warning that when Andy Burnham succeeds Keir Starmer as Labour leader and eventually becomes the UK’s next prime minister, Israel will face an even more hostile government than it did under Starmer.

Speaking today, Burnham apologized for what he described as Labour’s failure to take a tougher stance on Israel after the Gaza war began, saying, “I am sorry.” He also accused Israel of continuing to kill innocent Palestinian children and argued that Labour should have acted more forcefully against Israel.

Andy Burnham unveils sculpture of himself by Anthony D Padgett at Manchester Art Fair 2025

Burnham outlined a series of proposals that would significantly increase pressure on Israel if he were to lead the government, including:

• Restricting UK arms licenses for the IDF.
• Saying there is increasing evidence Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza, while adding that international courts should make the final legal determination.
• Pledging to fully follow the rulings of international courts.
• Imposing sanctions on members of the Israeli government.
• Exploring a ban on goods produced in Israeli settlements in Judea & Samaria. (BDS)

13/04/2026. Manchester, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School with Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester. Picture by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street

Burnham also said Labour “didn’t get it right” in its initial response to the Gaza war because it was not tough enough on Israel, promising that under his leadership the party would take a much firmer approach.

His remarks drew sharp criticism from pro-Israel voices, who argue that his proposals would punish Israel for defending itself following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 massacre, the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust, when approximately 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage into Gaza. Critics say the measures would place increased pressure on Israel while Hamas continues to replenish and wage war against the Jewish state.

A City Journal report alleges that the top official in NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Office for International Affairs, Ana María Archila, was slated to meet Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, on Tuesday, while hostilities between the two countries are ongoing.

The meeting was blocked as soon as the State Department got wind of it. State Department officials told the Mamdani administration that the meeting was unacceptable. Apparently, Archila did not consult with anyone, not even Mamdani, before scheduling the meeting, calling her judgment into question.

Iran’s ambassador to the U.N., Amir-Saeid Iravani (left), and Ana María Archila, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs. (Credit: Getty Images)

The Office for International Affairs was not established to shape foreign policy but to establish and maintain diplomatic ties with cities around the world to bring business to the Big Apple.

“Its purpose is to exchange best practices with other global cities, bring foreign businesses to the city, and support city government’s relationship with the entire diplomatic community residing in New York City, without regard to political ideology or party,” the City Journal stated.

Archila, however, was not selected for her experience, of which she has none in this area, but for being a left-wing activist. She has also opposed the war with Iran. What’s more, Mamdani, who has been outspoken about foreign policy and said he would have Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he arrived in New York, perhaps sees his role as extending beyond New York City.

President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a discussion by phone Thursday night in which they discussed U.S. strategy on Iran and Netanyahu aired his concerns about maintaining security borders and the sale of F-35s to Turkey.

The prime minister warned Trump that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s rhetoric on Israel is growing increasingly dangerous, with Erdoğan recently saying that Zionism is a “dangerous ideology” that threatens Turkey’s survival. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also said in an interview with the CNN affiliate in Turkey that Israel has become an international problem and a “burden that humanity can no longer bear.”

Netanyahu reiterated that the potential sale of F-35s to Turkey could shift the power balance in the Middle East and asked Trump to consider selling a downgraded version so that Israel would still be guaranteed air superiority.

In response to a recent statement by Trump that the IDF will withdraw from southern Lebanon, Netanyahu emphasized the crucial need for Israel to maintain its security border with Lebanon.

Trump updated Netanyahu on U.S. operations against Iran. Israel is not expected to participate during this phase, but Israeli officials said they are prepared for any scenario.

After the phone call, the prime minister’s office issued a statement saying that the call was part of the “continuous contact” between the two leaders and that “continued coordination between the countries in various sectors was established.”

Israel has reportedly shared fresh intelligence with the United States indicating that Iran may be preparing a new plot to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to sources familiar with the matter. If accurate, the intelligence would represent a major escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

Iran has repeatedly vowed to avenge the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, an operation ordered by Trump during his first term.

US President Donald Trump (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands as they arrive to speak to journalists during a joint press conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 29, 2025. US President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida on December 29 for crucial talks on moving to the next stage of the fragile Gaza truce plan.
The two leaders also discussed Iran, with Trump saying that if Tehran rebuilt its nuclear facilities the United States would “knock them down.” (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)

The Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the report, while Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House referred reporters to remarks Trump made on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Trump acknowledged the alleged threats, saying: “They want to take out the U.S. leader—me. I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”

Trump on Iran:

I'm on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I've been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn't last very long.

Because that's the way it goes, but we have great people.

But these are evil, sick people, and we have to rid their cancer. That… pic.twitter.com/ly4aflEL5V

— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 8, 2026

The report comes as relations between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reportedly become more strained over their differing approaches to Iran. Netanyahu has pushed to continue military operations against the Islamic Republic, while Trump has favored finding an off-ramp to the conflict, citing concerns over the global economic impact. The two sides reached a fragile ceasefire last month.

Despite those differences, Trump and Netanyahu spoke by phone on Thursday. According to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, the two leaders agreed to continue close coordination, with Trump also updating Netanyahu on recent U.S. operations in the Gulf.

Meanwhile, anti-American rhetoric has continued in Iran. At a recent funeral ceremony for senior Iranian leaders, crowds chanted “Death to Trump,” and banners threatening the U.S. president were displayed.

Although Trump and Netanyahu remain in regular contact, recent conversations have reportedly reflected growing disagreements over the future direction of the conflict with Iran.

Three weeks ago, emergency responders performed CPR on someone at the residence of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), possibly for cardiac arrest. Although the identity of that person has not been confirmed, it almost certainly is the 84-year-old senator, who has remained hospitalized since then.

The Democratic governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, requested a full disclosure of McConnell’s health in a letter to the lawmaker.

“As governor, I request that you fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health,” he wrote, saying that the people of Kentucky are growing increasingly concerned about McConnell’s health and his capacity to serve as senator.

Although his staff has said nothing about the details of his health, last week they released a statement saying that the senator “appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital” and that he “continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”

That is doubtful, considering that McConnell has missed 20 votes during his absence, including a crucial one on limiting the president’s war powers that passed by a razor-thin majority.

Laura Loomer, a right-wing political activist, claimed earlier this week that McConnell is “brain dead.”

“Mitch McConnell is being kept ‘alive’ by life support machines, but my White House source told me McConnell is in organ failure, and as I reported, [the] source told me he has allegedly been declared a vegetable (brain dead) by doctors and the White House has been told ‘McConnell isn’t ever coming back,'” she wrote on X.

“Officially brain dead, organ failure is accelerating, life support machine is keeping him ‘alive’ but his brain is officially dead,” she added, repeating that the lawmaker is brain dead three times to drive home her point.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, President Trump said he had no idea how McConnell was doing.

Nevertheless, several people said they held extended discussions with McConnell by phone during his prolonged hospitalization.

Scott Jennings, a former advisor to the senator, said Tuesday that he spoke to him by phone for nearly 20 minutes.

“We talked for just shy of 20 minutes … about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history,” he said pointedly on X.

McConnell and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) “had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security,” a spokesperson for Thune said in a statement Tuesday.

Kate Noyes, a spokesperson for Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), also said the two held a lengthy, nearly 20-minute talk by phone in which they covered “the latest news impacting Senate races, the Graham Platner scandal and the recent Supreme Court ruling on coordinated spending limits.”

“Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate,” she added.

But when asked by reporters Wednesday if he knew McConnell’s status, President Donald Trump said, “I have no idea how he’s doing.”

But without details of his current health status, and given his past history of frequent falls and of freezing while talking to reporters, speculation about his actual condition is running rampant.

A terrorist captured from Kamal Adwan Hospital described the operations to an interrogator, explaining why terrorists hide in hospitals and what they do there. This hospital is the same one that Hamas Colonel Hussam Abu Safiya directed.

Safiya was arrested in December 2024 and has since been moved to solitary confinement. The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, he has also served in the dual role of colonel in the Hamas Medical Military Services, a common tactic for terrorists: terrorist by night, ordinary civilian job by day; then when Israel nabs them, the international community denounces Israel for arresting and/or striking medical workers, journalists and others.

Safiya has also published opinion articles in The New York Times in his guise as a Gazan doctor, lending credibility to Hamas propaganda against Israel.

Hussam Abu Safiya in his guise as a doctor, left; Safiya in a Hamas uniform, right. (Credit: YouTube screenshot; Hamas Military Medical Services)

Below is the transcript of the interrogation of al-Sharif.

Interrogator: What is your name?

Terrorist: Anas Muhammad Faiz al-Sharif, 21 years old. I work at Kamal Adwan Hospital as a cleaning supervisor. I joined the Al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas) in 2021 in the Nukhba Forces in the Western Battalion.

Interrogator: Where were you arrested?

Terrorist: Inside Kamal Adwan Hospital.

Interrogator: When you were at Kamal Adwan Hospital, who else was there?

Terrorist: There were people there, the staff, the medical team I work with daily and directly. There were also operatives from Hamas and Islamic Jihad from the Al-Nasser division and other organizations in northern Gaza.

A terrorist is interrogated about Hamas operations in a hospital. (Credit: Eylon Levy)

Interrogator: Why were you hiding in Kamal Adwan Hospital?

Terrorist: They believe it is a safe haven for them because the military cannot directly target it.

Interrogator: What do you mean when you say it is a safe haven?

Terrorist: Because there are civilians and patients there. They think the military cannot bomb it, such as with a missile from an F-16 or by demolishing the building.

Interrogator: Now, when the operatives were in the hospital, what were they doing?

Terrorist: The operatives were there, transporting equipment and weapons like AK-47s and pistols. The weapons were transferred to and from the hospital, from the outside in and from the inside out, within the hospital. It was used for observation and patrols. They leave the hospital late at night; they arrive at the hospital in the morning. Inside the hospital, they distribute the grenades and mortars and equipment for attacking tanks, for ambush positions and for tunnels underground, to the command and control center, whether at Kamal Adwan, Faluja [Jabaliya Camp] or in new locations where the operatives are located.

A Delaware County man is facing felony charges after police say a dispute over a small tax issue turned into an antisemitic threat to burn down Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion.

Richard John Franklin, 65, of Brookhaven Borough, had gone to the office of State Rep. Leanne Krueger seeking help with outstanding taxes, according to Pennsylvania State Police. While a staffer tried to assist him, police say Franklin used an antisemitic slur and communicated a threat of arson against the governor’s residence. The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing the criminal complaint, reported the dispute involved an unpaid tax bill totaling just $19.

The alleged threat was not treated as a routine outburst. Members of the Pennsylvania State Police Political Violence Threat Unit went to Franklin’s home, where police say he gave multiple inconsistent accounts, admitted using the ethnic slur, and claimed his comments about the governor’s mansion were meant in a “sympathetic and positive” way because Shapiro and his family survived a previous arson attack. Franklin was arrested without incident.

He was charged with terroristic threats, ethnic intimidation, threats and other improper influence in official and political matters, harassment, and disorderly conduct. NBC10 Philadelphia reported that bail was set at $100,000 and that Franklin is being held at Delaware County Prison. Online court records cited by local media did not list an attorney for him.

A Philadelphia PD police officer in front of a squad car in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 2, 2025

The case lands against a disturbing backdrop. Shapiro, one of the most prominent Jewish elected officials in the United States, already survived a violent attack at the governor’s residence. Cody A. Balmer later pleaded guilty to attempted murder, aggravated arson, 22 counts of arson, burglary and related offenses after prosecutors said he entered the residence with Molotov cocktails and a sledgehammer while Shapiro, his family, guests and state troopers were inside. He was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Balmer cited Israel’s military actions in Gaza as a motive and stated that if he had encountered Shapiro, he would have struck him with the hammer. That earlier attack made the new alleged threat more than ugly language. For law enforcement, it was another warning sign in a climate where antisemitism and political violence are increasingly colliding.

Franklin is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Officers from the New York Police Department scaled the Brooklyn Bridge to talk down a person from the Brooklyn Bridge after receiving multiple 911 calls about a person in distress on top of the bridge.

“You okay? My name is Chris,” an officer told the woman, who sat perilously close to the edge. “What’s your name? I just want to talk. What’s happening today? I want to help you. That’s why I’m up here right now. I genuinely care. I do.”

“It’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It really is,” the officer urged. “I don’t know what you’re going through, but I want to understand … we have services … the strongest thing you can do right now is accept help. I promise you, that’s the strongest thing you can do.”

Credit: Jessica Tisch

As several officers carefully converged on the woman, a note of panic crept into the officer’s voice when the person started to move, as though about to slip down.

“Don’t do it, don’t do it, please, please, everything is going to be okay,” he implored her. “You’re not in trouble.”

Assuring her that they got her, the group pulled her back off the ledge.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch commended the officers for their courage and compassion.

“This video of a rescue last night on the Brooklyn Bridge will take your breath away,” Tisch wrote in an emotional post. “High above the East River, NYPD ESU officers climbed onto the Brooklyn Bridge to reach a woman in crisis who was threatening to jump.”

“For nearly an hour, they stayed with her, spoke with her, and waited for the moment they could safely pull her back from the edge,” she recounted. “The care, courage, and compassion these officers showed was just extraordinary. May God bless them.”

Palm Beach International Airport has officially been renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport as of Thursday morning. Eric Trump, the president’s son, was on the first plane to touch down at the airport after the name change at 5:01 a.m.

The law, which was passed in March, was due to take effect July 9. The airport code will change from PBI to DJT in one month, after more than half a century of operating under the Palm Beach International name.

It is rare for airports to change their codes, but the International Air Transport Association said it had received a request to change the code from major airlines, including Delta, United, American Airlines, JetBlue and Southwest. 

“IATA has acted on a request from airlines serving Palm Beach International Airport to change the airport’s IATA 3-letter code from PBI to DJT, along with the change of the location name to President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” a spokesperson for IATA said. 

Eric Trump expressed his excitement over being the first to land at the airport under its new name on Fox News.

“There’s no way in hell I was letting UPS be the first plane to land,” he said. “So we got on Trump Force One … and then air traffic control comes on, and you know, welcome to Trump Force One. You’re the first plane to ever land, you know, at this airport.”

“And so we touched down at exactly 5:01 a.m. this morning, and it was a beautiful day,” he added. “I don’t think there’s anybody more synonymous with Palm Beach than Donald Trump, and maybe all of Florida.”

A New York mother who had recently moved to Killarney, Ireland, with her 13-year-old daughter, was found dead in her home Tuesday.

The girl found 43-year-old Jamey Carney in her bed, with a duvet covering her head and torso and blood splattered on the walls, and called a friend for help. Following an autopsy, the investigation was upgraded to a murder, and Irish police are seeking a man of Middle Eastern origin who may have already fled Ireland, possibly to Northern Ireland or Britain.

He is said to be in his 20s or 30s and has lived in Ireland for about a year as he sought asylum after spending time in France and Turkey. He was known to Carney, and the two had last seen each other Sunday and Monday. Neighbors reported hearing an argument between a man and a woman coming from Carney’s apartment. Police are exploring jealous rage as a possible motive for the murder.

Carney was originally from Westchester County, N.Y., and was known for her pro-Palestinian activism.

Pro-Israel activists implored their followers to show compassion rather than glee over the horrific crime. She may have been in a romantic relationship with her killer, and videos circulating on social media show romantic videos of her with a Middle Eastern-looking man.

“I’m horrified by people here who are joyful about the death of an American pro-Palestine activist who was beaten to death allegedly by her Middle Eastern boyfriend in Ireland,” Jewish Zionist and activist Hen Mazzig wrote on X. “She didn’t deserve it no matter where she stood on anything. Can we not lose our humanity, please? May she rest in peace.”

Joe Slyper, the oldest Jewish man in the United Kingdom, is preparing to celebrate his 107th birthday on July 15 after a remarkable life defined by service, resilience, and optimism.

Born in East London, in 1919, Joe has witnessed some of history’s most defining moments, from the World War II to the arrival of smartphones and artificial intelligence. A lifelong Tottenham Hotspur supporter, he has lived through the reigns of five British monarchs and served under 24 prime ministers, from David Lloyd George to Keir Starmer.

Before the war, Joe worked in the textile and fashion industry. In 1939, he was among the first to volunteer for the British Army, training as a signaller before rising to the rank of Sergeant with the 9th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment. He later became a basic training instructor.

In 1940, Joe married his sweetheart, Rose, at East London Synagogue. Their marriage lasted an extraordinary 73 years until her passing. After the war, he returned to the fashion and interior design business, raised a loving family, and today is a proud grandfather and great-grandfather to nine great-grandchildren.

Joe also devoted decades to the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women (AJEX), serving as chairman of the Finchley and Hampstead Garden Suburb branch and proudly marching in remembrance parades until he was 100 years old.

Despite witnessing a dramatic rise in antisemitism in recent years, Joe remains hopeful. Speaking to Jewish News, he encouraged younger generations to stay positive, saying, “Just work hard and make the best of life.” He also laughed about modern technology, admitting, “I’ve got an iPad, but I don’t know how to work it.”

Joe’s remarkable life has also been recognized by Britain’s Royal Family. He received a congratulatory birthday card from Queen Elizabeth II on his 100th birthday and another from King Charles III when he celebrated turning 105.

Screenshot

From helping defend Britain during World War II to becoming one of the nation’s oldest living Jewish veterans, Joe Slyper’s extraordinary journey is a testament to courage, perseverance, and the enduring strength of an incredible generation.

Mazal Tov, Joe! May you continue to enjoy good health, happiness, and many more years.

Following a 15-year investigation by the IDF Missing Persons Unit, the burial site of Private Yaakov Zaryan, who was killed during Israel’s War of Independence, has finally been identified.

Zaryan immigrated from Morocco in 1947 and enlisted as an operational driver. On April 20, 1948, he was killed while transporting a supply convoy to besieged Jerusalem during the fierce Battle of Sha’ar HaGai.

He was buried alongside seven fellow soldiers at Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim, but the exact location of his grave remained unknown for 77 years.

Using extensive archival research, archaeological excavations, and advanced soil analysis, the IDF was able to confirm his final resting place.

His sister, Yvonne Cohen, welcomed the long-awaited discovery, saying: “For me, finding his burial place means everything. I will call my sons so they can say Kaddish for the first time at his grave.”

A state military ceremony will be held at Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim to dedicate his headstone.

May his memory be a blessing.

In Switzerland, if you are underage and commit the most heinous crime known to man, the worst you can expect is one year in prison, and the most likely outcome is that it will be commuted to compulsory therapy. Also, the most outrage the judge will be able to muster will be to call the crime “unscrupulous.”

A Swiss Muslim teen, born in Tunisia and naturalized as a Swiss citizen as a baby, stabbed an Orthodox Jewish man 17 times outside Synagogue Agudas Achim in Zurich in March 2024, puncturing and collapsing his lung and inflicting other serious injuries. Miraculously, the 50-year-old man survived after undergoing emergency surgery.

The then-15-year-old declared his intention to enter the synagogue and kill as many Jews as possible. Unable to get in, thanks to heightened security following the wave of antisemitic violence unleashed after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, he turned his attention to a visibly Jewish man outside. He also claimed the attack in the name of ISIS.

Despite all that, the youth, who is now 17, was sentenced Tuesday to one year in prison, which was then commuted to mandatory therapy in a youth care facility.

“Killing Jews simply because they are Jews is unscrupulous,” the judge wrote in the summary of the case.

Local Jewish leaders were outraged by the sentence the youth received for a crime that is better described as “heinous,” arguing that the sentence does not match the seriousness of the crime.

A short while ago, officers from the Judea Regional Police in the Judea and Samaria District were dispatched to the Gush Etzion area following reports of a suspected abduction involving an IDF female soldier carrying her service weapon, who was seen entering a vehicle with Palestinian license plates.

Police immediately launched a search for the vehicle and intercepted it on Route 375 near the town of Beitar Illit, where they found the soldier inside the car, safe and unharmed.

A preliminary investigation determined that the soldier and the driver were in a relationship. The incident was referred to the Military Police for further handling.

The soldier’s weapon was confiscated, and both she and the Palestinian driver were taken to a nearby police station.

Kuwait says its air defenses intercepted a new hostile barrage at dawn: three ballistic missiles, one cruise missile, and 10 UAVs inside Kuwaiti airspace.

The Ministry of Defence did not immediately name the launch point in the statement, but the attack lands inside a rapidly expanding U.S.-Iran confrontation. Kuwait and Bahrain both reported hostile missile and drone activity after Iran vowed retaliation for renewed American strikes on Iranian targets.  

This is the danger Gulf states are now facing: Iran and its terror axis are trying to turn the region’s airspace into a pressure front against America and its allies. Kuwait previously said it intercepted two ballistic missiles and 13 drones in an earlier wave, with no casualties or material damage reported then.

In one of the strangest bootlegging operations in history, a truck supposedly delivering humanitarian aid into Gaza was intercepted and found to be smuggling thousands of cigarettes hidden inside pineapples into Gaza, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced Wednesday.

Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevy, head of the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), ordered the immediate suspension of the Israeli company’s authorization to deliver aid to Gaza.

“The humanitarian aid mechanism for the Gaza Strip is meant to aid the Gazan civilian population, and no exploitation of this mechanism will be tolerated,” COGAT said in a statement on X. “COGAT and all other relevant Israeli authorities remain committed to facilitating humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip. We will not let this mechanism be abused by those trying to exploit it for personal gain.”

A security inspection team from the Land Crossings Authority uncovered the smuggling attempt at the Lachish Crossing and reported its findings to the Judea Liaison and Coordination Administration. The truck carrying the contraband belonged to an Israeli company approved to deliver humanitarian aid. The truck had been heading to the Keren Shalom Crossing, supposedly as part of the effort to provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza, but after it was intercepted, its illegal goods were confiscated and transferred to the authorities for investigation.

The NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, got off to a rocky start, with President Donald Trump reviewing his usual litany of complaints about NATO and the U.S. But in the end, the allies renewed their commitment to the alliance, pledging that “an attack on one is an attack on all.”

“There was a lot of love in that room, a lot of unity,” Trump said at a news conference. “We’ve had a tremendous time and I think a great success,” he added at a later presser.

Despite Trump renewing his calls to seize control of Denmark, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that U.S. allies “warmly welcomed President Trump’s leadership.”

While Trump was far from home, he ordered retaliatory strikes on Iran and declared the ceasefire effectively over, an unusual move for an absent president. Trump had complained that European allies had not helped to wrest control of the Strait of Hormuz from Iran. Surprisingly, Rutte did not rule out future European assistance.

“Obviously Iran is outside NATO territory,” he said. “If helpful, NATO is always willing to play a role. But first now, let’s see what happens over the coming days and weeks.”

Ukraine was also discussed at the summit and came out a winner. The United States pledged to send Patriot missiles that Ukraine desperately needs to thwart Russian ballistic missile attacks. After two devastating attacks on Kyiv that killed dozens of civilians in recent weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had implored the West for more aid and had specifically requested Patriot missiles. Trump said that the U.S. would also fulfill Ukraine’s request to license them to make their own Patriot air defense systems.

Trump also praised the wartime president, saying that Zelensky has “done an amazing job” and has “been very effective” against Russia.

“We’ve actually developed a good relationship. It’s hard to believe,” Trump said.

NATO also pledged an $80-billion package of military aid to Ukraine for this year and next year.

Police in Princeton, N.J., are searching for a man who has been placing stickers displaying anti-Jewish propaganda on various properties across the city. They have asked the public for help in identifying the man, asking anyone with information to come forward.

“The individual is suspected of placing stickers containing antisemitic propaganda on select properties throughout Princeton,” the Princeton Police Department said in a statement on Facebook, along with a photo of the suspect on a bike. “The materials appear to target specific locations and contain messaging intended to intimidate, harass, or promote hatred toward members of the Jewish community.”

The police said that the case is being treated “with the utmost seriousness due to the nature of the materials and their potential impact on our community.”

They described the suspect as a “middle-aged white male, with pepper-gray hair, wearing glasses, a tan shirt, gray shorts, and black sneakers, riding a light-colored mountain bike.”

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner has suspended his campaign for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat after a bombshell sexual assault allegation triggered an avalanche of calls from Democratic leaders for him to step aside. Platner has strongly denied the allegation, insisting he is innocent.

Platner’s campaign had already been engulfed in controversy long before the latest allegation surfaced.

The progressive candidate drew national headlines after photos emerged of a chest tattoo resembling the Nazi SS Totenkopf (“Death’s Head”) symbol. Platner claimed he received the tattoo years ago while serving in the Marines and did not realize its association with Nazi Germany at the time. He later covered the tattoo after the controversy erupted, though critics questioned his explanation.

He also faced backlash over resurfaced social media posts, inflammatory comments, and interviews that drew accusations of antisemitism. During the campaign, Platner repeatedly accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza, called for ending U.S. military aid to Israel, and promoted claims about pro-Israel influence in American politics that many Jewish organizations condemned. He also faced criticism for amplifying content from extremist figures before later deleting some of the posts.

Despite the growing pressure, Platner maintained that every allegation against him is false.

In a video announcing the suspension of his campaign, he said:

“I’m suspending campaign operations. All we were asking for was healthcare, and to end the genocide, to use our taxpayer dollars at home to uplift our community versus waste overseas. I learned about these allegations through press inquiries with no time to truly respond, no time for investigations before a corporate media system and the political establishment got to act as judge, jury, and executioner. Accusations are supposed to be the beginning of things, not the end.”

The suspension comes just days after a woman publicly accused Platner of sexually assaulting her in 2021. The allegation prompted numerous Democratic officials and former supporters to withdraw their endorsements and urge him to exit the race. Platner has categorically denied the accusation.

Following his announcement, the Maine Democratic Party confirmed it will convene to choose a replacement nominee before the state’s election deadline, ensuring Democrats will still field a candidate against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races.

Ben Shapiro has reignited his public feud with his former employee, Candace Owens, posting an explosive message on X aimed at the commentator he once hired at The Daily Wire before the company parted ways with her in 2024.

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Shapiro wrote:

“Candace Owens is an IQ test. If you watch Candace and come away thinking that you are smarter, better informed, or more moral… you are retarded… If you echo or excuse her evil and vicious stupidity… you are worse than retarded. Don’t be retarded.”

The post marks one of Shapiro’s harshest public attacks on Owens since her departure from The Daily Wire, where he was one of the company’s founding figures and a leading voice.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 07: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, places a rock on a tombstone as Ben Shapiro watches at Ohel Chabad Lubavitch on October 07, 2024 in New York City. Trump commemorated the one-year anniversary of October 7th by visiting to Ohel Chabad Lubavitch, the final resting place of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson the Rebbe, with the family of Edan Alexander, who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th, in attendance. On October 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza by land, sea, and air, killing more than 1,200 people and taking Israeli soldiers and civilians hostage. To date, there are over 90 people still being held hostage by Hamas. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The bitter feud between the former boss and former employee continues to be one of the most closely watched rifts in conservative media.

A Brooklyn-based Chassidic real estate investor is in advanced talks to buy Arkia, setting up a potentially dramatic shake-up inside Israel’s aviation market. The prospective buyer has been identified in multiple Jewish and Israeli reports as Rabbi Ezra Ungar, 36, a Boro Park businessman active in New York real estate. The deal has not been signed, and Arkia has declined to comment publicly on the talks.

The story is bigger than a routine airline sale. Arkia is one of Israel’s veteran carriers, and the Nakash brothers have been exploring a sale of control after a difficult period that included wartime losses and a legal fight over Wizz Air’s attempted Israel hub. PassportNews reported that three final offers were placed before Avi Nakash and that the deal was being discussed around a company valuation of roughly NIS 180 million.

What makes this bid explosive is Shabbat. Sources close to Ungar told Kikar Hashabbat that part of the motivation behind the move is his concern over public Shabbat desecration in Israeli aviation and a desire to create a fully kosher, Shabbat-observant airline option. If he succeeds, Arkia could undergo a major identity shift, with reports saying flights on Shabbat and Jewish holidays may be halted.

Arkia workers are already preparing for a fight. Hebrew reports say employees currently hold a significant stake through their workers’ structure, with some reports putting it at 22.5%, while PassportNews reported that under the emerging structure the workers’ corporation would remain involved with about 18.5%. Workers committee chairman Avi Edri told i24NEWS, according to Hebrew media, that employees made clear they “will not allow Arkia to close on Shabbat.”

The sale would also carry regulatory and strategic questions. Earlier reporting on Arkia’s sale process noted that any transaction involving foreign investors would likely require Israeli investor participation under aviation ownership rules. That means even advanced talks do not guarantee a binding deal. But if Ungar’s bid moves forward, it could place another major Israeli carrier under Orthodox Jewish ownership and turn Arkia into a flashpoint over business, religion, workers’ rights and the future of Israel’s skies.

A New York Times reporter asked the president why he switched from calling Iran’s leaders “rational” to calling them “scum.” The answer: “I got to know them.”

President Donald Trump took the question at a news conference Wednesday.

“Last month, you said Iranian leaders were very rational people, nice people to deal with, strong people, smart people. Today, you said they were scum, sick people, and being led by sick people. What changed?” the reporter asked.

“I got to know them,” Trump answered, prompting laughter from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was standing behind him.

“When you say rational, I think they’re much more rational than level one, level two. Level one is gone, level two is gone. This is level three, I think,” Trump elaborated, without explaining what he meant by all those levels.

At the NATO summit in Turkey Wednesday, Trump declared that the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Israel was effectively “over.” It had started unraveling when the two countries began trading attacks this week, but the MOU’s death knell sounded when Iran struck commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting retaliatory strikes from the United States and the reimposition of oil sanctions on Iran.

A map of New York City created for tourists visiting for the World Cup depicts immigrant neighborhoods but leaves out Jewish neighborhoods completely.

The map details the locations of Little Palestine in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn; Little Egypt in Astoria, Queens; Little Pakistan in Newkirk Plaza, Brooklyn; and several Chinatowns.

Also left out are Greek, Irish and Italian neighborhoods.

So is this something for Jews to get uniquely mad about? As is often the case, there are more opinions than actual Jews.

This map shows immigrant neighborhoods all over New York City. (Credit: New York City website)

Writer and journalist Avital Chizik-Goldschmidt had a bone to pick with the city over the map.

“The Mayor’s Office made a map of NYC’s immigrant enclaves: Little Africa, Little Poland, Little Palestine. But they just couldn’t figure out how to represent 11% of the city,” she wrote on X.

“Couldn’t decipher where the Jews are from. Asked everyone. Huge riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,” she snarked.

Isaac Choua, rabbi and member of the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, expressed dismay over the erasure of Sephardic immigrants from the map.

“The major Sepharadi corridor of South Brooklyn, Syrian, Egyptian, Lebanese, and others, from the East side of Ave. J down toward Ave. V, gets left out completely. So does the Bukharian Jewish community in Queens, largely from Uzbekistan and Central Asia,” he noted in a social media post. “The Brooklyn community is not some tiny side community. Flatbush, Midwood, and Gravesend alone have roughly 54,000 people living in Jewish households, comparable in size to the Pakistani community being recognized here as number 26.”

Students at Jewish school, New York City, in the early twentieth century. (Photo by Alexander Alland, Sr./Corbis via Getty Images)

“So no, this is not a small omission. It is one of New York’s most distinctive immigrant-descended Jewish communities, and it gets erased from the story,” he added.

He also said that Mamdani’s office had expressed interested in discussing this with him but never followed up.

But a well-known rabbi didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.

“Don’t all get mad at me but I don’t see why Jews should feel excluded that we’re not on this map,” Rabbi Shais Taub posted on X. “The vast majority of Jewish New Yorkers were born in America and so were their parents. Also, there’s no specific place where we live. It’s not even comparable to the three different Chinatowns they have. How many Jewish enclaves would they have to list?”

“Look, I don’t know the intentions of the mapmakers, but to me it’s easy to accept that the reason why there is no Jewish enclave on this map is the same basic reason why there are no black (i.e. African-American) neighborhoods on this map,” he added.

Taub must have missed Little Africa in the Bronx, clearly shown on the map.

Immigrants, Lower East Side, New York, circa 1900. (Photo by Jewish Chronicle/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

One observer treated the whole incident with typical Jewish humor.

“They didn’t include us because it’s a map of neighborhoods to avoid walking alone at night ,and Jewish neighborhoods are safe,” one commenter quipped.

An immigrant map of the entire United States published by the New York Times for the Fourth of July also omits Jewish enclaves, though it does show Israeli neighborhoods. When asked about this, the authors of the map said that the Census Bureau, which they relied on for their map, does not collect data on religious identity.

Avi Shoshan, a former spokesperson for the Ichilov Medical Center, officially known as the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv-Yafo, made an explosive claim in a Channel 14 interview.

He said that the Mossad had secretly dispatched a surgeon to Turkey to successfully treat Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was suffering from cancer, some six or seven years ago. Shoshan did not provide evidence for his claim, saying that journalists had asked him to verify the details at the time, but that he would not publicly speak about it.

While Shoshan would not identify the doctor, he said the doctor was well-known and carried out the mission that was requested by the Mossad and approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Israel saved Erdoğan,” Shoshan declared. “The Mossad sent a doctor from Israel.”

“Erdoğan, the man who is now threatening the Jewish people, was saved by Israel,” he added.

In addition to Shoshan’s lack of evidence, the Mossad, the Turkish government, the Israeli government and the physician allegedly involved in the mission have not confirmed the story.

According to separate confirmed reports, Prof. Itzhak Shapira, then deputy director-general of Ichilov Medical Center, had offered medical advice to Erdoğan but made no mention of an Israeli doctor traveling to Turkey to treat its prime minister or that Israel had actually saved his life.

Yosef Haddad, a well-known Arab-Israeli journalist who advocates on behalf of Israel, noted that Israel has not learned its lesson regarding saving its enemies’ lives, saying that at the time Erdoğan was treated by Israel, he “was already a terrorism supporter back then, hosting Hamas and Israel-haters in Turkey.”

“Does the story sound familiar?” he added in a post on X. “Remember how we saved Yahya Sinwar’s life too, when he was sick and dying? And in return, we got the October 7 massacre … Now Erdoğan is the next threat against us and doesn’t hide it. We haven’t learned a thing!”

“You don’t save the lives of enemies in the Middle East!” he warned.

A Muslim-led coalition in New York is launching a new anti-BDS campaign aimed at turning support for Israel into direct investment, pushing back against Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s anti-Zionist politics with a sharply different message: build bridges, don’t boycott them.

The new Unbreakable Bond Coalition says it wants to mobilize 500,000 supporters to contribute at least $1 each, with the money invested in Israeli treasury bonds. The campaign is being organized by Muslim and interfaith groups including AMMWEC, the Muslim Women Speakers Bureau, Global Youth Unity Project, Abraham PRC and Muslims Israel Dialogue. The coalition says the proceeds from the investment will support coexistence and anti-hate organizations, including Sharaka, the Jerusalem Interfaith Center, the Combat Antisemitism Movement and Debate for Peace.

The campaign’s argument is simple and politically explosive, BDS does not just target Israel. It also hurts Arab Israelis and Palestinians who work with Israeli companies, rely on Israeli business ties and benefit from the very economic cooperation boycott activists want to destroy. The coalition said Israelis and Palestinians are “deeply connected economically,” warning that broad boycotts can damage the same communities BDS claims to defend.

The move comes as Mamdani’s rise has turned Israel into one of New York’s sharpest political fault lines. Mamdani has supported BDS and opposed city investment in Israel Bonds, while pro-Israel leaders have argued that Israeli bonds have been a reliable investment and a public stand against economic warfare targeting the Jewish state.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 25: Democratic Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani looks at the menu inside of Kreyol Flavor as he takes a tour of the neighborhood on October 25, 2025 in the East Flatbush neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. Mamdani was joined by Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and Councilmember Farah Louis as they greeted voters on the first day of early voting in November’s general elections. Mamdani is leading in the polls ahead of Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Sheikh Musa Drammeh, a pro-Israel Muslim activist in New York, said the campaign was created in response to Mamdani and the normalization of anti-Israel politics. His message is blunt, there is a growing Muslim community that rejects anti-Zionism and refuses to let BDS define Muslim-Jewish relations in America.

Instead of divestment, the coalition is choosing investment. Instead of isolation, partnership. And in the city with America’s largest Jewish community and a massive Muslim population, that is not just symbolism. It is a direct challenge to the lie that Muslims and Jews must be enemies.

The iconic emblem that Argentina and its superstar Lionel Messi sport on their jerseys was originally designed by a Jewish superfan in the 1970s whose family had emigrated to Argentina from Ukraine.

Norberto “Toto” Rud, who belonged to a Jewish sports club, noticed that while some national teams wore a crest of some kind that made them easily identifiable, the striped uniforms of the Argentine team could barely be distinguished from others that also wore no crest on black-and-white TV. In 1976, Rud submitted his proposal for the now-famous symbol of a vertical shield with laurel branches on the bottom representing victory and three stars on top representing Argentina’s World Cup wins.

Left: The letter accepting Rud’s proposal; right: Oliver Rud wearing his father’s design on an Argentina jersey. (Credit: Oliver Rud via JTA)

The design was accepted, with the crest becoming one of the most famous sports emblems in the world, as jerseys bearing the Argentine crest enjoy worldwide popularity.

Rud’s son Oliver told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that “As a son and a member of the Jewish community and as an Argentinian, it’s a source of pride. Every time I see Argentina’s national team crest, it still amazes me.”

Rud got to see Argentina win two World Cup championships, in 1978 and 1986, but he died in 2010 and never got to see the third.

Nvidia has opened a new research and development center in Beersheva, tripling its footprint in the Negev city and signaling another major vote of confidence in Israel’s tech sector.

The new center, located in the Gav-Yam Negev advanced technologies park, spans roughly 3,000 square meters and already houses more than 150 employees, with hundreds more workstations prepared for future hires. The company is expected to recruit hundreds of additional workers in the south, including chip developers, hardware engineers, software engineers and AI infrastructure specialists.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang holds a Nvidia’s Drive Thor processor as he delivers a keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 6, 2025. Gadgets, robots and vehicles imbued with artificial intelligence will once again vie for attention at the Consumer Electronics Show, as vendors behind the scenes will seek ways to deal with tariffs threatened by US President-elect Donald Trump. The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opens formally in Las Vegas on January 7, 2025, but preceding days are packed with product announcements. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

The Beersheva site is working on the backbone of the global AI boom, hardware and software systems that connect thousands of chips and processors, move massive amounts of data at high speed and help power advanced AI data centers. In other words, some of the infrastructure behind the world’s most powerful AI systems is being developed in Israel’s south.

Nvidia’s Israel operations have grown dramatically since the company acquired Mellanox Technologies in 2020. What began as a major bet on Israeli networking talent has become one of Nvidia’s most important development engines worldwide. The company now employs more than 6,000 people across five R&D centers in Israel and has more than 450 open positions nationwide.

The new center sits near Ben-Gurion University, Soroka Medical Center and a growing cluster of technology companies, cyber firms and defense-linked innovation. Nvidia’s expansion is expected to strengthen the city’s role as a southern hub for AI, engineering and high-tech employment.

Amit Krig, Nvidia’s senior vice president and head of Israel operations, said the new site reflects the company’s commitment to the south’s tech ecosystem and to developing the next generation of engineers. Beersheva Mayor Ruvik Danilovich called the move proof that the city’s long-term innovation strategy is becoming reality.

For Israel, the timing matters. Even after years of war, pressure and uncertainty, one of the world’s most important technology companies is still expanding deeper into the country, hiring Israelis and building core AI infrastructure here. Nvidia’s message is clear, Israel is not just part of the AI race. It is helping build the engine.

Egyptian “sport analyst” Mohammad Nour reacted to Egypt’s FIFA World Cup defeat to Argentina with one of the tournament’s most bizarre postgame conspiracy theories.

Rather than taking the loss like a man and giving Argentina credit for the victory, Nour claimed that “FIFA and Israel prevented Egypt from winning,” described Argentina as “an Israeli team par excellence,” pointed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s friendship with Argentine President Javier Milei, and even claimed that Benjamin Netanyahu’s son; is controlling Lionel Messi’s career.

“We played like men, like heroes but Israel, err, I mean FIFA and the referee had something else to say and we could not overcome all these circumstances,” Nour went on to speculate.

So, for those keeping score; according to Nour’s theory, Egypt didn’t lose because Argentina played better. It lost because of Israel controls FIFA and the referees and because of the Netanyahu’s.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – AUGUST 04: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) and his wife Sara (L) pose for a picture with FC Barcelona players Gerard Pique (top) and Lionel Messi (R), during a football event with young Israeli cancer patients on August 4, 2013 near Tel Aviv, Israel. Members of the FC Barcelona squad have travelled to the Middle East to visit Israel and the West Bank as part of a two-day ‘peace tour’. (Photo by Gali Tibbon-Pool/Getty Images)

JBN Social media users quickly mocked the theory.

One commenter joked: “Breaking: Mossad Also Controlled The Ball.”

JERUSALEM – JUNE 11: Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, greets Argentinian President Javier Milei as he attends a special address to the Israeli Knesset on June 11, 2025 in Jerusalem. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)

Another wrote: “So let me get this straight? They’re blaming this on Messi praying at the Western Wall over ten years ago?”

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – AUGUST 04: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shakes hands with Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona during a ceremony at the President house on August 4, 2013 in Jerusalem, Israel. Members of the FC Barcelona squad have travelled to the Middle East to visit Israel and the West Bank as part of a two-day ‘peace tour’. (Photo by Lior Mizrahi – Pool/Getty Images)

A third added: “Egypt Lost 3-2, But The Conspiracy Won 10-0.”

Needless to say, the comments quickly drew ridicule online for their far-reaching logic.

A rare box jellyfish has been spotted in the Gulf of Eilat, giving Israeli marine researchers an unusual look at one of the sea’s most striking and misunderstood creatures.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority said only a few Alatina grandis jellyfish were documented, stressing that this is not a jellyfish bloom and there is no instruction for swimmers to avoid the sea. The species is rarely seen in the northern Red Sea and usually appears under unusual current and wind conditions.

The jellyfish was confirmed by Dr. Tzafrir Koplik and Prof. Tamar Guy-Haim through DNA testing and a physical examination of its distinctive features, including its cube-shaped bell and tentacles. That square, almost transparent body is what gives box jellyfish their name, but it also makes them difficult to spot in open water.

Dr. Assaf Zevuluni, the Nature and Parks Authority’s Gulf of Eilat ecologist, said the public should keep the sighting in proportion. “This is not a jellyfish bloom,” he said, adding that the chance of encountering one in the water is very low.

Box jellyfish, Chironex fleckeri, deadly, North Queensland, Australia (Photo by: Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Box jellyfish are famous worldwide because some species, especially Australia’s Chironex fleckeri, are among the most dangerous marine animals on earth. Israeli officials emphasized that the Eilat specimen is different. Its sting can be painful and, in some cases, medically significant, but it is not considered comparable to the deadly Australian species.

For Eilat, the sighting is more than a beach warning. The Gulf is one of Israel’s richest marine ecosystems, with coral reefs, reef fish, invertebrates and other wildlife packed into a narrow strip of Red Sea water. Scientists say unusual appearances like this can be linked to changing currents, wind patterns and broader environmental shifts that alter where marine species travel.

One of the jellyfish was collected and sent to research laboratories for further analysis. Researchers hope the specimen will help clarify the species’ distribution and add to the scientific record of the Gulf of Eilat’s unique ecosystem.

The authority’s guidance is simple, do not touch it, keep a safe distance, warn nearby swimmers and report sightings to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority hotline at *3639. There is no reason to panic, but in Eilat’s waters, beauty and danger can sometimes drift in the same current.

The fragile U.S.-Iran truce is now hanging by a thread after American forces launched a major strike wave against Iran, hitting more than 80 targets with precision munitions in response to IRGC attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said the targets included Iranian air-defense systems, command-and-control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities and more than 60 IRGC small boats operating in and near the waterway.

CENTCOM named three vessels it said were attacked by Iran, the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity. The U.S. framed the strikes as a direct answer to Iran’s assault on civilian-crewed commercial shipping in an international waterway, calling it a “clear and dangerous violation” of the ceasefire.

Tehran fired back fast. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed missile and drone attacks on American military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, and claimed they downed a U.S. MQ-9 drone. Air raid sirens sounded in both countries, while Kuwait said its air defenses were confronting “hostile” missile and drone attacks. There was no immediate U.S. confirmation of Iran’s MQ-9 claim.

The U.S. Treasury revoked the license that had allowed Iranian-origin crude, petrochemical and petroleum sales under the interim arrangement, allowing only a short wind-down through July 17 and barring new purchases or loadings after revocation.

President Trump, speaking in Ankara ahead of a NATO summit, suggested the interim agreement is effectively finished. Asked whether it was over, he said: “To me, I think it’s over.” Reuters reported that oil jumped sharply and stocks fell as the exchange of fire raised fears that the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints, could again become a battlefield.

The Strait of Hormuz is not just another shipping lane. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says oil flow through the strait averaged about 20 million barrels per day in 2024, roughly 20% of global petroleum liquids consumption. That is why Iran’s attempt to weaponize the waterway hits far beyond the Gulf. It threatens energy markets, U.S. allies, Gulf states and the entire freedom-of-navigation framework that has kept global commerce moving.

The regime is now trying to present itself as the victim after attacking tankers, threatening U.S. assets and leveraging the strait for political power. Reuters reported that Iran’s military command condemned the U.S. strikes and warned against American interference in the strait, while Iranian officials also tried to fold Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon into their accusations. That is the same wider Iranian pressure campaign Israel has been facing for years: missiles, proxies, maritime threats and nuclear blackmail under different names.

No civilian deaths were reported in Iran, though Iranian media reported injuries from shrapnel at a commercial pier in Sirik. At least four oil and gas tankers turned back from attempting to transit Hormuz after the vessel attacks, a sign that the crisis is already affecting shipping behavior even before a full-scale closure.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has canceled a planned Israel visit that was expected to include meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, according to a source cited by The Jerusalem Post. The stop had been set against two explosive files, Israel’s alarm over a possible U.S. sale of F-35 stealth jets to Turkey, and the widening U.S.-Iran confrontation after Iranian attacks on commercial shipping near the Strait of Hormuz.

JERUSALEM – OCTOBER 13: US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee (L) speaks to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, on October 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. President Trump is visiting the country hours after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023, part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. (Photo by Saul Loeb – Pool/Getty Images)

The F-35 issue has become a sharp test of Washington’s commitment to Israel’s qualitative military edge. President Trump signaled in Ankara that he would consider bringing Turkey back into the F-35 track, praising ties with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Netanyahu has warned that giving Ankara the world’s most advanced fighter would damage the regional balance, especially under a Turkish leadership that has repeatedly escalated anti-Israel rhetoric while expanding its regional ambitions.

Two Israeli F-35 “Adir” jets fly in formation after receiving fuel from a Tennessee Air National Guard KC-135 on Dec., 6, 2016. Credit: U.S. Air Force/1st Lt. Erik D. Anthony.

Turkey was removed from the F-35 program after buying Russia’s S-400 air-defense system, a move U.S. officials said could expose the stealth jet’s sensitive capabilities. That history is why Israeli officials and members of Congress are pushing back hard. For Jerusalem, this is not a routine weapons sale. It is about whether a hostile and increasingly aggressive Turkish government should be handed the same fifth-generation platform that helps protect Israel from Iran and its terror proxies.

The canceled visit does not end the fight. It makes the next move more important. If Washington continues moving toward Ankara, Israel will likely press the White House and Congress to block the deal or secure major safeguards. Either way, the message from Jerusalem is clear, rewarding Erdogan with F-35s would be a dangerous strategic mistake.

Large crowds gathered across Gaza today to watch the World Cup match between Egypt and Argentina, with most spectators appearing to support Egypt in its 3-2 loss.

The scenes sparked discussion online, with some pointing to the irony that many Gazans passionately cheered for Egypt despite Egypt maintaining tight restrictions on its border with Gaza and generally not allowing large-scale entry from the territory.

Others focused on the size of the crowd itself, saying the scene did not match the narrative of a population supposedly being wiped out.

“Doesn’t look like genocide to me,” one critic wrote, pointing to the large number of young men gathered in public for the match.

The footage also drew attention because it shows large numbers of mostly young people gathered together in public to watch the match. While the video captures one location at one moment in time and does not by itself reflect overall conditions in Gaza, some commentators cited it as contrasting with common perceptions of daily life in the territory amid the aftermath of war and so-called genocide.

Argentina ultimately advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals with the victory, causing Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, to go ballistic after spotting a fan holding an Israeli flag.

Videos circulating online appear to show Hassan angrily shouting at the supporter, spitting in the flag’s direction after being unable to reach the fan, and shouting while wearing a shirt displaying a Palestinian flag patch. He then appeared to take out his frustration on a cameraman who was filming the incident.

Video footage posted to social media shows Hamas terrorists emerging from a tunnel into a schoolyard, carrying bundles of weapons and depositing them inside a school.

The social media user who posted the video explained the consequences of such actions and the world’s unfortunate but predictable reaction.

“Oh would you look at that … Hamas operatives coming out from a tunnel … in Gaza … inside a school … with lots and lots and lots and lots of … weapons,” the commenter wrote. “And then they just casually move through the school and stack the weapons inside cupboards and specially concealed nooks.”

“And when the IDF come for those weapons that will be used to KILL Israelis, the whole Arab and Western world and the U.N. will cry and shout and scream that Israel ‘targets schools and children,’ while Hamas cry and pretend they are the victims,” the user explained. “It’s all so predictable and boring already.”

“When the kids die, this is why,” the poster explained. “And all the fake moral outrage and condemnation at Israel for doing what the rest of the world sees but does nothing about is all too pathetic. If the world intentionally turns a blind eye to schools and kids being used as human shields, then it is the world, NOT ISRAEL, [that is] responsible for the consequences.”

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says that American forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to “impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

“The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire.”

A new Israel Democracy Institute survey points to a sharp turn in Israeli public opinion, only 28% of Israelis now believe President Donald Trump treats Israel’s security as a central consideration, down from 44% last month and the lowest result since IDI began tracking the question. Among Jewish Israelis, the number fell to just 26%; among Arab Israelis, 36%.

The poll does not show a collapse of the U.S.-Israel alliance. A majority of Israelis still view the current strain with Washington as a temporary crisis rather than a long-term rupture. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also tried to lower the temperature, telling CNN that he and Trump still see “eye to eye” on the major issues around Iran, even if there are occasional disagreements.

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 20: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House on February 20, 2026 in Washington, DC. The U.S. Supreme Court on February 20 ruled against Trump’s use of emergency powers to implement international trade tariffs, a central portion of the administration’s core economic policy. (Photo by Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

But the security message from the Israeli public is blunt. Only 38% of Israelis say Israel’s strategic position is better than it was before Operation Roaring Lion, while 36% say it is worse. The skepticism comes despite Israel’s blows against Iran and its proxies, and it reflects a public that appears less willing to assume Washington’s diplomatic timetable matches Israel’s threat map.

That mood is clearest on Lebanon. A massive 72% of Israelis say Israel should maintain a permanent security zone in southern Lebanon, even if it creates friction with the United States. Among Jewish Israelis, support rises to 80%. After October 7 and years of Hezbollah entrenchment on the northern border, Israelis are not buying the idea that international pressure or Lebanese promises can replace the IDF’s ability to stop Iran-backed terrorists before they reach Israeli communities.

A photograph taken from Israel shows the border fence (L) separating northern Israel from southern Lebanon, with the Lebanese village of Maroun el Ras visible in the background on November 16, 2025. Israel has recently intensified its strikes on Lebanon, accusing the Iran-backed Hezbollah group of rearming, nearly a year into a ceasefire that brought an end to their most recent war. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

The survey also captured rising domestic pressure. Nearly half of respondents said police are too lenient toward Haredi rioters protesting the draft, while the Haredi public overwhelmingly sees enforcement as too harsh. A slim majority said it is inappropriate to advance major system-changing legislation so close to elections, and 53% support a new vote for state comptroller after the voter-confidentiality controversy.

A crowd in the Turkish city of Trabzon was filmed punching with all their might at an inflatable punching bag bearing images of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Stars of David. The incident took place during a protest in support of Gaza Monday amid rising tensions between Turkey and Israel.

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called Zionism a “genocidal ideology,” saying it threatened Turkey’s survival.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for international sanctions on Israel, saying that Israel isn’t only a problem for Turkey but for the entire world. “These people have become a burden that humanity can no longer bear,” he said.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged President Donald Trump in a phone call to rein in Erdoğan ahead of the NATO summit being held in Ankara, Turkey. He reportedly also asked Trump to reconsider the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the Turks, which would shift the power balance in the region.

It’s unclear how much sway Netanyahu has over Trump given the recent tensions over the Iran war, with leaks that appear to show dissatisfaction with the way Israelis presented the war plan to Trump, accusing them of being unrealistically optimistic and leading the United States into a war that ended disastrously. In addition, the sale of the F-35s promises to be extremely lucrative for the United States, a factor that might influence Trump more than anything Netanyahu can say.

The anti-Israel crowd is no longer content to protest Israeli real estate events at local synagogues. In Great Britain, the argument has now moved to Parliament, seeking to criminalize land purchases.

A debate broke out in Britain’s Parliament Monday regarding land purchases by British citizens in the disputed territories.

Baroness Jennifer Chapman of Darlington led the charge to criminalize such transactions, alleging that the settlements there are illegal under international law.

But Lord Martin John Callanan, a member of the British Conservative Party, pushed back hard.

“My Lords, we do not criminalize British citizens for buying property in disputed territories anywhere else in the world,” he reminded the governing body. “Why should the West Bank be singled out, particularly when such a measure could even extend to Area C, which is under full Israeli control under the Oslo Accords, and would criminalize British Jews for purchasing a home in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem? Is not the status of disputed territory ultimately a matter for states and international law rather than something to be determined through domestic criminal law applied to individual purchases?”

Lord Stuart Polak, who belongs to the same political party as Callanan, also highlighted the double standard.

“I appreciate the noble Baroness, Lady Helic, giving way, because the debate has been one-sided. The noble Baroness, Lady Deech, was right: the double standards on show are staggering,” he declared. “Is it OK for a Brit to purchase property in occupied Northern Cyprus? What useful objective does the Minister consider that this proposal will achieve, other than propagating the deeply antisemitic notion that Judea and Samaria — an area, I remind the House, that remained under Israeli administration throughout the Oslo Accords — should be ethnically cleansed of its Jews?”

Polak was expanding on a comment by Baroness Ruth Deech, who raised the issue of Northern Cyprus. Under international law, the Turkish occupation of Cyprus is illegal.

“My Lords, has the Minister considered the global legal implications of this Question?” Deech pressed. “What about British citizens who holiday or buy a property in illegally occupied Northern Cyprus? Or is the aim simply to target Jews? If this were implemented, which I am sure it will not be, in what way could it possibly contribute to lasting peace?”

After months of standing by him through a string of controversies, Senator Bernie Sanders has now publicly urged Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner to step aside.

US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) shares a laugh with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during Mamdani’s 100 Day Address in Maspeth, New York on April 12, 2026. April 10 marked Mamdani’s 100th day in office as New York City’s 112th mayor. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images)

Platner had already faced intense scrutiny over a chest tattoo resembling the Nazi SS Totenkopf symbol, resurfaced online comments that downplayed sexual assault concerns, and multiple allegations from women accusing him of abusive behavior. He has denied wrongdoing and said the tattoo was obtained while drunk without understanding its meaning.  

Now, following a new sexual assault allegation from a former girlfriend, Democrats are finally starting to distance themselves.

Sanders released the following statement:

“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

Critics note that Sanders continued backing Platner through earlier controversies, but argue the loss of party support and campaign donations following the latest allegation ultimately made his candidacy politically unsustainable.

If you needed proof that the pro-Pally crowd is really pro-Hamas and cares nothing for the human rights of ordinary Gazans, Ramallah-based journalist Faten Elwan provides the stark evidence.

In a social media video explainer, Elwan sought to reassure the pro-Hamasniks who are anxious about Hamas’ announcement that it has resigned and is ceding its authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).

“Don’t panic — I will explain this piece of news,” she said, referring to the transfer of authority.

“So, let’s agree before I start that H-A-M-A-S will be green, so we can carry on,” she added, spelling out Hamas because it’s a terrorist organization. “So, what does that exactly mean on the ground? It doesn’t mean that the green is disappearing or giving up. Don’t worry, so they’re still in control completely.”

This can only be understood as reassurance that Hamas is not going anywhere. Elwan then explained that Hamas will no longer be serving the people in a civil service capacity, implying that it will retain its military control.

“The announcement is about the civilian administration, things like public services and government offices,” she said. “The Green says it’s ready to hand those responsibilities to a new national committee if an agreement is reached.”

“Technically, it’s just a political move that could pull the rug from under the Israelis and support a negotiation over who’s going to govern Gaza after the war, but for now it’s not an actual transfer of power,” she explained. “That can only happen if Palestinian factions agree and the new committee is officially established.”

She concluded with more reassurance: “So they’re still there. Don’t worry.”

Elwan is not the only one who doesn’t believe Hamas has really stepped down. The Board of Peace said as much in a statement Monday, saying it would assess actions and not promises. Furthermore, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the announcement is a ploy to prevent disarmament.

Multimedia artist Jonathan Allen set up an unauthorized installation in front of the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City.

The flat screen displays a background on which splashes of blood are depicted, while the foreground displays flashing letters that say, “The Israeli security forces have deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children.”

(Credit: Hen Mazzig)

The accusation refers to a recent report from the United Nations Commission of Inquiry that alleges that Israel is continuing its genocide against the civilians of Gaza by deliberately targeting children.

The report is riddled with problems. For example, the commissioners determined, using circular reasoning, that if any children died in an Israeli strike, then those children must have been targeted. The report also neglects to mention that Hamas uses its civilian population as human shields when fighting. What’s more, the report, which relies heavily on eyewitness testimony, fails to verify any of that testimony with corroborating evidence.

But it’s also important to note that the commission was established in May 2021 to investigate Israel in perpetuity, a unique project. All other commissions usually wind down within a year, once they issue a report of their findings. In addition, one of the commissioners, Chris Sidoti, boasts a record of antisemitic comments, most recently making the shocking assertion that every IDF soldier who served in Gaza should be tried for war crimes.

For these reasons, critics have characterized the report as a modern blood libel against the State of Israel.

President Donald Trump arrived in Turkey for the NATO summit, where he was personally welcomed on the tarmac by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Trump traveled with several senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.

The trip also marked Trump’s first overseas flight aboard the newly commissioned Air Force One, a retrofitted Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar to the United States for presidential use.

After Trump’s arrival, military jets flew overhead, streaking the sky with red, white, and blue smoke in a dramatic welcome for the U.S. president.

But the real headline came after the ceremony, when Trump said he is seriously considering selling U.S. F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.

“Why wouldn’t we?” Trump said. “We have a better relationship with Turkey. Turkey, in many ways, has been much more loyal than other countries we’d think would be loyal. It’s certainly something we would consider. It’s a great plane.”

Trump also said the United States is moving to remove sanctions on Turkey.

“It’s time. We don’t want to sanction friends,” Trump said. “We’re gonna be taking the sanctions off. OK? I don’t want him to waste his time answering that question. We’re working closely with Rubio, Bessent, Hegseth. It’s time.”

The announcement comes just one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly urged Trump not to provide Turkey with F-35s.

Speaking about Erdoğan, Netanyahu warned: “A man who openly calls for the destruction of Israel, the annexation of Cyprus, threatens Greece and wants to invade Jerusalem and govern it. The Muslim Brotherhood flaunts a regime. I don’t believe they deserve F-35 planes. This represents a threat to the regional balance and to our security.”

Trump’s comments now set up a major foreign policy clash, with the U.S. president signaling a warm reset with Erdoğan while Israel warns that advanced American fighter jets in Turkey’s hands could threaten the region’s balance of power.

Gaza flotilla leader Lisi Proenca attended the funeral of Ayatollah Khamenei, where she said that Iran must be supported as a buffer against Zionism.

“It’s time for us, the free people of everywhere, of all the world, to guarantee that Iran, even with this brutal attack with its leader, martyrised, can continue to be a border against imperialism and Zionism, and support and get us all together,” she said. “We must rise.”

The Brazilian native was implicated in a sex scandal while aboard the “love boat” flotilla in April 2025; a subsequent investigation by the organization cleared her of wrongdoing. However, critics have said that the organization investigating its own members does not qualify as an independent probe.

Proenca’s support for the Iranian regime raises the question of why those who support the human rights of Gazans would support a regime that abuses the human rights of its own people. In addition to the massacre of tens of thousands of Iranians during the January protests, the Islamist regime of Iran suppresses women’s rights, engages in censorship and bans free speech, to list just a small number of human rights abuses.

Critics say the answer is simple: The supporters of Gazans, like the activists from the Gaza flotilla, care nothing for the rights of ordinary civilians in Gaza. They support Hamas, which in turn is supported by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. As an Iranian proxy group, Hamas in Gaza functions as an arm of the IRGC. That’s why pro-Hamas activists have flocked to Khamenei’s funeral to show their support for the world’s greatest sponsor of terrorism.

Israeli troops opened fire on a Palestinian vehicle after it allegedly attempted to ram soldiers at a security checkpoint in western Samaria, in what the military is now investigating as a suspected terrorist attack.

The incident took place at the Hashmonaim Crossing, a key security point near Modi’in and Modi’in Illit on the edge of central Israel. According to the IDF, the vehicle drove toward troops at the checkpoint before soldiers responded with live fire. No injuries were reported.

The crossing sits in a sensitive corridor linking central Israel with communities in western Samaria, where Israeli security forces have remained on high alert amid a persistent wave of Palestinian terror attacks, attempted rammings, shootings, firebombings and explosive-device incidents.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 05: An armed policeman stands guard as eople attend a Manchester Stands with Israel event honouring the lives lost on October 7, 2023 and the recent terror attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. October 05, 2025 in Manchester, England. On Thursday morning a stabbing and car attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in the Manchester suburb of Crumpsall left two people dead and four others hospitalized. The attack took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, and was declared a terrorist incident by police. The suspected attacker was shot dead by police at the scene. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The latest attempted ramming comes after another recent Hashmonaim Crossing incident in which police shot and injured a Palestinian suspect accused of driving a stolen vehicle into police cruisers and trying to run over officers. That case was treated as a criminal incident, but it underscored how quickly a vehicle breach at an Israeli checkpoint can become a life-threatening security event.

Rescuers Without Borders, also known as Hatzalah Judea and Samaria, reported at least 5,051 attacks targeting Israeli Jews in the area last year, including rock attacks, firebombs, explosives, shootings and laser attacks aimed at blinding drivers. The group said 24 Israeli civilians were murdered and more than 400 wounded.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, damaging two vessels and sending a fresh shock through one of the world’s most important energy routes. U.S. officials told Axios that both ships suffered significant damage but that no casualties were reported, while UK Maritime Trade Operations confirmed that a tanker near Oman was hit by an unknown projectile on its port side, causing a fire.

The clearest identified target so far is the Al Rekayyat, a Qatari LNG tanker that Reuters reported was loaded with liquefied natural gas when it was struck while traveling through the Omani side of the strait. The vessel sent distress signals after the hit; maritime sources said the engine room caught fire and filled with smoke, but the crew was safe. A second vessel was reportedly struck as well, though its identity has not been fully confirmed.

Iran has not issued a formal claim of responsibility, but its state broadcaster said the tanker was attacked after trying to use the Omani route with U.S. Navy support and “ignoring repeated warnings.” That is the point of the escalation, Tehran is trying to turn international passage through Hormuz into a permission system controlled by the regime. Days before the strike, Iran’s joint military command warned tankers to use Iran-approved routes or face a “forceful response.”

The attack threatens to blow up the fragile maritime pause reached under the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, which was supposed to halt attacks around the strait and create space for negotiations. The Strait of Hormuz sits between Iran and Oman and carried roughly a fifth of global oil shipments before the conflict, making every missile fired there a direct threat not only to Gulf shipping but to global energy markets.

The timing is especially volatile. Indirect U.S.-Iran talks in Doha ended without clear progress on Hormuz, while Iran’s foreign minister is now warning that final talks will not begin if U.S. threats continue. President Trump has said Washington will either reach a deal with Tehran or “finish the job,” and the latest strike puts immediate pressure back on the U.S. and its partners to decide whether Iran pays a price for reopening fire on commercial shipping.

President Donald Trump is expected to throw his support behind a possible sale of F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey during the NATO summit in Ankara, a move that could reopen one of the most sensitive defense fights between Washington, Ankara and Jerusalem.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan meet in Turkey on March 9, 2022. Credit: Haim Zach/GPO

The potential shift would mark Trump’s biggest gesture yet toward Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but it is not a done deal. U.S. law and Congress still stand in the way, and the central obstacle remains Turkey’s Russian-made S-400 air defense system. Washington removed Ankara from the F-35 program after Turkey bought the system, warning that the Russian platform could expose sensitive data about America’s most advanced fighter jet.

One possible workaround now being discussed is for Turkey to send the S-400 to a third country, but no agreement has been sealed. That path could also run into Russia’s weapons-sale restrictions, meaning the reported Trump push may be more of a political signal than an immediate transfer of aircraft.

Israel is sounding the alarm. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly urged Washington not to provide Turkey with F-35s or even fighter-jet engines for Ankara’s KAAN program, warning that such a move could “upset the power balance” in the Middle East. For Jerusalem, this is not just another NATO arms deal. It goes straight to Israel’s air superiority, one of the pillars of its regional deterrence.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE – JUNE 16: U.S. President Donald Trump attends a working lunch with leaders of G7 and the Middle East, on June 16, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Leaders from the Group of 7 (G7) countries convened in Evian, France, near the Swiss border, for their annual summit to discuss challenges to peace and security for Ukraine and Europe, the situation in the Middle East, and other geopolitical issues. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein – Pool/Getty Images)

Netanyahu’s concern is sharpened by Erdogan’s record. Turkey is a NATO member, but Erdogan has repeatedly attacked Israel, aligned rhetorically with Hamas, threatened regional rivals and sought a larger role from Syria to Jerusalem. In Israeli eyes, handing that government stealth aircraft would not strengthen stability. It would arm a hostile power with one of the West’s most sensitive platforms.

The Trump administration has already moved toward approving more than $700 million in jet engines for Turkey’s KAAN fighter, despite objections from some lawmakers. But the F-35 is a far bigger prize. Vice President JD Vance has said U.S. officials are reviewing whether Turkey has met the legal requirements needed to move forward.

Controversial internet streamer Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Eric Peters, says he plans to fly to Israel this Wednesday on a private jet after meeting an Israeli model and her mother and getting her number. During the visit, he says he intends to pray at and kiss the stones of the Western Wall, he quipped.

The announcement sparked criticism from his former friend, streamer Sneako, who has expressed Islamist views.

“This is a mistake,” Sneako said.

The reaction is notable given the pair’s history. Earlier this year, Clavicular and Sneako appeared together at a Miami nightclub where they performed Nazi salutes while Kanye West’s song “Heil Hitler” played, drawing widespread condemnation.

Since then, Clavicular has made a series of public moves that appear to contrast with his earlier image. He has partnered with Jewish business associates, met with a rabbi to ask for forgiveness over his past antisemitic conduct, and recently defended two Jewish men who had reportedly been refused entry to a nightclub after being identified as Jewish. In a video, Clavicular urged staff to stop bothering the men and allow them inside.

Now, he says he intends to visit Israel.

Earlier Meeting With Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto

The planned trip follows a widely discussed meeting between Clavicular and Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, the same rabbi who previously met with and blessed Ye.

Clavicular rose to prominence in 2025 through viral “looksmaxxing” content on TikTok and Kick, accumulating billions of views. His content has drawn criticism for promoting controversial appearance-enhancement methods, including facial “bone smashing,” cosmetic surgery, steroid use, and other extreme techniques.

His meeting with Rabbi Pinto came shortly after the Miami Beach controversy involving Clavicular, Sneako, Andrew Tate, Tristan Tate, and Nick Fuentes. According to reports, the meeting was arranged through a business associate described as a nightclub owner.

In footage from the meeting, Rabbi Pinto appears to bless Clavicular with success. The encounter sparked debate online, with some questioning why the rabbi would meet with the influencer, while others viewed it as an effort to encourage personal growth and repentance.

Whether Clavicular’s planned visit to Israel marks a lasting change or simply another unexpected turn in his public journey remains to be seen.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, watched a video of the Lubavitcher Rebbe during a special tribute held this evening in Jerusalem honoring Sara Netanyahu.

The event took place at the Chabad Beit Hannah School for Girls, marking the conclusion of her 30 years of service as the school’s psychologist. The school was founded 60 years ago by Rebbetzin Chana, the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s mother.

Sarah leaving on her last day last week

Sara Netanyahu is the only wife of an Israeli prime minister to have continued serving in a civil service position while carrying out her public duties as first lady. Before joining the public school system, she served as a psycho-technical evaluator for the IDF, administering and analyzing standardized assessments used to measure recruits’ cognitive abilities, aptitudes, and personality traits.

The evening celebrated her three decades of dedication to the students and staff of Beit Hannah, where she served as the school’s psychologist while also fulfilling her role as Israel’s first lady.

Ana Kasparian, co-host of The Young Turks, a popular, progressive American political news and commentary program, appeared at a broadcast in a rather revealing keffiyeh dress. As one social media user wrote, “The people that wear that keffiyeh in the Middle East would stone you to death for that dress.”

Another social media user noted that for some people, being pro-Pally becomes their whole identity, as evidenced by the dress.

Kasparian has become known to the pro-Israel community as an anti-Zionist whose obsession with Israel has crossed the line into antisemitism. In one controversial video posted online, she directly addresses Israelis, explaining why they’re so hated.

“For any Israelis watching this right now, I want you to be clear,” she said. “I want you to understand this, okay? You are hated internationally; the whole international community loathes you; young American citizens in this country, both left and right, loathe you; and eventually, these are the people who are going to come into power.”

“Don’t be mistaken based on the propaganda you hear in American media,” she added, as if Israelis perceive the American media as friendly toward Israel. “That’s not representative of how the American people feel about you. You’re hated, and it’s not because you’re Jewish — it’s because you slaughter innocent people. It’s because you think you’re God’s chosen people when you act like absolute demons. You guys like to slaughter people and steal land, and you think you’re better than everyone else. You think that you’re entitled to everything, including our tax dollars. It’s disgusting.”

Critics have said this tirade demonstrates Kasparian’s Jew hatred, since she conflates the people of Israel with the actions of the Israeli government. They say this is a double standard, since she does not, for example, say that everyone hates Russians because of the actions of the Russian government against Ukraine.

Critics have also pointed out the irony of the Armenian woman, claiming to be an anti-colonialist, identifying with the colonizing Turks who perpetrated a genocide against her own people.

What’s more, her obsession with Israel has led her to join forces with Jew haters on the right, like the virulent antisemite Candace Owens, whom Kasparian admitted she used to hate.

She has also complained that anyone who tries to criticize Israel is silenced … while criticizing Israel on her rather substanial platform.

Heavy winds and rain blew right through the roof of a BJ’s near Deal in Ocean Township, N.J., Monday, collapsing part of the roof and trapping two customers, who extricated themselves without help. No injuries were reported among the 27 customers who were in the store at the time.

Ocean Township police, Monmouth County sheriff’s deputies and other first responders rushed to the wholesale club and arrived there at 11:16 a.m., according to the sheriff’s office.

“This incident is another reminder of how quickly severe weather can create dangerous and unpredictable conditions,” Sheriff Shaun Golden said.

“We commend all first responders who worked with urgency under challenging circumstances. Despite the ongoing flooding and severe weather affecting our communities, all worked seamlessly together to ensure everyone was safely accounted for. Their dedication and teamwork exemplify the very best of public safety.”

Dramatic video shows the roof caving in and water rushing through the gap and flowing through the aisles in strong currents. It is estimated that 20 percent of the store was destroyed.

Authorities have warned people to stay away from this area and to stay off the roads, warning that driving conditions are dangerous.

It’s not the Nazi tattoo that’s the problem for a troubled Senate candidate; it’s the sexual allegations.

After serious, disturbing new details emerged about Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s treatment of his ex-girlfriend, the Democratic hopeful said he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward,” while denying the allegations.

Platner won his state’s Democratic primary to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins, but his campaign got off to a rocky start when his Nazi Totenkopf (death’s-head tattoo) was discovered. As soon as it became politically inexpedient to sport the symbol of hate on his chest, Platner inked it over. The oyster farmer claimed he didn’t understand the significance of the tattoo, though people close to him said he not only knew but also bragged about it.

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner issued a video statement regarding the allegations. (Credit: Graham Platner)

Jenny Racicot, who dated Platner years ago, alleged that he visited her one night after she explicitly told him not to come. He arrived heavily intoxicated and forced himself on her, by far the most serious allegation so far. Racicot said she begged him to stop, as she was not on birth control.

“I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, like, ‘This is no longer my choice,’” she said. “I just want the truth out there. I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person.”

Racicot said that Platner was so drunk, he had no recollection of the encounter the next morning.

“I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious, and false allegations against me,” Platner said in a video statement. “Any accusation of nonconsensual behavior is categorically false.”

Jenny Racicot accused her ex-boyfriend, Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, of rape. (Screengrab in accordance with Section 27a of the Copyright Law)

Democrats, spooked by the allegations and aware that the window of time for Platner to drop out of the race is drawing to a close (he has until Monday, July 13), are rushing to withdraw their endorsements.

End Citizens United announced that it withdrew its endorsement and called for Platner to drop out. “The allegations reported today are profoundly disturbing and disqualifying,” said the group’s president, Tiffany Muller.

State Sen. Mattie Daughtry, a Democrat and the president of the Maine Senate; Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.); and Donna Brazile, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee, all joined the growing chorus of voices urging Platner to drop out.

The previous endorsements of prominent Democrats did not age well.

New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer endorsed Graham Platner.

“Graham Platner isn’t just our best and only chance to beat Susan Collins, he’s a good, decent man who’s struggled and grown and is always trying to do better,” said Jon Favreau, American actor, director, producer, screenwriter, former President Barack Obama’s speechwriter, and host of the podcast Pod Save America.

“I hope everyone with reservations takes a little time to get to know the real life version of him, not what the algorithm throws in our faces,” he added.

Beating President Donald Trump was so important, even Democratic Jews threw their support behind Platner, such as Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders. It remains to be seen if they will formally withdraw their endorsements.

Pro-Palestinian activist Anja Windl, better known by her nickname “Climate Shakira,” has gone viral after gluing her hand to a Berlin roadway with cement during an anti-Israel protest.

Windl, 29, earned the nickname because of her resemblance to Colombian singer Shakira and rose to prominence as one of the most recognizable climate activists in the German-speaking world, often being compared to Greta Thunberg. In recent years, however, her activism has shifted from climate issues to protests related to Gaza and Israel.

The demonstration targeted a Berlin factory that supplies weapons to Israel. The protest took an unexpected turn when Windl was unable to free her hand after cementing it to the pavement.

Windl is German but became well known through her climate protests in Austria, where authorities previously sought to deport her over years of disruptive road-blocking demonstrations.

Anja Windl

The video has since spread rapidly across social media, prompting a wave of reactions from critics.

Among the comments:

Sandy M. wrote:

“Leave her there until she craps herself. Then, leave her for some more. Maybe some Palestinian men will come and help her.”

Elizabeth N. commented:

“That was a voluntary action. Put cones around her and leave her there. Ticket her later for littering.”

Ahmed N. joked:

“Finally, a pro-Palestine supporter I could get behind.”

Barry D. quipped:

“Boy, I would hate for her to glue her hand to my bedpost. My bedpost is very, very Zionist.”

The incident continues to generate widespread discussion online as the video racks up millions of views across social media.

New FBI hate-crime data shows the American Jewish community remains wildly overrepresented among reported targets, even as national hate-crime reporting appears lower overall.

According to data, the FBI has recorded 3,750 hate-crime incidents and 4,384 offenses so far this year. Of those, 566 incidents and 613 offenses were anti-Jewish, meaning Jews were targeted in roughly 15% of all reported hate-crime incidents. Pew Research Center estimates Jews make up about 2.4% of U.S. adults, which means the Jewish community is being targeted at more than six times its share of the population.

Police are investigating a hate crime in Rossville after this slur was found on a garage door Tuesday morning. (Staten Island Advance/Mira Wassef)

The topline decline in hate-crime offenses needs context. FBI hate-crime reporting depends heavily on voluntary submissions from state, local and tribal agencies, and the current-year data becomes far less complete in later months. JNS noted that coverage dropped from about 88% of the U.S. population in January to less than 20% by June, making the numbers useful but not final.

LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 23: The burnt wreckage of Hatzola ambulances as fire services continue to monitor the scene after they were set on fire overnight next to Machzike Hadath Synagogue, on March 23, 2026 in the Golders Green area of London, England. Firefighters were called to the scene at around 1:40AM and the fire was brought under control just after 3:00 AM. Hatzola is a Jewish volunteer organisation that provides people emergency medical response and free transportation to hospitals. The Metropolitan Police said they are treating the incident as an “antisemitic hate crime.” (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Most anti-Jewish incidents involved vandalism or property damage, followed by intimidation, simple assault and aggravated assault. The most common locations were streets and sidewalks, K-12 schools, homes and college campuses. In other words, this is not confined to one corner of American life. It is showing up where Jews walk, study, live and pray.

The FBI data says New York state had reported only 88 anti-Jewish hate crimes to the bureau so far this year, while the NYPD separately says New York City alone confirmed 178 anti-Jewish hate crimes in the first half of the year. The NYPD says anti-Jewish incidents made up 55.3% of confirmed hate crimes in the city, even though Jews are about 10% of New Yorkers.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 19: A view of Central Park as snow falls on January 19, 2025 in New York City. The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Sunday through Monday morning, expecting 3 to 5 inches of snow in New York City and 5 to 8 inches outside the NYC metro area. (Photo by Heather Khalifa/Getty Images)

The trend fits a wider post-Oct. 7 reality. ADL’s latest audit found that 2025 was still the third-highest year for antisemitic incidents since the group began tracking them in 1979, with 6,274 incidents nationwide and physical assaults reaching a record high. The FBI data captures only reported criminal hate crimes; the broader picture includes harassment, threats, vandalism and intimidation that often never become federal statistics.

Jews are a tiny share of America, but remain one of its most visible hate targets. And if the official data is this alarming while still incomplete, the real scale of anti-Jewish hostility is almost certainly worse.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed Hamas’ resignation from its “Emergency Committee” Monday, which has been governing the Gaza Strip since the October ceasefire, as a ruse designed to prevent the disarmament of the terrorist organization.

“Hamas’s trick is simple,” he warned on X. “Hamas’s apparent willingness to ‘make room’ for a technocratic government is designed to prevent its own disarmament.”

The foreign minister explained that Hamas aims to implement Hezbollah’s plan in its own jurisdiction.

“Hamas seeks to replicate the ‘Hezbollah model’ in Gaza: a technocratic administration would be responsible for garbage collection and other municipal services, while Hamas would remain the dominant military force,” he wrote. “As long as Hamas retains its weapons, any civilian government will of course operate as Hamas dictates.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. (Photo by Leon LORD/AFP via Getty Images)

Sa’ar said that this model would mean that Hamas would get to maintain the status quo.

“This would allow Hamas to continue oppressing the Palestinian people in Gaza, while pursuing its jihadist war against Israel,” he asserted, saying Israel would not give an inch on the original conditions set by the Board of Peace.

“Israel insists on the full implementation of the Trump plan, with its core principles being the disarmament of Hamas and all other terrorist organizations, and the complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip,” he declared.

The Board of Peace is also not buying this apparent gesture of goodwill from Hamas, whose ostensible purpose is to demonstrate the group’s willingness to cooperate with the peace plan, saying they’ll believe it when they see it.

“Our assessment will be guided by actions, not promises, to meet the critical needs of the people of Gaza,” the board said in a statement.

Hamas had announced earlier in the day that it had dissolved its “Emergency Committee,” the group that has been controlling the Gaza Strip since the October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The terrorist organization said the Emergency Committee had resigned as a prerequisite for transferring governance of the Strip from Hamas to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).

Hamas insisted, however, that its civil servants will continue serving in that capacity, saying it had taken all the steps needed to complete the transfer of authority.

The Bank of Israel is moving from wartime caution to cautious relief, cutting the benchmark interest rate to 3.5% after inflation stayed under control and the immediate economic shock from the Iran confrontation began to fade.

The move, approved by the Monetary Committee headed by Governor Amir Yaron, lowers the rate by 0.25 percentage points from 3.75%. It is another signal that Israel’s economy is stabilizing after months of heavy security pressure, even as the central bank made clear that this is not a victory lap. The region is still volatile, the North remains tense, and defense spending could still reshape the entire economic picture.

The bank said inflation is sitting near the middle of its target range, with annual inflation at 1.9%. Lower energy prices after the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, a calmer risk premium, and easing supply constraints all helped create room for the cut. The shekel has remained a major part of the story, its strength has helped cool import prices, but it has also created pressure on exporters and Israel’s high-tech sector, two engines of the country’s growth.

For households and businesses, the cut should offer some relief, especially for borrowers exposed to prime-linked loans and mortgage tracks. But the effect will be gradual, not instant. Housing costs are still sticky, with the housing component of the CPI rising at an annual pace of 4%, and leases for apartments with new tenants rising far faster. That means Israelis may see some easing on credit before they feel real relief in rent or cost of living.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – SEPTEMBER 25: A man counts his money after exchanging U.S. dollars at a money changer September 25, 2002 in Tel Aviv, Israel. The buy (NIS4.82/US$) and sell (NIS4.94/US$) rates are prominently displayed on the store’s signage. The shekel weakened by 1.2 percent in nervous trade to a representative NIS 4.89 to the dollar during the day, with dealers blaming the shekel’s slide on growing fears of a credit rating downgrade for Israel as well as on the possible scenario of a U.S.-led attack on Iraq. Since the start of the month, the dollar has strengthened by NIS 0.23, which is a gain of 4.9 percent against the shekel. (Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich immediately argued that the move was too small, saying a sharper cut is needed to help households, businesses, exporters and high-tech. The tension is clear as politicians want faster relief, while the central bank is trying to lower rates without reigniting inflation or weakening Israel’s financial credibility during a security-heavy year.

The Bank of Israel’s updated forecast is cautiously strong. It expects GDP to grow 4% this year and 5.5% next year, with inflation at 1.8% in both years. It also sees the interest rate falling toward 3% within a year. But that forecast rests on major assumptions: no renewed fighting with Iran, lower-intensity fighting in Lebanon, and no major expansion of the defense budget beyond what has already been reserved.

Israel’s economy is proving resilient, with a tight labor market, strong credit activity, and high-tech still raising billions. But the cost of defending the country is not disappearing. If defense spending rises sharply, the bank warns the deficit could widen and inflation could move higher again.

The rate cut is a vote of confidence in Israel’s recovery. It is also a reminder that the economy is still tied to the battlefield. The stronger Israel’s security position holds, the more room the country has to breathe financially.

Hamas announced Monday that it had dissolved its “Emergency Committee,” the group that has been controlling the Gaza Strip since the October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The terrorist organization said the Emergency Committee had resigned as a prerequisite for transferring governance of the Strip from Hamas to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG).

Hamas said that its civil servants will continue serving in that capacity, saying it has taken all the steps needed to complete the transfer of authority.

“The head of the government’s emergency committee, Mohammed al-Farra, has officially submitted his resignation,” Ismail al-Thawabta, the Hamas government media chief, told AFP.

The Board of Peace, launched by President Trump to oversee his Gaza plan for peace, said, in effect, that they’ll believe it when they see it, expressing its doubt in a statement saying that it will evaluate these developments “by actions, not promises.”

“We have taken note of the announcement today regarding the dissolution of the ‘Emergency Committee’ in Gaza,” the Board of Peace said in a social media statement. “Ultimately, our assessment will be guided by actions, not promises, to meet the critical needs of the people of Gaza.”

The board went on to emphasize that the NCAG must have the ability to administer Gaza completely independently and must have authority over all weaponry.

The Israelis are equally skeptical, with one official dismissing the move by Hamas as nothing more than “spin without any meaning.”

PA representatives met with Nickolay Mladenov, high commissioner of the Board of Peace, in Ramallah in January. (From a post on X)

“Hamas fears that [mediators] will declare them to be violating the agreement,” he told an Israeli broadcaster. “Therefore, it is stalling and engaging in spin.”

NCAG was established as a committee of technocratic experts who will manage the day-to-day affairs of Gaza. But with Al Shaath at the helm, critics express the concern that the committee will successfully defuse the security threats posed by Hamas.

Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), a media watchdog that monitors PA media, textbooks and educational materials for hate and indoctrination, revealed that in April 2025 Shaath called Israel a “colonial implant” and referred to the country as the “occupation,” promoting the popular PA belief that the whole land is occupied and all its cities are settlements. He also admitted to participating in terrorist activities.

PAMPLONA, Spain — The San Fermín Festival, home to the world-famous Running of the Bulls, opened today with a shocking display of anti-Israel hostility, as a giant banner reading “Destroy Israel” was unfurled during the official noon opening ceremony.

The banner was only one part of a broader anti-Israel demonstration that dominated the opening celebrations. Balconies throughout Pamplona’s historic center were draped with messages including “Stop the genocide,” “No place for genocide,” and “Zionists are not welcome,” while Palestinian flags and anti-Israel slogans were prominently displayed.

Screenshot

For many Jews and supporters of Israel, the scenes were deeply disturbing.

Spain is the country that, during the Spanish Inquisition, forced Jews to convert, expelled them from their homeland, or killed them. Critics say that seeing one of Spain’s most celebrated public festivals transformed into a stage for hostility toward the Jewish state is a painful reminder that history can repeat itself.

The incident comes as relations between Spain and Israel have fallen to historic lows.

For sale at Pamplona

Since the October 7 Hamas massacre and the ensuing war in Gaza, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has emerged as one of Israel’s most outspoken critics in Europe. Spain recognized a Palestinian state in 2024, withdrew its ambassador from Israel, and has urged the European Union to reconsider its Association Agreement with Israel. Sánchez has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide, declaring before Parliament, “We do not trade with a genocidal state,” and has also called on international sporting bodies to suspend Israel from competition.

Israel has strongly condemned Spain’s rhetoric. Former Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described Sánchez and his governing coalition as “a disgrace to Spain,” accusing them of advancing an antisemitic and anti-Israel agenda.

Pedro Sanchez

The irony was difficult to ignore.

Every year, the San Fermín Festival celebrates the Running of the Bulls, where terrified bulls are chased through Pamplona’s streets before ultimately being killed in the bullring. Between 50 and 100 participants are typically injured during the annual festival, while animal rights organizations have long condemned the event as institutionalized animal cruelty.

What should have been a celebration of Spanish culture instead became an international platform for anti-Israel messaging.

For many, the images from Pamplona represented more than political protest—they reflected a disturbing climate in which hostility toward the world’s only Jewish state has become normalized in one of Europe’s most iconic public celebrations.

From the Spanish Inquisition to today’s calls to “Destroy Israel,” critics argue that Spain risks returning to one of the darkest chapters of its history.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded again with world leaders to provide the beleaguered country with Patriot missiles following a devastating Russian strike overnight in Kyiv that killed at least 12 people and injured about 50 others.

“Last night, Kyiv came under a massive Russian attack,” Zelensky wrote on X, listing 68 missiles and 351 attack drones and detailing the damage, which he said was inflicted at 10 locations.

“So far, 64 people have been rescued, including two children,” he added. “As of now, it has been confirmed that, tragically, eleven people were killed in this attack. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Around 60 more people were injured.”

Later, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on Telegram that the death toll had risen to 12, with three children among the injured and the number of casualties expected to rise as more people are pulled from the rubble. He declared Tuesday a day of mourning for the victims of the attack.

Zelensky implored the United States and Europe to help prevent the loss of civilian life, which he said they have the power to do.

He also said that Ukraine had the capability to intercept Russian drones and cruise missiles, but not the ballistic missiles that were also deployed against the civilians in Kyiv.

“Our warriors performed well today in intercepting drones and cruise missiles, but unfortunately not Russian ballistic missiles,” he wrote on X.

“And the reason lies in the insufficient supply of interceptor missiles,” he explained. “It is critically important that the world — first and foremost the United States and our European partners — come out of the NATO Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defense, and thus the protection of ordinary people’s lives.”

“As long as Patriot missiles remain in our allies’ stockpiles, Russia is only encouraged to keep ‘vanquishing’ residential buildings. The United States and Europe have enough strength to stop this terror,” he said.

The crushing attack follows another devastating wave of strikes against the capital city last week that claimed 13 lives and injured about 80 people.

The Sheba Medical Center’s children’s hospital released a heartwarming video of a little boy named Mohammed who had been cured of bone marrow cancer. All of the staff, Jews and Arabs, came together to celebrate in an emotional ceremony, which began with Mohammed ringing a bell. They rolled out the red carpet for the little boy, literally, and festooned the hallway with balloons.

“Mohammed was discharged today,” a woman wearing scrubs said, adding that the child had been hospitalized there for two months with bone marrow cancer.

“We made him a special ceremony, in which we rolled out a red carpet, with balloons,” she said. “He rang the bell to signal the end of his treatment.”

“We’re very, very excited for him, very happy for him,” she added. “We wish him a lot of good and a lot of health.”

After he rang the bell, little Mohammed walked down the red carpet, taking a bunch of balloons that was handed to him by a staff member and high-fiving (or rather, low-fiving) the staff lining the length of the red carpet. One staff member expressed his emotion by kneeling down and shaking the boy’s hand enthusiastically, pumping his hand up and down for several seconds.

This is the side of Israel the media doesn’t show: not just the coexistence of Jews and Arabs in hospital settings but the goodwill they share.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed his Turkish counterpart for his comment that Israel had become “an unbearable burden on humanity,” characterizing it as “a clear call to genocide.”

Last week, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Israel seeks a new enemy in order to rehabilitate its image in the world’s eyes. He failed to name this new enemy or to explain how fighting a new enemy is supposed to help Israel’s image.

He concluded his strange remarks by saying that “Everyone knows it. Everyone feels it. They whisper about it behind closed doors, and from time to time they even speak about it openly. But this is humanity’s shared problem. I mean, this needs to be named for what it is. These people have become a burden that humanity can no longer bear, with these policies and this mindset. Humanity cannot bear this.”

Sa’ar responded immediately, posting on X a statement condemning Fidan’s words as a “textbook incitement to genocide.”

“Dehumanizing the Jewish people as an ‘unbearable burden’ is the classic, horrific language of history’s worst eliminationist regimes,” he said, urgently calling on the “civilized world and Turkey’s NATO allies” to “unequivocally condemn this explicit call for the erasure of Israel.”

Standing alongside Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe Monday, Sa’ar again addressed Fidan’s inflammatory rhetoric.

“Speaking about genocide, I must address the appalling remarks made a few days ago by Turkey’s Foreign Minister, the Foreign Minister of the country that will host tomorrow the NATO summit,” Sa’ar said. He quoted his Turkish counterpart as saying, “These people have become a burden that humanity can no longer bear,” then added, “This is a sentence that sounds very familiar to sentences from about 100 years ago to speak about a people as a problem for humanity.”

“What do you do with a burden that you can no longer bear?” he demanded, warning that these words “are a clear call for genocide.”

“The Jewish people know very well what happens when such words are allowed to go unchallenged,” he said. “The first step to genocide is dehumanization. This is the first step.”

Israel is launching a new offshore push for natural gas, opening five exploration blocks across roughly 7,100 square kilometers of its economic waters as the country looks to deepen its role as an Eastern Mediterranean energy power.

Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen said the new competitive process is aimed at finding additional gas reserves that could strengthen Israel’s domestic energy supply, increase competition, lower electricity costs, and expand exports. Ministry estimates suggest hundreds of billions of cubic meters of natural gas may still be undiscovered in Israel’s exclusive economic zone.

The move comes as Israeli gas has become a major strategic asset, not just an economic one. Israel already supplies its own market from offshore fields including Tamar and Leviathan, while exporting significant volumes to Egypt and Jordan. Reuters reported that the new tender is expected to unfold in three phases and take about a year, with Chevron allowed to bid as part of a consortium.

Israel recently approved its largest-ever gas export deal with Egypt, valued at about $35 billion, covering roughly 130 billion cubic meters of gas from the Leviathan field through 2040. That agreement strengthens Israel’s position as a regional energy anchor at a time when Egypt is facing pressure from declining domestic gas output and rising demand.

TOPSHOT – Excess gas is burned at the oil refinery in Israel’s northern city of Haifa late on March 19, 2026. Amid growing fears over the economic damage from the Middle East war, US President Donald Trump said there would be no repeat of Israel’s attack on Iran’s key South Pars gas field, but he warned of a furious US response if Tehran did not halt strikes on Qatar. Iran responded that it would have “zero restraint” if its energy infrastructure was hit again. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images) /

Israel’s Energy Ministry is also moving ahead with a major electricity infrastructure plan, a roughly 150-kilometer power cable from the Ashkelon area to the Haifa area, including about 102 kilometers underwater. The cable is intended to move electricity from the south, where much of Israel’s solar and power-generation infrastructure is concentrated, toward the center of the country, where demand is highest.

The planned cable could transmit up to 5.4 gigawatts of electricity and include six connection points to the national grid, with a possible future link toward Europe. For Israel, the message is clear, energy is not just about cheaper power bills. It is about resilience, export leverage, regional influence, and making the Jewish state harder to pressure.

New prices are displayed as a vehicle refuels at a petrol station in central Jerusalem on April 1, 2026. In the wake of the Middle East war, Israel’s energy ministry said that petrol would hit eight shekels ($2.50) a litre for the first time in two years. Israel already has some of the highest fuel prices in the world. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images)

Disturbing scenes emerged from Tehran during the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, where regime supporters distributed posters featuring President Donald Trump and several prominent pro-Israel figures marked as “targets.”

The posters displayed the faces of Trump, Ben Shapiro, Laura Loomer, Miriam Adelson, Senator Lindsey Graham, Mark Dubowitz, and others with red bullseyes over their faces. The word “Target” appeared next to each name.

The posters also carried chilling threats: “sooner or later your heads will roll, and “let’s see what happens.”

The imagery amounted to a clear public threat against figures viewed by the Iranian regime as close to Trump and outspoken in their support for Israel.

The display came during a massive funeral procession in Tehran, underscoring the regime’s continued calls for vengeance against America, Israel, and those who stand with the Jewish state.

Israel’s aid delegation deployed to Venezuela following the country’s powerful earthquakes is assisting with the recovery effort by evaluating damaged buildings rather than conducting search-and-rescue operations.

The approximately 30-member team, led by the IDF’s Home Front Command, is made up primarily of structural engineers tasked with determining whether buildings can be safely repaired, reoccupied, or must be demolished. The mission was launched at the request of the Venezuelan government to support the country’s reconstruction.

Israeli experts are working alongside local authorities to inspect some of the estimated 1,300 damaged buildings, helping classify structures based on their condition and advising on demolition plans and debris removal where necessary.

The delegation also includes representatives from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, led by Ambassador Yoed Magen, who was born and raised in Venezuela.

Despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations between Israel and Venezuela since 2009, the delegation says it has received a warm welcome. Brig. Gen. Elad Edri said the team has been operating openly in IDF uniforms without security concerns and was greeted upon arrival by local officials, diplomats, and members of Venezuela’s Jewish community.

The mission is expected to conclude on Sunday, although Israeli officials say it could be extended if Venezuela requests additional assistance.

Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI) expressed its strong support for UK Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis following his statements this week at the Religion Media Festival in London. AFSI is calling on American lawmakers to follow the Chief Rabbi’s lead and pass legislation that makes chanting “death to the IDF” a criminal offense in the United States.

In his speech, Chief Rabbi Mirvis explained that chanting “death to the IDF” (Israel Defense Forces) is not just political speech, but a direct “call to kill” millions of Jewish people. He argued that because the IDF exists to protect the people of Israel from destruction, calling for its elimination directly incites hatred and violence against Jews.

AFSI completely agrees with Chief Rabbi Mirvis’s message and believes that similar actions must be taken in the U.S. to protect American citizens and others in the U.S. who have served in the Israeli military. Calls for “death to the IDF” are designed to provoke mass murder and elicit support for Hamas. This is not a question of “offensive” or “inflammatory” speech and these words should not be protected political expression. Chanting “death to the IDF” is clearly direct incitement to violence. Americans have witnessed violent attacks on visible Jews and Israelis increase to these acts being nearly daily.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis is exactly right,” stated Moshe Phillips, chairman of Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI). Phrases like ‘death to the IDF’ are not part of legitimate protest. These are dangerous threats that incite violence against Jewish people worldwide. That these hateful chants are being used by pro-violence extremists on American college campuses and at anti-Israel protests is unacceptable in today’s hostile environment. It is time for the United States to change its legal approach and make these dangerous calls for deadly violence illegal.

About Americans For A Safe Israel:
Established in 1970, Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI) is one of the oldest and most influential pro-Israel organizations in the United States. Its advocacy and educational campaigns serve as a potent counterweight to the rising tide of anti-Israel propaganda. AFSI is not affiliated with any political party in the United States or Israel. AFSI’s website is www.afsi.org.

A Jewish Israeli mental health counseling intern has put Boston Medical Center at the center of a new federal civil rights fight, alleging the hospital retaliated against her after she reported anti-Israel material displayed in a shared clinical workspace. The complaint, filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, says the intern is an Israeli national and U.S. permanent resident who was completing a clinical practicum at BMC.

According to the filing, the intern saw posters at a staff clinician’s desk with slogans including “they killed our babies” and “they stole our lands.” The signs were visible from her desk, and the intern believed they violated BMC policy. After she reported the display to supervisors, one allegedly acknowledged the material might be a policy violation. The material was later removed, but the complaint says the real punishment began afterward.

The intern alleges she was physically separated from the clinical team, excluded from routine professional interactions and group lunches, denied patient debriefs and mentorship, and left professionally isolated. One supervisor allegedly told her BMC had “expected” some staff to take issue with her Israeli identity and had warned the team in advance that an Israeli would be joining, while reassuring them her application did not show unacceptable political views on Gaza.

The complaint says the isolation continued even after she raised concerns with supervisors and BMC human resources. At one point, the intern alleged that a colleague stopped communicating with her and failed to provide patient-coverage briefings, which she said affected both her training and client care. HR later told her it had “addressed the concerns,” but the Brandeis Center says the retaliation persisted through the rest of the placement.

The case then moved from workplace hostility to career damage. The complaint says BMC gave the intern a negative final evaluation that blamed her for the breakdown in workplace relationships caused by the alleged ostracization, marked her down on teamwork, and left her unable to use BMC supervisors as references in a field where clinical experience is a critical credential. The filing says she had received positive feedback on patient care, making the final evaluation especially damaging.

The Brandeis Center argues BMC violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which extend federal civil rights protections into federally funded health programs and bar retaliation against people who report discrimination. HHS says OCR enforces nondiscrimination rules for health care and social-service programs receiving federal financial assistance, while Section 1557 prohibits discrimination in covered health programs and activities.

The requested remedies are to revise the evaluation, provide a reference letter reflecting the intern’s clinical performance, adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, train supervisors and HR staff on antisemitism and retaliation, and create stronger protections for Jewish and Israeli trainees who report discrimination. Kenneth Marcus, chairman and CEO of the Brandeis Center, warned, “When a student reports offensive conduct and is then isolated, marginalized, and penalized for speaking up, serious civil rights concerns are raised.”

The complaint is part of a wider push against antisemitism in health care and mental-health institutions. HHS OCR recently opened a separate federal civil rights investigation into the American Psychological Association after another Brandeis Center complaint alleged antisemitic discrimination against Jewish and Israeli psychologists. The BMC complaint has not yet been adjudicated, but it sharpens the central question now facing federally funded institutions: whether Jewish and Israeli professionals can report anti-Israel hostility without being punished for it.

A large group of U.S. Marines led a crowd on a patriotic run through Central Park early Sunday evening. The group, wearing khaki T-shirts and camouflage pants, jogged through the park, followed by hordes of people more colorfully dressed and carrying American flags.

The group that organized the event is called Unify USA. The previous month, Marines took over Times Square for another patriotic event celebrating the 250th year of American independence, in which they conducted a breathtaking precision rifle performance, going through a complex routine without the benefit of music or spoken commands but performed in utter silence. The crowd cheered as the Marines demonstrated their extraordinary skill, discipline and coordination in the center of Manhattan.

The person who won a Benjamin Franklin lookalike contest in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July was … a 25-year-old Black woman named Kiya Burgess.

Of course, she looks nothing like Benjamin Franklin. The guy standing next to her and cheering her on, though, bears an uncanny resemblance to the Founding Father.

The reactions divided into two camps: those who thought it was silly and those who thought it was all in good fun.

“Ridiculous, BUT it is Philadelphia where this s— is normal,” one social media user posted in a comment representative of the negative reaction.

“Can’t wait to win the MLK lookalike contest as a White man. We look exactly the same,” said another.

One commenter pointed out the obvious: “Last time I checked Benjamin Franklin was neither black nor a female …”

On the other side, one commenter noted that Burgess won because of her costume and attitude.

“Excellent costume, went all in on the hair, full of enthusiasm and patriotism. Looking at the competition behind her, she beat them hands down,” the commenter said.

Others said it was all about having fun.

“Come on guys,” one person said. “Not everything is about race. She looks adorable. Seems like a happy patriotic person plus she sews which is a dying art.”

“My hot take: This lady’s having a blast celebrating the 4th. Good for her. I hope she has fun!” said another.

Burgess told KYW that she did not expect to win but entered the contest because she loves cosplay.

“I love cosplay. I love dressing up,” she said. “I just wanted to come and show everyone, you know, what I made, because I like to sew, and you know, this is one of my first costumes.”

“I think it’s because of the wig — like the wig is very curly,” she added, saying in answer to a reporter’s question that maybe she won because she made the whole costume herself, including the wig.

“I don’t know, though. I was so unexpected; I was not expecting to win,” she confessed.

“I want to thank you for coming today to share this joy with us, this evening, this emotional moment,” groom Sasha Troufanov told the guests gathered beneath the chuppah, many of whom were themselves former hostages, Arbel Yehoud, Ariel Cunio, Shani Goren, Moran Stella Yanai, Rom Braslavski, Eitan Horn and Danielle Aloni. “You’ve been with us every step of the way. Thank you so much. I love you.”

The ceremony was officiated by Rabbi Berel Lazar, the Chief Rabbi of Russia, as the couple stood beneath the chuppah surrounded by family, friends, and fellow survivors whose presence underscored the extraordinary journey that had brought them there.

Among those celebrating the joyous occasion was President Isaac Herzog, who attended the wedding alongside First Lady Michal Herzog.

Standing beneath the huppah, the presidential couple offered the newlyweds a heartfelt blessing.

“We prayed for your return, we were moved to tears when you came back home, and this evening we were privileged to rejoice together with you and to bless you under the chuppah on your joyous day,” they said.

The presence of Israel’s president reflected how deeply the couple’s ordeal and ultimate return home had touched the nation.

It was a moment few thought they would ever live to see.

For Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen, both 30, their journey to the chuppah came only after surviving one of the darkest chapters in modern Jewish history. After enduring Hamas captivity following the October 7 massacre, the couple is now husband and wife, transforming unimaginable tragedy into a powerful story of resilience, faith, and hope.

A Trip Sasha Never Wanted to Take

The couple traveled to Kibbutz Nir Oz on the eve of Simchat Torah to celebrate the holiday with Troufanov’s family. It was a trip Sasha almost did not make.

The day before, he told Sapir that he simply did not want to go. He could not explain why, but something felt wrong. Sapir encouraged him to reconsider, reminding him how disappointed his mother had been the previous time they skipped the holiday. She also reminded him that he had always said once he told his parents he was coming, he would never back out.

Reluctantly, he agreed.

The next morning, at approximately 6:30 a.m., rocket sirens shattered the holiday.

The Nightmare Begins

In an exclusive interview with Jewish Breaking News conducted in Teaneck, New Jersey, Cohen recalled waking to the sound of incoming rockets before Hamas terrorists stormed the kibbutz hours later.

Desperate to hide, she wrapped herself in a blanket and crawled beneath a bed. It was not enough.

Sapir Cohen, who was released after being held hostage by the Palestinian militant group Hamas following the October 7 attack, poses for a portrait in Johannesburg on May 15, 2024. Sapir Cohen travelled from Israel to South Africa to tell her story after being held hostage. (Photo by Wikus de Wet / AFP) (Photo by WIKUS DE WET/AFP via Getty Images)

“I stood up knowing there was no escape,” she recalled.

The terrorists dragged her outside and forced her onto a motorcycle between two armed gunmen. As they sped toward Gaza, she noticed crowds of Palestinians lining the roads filming her abduction.

Rather than look away, she kept her head held high, hoping her family would eventually see the footage and know she had been taken alive.

Once inside Gaza, a violent mob surrounded her, beating her with sticks and pelting her with stones.

A Family Torn Apart

Troufanov was also taken hostage that day, along with his mother and grandmother. His father, Vitaly Troufanov, remained behind at Kibbutz Nir Oz and was murdered by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre.

Vitaly, Sasha, Yelena and Irena Troufanov

His mother and grandmother were released during the November 2023 ceasefire. Sasha remained in Hamas captivity for 498 days, much of that time inside Hamas’s underground tunnel network, before being freed in February 2025. Cohen was released after 55 days.

Separated but enduring similar horrors, both suffered starvation, isolation, and physical and emotional abuse. Troufanov was shot in both legs during captivity and later said he survived only because fellow hostages helped care for him.

“I’m not mad at life anymore,” he reflected after his release. “I understand that you need to do something meaningful with your time.”

The Psalm That Changed Everything

For Cohen, faith became her lifeline.

About a month before October 7, she experienced an unexplained sense that something was wrong. Believing it might be related to her health, she came across an Instagram post encouraging people to recite Psalm 27 daily for 30 days as a prayer for protection.

She began reciting it every day.

Only during the final week did she realize the Psalm was not about physical illness at all. It was about finding strength and protection in the face of enemies and war.

“When my enemies and my foes come upon me to devour my flesh, they stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear… For He will hide me in His shelter on the day of evil.”

Cohen has also pointed to the verse in Psalm 27 containing the Hebrew word “chamas” (חמס), meaning “violence.” She believes its appearance in the Psalm carried profound significance in light of what would soon unfold.

A Prayer Card and a Promise

During the JBN interview in Teaneck, Cohen handed the reporter prayer cards she had printed bearing Sasha’s photograph alongside Psalm 27. She asked that the reporter pray for Sasha’s safe return and help distribute the cards so Jews around the world would also pray for him.

The JBN reporter gladly accepted the cards and gave Cohen a heartfelt blessing, telling her he believed Sasha would soon be freed and that one day the two of them would stand together beneath the chuppah as husband and wife. Sasha was freed 500 days after his captivity with some intervention from Vladimir Putin.

On Sunday evening, that blessing became reality.

From Captivity to the Chuppah

Their shared ordeal forged an unbreakable bond.

“Now I know why I had waited for him,” Cohen said. “Out of all this pain, we found something beautiful.”

Troufanov, who has said he considered himself an atheist before October 7, now speaks openly about how captivity transformed his outlook on life and faith. Today, he says he wants to dedicate his life to meaningful purpose, beginning with building a future alongside Sapir.

From the tunnels of Gaza to standing beneath the chuppah, Sasha and Sapir’s story is a remarkable testament to the endurance of the human spirit, the power of faith, and the Jewish people’s unwavering commitment to life.

Mazel Tov to Sasha and Sapir! May they be blessed with many long, healthy, and joyful years together. May they merit to build a Bayit Ne’eman B’Yisrael, filled with Torah, faith, love, peace, and generations of happiness. May they know only simchas from this day forward.

Newly revealed Hamas documents are shedding light on one of the biggest unanswered questions of the October 7 massacre, why Hezbollah did not launch a full northern invasion while Hamas terrorists were storming southern Israel.

The files, published by Army Radio, show years of coordination between Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. They also reveal something even more explosive, Yahya Sinwar appears to have believed Hezbollah would join the assault in a major way, potentially turning the massacre into a multi-front invasion from Gaza, Lebanon and beyond.

Head of the political wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar attends a rally in support of Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque in Gaza City on October 1, 2022. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

The documents show that Hamas was pushing Hezbollah long before the attack. Ismail Haniyeh, then Hamas’s political chief, wrote to Hassan Nasrallah that Palestinians were confident Hezbollah would “not disappoint them” in the campaign against Israel. A similar message was reportedly sent to Iran’s supreme leader.

During Operation Guardian of the Walls, according to the documents, Hamas, Hezbollah and the IRGC operated a joint intelligence war room in Beirut. From there, Hezbollah allegedly passed Hamas information on IDF deployments, air activity and fighter-jet movements. One Israeli security source told Army Radio that Hezbollah had a meaningful role in disrupting Israel’s deception operation against Hamas’s “Metro” tunnel system in Gaza.

The documents also point to a key Beirut meeting between senior Hamas figures, Nasrallah and senior Iranian officials. Hamas pushed for a wider regional war, arguing that Israel was politically divided, facing terrorism in Judea & Samaria and under pressure from regional normalization. Nasrallah, according to the files, did not reject the idea outright, but pressed Hamas to define what the war was supposed to achieve.

Sinwar then reportedly sent Nasrallah several possible attack scenarios. The most ambitious envisioned a surprise assault “from all fronts,” with Hamas expecting not only Hezbollah’s Radwan forces in the north, but also possible attacks from the direction of Jordan and Syria. The preferred timing, according to the documents, was originally tied to a Jewish holiday, with Passover discussed as an option before the plan shifted.

By the time the massacre began, however, Hezbollah had not launched the synchronized ground assault Sinwar expected. The documents say Sinwar sent Nasrallah an urgent message as the attack was already underway, asking Hezbollah to join with mass rocket fire and a large ground offensive.

That full northern assault never came. Hezbollah opened fire from Lebanon later, turning the border into an active front, but Nasrallah held back from sending Radwan terrorists into the Galilee in the opening hours. The difference was enormous, October 7 was already a national catastrophe. A simultaneous Hezbollah invasion from the north could have multiplied the slaughter and dragged Israel into an even wider war from the first morning.

KFAR AZA, ISRAEL – JANUARY 04: A view of a house left in ruins after an attack by Hamas militants during the October 7th massacre on January 04, 2024 in Kfar Aza, Israel. Around 1,200 people were killed, with several hundred taken hostage, during Hamas’s surprise cross-border attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Many of those towns and kibbutzim remain completely evacuated, with their residents having relocated to other parts of Israel. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

The files do not make Hezbollah look restrained. They make it look involved, informed and deeply tied into Hamas’s war planning, but unwilling to pay the full price of joining Sinwar’s suicidal gamble at the decisive moment. For Israel, the documents are another warning about the Iranian axis, Hamas did not imagine October 7 as a Gaza-only attack. It wanted a regional war designed to break Israel on multiple fronts.

Israel stopped that scenario from fully materializing. The next war plan must assume Iran’s terror proxies will try again.

Israel’s government has approved a new NIS 27 million plan aimed at turning Judea & Samaria from a mostly day-trip destination into a place where visitors can stay overnight, spend locally, and build longer trips around its biblical, historical and natural sites. The plan, led by Tourism Minister Haim Katz, targets one of the region’s biggest tourism gaps: hotel capacity.

Under the decision, NIS 7 million from the Tourism Ministry’s ongoing budget will be spread through 2030 for statutory planning, mapping, land reserves and steps that make plots marketable for hotel development. Another NIS 20 million from the ministry’s development budget will go toward grants for establishing, converting or expanding hotels and lodging facilities, with support reaching up to 28% of an approved investment plan.

TOPSHOT – A man poses for a photo next to a fallen rocket half-buried in the ground on the outskirts of Jericho on June 8, 2026, following Iranian and Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks. Israel and Iran traded fire on June 8, seriously testing a fragile truce and threating hopes for a deal to end the Middle East war. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP via Getty Images) /

Judea & Samaria already draws Jewish and Christian visitors to places such as Hebron, Gush Etzion, Binyamin and Mount Hebron, but the lack of rooms has kept much of the area locked into short visits and bus-tour stops. Tourism officials previously said the region has less than 2% of Israel’s hotel rooms despite its concentration of heritage, religious and nature sites.

The Tourism Ministry says roughly NIS 115 million has been invested in tourism infrastructure in the area over the past decade, compared with more than NIS 2 billion elsewhere in Israel. Ynet also noted that the move follows a separate government decision in May approving about NIS 50 million for public tourism infrastructure in Judea & Samaria.

Katz called the region’s tourism potential “enormous,” saying the plan will remove barriers, give investors more certainty and lay the groundwork for more lodging rooms. Critics abroad will predictably treat the move as political. Israel is framing it as development: more hotels, more jobs, more access to the heartland of Jewish history, and a clear signal that Judea & Samaria is not just a stop on the map, but a destination.

Students in Somaliland are calling for Israel’s history to be incorporated into their national school curriculum, saying the Jewish state’s historic recognition of their homeland has sparked a desire to better understand the country and the leader behind the landmark decision.

“We need to know more about Netanyahu’s history because he brought us recognition,” one student said, reflecting a growing sense of appreciation among many Somalilanders following Israel’s diplomatic move.

In December 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state, making Israel the first—and so far only—United Nations member state to extend official recognition to the self-governing territory.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following the collapse of Somalia’s central government. Over the past three decades, it has established its own democratic government, security forces, currency, passport, and institutions while operating independently, despite not receiving broad international recognition.

HARGEISA, SOMALIALAND – JANUARY 6: (—-EDITORIAL USE ONLY – MANDATORY CREDIT – ‘ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY / HANDOUT’ – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS—-) Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar meets with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, in Hargeisa, Somaliland on January 6, 2026. (Photo by Israeli Foreign Ministry/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Israel’s recognition marked a major diplomatic milestone for Somaliland and was widely celebrated across the territory. Supporters viewed the decision as validation of Somaliland’s decades-long quest for international legitimacy and as the beginning of a new chapter in relations between the two nations.

Now, that historic decision is resonating far beyond the political arena. Students say they want to learn more about Israel’s history, its people, and the leadership that they believe helped place Somaliland on the world’s diplomatic map.

The video has quickly gained attention online, with many viewers describing it as a remarkable glimpse into the goodwill Israel’s recognition has generated in Somaliland and the growing warmth between the two nations following the unprecedented diplomatic move.

A dramatic rescue of eight people ensued after their seaplane crash-landed in New York City’s East River Sunday. At least five ships that were involved in the rescue raced to the scene, successfully evacuated all the passengers, righted the aircraft and towed it to shore. A few minor injuries were reported.

Video footage shows the plane listing to one side in the water as emergency responders worked to free those trapped inside. According to officials interviewed by The New York Post, the plane landed in the choppy waters, capsizing partly, slightly after 12 p.m.

The Fire Department of New York successfully evacuated all the passengers and treated two with minor injuries at the scene. Police said they had launched an investigation into the crash.

A Hasidic Jewish man was attacked Friday night in Outremont, Montreal, by an assailant attempting to steal his shtreimel, a fur hat worn by Hasidic men, off his head. The man fended him off, while other members of the community rushed toward the attacker, causing him to flee. However, the attacker did manage to successfully snatch the shtreimels off the heads of two other men and make off with them.

Hasidic men wear shtreimels after marriage on Shabbat, holidays and special occasions. The tall fur hats are costly, running into the thousands of dollars for one headpiece.

The incident comes amid a spike in similar incidents in which visibly Jewish people are attacked, such as an incident last week in which a man wearing a kippah was assaulted in Toronto. In this incident, the Jewish man was approached by the assailant, who shouted slurs and threatened to kill him, following up his threats with throwing a traffic cone, bricks, and a tree branch at the victim that, causing scratches and lacerations. The man was arrested and identified as Abdulkadir Al-Jelani, 58, who claimed to be a Houthi from Yemen.

Jewish groups condemned the antisemitic attacks in Montreal and Toronto.

“This attack demonstrates how the anti-Zionist hate movement is being weaponized to justify intimidation and violent attacks against Canadians,” the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs said in a statement.

“The problem needs to be named clearly: anti-Zionism is fueling radicalization, extremism, and anti-Jewish violence,” the group continued. “We continue to advocate for stronger action to identify, deter, and prosecute hate-motivated violence, and to ensure Canada’s Jewish community can live and work without fear.”

“Being Jewish is not a provocation,” Richard Robertson, from B’nai B’rith Canada, said in an interview with an Israel-based outlet.

“After every antisemitic incident, we hear the same response from our elected officials: ‘There is no place for hate in Canada,'” he continued. “Following the recent assault of a Jewish man in Toronto who was simply going about his workday, and the news that multiple visibly Jewish men were the targets of suspected hate crimes while simply walking on Shabbat, such rhetoric has become increasingly hollow.”

“Condemnation is important, but it cannot be the end of the conversation. Actions must be taken to assure Canada’s Jewish community that we can freely practice our faith in this country without fear. We demand a response that ensures that we can remain openly, visibly, and proudly Jewish,” Robertson concluded.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Montreal Jewish community have asked anyone with information to come forward.

Chilling video footage shows the popular, far-right streamer and influencer Sneako proclaiming to a large crowd in New York City, “This is the Islamic Republic of New Yorkistan.”

“This is the Islamic Republic of New Yorkistan,” he said. “Islam will be in every household, inshallah. The whole world is Muslim.”

“Welcome to Mamdani’s New York,” he added. “You see this city? You see how it looks? Inshallah your city looks just like this too.”

Sneako, whose real name is Nico Kenn De Balinthazy, built an enormous following online, especially among young male viewers, through his controversial reactions to online content, leaning hard on the “red pill” and “manosphere” ideologies (i.e., the extreme fringes of the right wing).

Last January, he joined a group of influencers in chanting Nazi slogans while listening to a song called “Heil Hitler.” On his livestreams, he has defended Hitler and said, “Down with the Jews!” In June 2025, he drew fire for stating that “Israel is not compatible with Western civilization.” And last May, even Australia, where antisemitism has spiked sharply in recent years, imposed a lifetime ban on the antisemitic media personality.

The streamer has also collaborated with prominent antisemites Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes, expanding his reach and cementing his popularity among young men. Jewish advocates have expressed concerns about the rise in antisemitism among the youth on both the right and the left who will form a new generation of political leaders in a few years, completing the antisemitic takeover of American governance.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against Vice President JD Vance after the vice president warned Israeli leaders against publicly criticizing the United States, calling America Israel’s “only powerful ally.”

Vance made the remarks while defending President Donald Trump’s Iran policy and responding to criticism from members of Israel’s government.

“If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government,” Vance said, “I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”

The vice president also described President Trump as “the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” adding that many of Israel’s defensive capabilities have been built in the United States and funded by American taxpayers.

Asked about Vance’s comments, Netanyahu struck a respectful but firm tone.

“First of all, I respect JD Vance,” the prime minister said. “We have a very good relationship, but it doesn’t mean that I agree with everything that he says.”

Netanyahu then reaffirmed his praise for President Trump.

“Donald Trump is great—the greatest friend we ever had in the White House,” he said. “And I stand by that completely.”

However, Netanyahu rejected the idea that Israel’s international support depends on a single country.

“Secondly, we have some other friends, like a small country called India,” Netanyahu said with a smile. “You know, it has 1.4 billion people. And boy, do we have tremendous support there. I have this Facebook thing, and I’m just flooded by the overwhelming support there.”

He said India is just one example of the many nations that privately stand with Israel despite public political pressures.

“And we have many others,” Netanyahu continued. “Their media and their social media are inundated with anti-Israel, antisemitic material. Many leaders call me up and say, ‘Hey, look, I’ve got this problem with public opinion, but I want you to know we respect you.’”

According to Netanyahu, those conversations often lead to requests for expanded cooperation.

“They ask, ‘Can we make some deals? Can you teach us some of the things that your military does? Can we have some of your AI and cyber expertise?’”

Netanyahu concluded by arguing that Israel’s diplomatic relationships are far stronger than they often appear in public.

“So the relations are not quite as they appear,” he said. “We have many, many friends.”

Turkish activists hung a banner that reads, “Hide your children, Trump is coming” on the Haliç Bridge in Istanbul ahead of President Donald Trump’s expected July 7 meeting for a NATO summit in Ankara.

The Turkish protesters oppose Trump’s Middle East policies and the perceived negative impact of his leadership on global affairs and children’s welfare, hence the “Hide your children” slogan.

Turkey is tightening security in preparation for the NATO summit, banning demonstrations and placing controversial restrictions on speech. In addition, Turkey converted a former military airport into a VIP airport specifically to host dignitaries arriving for the summit.

Turkey has frustrated NATO allies in recent years with its turn to extremist, anti-democratic policies, its purchases of Russian missile defense systems that led to its expulsion from the F-35 program, and its refusal to participate in sanctions against Russia.

However, since the Iran war, Turkey has tilted toward the West after NATO stepped in with defense systems when Iran fired missiles into Turkish territory.

At the Washington, D.C., Fourth of July celebrations Saturday, large water cannons sprayed attendees struggling with extreme heat. Emergency workers were deployed to assist people with heat-related conditions, with some attendees being evacuated on stretchers to receive medical aid. Cases of water bottles were stationed throughout the outdoor venue, and the temperature of the outdoor chairs reached 160 degrees.

Thunderstorms caused by the clash of warm and cool air impeded the festivities, with attendees seeking shelter in makeshift tents. Severe thunderstorm weather with winds gusting to 65 mph stretched from Missouri to Pennsylvania.

A National Guard member (top) and a woman (bottom) with heat-related conditions receive medical assistance.

A heat dome blanketing large swaths of the United States and pushing air downward, causing temperatures to rise above 100 degrees in some places, such as Philadelphia, Pa., and Washington, D.C., may have resulted in as many as 25 deaths. In New Jersey alone, 22 heat-related deaths were reported, mostly people in their 30s to 80s and mostly in homes that lacked air conditioning.

The National Weather Service predicted that cooler air will push the heat dome south and west, providing relief to the Northeast.

Israel has begun historic conservation work at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, one of the Jewish people’s holiest sites and the burial place, according to Jewish tradition, of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah. The project marks the first major Jewish-led restoration effort at the site in some 2,000 years.

The work includes a permanent roof over the Jewish prayer courtyard, upgraded electricity, air conditioning, drainage, lighting and fire-safety systems. For years, worshippers have faced intense heat, winter flooding and outdated infrastructure at a site visited by Jews from Israel and around the world. Israeli officials say the renovations are meant to protect the ancient structure while making prayer and visitation safer, more dignified and more accessible.

The breakthrough came after planning authority was shifted away from the Palestinian-run Hebron municipality and Waqf mechanisms that had blocked structural upgrades. The Civil Administration previously said the roofing project serves the public interest and that prayer arrangements at the site would remain unchanged during the work.

The move also carries heavy national weight. UNESCO listed Hebron’s Old City, centered around the Tomb of the Patriarchs/Ibrahimi Mosque compound, as a Palestinian World Heritage site in danger in 2017, a decision Israel and Jewish leaders condemned as an attempt to erase Jewish history from one of its deepest roots. Yishai Fleisher of the Jewish Community of Hebron put it sharply: “In a sense, we are finishing Herod’s work.”

For Israel, this is not just a renovation. It is a statement of responsibility at the place where Jewish connection to the Land of Israel begins: Hebron, the city of the patriarchs, where Jewish history is not being preserved as a museum piece, but restored as a living inheritance.

Israelis, it seems, can’t catch a break but are harassed everywhere they go. A man filmed himself calling a group of Israelis vacationing in Montenegro “baby killers” and accused them of genocide. While filming, a couple of women in burqas walking by also shouted “baby killers” and “shame on you.” Then the man, offended that his nasty comments were not well received, called them “a—holes.”

In the video, first a woman walked by, shouting “baby killers, shame on you!” Then the man filming said, “Guys, you took a break from genocide, coming here? How’s it going, killing civilians?”

“Keep walking,” one of the Israelis said. “Don’t talk to us. I don’t, I didn’t talk to you. I don’t know. You don’t know me.”

“I know you. I know you’re murderers, killing kids,” the man sneered.

“Yes. Same as you,” the Israeli said.

“No, we don’t do that, a—holes,” the man said, adding a few more choice insults.

People with Israeli accents or speaking Hebrew are regularly harassed around the world. Israeli tourists were attacked in Thailand after being overheard speaking Hebrew by French tourists in February. In June of last year, an Israeli tourist was violently attacked by a mob after he was heard speaking his native language. A family of Israeli tourists who were heard speaking Hebrew in Thessaloniki in July 2025 were attacked, with assailants following them to their car after they were told by staff to leave a restaurant.

The situation has worsened to the point that the Israeli National Security Council has been warning Israeli tourists not to speak Hebrew when traveling abroad. They have also advised removing all external signs of Jewishness, such as Stars of David, before going out in public, to keep mum about their military service, and to stay away from unsecured, unmonitored sites.

Antisemitic poster boards titled “Jewish-Zionists of Toronto” and ominously depicting photos of Jewish people were displayed on a Toronto sidewalk over the weekend, bringing the wave of antisemitic incidents to crazier and scarier heights.

David Perks is alleged to be behind the signs and is said to be a perpetual and obsessive Jew hater. This type of signage reflects the larger trend of rising antisemitism in the city and has been documented and condemned by Jewish groups such as Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, CIJA and B’nai Brith Canada.

Canada has hate speech laws, and these signs may well violate those laws. Some people involved in such incidents have indeed been charged with public incitement of hatred and willful promotion of hatred.

For example, Toronto police arrested six people in connection with a March 15 protest in which participants carried banners that showed Jews as monsters with long noses emerging from the ground and in other posters as rats. The pro-Hamas demonstration took place near Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue.

Toronto Police Chief Myron Denkiw said that all six were charged with incitement of hatred and willful promotion of hatred.

“We will continue to be relentless in following the evidence to hold those who commit criminal acts of hate accountable. No matter how long it takes, we will root it out,” he said at a press conference at the time. “Today is an example of what we mean when we say that arrests and charges can come at any time after an incident. Hate has real impact. Antisemitic behavior like this creates fear, anxiety and division in our communities.”

“We are committed to working with all our partners to combat hate, and we will continue to have a visible presence at protests and around places of worship and community centers for as long as it takes,” the police chief added.

Turkey is building a major launch facility on Somalia’s Indian Ocean coast that is being sold as a space project, but new reporting points to a sharper reality, the site may also serve as a ballistic missile testing range for Ankara’s expanding defense industry. Le Monde’s latest satellite-based report places the facility near Warsheikh, north of Mogadishu, and says it is being developed as both a satellite launch base and a ballistic test site.

Officially, Turkey and Somalia are branding the project as a technological leap. Ankara says Somalia’s equatorial geography gives rockets a launch advantage, reduces fuel use and helps Turkey gain independent access to orbit. Somalia’s state news agency also describes the facility as under construction and intended to make the country a hub for satellite and rocket launches.

MOGADISHU, SOMALIA – APRL 23: Turkish military ship arrives in Mogadishu within the scope of the agreement signed between the governments of Somalia and Turkiye in the fields of defense and economy, in Mogadishu, Somalia on April 23, 2024. (Photo by Abuukar Mohamed Muhidin/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Türkiye Today quoted Baykar chief Selçuk Bayraktar saying construction had begun and that “Roketsan will also use it,” a reference to Turkey’s state-backed missile maker. Middle East Forum reported that the facility could accommodate systems with ranges of up to about 2,000 kilometers, projecting Turkish reach across the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab al-Mandab, the Strait of Hormuz and key Western positions in the region.

That does not make Israel an immediate target from the reported 2,000-kilometer envelope. But it does put the emerging Israel-Somaliland axis directly inside the regional competition. Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an independent state, becoming the first country to do so, and later hosted Somaliland’s president in Jerusalem for his first state visit. Turkey, meanwhile, is deepening its grip on Somalia through military training, naval arrangements, energy deals and now strategic launch infrastructure.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT – OCTOBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump greets Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a world leaders’ summit on ending the Gaza war on October 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. President Trump is in Egypt to meet with European and Middle Eastern leaders in what’s being billed as an international peace summit, following the start of a US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Evan Vucci – Pool / Getty Images)

The concern grows because Turkey’s missile ambitions are moving fast. Ankara recently unveiled the Yildirimhan ICBM prototype, with reported 6,000-kilometer range claims, while separate reporting citing Bloomberg said Turkey may seek to test long-range systems from Somalia. Al Jazeera noted the Yildirimhan is not yet in production and remains an announced capability rather than a fielded weapon, but the direction is clear: Erdogan wants Turkey to operate as a long-range missile and space power.

For Israel, this is not a current missile emergency. It is a strategic warning. A NATO member led by an openly hostile Erdogan is building a military-protected launch complex near one of the world’s most sensitive sea corridors, while Iran-backed Houthi terrorists continue to threaten Israeli shipping from Yemen. The battlefield around Israel is no longer confined to Gaza, Lebanon, Syria or Iran. It is stretching into the Horn of Africa.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump are moving toward a face-to-face meeting in the United States after a call in which the two leaders agreed to meet “soon,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office. Netanyahu used the call to congratulate Trump on America’s 250th Independence Day and stress Israel’s appreciation for the U.S.-Israel alliance.

rump told Axios and Channel 12 that Netanyahu requested a White House meeting and said it could happen as early as next week, though Israeli officials cautioned that no final date has been set and that the visit may slip because of Trump’s NATO travel schedule. In Trump’s words: “We get along very good. [Netanyahu] knows who the boss is.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and President Donald Trump (left) with Jared Kushner (center) at the start of their May 22 meeting in Jerusalem. Credit: Kobi Gideon/GPO.

The expected meeting comes at a tense moment between Jerusalem and Washington. Trump is pressing forward with diplomacy with Iran after the U.S.-Iran memorandum that extended the ceasefire, reopened the Strait of Hormuz track and launched a 60-day negotiation period. Israel was not a party to that arrangement and remains deeply concerned that Washington could accept a deal that leaves Iran with nuclear infrastructure, missile capabilities or room to rebuild.

Netanyahu’s central message is expected to be blunt, Israel cannot outsource its security to negotiators chasing a paper deal with Tehran. Trump, meanwhile, has signaled that diplomacy is his priority while still keeping military force on the table if Iran refuses real concessions. That makes the coming meeting a critical test of whether the U.S.-Israel alliance can stay locked in on the same mission: stopping the Iranian regime from ever threatening Israel, America or the region with a nuclear weapon.

TOPSHOT – Beachgoers wait in an underground parking used as a bomb shelter near the beach during an alert in Tel Aviv on March 7, 2026. Israel’s military said on March 7, it had struck 16 Iranian aircraft at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport, which it said was a key hub for the Islamic republic’s Revolutionary Guards. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT / AFP via Getty Images)

Gunshots rang out at Fairlane Mall in Dearborn, Mich., Friday, sending shoppers into a panic as they fled, screaming. Police confirmed that three people were shot and two died. The victims were taken to Corewell Health Dearborn Hospital, while the Henry Ford Medical Center-Fairlane and Fairlane Mall were placed on lockdown.

Michigan State Police have joined Dearborn Police at the mall, saying an active investigation is ongoing and asking people to avoid the area.

The mall is located at 18900 Michigan Avenue near Evergreen Road. Authorities have not released any more details about the incident.

A Monsey, NY family is celebrating an incredible turn of events after a local resident struck it big with one of the New York Lottery’s most lucrative scratch-off games.

Henya Fried was recently confirmed as the grand prize winner of the “Set for Life” instant game after purchasing the lucky ticket in Spring Valley. The top prize allows winners to choose between receiving $5,000 every week for the rest of their lives or accepting a one-time cash payout valued at approximately $3.46 million before taxes.

Lottery officials say the lifetime option guarantees annual payments totaling $260,000 before taxes for the first 20 years. Should the winner outlive that period, the weekly payments continue for the rest of their life, making it one of the state’s most valuable recurring lottery prizes.

State records show that prize documents were finalized on June 25, 2026, giving Fried the opportunity to select her preferred payout option and complete the required paperwork.

The winner’s husband, Meir Fried, is a familiar face in the Monsey community, where he serves as Customer Service Manager at Rockland Kosher Supermarket. Known for his warm personality and dedication to helping customers, he is widely recognized by residents throughout the area.

News of the win has spread quickly through Monsey, with friends and neighbors extending warm congratulations to the Fried family on their extraordinary and life-changing blessing.

Following last week’s devastating earthquakes in Venezuela that left nearly 50,000 missing, about 3,000 confirmed dead, and about 13,000 wounded, dozens of countries sent aid. But Acting President Delcy Rodríguez singled out Israel in remarks Friday, thanking the Jewish state for its highly trained experts and advanced technology in search-and-rescue missions.

Speaking to reporters Thursday night, Rodríguez said, “I would like to report that yesterday we received a highly professional and skilled group from Israel, which arrived following contact made through the Jewish community in Venezuela.”

She thanked Venezuela’s Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen for helping to establish contact between her and the Israeli team and praised the team of experts for the deep expertise and advanced technology it brought to Venezuela.

“I would like to thank Rabbi Cohen for all the coordination that allowed us to establish contact with the Israeli government and bring here, at this moment, a team of experts that has begun implementing the protocol for opening the infrastructure rehabilitation process and assessing the condition of the infrastructure,” she said.

She also thanked the team for their capability in detecting life beneath the rubble and determining whether any bodies need to be pulled out before reconstruction can begin.

“This is a team with a very high level of training and professionalism, and I hope we can continue moving forward at this stage in the field of rehabilitation,” she said.

This marks the first time a Venezuelan leader has publicly praised or thanked Israel since Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999, and it may also mark the beginning of a shift in relations between the two countries.

Before Hugo Chávez came into power, the Jewish community in Venezuela numbered roughly 45,000 people. But when Chávez took over, he consolidated the powers of the democratic government, with its system of checks and balances, in the person of the president; instituted the practice of censorship of the media; punished and harassed political opponents; and nationalized the economy, driving it deeply into poverty.

When Nicolás Maduro assumed the office of the presidency, he continued these trends and also promoted a deep hostility toward Israel. While roughly 25 percent of Venezuela’s population fled during the tenure of these two dictators, roughly 90 percent of the Jewish community escaped, with only 4,000 to 6,000 people remaining.

Cohen sounded a note of optimism regarding the shift in tone.

“Although there are no diplomatic relations between the two countries, Israel took a wonderful step by providing humanitarian aid to Venezuela,” he said. “Government officials and the people received the delegation with love.”

“We hope, and are almost certain, that this will move another step forward,” he added. “There is no doubt that this was a moving gesture.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry also appreciated the gesture.

“Thank you to Venezuela’s Interim President, Delcy Rodríguez, for recognizing the efforts of the Israeli search and rescue team that came to assist following the earthquakes,” the ministry said in a statement.

The IDF announced the elimination of Mohammad Fathi Abd al-Hay Abu Fakher, the commander of Hamas’ Yibna Battalion in the Rafah Brigade, in another targeted strike against the terrorist organization’s leadership.

According to the military, Abu Fakher was considered a longtime Hamas operative who held a significant role in the group’s logistics and weapons smuggling operations, while also serving as a senior official responsible for supplying Hamas’ military wing.

Screenshot

Israeli officials said that despite months of fighting, Abu Fakher had recently been spearheading efforts to rebuild the Yibna Battalion by recruiting fresh operatives, directing their training, and reestablishing the battalion’s ability to launch attacks against IDF forces operating in Gaza.

The strike marks the latest in Israel’s continued campaign to dismantle Hamas’ remaining command structure and prevent the terror group from restoring its military capabilities.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem Friday to mark America’s 250th Independence Day ahead of the actual day on Saturday and to deliver a letter of congratulations to President Donald Trump and the American people.

“I am extremely moved and happy to be here at the American embassy in Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel, at the embassy which was launched by President Trump in his historic recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,” Herzog said, referring to the president’s historic order to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warmly welcomes Israeli President Isaac Herzog ahead of Independence Day. (Credit: Mike Huckabee)

“I want to congratulate the president, the Congress, the leadership and the people of the United States of America through you, Mr. Ambassador, on 250 years of independence,” Herzog said. “American independence is one of the greatest moments in history, and it has changed the fate of humanity.”

In his letter to the American people, the Israeli president wrote about the inspiration the United States provided throughout the centuries as a beacon of hope and democracy and expressed gratitude for the alliance between the two countries.

“The story of America has inspired humanity the world over,” he wrote. “From sea to shining sea, America stands as a beacon of liberty, and as the leader of the free world.”

“This is also a time to express our deepest appreciation for the unique and unbreakable partnership between the United States of America and Israel,” he continued. “Our two nations draw from the same wellsprings of the Bible, and we share the same fundamental values of freedom, democracy and human dignity.”

“I thank you for your steadfast commitment to Israel’s security,” Herzog added. “The people of Israel will never forget your tireless efforts to bring our beloved hostages home. May you continue to lead the Middle East and the world toward peace and security.”

Huckabee, in turn, warmly welcomed Herzog.

“This is a great time for all Americans to celebrate, but we’re not the only ones celebrating America’s 250th birthday,” he said. “We have a very special guest at the U.S. Embassy today, President Isaac Herzog. Thank you, Mr. President. We’re honored to have you here and honored to call you a friend.”

Pro-pally activists have revealed the location of an Israeli disaster relief-and-rescue team at a hotel in Caracas, saying, “We don’t want you here.”

Israel sent teams of experts in search and rescue, as well as medical teams with equipment to open mobile clinics wherever they are needed, following massive earthquakes in Venezuela that left nearly 50,000 people still missing, with nearly 3,000 confirmed deaths and more than 12,000 injured. They did this despite the anti-Israel hostility of Venezuela that led to its breaking diplomatic ties with Israel in 2009, putting kindness over politics.

But while Israel put kindness over politics, its critics could not bring themselves to reciprocate.

Dima Khatib, a former Latin American correspondent, posted her disgust in a written and video statement on social media.

A former journalist scorns the aid Israel is offering to quake-torn Venezuela. (Credit: Dima Khatib)

“Israeli soldiers are in Caracas! A first in 17 years in Venezuela. Coming fresh from a genocide … hopping to an earthquake,” she wrote. In her video statement, she added in Spanish and English, “We don’t want you here.”

The Cradle, an online news magazine that is not only anti-Israel but also pro-Hamas, wrote that Israel sent rescue teams to Venezuela, then added, “The deployment has been slammed as a PR stunt, as Israel continues to commit genocide in Gaza and crimes in Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank.”

As Jewish advocate and social media personality Hen Mazzig wrote, however, Israel sent aid “not as PR because, no surprise, most articles talking about the relief efforts leave Israel out. Not for diplomacy either, as Venezuela cut ties with Israel back in 2009.”

An Israeli team sent to help Venezuela recover from the earthquake poses for a photo. (Credit: IDF)

Instead, he said that Israel is helping Venezuela because it’s the right thing to do: “We’re there because, no matter how many times you tell yourselves Israelis aren’t human, that’s not reality. We help because we feel a duty to. Because it feels good to bring good into the world.”

In a separate post, he slammed the activists whose hatred of Israel is so great, that they prefer to see Venezuela suffer than accept help from the Jewish state.

“When the devastating earthquakes hit Venezuela, Israel came to their aid,” he wrote. “Now, Free Palestine activists have exposed the delegation’s location, saying they don’t want Israel’s help.”

“Imagine being so hateful that you would rather let your country suffer than receive help,” he declared.

An Israeli team digs through the rubble in Venezuela following devastating earthquakes.

But Venezuelan leadership welcomed the efforts of the Israeli teams.

“We receive and appreciate the arrival of a technical mission from the State of Israel, made up of experts in structural engineering and applied sciences, which joins the efforts to evaluate affected infrastructure following the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, within the framework of international technical cooperation and support for the Venezuelan people,” wrote Yvan Gil, Venezuela’s foreign minister, on X.

A Jewish social media user posted a video of Mexico’s top mole, leader of Mexico’s rescue brigade, the Aztec Moles, thanking Israel and lauding its technological prowess in rescue operations.

Mexico’s top mole, leader of Mexico’s rescue brigade, praises Israel’s advanced technological capabilities.

Using robotic drones that employ advanced AI tracking capabilities, Israeli teams are mapping out routes through the debris so that moles arriving from Mexico can safely enter. They are also using thermal detection technology to detect signs of life.

A mole is a search-and-rescue expert trained to penetrate narrow, dangerous spaces beneath rubble to extract survivors and bodies.

An IDF soldier was abducted from Be’er Sheva in broad daylight, forced into a vehicle, blindfolded, bound, robbed and taken toward Palestinian Authority territory in the southern Hebron area, according to Israeli police details reported by Ynet.  

Investigators say the main suspect is Waleed Farukh, 49, an employee of the Palestinian Authority’s General Intelligence service. He was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, threats, harming regional security, harming IDF activity and illegal entry into Israel. Police say the initial motive appears criminal rather than terror-related.  

The soldier was reportedly left injured and tied up in an open area, but managed to break free, call for help and reach Palestinian police. He was taken to a station in Tarkumiya before being transferred back to Israeli authorities and giving formal testimony.  

The Be’er Sheva court extended the suspect’s detention by four days. The judge warned that even if the motive was criminal, a PA resident allegedly entering Israel illegally, abducting an IDF soldier from a major Israeli city and moving him into PA territory cannot be separated from the post-October 7 security reality.  

Israeli forces arrest a Palestinian man in the village of Al Aqaba, West Bank, as for the second day in a row, they raid the city of Tubas and arrest a number of residents on June 20, 2025. Since October 7, 2023, Israeli raids in West Bank cities and refugee camps have intensified, causing the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians. (Photo by Wahaj Bani Moufleh / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by WAHAJ BANI MOUFLEH/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

CNN anchors held a discussion that stunned even Democrats: They talked about the Jewishness of Democratic candidates as a factor in their electability.

Speaking about Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia) and his possible run for the presidency, one anchor said, “He is Jewish; he might be the Democrat that can thread the needle, because even though he’s Jewish, he’s very critical of the Israeli government, very critical of Benjamin Netanyahu. He has credibility on that issue, so it’s possible that I think he could be — fill that lane in between the two extremes of the Democratic Party.”

In other words, Ossoff might be a Jew who might be acceptable to Democrats, because being Jewish is now a liability when running for office within the Democratic Party.

The second anchor disagreed.

“Ask Scott Wiener how that’s working out for him,” she said, referring to the outpouring of hate against the California congressional candidate from fellow Democrats harassing him out for supporting the supposed “genocide” Israel is committing in Gaza although he had adopted their stance on Israel specifically for the purpose of attracting voters.

But it was the third anchor, Elex Michaelson, who raised the most eyebrows.

“As a Jew, some people read a little more Jewish than other people, and John Ossoff may not read as Jewish as Josh Shapiro does, for whatever that’s worth,” he said.

The online reaction was swift and denunciatory, prompting Michaelson to post an apology on X saying, “I apologize. I made a comment that was offensive. Going forward, I’ll do better.”

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia). (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

But social media users are having none of it. In one representative comment, a poster wrote, “To me the problem isn’t what you said having been ‘offensive’, the problem is that what you said is an accurate reading of the way that the current Democratic Party electorate thinks. You’re only sorry that you accidentally acknowledged what’s obvious to the rest of us.”

Some critics pointed out that if you replace the word “Jew” and “Jewish” with “Black,” “Hispanic” or “Muslim,” the backlash would be far worse.

For example, HonestReporting posted, “Now imagine a CNN anchor saying some candidates ‘read more Muslim’ or ‘more Black,’ implying they’re less fit for higher office.”

One poster summed up the general consensus among critics best:

“What a deeply weird place the Democratic Party is in on this issue,” said Logan Dobson, a Republican strategist, pollster and campaign operative.

A 37-year-old stay-at-home mom was arrested for transferring roughly $30,000 via 80 cryptocurrency transactions to a Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighter to help him plan and carry out attacks against Israelis.

If convicted, Catherine Beth Washburn of Irondequoit, N.Y., faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

Washburn poses with her family, presumably before she started wearing a hijab and became radicalized.

The mother of two has expressed intense hatred of Jews and Israel and belongs to the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation. The group, as its name suggests, eschews peaceful protests in favor of “direct action,” i.e., property destruction and sabotage of businesses that are associated with Israel.

Investigators from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force discovered messages sent between Washburn and an alleged PIJ fighter. During these exchanges, she expressed her intense hatred of Jews and Israel, saying she hated Jews “very much” and wished Israel “would disappear.”

Washburn posted her hatred of Israel on social media.

“I wish every day were Oct. 7th,” she also wrote. “If I lived in Gaza, I would fight alongside the resistance.”

In one particular message, she wrote that she gets “excited every time I see news of the killing of an occupation soldier.”

The United States government has designated PIJ as a foreign terrorist organization, making it a crime to provide aid and support to any member of the terror group.

At some point, Washburn started wearing a hijab.

Washburn went to “great lengths” to support acts of terror as a result of “her self-described hate of Israel and Jewish people,” said U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo.

“This individual, as alleged in the criminal complaint, provided money to a foreign terrorist organization engaged in acts of violence,” said FBI Counterterrorism Division Acting Assistant Director Coult Markovsky. “The FBI is committed to cutting off funding to terrorist groups and will continue to work side-by-side with our Justice Department partners to make sure anyone who engages in terrorism or provides assistance to such organizations is held fully accountable in our justice system.”

Old social media posts show photos of her with her family in which she appears without a hijab. It’s unclear whether she converted to Islam, when she started wearing a hijab, and when and how she became radicalized.

Air Force Maj. Jason Watson was arrested on the steps of the Capitol Wednesday after calling for the impeachments of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. As the active-duty service member was led away, in full uniform, a crowd of bystanders shouted at police “Shame!” “Free speech!” and “Protect the First Amendment!”

They then broke into a chant of “Who do you serve? Who do you protect?”

Air Force Maj. Jason Watson is arrested after defying an order by police to leave the steps of the Capitol.

However, Watson’s arrest had nothing to do with his free speech rights. As a matter of law, no one may stand on the steps of the Capitol and use it as their own personal soapbox unless accompanied by a member of Congress. Watson had been protesting on the steps at the side of Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), but remained standing there after Green left, holding a sign that said, “Impeach, Convict, Remove.”

Police then gave the military officer the option to leave as well, or remain and face arrest. Watson chose to remain and was subsequently arrested and charged with crowding, obstructing and incommoding.

The Uniform Code of Military Justice stipulates that Watson could be court-martialed or face disciplinary measures for his violation of the law.

A scorching heat wave that began Monday in the Midwest has since spread to the South and the East Coast of the United States, spilled over into Canada, and is expected to last well into the Fourth of July weekend. Europe is also fighting the heat, well into its second deadly heat wave in weeks, with another one expected to hit the continent next week.

Heat causes the most weather-related deaths in the United States, with 13,000 heat-related deaths since 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Temperatures are already peaking at dangerously high levels, with the heat index (the actual temperature combined with humidity to produce what the temperature feels like) reaching a whopping 111 degrees Fahrenheit in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., 106 in Boston, 102 in Chicago, 108 in Detroit, and 110 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Firefighters hose down sports fans to cool them as they head over to a stadium in Toronto, Canada.

Central Park in New York City reached 100 degrees, the first time the city hit the triple digits since 2012, and the heat index in the city soared to 106 degrees.

New York City prepared for the heat by opening cooling centers and asking New Yorkers to conserve electricity to protect the grid. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in a social media post, recommended setting the air conditioning to 78 degrees and turning off any appliances that are not needed or not in use.

“New York ISO [Independent System Operator, which manages the bulk of NYC’s electric grid] just issued an early warning that we must alleviate the strain on our energy grid statewide,” the mayor wrote. “Please do your part in keeping our power on by setting your AC to 78 degrees, turning off lights and unplugging electronics you’re not using, waiting until early morning or late at night to run appliances like dishwashers or laundry machines.”

A child cools off in a fountain at the Georgetown Waterfront Park on July 2, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“During a historic heatwave, AC will save lives — but only if we keep the grid stable enough for it to stay on,” he explained.

Despite the increase in travel before the holiday weekend, Amtrak canceled dozens of routes due to the heat wave.

What makes this heat wave particularly dangerous is that nighttime temperatures, while dropping somewhat, will still remain high.

The heat is expected to begin to dissipate a little on July 4 for the Northeast but will increase in the Southeast.

Continuous explosions rocked the city of Kyiv overnight and into Thursday morning in the deadliest Russian attack since it began its war with Ukraine more than four years ago.

The strikes left at least 21 dead and 85 wounded, including children. According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia used 74 missiles and 496 drones in an attack that damaged buildings and civilian infrastructure across the country’s capital, while people sheltered in subway stations and other shelters.

A motorist films plumes of smoke from Russian strikes on Kyiv overnight and into Thursday morning.

Twenty residential buildings sustained damage, with damage recorded in a total of 30 locations, but the Russians claimed they had targeted military infrastructure.

“Russia will continue to increase pressure on the Kyiv regime in order to achieve our set goals,” said Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in answer to a reporter’s question about the European Union’s response, which may include more sanctions on Russia.

Helicopters fly above the flames, dousing them with streams of water.

“It was a terrible night for Kyiv. The enemy’s most massive attack,” said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko in a social media post. “Damage has been reported in all districts of the city. The most significant destruction was suffered by a residential building in the Darnytskyi district. Part of the building was literally blown away.”

“A search and rescue operation is underway. People are being searched for under the rubble. Among them — a 15-year-old girl and her family,” he added.

An apartment building is on fire following Russian strikes on Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded for more help. After expressing gratitude to the United States and Europe for all the aid they had delivered until now and acknowledging the political divisions over the Ukraine war in various countries, he reminded Ukraine’s allies that the lives of innocent people are at stake and asked specifically for Patriot missiles, which he said are desperately needed for air defense.

He also said that the overnight attack shows that the aid is arriving too slowly and blamed political debates for the slow-walking of aid, especially crucial air defenses. He explained that this is a “big problem, because these people lost not only their apartments … they lost their children, their families, their life.”

The Cityhotel Residence in Kyiv caught fire after Russian strikes overnight and into the morning.

While saying that he understands that there are “a lot of internal questions in the United States” as well as Europe and that “a lot of different countries live from elections to elections,” and that it’s “very understandable,” he stressed the importance of saving lives.

“The priority is to save lives, Ukrainian lives,” he said.

“Russia is losing,” Zelensky added. “Ukrainians will win this war.”

Sneako, whose real name is Nico Kenn De Balinthazy, built an enormous following online, especially among young male viewers, through his controversial reactions to online content, leaning hard on the “red pill” and “manosphere” ideologies (i.e., the extreme fringes of the right wing).

In a blood-boiling video posted to social media Thursday, Sneako confronted a teenage youth and his father who were visiting from Israel, where his hatred and scorn of Israelis were on full display.

The boy and his father approached Sneako to say hi, and as soon as he found out they’re from Israel, he hounded them on the supposed genocide that Israel is committing. The pair were obviously stunned and unprepared for the deluge of anti-Israel talking points Sneako flung at them, accusing them of benefiting from Israel’s “genocide” and raising the issue of Itamar Ben-Gvir, a highly controversial and polarizing figure even within Israel.

Sneako gets nasty in a confrontation with Israelis. (Credit: Hen Mazzig)

When the 14-year-old and his dad tried to defend themselves, the popular streamer kept interrupting and talking over them. He said that if they want to deny the genocide, then others should be able to deny the Holocaust, which the dad said they do, in fact. But Sneako didn’t let him finish his point, holding up a long Palestine flag banner and starting the crowd in a chant of “Free Palestine” to drown him out.

Defeated, the father and son walked away, and Sneako fired his parting shot:

“We kicked them out of this land, the same way they kicked the Palestinians out of that land,” he told his crowd of fans.

“Walk away!” he sneered at the duo as they left.

Sneako is no stranger to accusations of antisemitism.

Last January, he joined a group of influencers in chanting Nazi slogans while listening to a song called “Heil Hitler.” On his livestreams, he has defended Hitler and said, “Down with the Jews!” In June 2025, he drew fire for stating that “Israel is not compatible with Western civilization.” And last May, even Australia, where antisemitism has spiked sharply in recent years, imposed a lifetime ban on the antisemitic media personality.

A bomb exploded in a café in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, killing six and wounding nearly two dozen others. Authorities have confirmed that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED). While no one has claimed responsibility, such attacks have generally been the provenance of ISIS, a terror organization with an extremist interpretation of Islam that disapproves of the way Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is observing the religion.

A fire truck arrives at the scene of the bombing.

The attack highlights the fragility of Syria’s security apparatus as al-Sharaa tries to stitch together a country fractured by years of friction between various factions and the oppression of the Assad regime.

When Syrian rebels swept into Damascus and deposed Bashar al-Assad, large-scale pockets of fighting continued to break out between Syrian forces and smaller minority groups such as the Kurds, Alawites and Druze over the past two years, which have at times been characterized by human rights groups as massacres by Syrian forces against minority groups. While that has subsided, smaller operations by groups such as ISIS using IEDs, as in today’s bombing, as well as targeted assassinations, have posed a constant threat.

Chaos erupts in the streets of Damascus following a bombing at a café.

Troops from the Egoz Unit, operating under Division 36, eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist on Thursday after identifying him emerging from an underground tunnel complex in the Ali al-Taher Ridge area within Israel’s security zone in southern Lebanon.

According to the IDF, the operative surfaced through a tunnel access shaft while Israeli forces were conducting operations nearby, posing an immediate threat to troops on the ground.

After confirming the threat, soldiers directed the Israeli Air Force to the target, which carried out a precision strike that eliminated the terrorist before he could carry out an attack.

Egoz Unit

Forces from the Egoz Unit and Division 36 continue operations in the Ali al-Taher Ridge sector and remain committed to preventing Hezbollah operatives from using the group’s underground tunnel infrastructure to threaten Israeli soldiers or reestablish a presence in the area.

President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video of himself in the character of Dr. Trump, setting out to heal patients suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, TDS.

TDS is not a real medical term but a mocking description of people whose opposition to the president is so irrational and reflexive as to appear deranged. Nonetheless, studies show that the fixation on Trump in mainstream media is real.

For example, a study from the Harvard Kennedy School found that coverage of Trump in his first 100 days in office in his first term made up 41 percent of the news, roughly three times more than previous presidents. The Pew Research Center found that in the first year of Trump’s first term, only 31 percent of the news covered Trump’s policies, compared with 50 percent for President Barack Obama and 65 percent for President George W. Bush.

In the video, the AI-generated Trump wore a lab coat and stethoscope.

“You or someone you know been diagnosed with TDS?” the character of Trump said. “The symptoms can be relentless. Fortunately, I’m Dr. Trump, and I have a treatment plan. Let’s hear what some of my patients have to say.”

The next characters to speak are AI-generated versions of celebrities like Rosie O’Donnell and Whoopi Goldberg.

“I have been suffering for over a decade, and after listening to Dr. Trump, I can see some results,” the character of Rosie O’Donnell said.

“Man, I’ve been suffering for years. I really didn’t believe that was help out there. That was when I came across this video on TV,” the character of John Leguizamo said.

The patients “testified” that TDS had been ruining their lives.

“I had no idea how much this was affecting my life. My work is slowed down. I’m hardly recognizable anymore. I just needed help,” the character of Edward Norton said.

But the treatment, according to Trump’s character, is simple.

“The treatment is simple,” he said. “Turn off fake news. Say your prayers. And if you ever feel anxious, just have a Diet Coke like me, and you’re going to see a remarkable difference in your life.”

Israeli security services have uncovered another alleged Iranian intelligence operation inside Israel, accusing a Tajik national with a Russian passport of carrying out wartime missions for Tehran from inside the country. The suspect, identified as Behrouz Sobrigon, was arrested in June in a joint Shin Bet, Israel Police and Defense Ministry security operation. Prosecutors have now filed a declaration ahead of a serious indictment and a request to keep him in custody until the end of proceedings.

According to Israeli authorities, Sobrigon had been in contact with a foreign Iranian handler since January. Investigators say the approach began as what looked like an innocent job offer, but that he quickly understood he was dealing with an Iranian agent and continued anyway. His main activity allegedly took place during Israel’s war with Iran, when security officials say he sought to help Tehran gain operational advantages and advance its campaign against Israel internationally.

Israel intelligence agency operator uses program deploying bots on social networks, smearing political opponents. Israeli Mossad agent engages in cognitive warfare using troll accounts, camera A

Authorities say Sobrigon documented and transferred locations of Iranian missile impact sites, sent map coordinates for Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Towers, photographed Haifa Port and tried to photograph a sensitive security facility in northern Israel. He is also accused of actively helping recruit additional people for Iranian-directed missions, though officials have not publicly identified those people or said whether more arrests are expected in this specific case.

Iran was allegedly not only firing missiles at Israel from outside the country, but trying to buy eyes inside Israel to help assess damage, map strategic and civilian landmarks, and build a local network for further collection. Missile impact locations can reveal what hit, what missed and what should be adjusted next. Photos of ports, towers and sensitive facilities can feed targeting files, propaganda, psychological warfare and future operational planning.

HEBRON, WEST BANK – MARCH 06: Missiles launched from Iran in retaliation for Israeli attacks are seen in the night sky over the city of Hebron in the West Bank on March 06, 2026. (Photo by Wisam Hashlamoun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The case also fits a broader pattern Israeli security officials have been warning about, Iranian handlers approaching people through social media, messaging platforms or fake work offers, starting with “simple” paid tasks and escalating toward more sensitive surveillance. Just this week, Israeli authorities announced a separate case involving an American citizen in his 20s suspected of photographing sensitive sites for Iranian intelligence in exchange for payments ranging from tens to hundreds of dollars per assignment.

The Shin Bet said in its 2025 annual summary that 25 Israelis and foreign residents were indicted in Iran-related espionage cases that year, while 120 suspected Iranian espionage incidents were thwarted. Separately, Israeli media reported earlier this year that police were forming a dedicated unit under Lahav 433 to handle the growing wave of Iran spying cases, after more than 50 suspected spies were arrested in roughly 38 public cases over the previous two years.

Israeli paramedics and forces are on the scene where buildings are destroyed as a result of Iran’s missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 22, 2025. Israel started invading Iran in the early hours of June 13, and the exchange of fire between the two sides has continued ever since. (Photo by Matan Golan / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by MATAN GOLAN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel is preparing a sweeping new plan to fortify its long eastern frontier with Jordan, aiming to close one of the country’s most exposed security gaps before Iran and its proxies can turn it into the next active front.

The border stretches roughly 186 miles and has long been treated as Israel’s quiet side. That assumption has changed. After the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, Israeli officials began reassessing whether other “quiet” borders could be tested in a similar way. The conclusion now driving policy in Jerusalem is blunt, Israel cannot afford an underpopulated, lightly protected eastern flank while Iran works to surround the Jewish state through terrorist proxies.

The government is advancing a multibillion-shekel master plan involving the Prime Minister’s Office, the Defense Ministry and the Ministry of Settlement and National Missions. The plan would not rely only on fences, sensors and troops. It would also bring thousands of new families to the Jordan Valley and surrounding areas, expand existing communities, establish national mission hubs and create agricultural-security farms near strategic points, including around former military outposts.

The Defense Ministry has already begun building parts of a separate eastern border barrier. That project is expected to include a smart, multilayered system with fencing, sensors, radars, cameras, communications and command infrastructure running from the southern Golan Heights toward the Arava north of Eilat.

JORDAN VALLEY, WEST BANK – SEPTEMBER 11: A view over the border between Israel and Jordan in the Occupied West Bank Jordan Valley on September 11, 2019 in Jordan Valley, West Bank. Netanyahu pledges to annex the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank, if he is re-elected during the Israeli Elections on September 17. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)

The urgency is not theoretical. Israeli security forces have repeatedly exposed weapons-smuggling routes from the Jordanian frontier into Judea & Samaria, including networks moving pistols, rifles and ammunition toward Palestinian terrorists. Israeli planners are also watching Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Houthi-linked elements in Yemen, fearing that Tehran could eventually try to use Jordanian territory as a corridor for infiltration or a coordinated ground assault.

The new concept revives one of Israel’s oldest security doctrines, presence on the ground is part of defense. Officials argue that no military can place a soldier every few meters across a border this long, especially in difficult terrain. Communities, farms, outposts, rapid-response teams and military infrastructure would form overlapping layers, making it harder for smugglers, terrorists or Iran-backed forces to exploit empty space.

The eastern border was once seen as a back door. Israel is now moving to lock it before the enemy reaches for the handle.

A Toddler Needs Emergency Liver Surgery.

The family has exhausted every resource and is now turning to Klal Yisroel for help. The medical expenses alone are overwhelming, but the costs don’t stop there. Flights, accommodations, transportation, and extended medical care have created a financial burden far beyond what this family can manage. 

In the zechus of supporting this life-saving cause, may Hashem send a complete refuah to this child and bracha to all who assist. 

This campaign is fully verified by Vaad Harabanim.

 CLICK HERE TO HELP.