Israel and Greece signed a massive defense agreement Monday worth approximately 3 billion euros — more than $3.5 billion — under which Israel will build a multi-layer air defense network for Greece.

The agreement is the largest defense export deal ever signed between Israel and Greece and ranks among the largest defense deals in Israel’s history.

The program, known in Greece as the “Achilles Shield,” is designed to protect the country against a range of threats, including ballistic missiles, aircraft and drones.

The new network will incorporate several Israeli-made defense systems, including Rafael’s David’s Sling and SPYDER systems, as well as Israel Aerospace Industries’ BARAK MX. Greece will also receive advanced MMR multi-mission radar systems manufactured by IAI’s ELTA division.

Rafael will additionally lead the development of a new national command-and-control system that will integrate Greece’s various air defense capabilities.

The agreement was signed at Israel’s Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv by Defense Ministry Director-General Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram and Greek defense procurement chief Ioannis Bouras.

In a separate agreement signed alongside the massive air defense deal, Greece will purchase Rafael’s DRONE DOME counter-drone systems for approximately 26 million euros, or roughly $30 million. The systems will be used to protect strategic sites against drones and other unmanned aircraft.

The growing defense partnership is also expected to include increased cooperation between Israeli and Greek defense industries, including the transfer of knowledge and technology to Greek companies.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir is expected to announce Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa as the next commander of the IDF Central Command, according to senior military sources cited by Walla.

Bar Kalifa currently serves as head of the IDF Personnel Directorate and previously commanded the 36th Division during the height of the war. The expected appointment comes as the IDF General Staff holds a series of discussions over assignments for senior officers.

The anticipated announcement has raised questions among senior IDF officials because Zamir had previously decided not to make new senior appointments until the beginning of 2027 due to the election period. That policy recently resulted in a temporary appointment, rather than a permanent one, for the head of the Civil Administration.

The issue of Central Command leadership became particularly contentious earlier this month when Defense Minister Israel Katz publicly announced that Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth would be replaced. The IDF responded at the time that Katz’s announcement had not been coordinated with Zamir and stressed that the chief of staff had no intention of replacing Bluth during the sensitive period.

However, Katz’s office subsequently said that Zamir had already recommended Bar Kalifa for the Central Command position at the end of April and asked the defense minister to interview him. Katz interviewed Bar Kalifa in June and concluded that he was the most suitable candidate for the position.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Senior officials from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan gathered in Istanbul on Monday for the first meeting of the newly established Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, as several additional Muslim-majority countries reportedly consider joining the alliance.

The defense pact was signed on August 7 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Under the agreement, an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all three, creating a collective-defense mechanism similar to NATO’s Article 5.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said over the weekend that six or seven Muslim-majority countries have already expressed interest in joining the pact, although he did not identify them. Officials are now developing a framework that would make it easier for additional countries to enter the alliance.

Bangladesh is among the latest countries to signal interest, while Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said the pact could eventually expand to include other regional powers such as Egypt.

Following Monday’s meeting, Fidan described the alliance as complementary to NATO rather than a competitor to the Western military alliance. Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest military, has repeatedly stressed that the new pact is not intended to replace its existing alliances.

Fidan said officials have begun taking practical steps toward building a regional security structure and are developing a roadmap for admitting additional members.

The alliance brings together three major Sunni Muslim countries and U.S. allies at a time of heightened instability across the Middle East, including the ongoing war with Iran and Iranian missile attacks targeting Gulf states.

Fidan also used the meeting to launch a blistering attack against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of prolonging regional conflicts and calling on the international community to confront Israel’s policies.

The new alliance combines Turkey’s large conventional military, nuclear-armed Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest oil exporters. President Trump has previously praised the agreement, describing it as a positive step allowing countries to strengthen their own defenses.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has issued new emergency guidelines for Israelis planning to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, citing the complex and unpredictable security situation caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The ministry warned that a nighttime curfew will be enforced during Rosh Hashanah and urged travelers to strictly follow Ukrainian law and instructions from local authorities. Travelers were warned to carry the necessary documentation and avoid arguments, confrontations or provocative behavior that could result in arrest.

Those traveling to Uman were also instructed to take air-raid sirens seriously and immediately enter the nearest protected area when an alert sounds. The ministry warned against gathering near the sites of missile impacts or interceptions and stressed that photographing or publishing images of military installations, vehicles, soldiers or impact sites is strictly prohibited, as such material could expose Ukrainian security activity.

The Foreign Ministry also issued a warning to dual Israeli-Ukrainian citizens, noting that Ukrainian authorities may treat them as Ukrainian citizens and impose restrictions in circumstances where Israel’s ability to intervene may be limited.

Travelers were advised to make sure their passports remain valid, carry medical prescriptions in English and bring no more than five packages of medication intended for personal use. Narcotic or psychotropic substances, as well as medications prohibited in countries along the travel route, may not be brought along.

The ministry additionally warned travelers to prepare for heavy congestion on roads and at border crossings and cautioned against paying tourist taxes through unfamiliar parties.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A 28-year-old man from Ilut has been indicted after allegedly making 14 threatening calls to Israel Police’s emergency hotline during a single night, including telling dispatchers that he had planted an explosive device near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home and threatening attacks against Jews, Arabs and police officers, according to the indictment filed by the Israel Police Prosecution Division.

Mahmoud Abd al-Majid allegedly began calling the 100 emergency hotline shortly after midnight on Aug. 12, repeatedly identifying himself by name while threatening to carry out attacks.

According to a Nazareth Police investigations officer, Abd al-Majid said during the calls that he possessed an M-16 rifle and a handgun and was waiting in Ilut for police officers to arrive so he could attack them.

In another call, he allegedly threatened to bring an explosive device to a police station in Haifa and warned the dispatcher that anyone who wanted to survive should leave the station. During another call, he claimed an explosion would occur in Haifa within 10 minutes and said the explosive had already been planted.

Police said Abd al-Majid subsequently traveled to Haifa, where prosecutors accuse him of attacking two people aboard a Metronit bus. In one incident, he allegedly assaulted a passenger near an exit door, knocking him down before later attacking another passenger.

He returned to Ilut by public transportation and was arrested after reaching his home. Police said the numerous threats consumed significant resources in two police districts because each call had to be treated as a potentially genuine emergency.

Following his arrest, Abd al-Majid allegedly refused to be questioned by a Jewish investigator and demanded an Arab investigator instead.

He has been charged with 14 counts of making threats, along with assault and additional offenses related to the incidents in Haifa. Police prosecutors have requested that he remain in custody until the conclusion of the legal proceedings.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Sarah Netanyahu ignited a political firestorm Monday after questioning how Yair Golan was already “dressed and ready” on the morning of October 7 while, according to her, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still knew nothing about what was unfolding.

Speaking in an interview with Channel 14, Netanyahu raised the question while discussing the events surrounding October 7, appearing to hint at the possibility of a betrayal from within.

The Democrats party, headed by Golan, responded furiously, strongly condemning what it called Sarah Netanyahu’s “words of incitement and lies.”

“Spreading conspiracies against Maj. Gen. Yair Golan and blackening his heroism on October 7 is crossing a red line bordering on insanity,” the party said.

The Democrats continued their attack, saying that while Netanyahu “ran to put on makeup and look for excuses, Yair Golan charged forward and saved lives.”

“The facts will not change,” the party added. “No matter how much the Netanyahu family and Channel 14 try to rewrite them.”

Sarah Netanyahu’s remarks injected an explosive new accusation into the already bitter debate over the failures and unanswered questions surrounding October 7 — specifically questioning how Golan was apparently prepared that morning while, according to her account, the prime minister had not yet been informed.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israeli security officials are warning of a sharp increase in attempts by Iran and Hamas to orchestrate terrorist attacks against Israelis in Yehuda and Shomron, with many of the plots being directed by operatives outside the area.

A senior Israeli military official said the motivation to carry out attacks remains extremely high despite repeated failures by terror groups to successfully organize major operations.

“The motivation to carry out attacks in Yehuda and Shomron is high, and the lack of success only increases that motivation,” the official said.

Security officials believe Iran, Hamas and other hostile elements are seeking a high-profile attack that could provide a symbolic victory and potentially ignite widespread unrest across Yehuda and Shomron.

The IDF has intensified preventative operations amid the growing threat, conducting nightly raids aimed at arresting suspects, interrogating terror operatives and seizing weapons.

Approximately 60 suspects were arrested by troops operating in Yehuda and Shomron over the past week, including individuals suspected of preparing to carry out attacks in the immediate future.

Israeli forces are also preparing reinforcements as security officials work to prevent even a single successful major attack from triggering a broader escalation.

“Our role is to prevent any terrorist attack that could ignite the entire sector,” the senior military official said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Frustration is growing among Yesh Atid’s current Knesset members ahead of party chairman Yair Lapid’s expected announcement of the placements on the new Beyachad party slate for the next Knesset, which is expected to be released this Motzei Shabbos, according to a report Monday evening by Kan News.

At the center of the internal criticism is the way the election campaign is being run. One current Yesh Atid MK told Kan News that former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s team has effectively taken control of the operation.

“The campaign is being run by Bennett’s people. Yesh Atid’s veteran MKs aren’t involved at all. And even the mistakes that were made didn’t change that,” the MK said.

The frustration is being compounded by expectations that most of Yesh Atid’s current lawmakers will not return to the Knesset after the upcoming election. The party currently has 24 MKs, but only a small number are expected to receive high positions on the new slate.

Among those expected to receive prominent positions are Vladimir Beliak, Naor Shiri, Merav Ben Ari and Meirav Cohen. Retired Maj. Gen. Noam Tibon, who was recently given a reserved spot on the slate, is also expected to receive a position considered likely to win a Knesset seat.

The developments come amid a wave of departures from Yesh Atid. MKs Boaz Toporovsky, Ron Katz and Meir Cohen have already announced that they are leaving the party. Yoav Segalovich and Elazar Stern have announced that they will run with other parties — Ra’am and Yashar, respectively.

MK Mickey Levy may also soon announce that he will not run on the party’s slate in the upcoming election, according to current assessments.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A growing internal dispute is threatening Naftali Bennett’s “Beyachad” party, with the party’s Ethiopian activist headquarters warning that it will walk away unless it receives representation on the party’s Knesset slate.

According to a report by N12, leaders of the Ethiopian headquarters held an emergency meeting last week after the party declined to commit to reserving a realistic spot on the slate for the group’s chairman, Alali Adamso. Adamso says the group has spent the past year building a significant political operation on Bennett’s behalf, including local events, conferences and a network involving thousands of activists.

“We volunteered for an entire year, held parlor meetings and conferences, and built a database of tens of thousands,” Adamso said, calling the party’s refusal to guarantee representation “a slap in the face.” He said the organization operates 15 local headquarters and WhatsApp groups containing thousands of volunteers, and noted that hundreds attended a national gathering with Bennett on July 20.

Adamso made clear that the group could leave the party if its demand is not met. “As long as there is no representation on the slate, we are leaving,” he said. In correspondence with Bennett’s close adviser Nir Novak, Adamso was told that “a realistic spot on the slate for the upcoming Knesset cannot be guaranteed.”

The Ethiopian headquarters currently claims approximately 4,500 activists and supporters in its WhatsApp groups across its 15 local branches. With the deadline for submitting party slates approaching, its leaders are now awaiting Bennett’s decision and warning that they could withdraw their support if they are not given representation.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, one of the founders of the Bnei David pre-military mechina in Eli, addressed the IDF’s decision to imprison 16 soldiers for heeding the directive of their Rabbanim and refusing to board an APC with a female paramedic present.

In his remarks, Rabbi Levinstein sharply criticized the IDF’s handling of the issue and the status of the Military Rabbinate.

“The IDF has decided to ‘eliminate’ the role of the Chief Military Rabbi,” Rabbi Levinstein said.  “Under the pretext of operational necessity, the IDF is forcing religious soldiers to violate halacha by entering a Namer with female paramedics.”

“For 15 years, the IDF has been deliberately creating a situation in which the overwhelming majority of paramedics will be women rather than men,” he claimed.

“This is not how you run a Jewish army! I support the Givati soldiers from the Hesder yeshivas for their courage and steadfast stand in preserving Yahadus in the IDF,” he concluded.

Fellow Hesder soldiers said that the incident was not an isolated one but part of a series of confrontations over religious issues that have escalated in recent weeks.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A German attorney who served on Adolf Eichmann’s defense team during his historic trial in Jerusalem was secretly working as an agent for West Germany’s intelligence service, according to a new investigation published by Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Dieter Wechtenbruch, who joined attorney Robert Servatius in defending Eichmann, was operating for West Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, the BND, under the codename “Laqueur” and registration number V-7461.

According to the investigation, Wechtenbruch’s mission was to provide his handlers with inside information about the defense team’s strategy and, crucially, help ensure that Eichmann’s trial did not expose the Nazi pasts of senior officials serving in the West German government at the time.

Wechtenbruch became an influential member of Eichmann’s defense team, serving as its spokesman to journalists and later even appearing in Hannah Arendt’s famous book, “Eichmann in Jerusalem.”

Before the trial, Wechtenbruch was interviewed by an Israeli agent identified by the alias “Almog.” The Israeli operative reportedly spent time with him at a cabaret in Munich and described him to his superiors as representing a “new Germany” free of Nazi stains.

Wechtenbruch died in April 2025. Just months later, a federal court in Leipzig rejected a journalist’s request for the release of documents connected to the affair, citing the need to protect the secrecy of German intelligence methods.

The revelation highlights the extent to which former Nazis continued to occupy influential positions in West Germany following World War II.

Among the most prominent examples was Hans Globke, who had played a significant role in interpreting and implementing the Nazis’ Nuremberg Laws before later becoming chief of staff to West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.

Ironically, Eichmann himself reportedly questioned the situation during his trial. After seeing Globke’s photograph in a 1941 document, Eichmann wondered how he could be standing trial while Globke was helping run West Germany.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A strategic ridge in southern Lebanon containing a massive Hezbollah underground command and missile complex has emerged as a central flashpoint in both the ongoing fighting and diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.

The Ali al-Taher Ridge, rising roughly 600 meters near Nabatieh, contains what the IDF says is a major underground Hezbollah infrastructure network. The site serves as the primary command center for Hezbollah’s Badr Unit, which oversees the terror group’s operations north of the Litani River.

The ridge also houses the “Imad 4” facility, an underground complex used by Hezbollah to store precision missiles and heavy rockets.

Since June, the IDF has carried out repeated airstrikes and artillery attacks aimed at isolating the ridge and weakening Hezbollah forces positioned there. Five IDF soldiers have been killed and 18 wounded during fighting in the area, including in explosive-drone attacks and clashes with Hezbollah terrorists.

Despite earlier reports that Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers and operatives may have been trapped inside the underground complex, the IDF currently assesses that no Iranian personnel remain trapped at the site.

Lebanese analysts have warned that an Israeli takeover of the ridge could cause Hezbollah’s second defensive line to collapse and potentially open a route for further Israeli advances toward the Iqlim al-Tuffah region.

Control of the ridge has also become a major obstacle to implementing the framework agreement reached on June 26.

During negotiations in Rome, Lebanon sought to expand areas where the Lebanese Armed Forces would take responsibility for security. Israel, however, conditioned further expansion of the arrangement on the dismantling of Hezbollah’s infrastructure at Ali al-Taher.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reportedly proposed deploying the Lebanese army into the area in exchange for Hezbollah terrorists evacuating the ridge.

The Lebanese military balked at the proposal, fearing that it could be dragged into a direct confrontation with Hezbollah, and sought American guarantees before taking action.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, has rejected proposals for a voluntary withdrawal. The terror group has signaled that it will not abandon the strategic ridge without a fight, fearing that giving up the position could set a precedent for demands that it withdraw from additional strongholds south of the Litani River and in the Bekaa Valley.

The standoff leaves the massive underground complex at the center of both Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah and international efforts to reach a broader arrangement in Lebanon.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israeli officials are preparing for the possibility that Britain could announce new measures against Israel as early as this week, including restrictions on economic activity connected to Israeli settlements in Yehuda and Shomron.

According to a Maariv report, officials in Jerusalem believe the British government could move forward with the measures in early September amid growing political pressure from the left wing of the Labour Party and voters threatening to shift their support to the Green Party.

Israeli officials say they still do not know how extensive the measures could be. Options reportedly under consideration range from limited and conditional steps to broader restrictions affecting trade, services, business activity and financial dealings connected to settlements.

Concerns in Jerusalem increased after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on August 19 that London would unveil a package of measures in the coming weeks in response to the advancement of the E1 development plan, including sanctions against those involved in settlement expansion.

Israeli officials are working to influence the British decision, but believe domestic political considerations in the United Kingdom could make that difficult.

Jerusalem is also warning that any British action will not go unanswered.

“There will be a significant Israeli response,” Israeli diplomatic officials said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Senior officials in Arab countries are expressing growing frustration over the continuing confrontation with Iran, warning that the current situation cannot become a permanent regional reality and calling for a political solution, Kan News reports.

A senior Emirati official, responding to Iran’s latest strike against American bases in the Gulf, said the region needs a “realistic political solution” rather than an open-ended cycle of attacks and retaliation.

A Jordanian official told Kan News that despite the Iranian attack, Jordan remains committed to reducing tensions and preventing a broader regional escalation. Arab governments in the region are increasingly concerned that the continuing military pressure, retaliatory strikes and uncertainty surrounding Iran could become a long-term reality rather than a temporary crisis.

The frustration reflects a broader concern among U.S.-aligned Arab states that while they oppose Iranian attacks and regional destabilization, they also do not want the confrontation to spiral into a prolonged full-scale war that could threaten their own security and economies.

Officials are therefore continuing to push for a diplomatic framework that would bring the confrontation under control and provide a more stable long-term arrangement.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Prince Harry is accusing senior British security officials of failing to warn him about an Al-Qaeda threat to assassinate him, despite authorities allegedly knowing about the danger as far back as 2023.

According to a report in The Sunday Times, Harry’s legal team contacted British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood this month, asking her to personally intervene in a new review of security arrangements for the Duke of Sussex and his family.

Harry’s lawyers claim the chairman of RAVEC — the government committee responsible for determining security arrangements for members of the Royal Family and other public figures — knew about intelligence concerning the Al-Qaeda threat in 2023 but failed to pass the information to Harry or his security team.

The report says American authorities were also not directly notified by Britain, despite Harry living in the United States at the time.

Instead, the FBI eventually alerted Harry’s security personnel later that year about intelligence involving an Al-Qaeda document that reportedly raised the possibility of assassinating the prince.

The threat has been linked in part to Harry’s military service in Afghanistan. Harry served two tours there with the British military and has repeatedly argued that his military background makes both him and his family potential targets for terrorists and extremists.

The revelation comes amid Harry’s long-running battle with the British government over his security arrangements. Since stepping back from official royal duties in 2020, he has no longer automatically received the same level of taxpayer-funded police protection he previously had while visiting Britain.

An ITV report in July said a security assessment prepared for Harry identified six potential terror scenarios targeting him, five of them originating in Britain. The Al-Qaeda threat was among those identified.

Harry now argues that the alleged failure to inform him about the threat when it first became known has further undermined his confidence in the system responsible for determining the security protection afforded to him and his family.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

An unusual flu outbreak has been reported at the Beit Balev assisted-living facility in Kfar Saba, where 47 people have tested positive for influenza despite the peak of flu season still being months away.

Most of those infected are elderly patients with complex nursing needs, while a smaller number are staff members. Three patients in the affected ward have died, although it remains unclear whether influenza was the primary cause of their deaths.

The scope of the outbreak was discovered after officials conducted widespread testing in the ward following the deaths.

According to Israel’s National Center for Disease Control, 10 new cases of influenza A were detected at monitored general hospitals during the week ending August 22.

Israel experienced an unusually severe flu season last year. During the 2025-2026 season, 189 hospitalized patients who tested positive for influenza died across 14 hospitals, though health officials said it was not known in each case whether the flu was the primary cause of death.

A total of 4,526 hospitalized patients tested positive for influenza last season, including 2,930 adults, 1,460 children and 136 pregnant women.

Beit Balev said this year’s flu activity began unusually early, before the start of the annual vaccination campaign. After the outbreak was identified, the facility activated medical protocols to treat infected patients and staff while providing preventive treatment to other residents in an effort to stop the virus from spreading.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Just in time for the Yomim Noraim, renowned composer Yossi Green presents a stirring new rendition of “Ain Kitzvah,” sung by Nissim Saal.

The new release was composed by Yossi Green and arranged by Moshe Laufer, with production by Yossi Tyberg. Nissim Saal’s vocals were produced by Yochi Briskman, with mixing and mastering by Mendy Friedman and cover design by Eli Kaufman.

For a stirring Motzei Shabbos Selichos, Chazzan Nissim Saal will be Davening for the Amud at Young Israel Beth El of Boro Park, where he will lead the tefillos accompanied by a professional chazzanus choir. The special Selichos will take place Motzei Shabbos, September 5, at 12:30 a.m. at the historic shul on 15th Avenue in Boro Park.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New details have emerged from the interrogation of one of two Israeli teenagers charged with carrying out missions for an Iranian agent, including an admission that he eventually knew he was working for someone connected to Iran but continued because he wanted the money.

The two minors, ages 14 and 16 from Kiryat Motzkin, were indicted Sunday for allegedly carrying out assignments for a foreign agent operating on behalf of Iran.

During questioning, the main suspect said he became suspicious after being asked to photograph shopping centers and gather information about entrances, exits and security guards.

After sending videos of the Seven Stars Mall in Herzliya, the teen said he deleted the footage because he feared it could be used to carry out a terror attack. He also temporarily stopped communicating with the handler and deleted their chat.

Despite those concerns, however, the relationship resumed after the handler contacted him using another account and offered him additional work, including setting up a Telegram channel to recruit other teenagers.

The suspect was given NIS 900 to purchase a new phone for the recruitment effort, but instead allegedly forged a receipt from electronics retailer KSP without buying the device.

During his interrogation, the teen initially claimed he had thought the person directing him was a “leftist.” Investigators confronted him with messages in which he himself referred to the handler as Iranian.

Asked directly whether he had knowingly performed assignments for an Iranian agent, the teen acknowledged that he had.

He told investigators that the handler had not asked him to do anything he considered dangerous to Israel or its citizens and said his motivation was financial.

“I just wanted money,” the teen said, adding that after completing graffiti and surveillance assignments, the handler told him he was connected to Iran. The teen said he regretted his actions.

According to the indictment, the teens were tasked with spraying political graffiti in Kiryat Motzkin. The main suspect received approximately $250 for the graffiti assignment and gave NIS 150 to his friend.

The handler later instructed the teen to photograph a mall, roads and a government building in the Tel Aviv area and provide information about security arrangements. The second teen refused to participate after telling his friend that he suspected they were dealing with an Iranian agent.

The main suspect nevertheless completed the surveillance assignment and received approximately NIS 600.

He later sent the handler a photograph of his passport and his face to verify his identity in exchange for roughly $100.

Investigators say the teen also tried to expand the operation by recruiting other minors. In a voice message to his friend, he allegedly asked him to add “as many kids as possible” to a Telegram channel, specifically seeking teenagers willing to carry out higher-risk assignments.

In total, the main suspect allegedly received approximately NIS 3,500 from the Iranian agent.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Amid the uproar that erupted over the IDF’s decision to sentence 16 soldiers to prison for heeding their Rabbanim and refusing to enter an APC with a female paramedic, some responded by noting a glaring contradiction: The IDF is calling on Chareidim to enlist even as it punishes religious soldiers for insisting on maintaining their religious standards while serving.

Noam chairman Avi Maoz responded by saying, “Givati soldiers, Rotem Battalion, you risked your lives with mesiras nefesh in Lebanon, and today the army is turning its back on you. It is not acceptable that with one hand the army calls on the Chareidim to enlist, and with the other it harms outstanding soldiers who want to live according to their faith. Even if you are required to sit in prison, do it with your head held high and with Jewish pride. Free to be a Jew.”

The “Soldiers’ Wives For The Kedusha of the Machaneh” organization issued a statement saying: “We demand that the soldiers be released immediately and that those responsible for mistreating them be held accountable. The agenda of progressive coercion has reached a new moral low, with extreme and harmful consequences. The IDF is a Jewish army. Halacha, mitzvos, and kedusha are our guiding principles, and Shomrei Mitzvos will not become a doormat for commanders unworthy of their positions.

“This is a disgrace and a badge of shame for the Chief of Staff and the Defense Minister. You cannot call on Chareidim to enlist while religious soldiers serving in the IDF are persecuted for remaining faithful to the Torah and kedusha.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Breslov organizers are preparing for a significantly larger Rosh Hashanah gathering in Meron this year, as thousands of Chassidim may be unable to travel to Uman because of IDF conscription issues and arrests involving Chareidi bochurim, Arutz Sheva reports.

While some Breslov Chassidim have spent Rosh Hashanah in Meron in previous years as an alternative to traveling to the kever of Rebbe Nachman in Uman, organizers believe the numbers could rise sharply this year because of restrictions on leaving the country and concerns among those affected.

A special committee has been formed in recent days to coordinate the gathering at the kever of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, and registration has opened for lodging arrangements. Preparations include sleeping accommodations, a large tent for Yom Tov meals, and expanded facilities for tefillos.

Organizers are preparing for the possibility that thousands could spend Rosh Hashanah in Meron and are urging early registration so the event can be handled in an orderly way.

At the same time, Breslov organizers stressed that Uman remains the primary destination for the Chassidim. They said there is a continuing hope and tefillah that those seeking to travel will ultimately be able to reach Rebbe Nachman’s kever and that the obstacles preventing them from doing so will be removed.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly met one-on-one with Ofer Winter before the former IDF general launched his Amcha Yisrael party, offering him a reserved spot on the Likud slate along with additional reserved slots for other candidates, Channel 12 reported.

The meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office. Winter rejected Netanyahu’s offer and instead moved forward with launching his own independent party.

Winter’s decision to even hold the meeting reportedly surprised members of his inner circle. In recent months, he had told confidants that he had no intention of meeting with or running alongside politicians currently serving in office. His immediate rejection of a deal with Likud also raised concerns among Netanyahu’s associates that Winter could ultimately join an alternative coalition.

Two days after launching Amcha Yisrael, however, Winter publicly clarified that following the election he would recommend only Netanyahu to form the next government.

“We do not work for anyone, only the people of Israel,” Winter said. “We will not dance to anyone’s flute.”

The clarification came following pressure from Netanyahu’s circle and his son Yair Netanyahu, who had written on social media that “Winter will recommend Liberman as prime minister.”

Despite Winter’s declaration of support for Netanyahu, concerns reportedly remain inside Likud. Likud sources said they “are not calm,” arguing that Winter had left matters open-ended and noting that Naftali Bennett had made similar statements in the past.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Despite National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s firm rejection of negotiations for a joint Knesset run with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, Likud officials are continuing efforts to bring the two parties together ahead of the elections.

A Likud source involved in the effort told Walla that Ben Gvir’s announcement that a joint run is off the table is not being viewed as the final word. “He can say that he cut it off; we are still making efforts. In the end, we will get to him,” the source said.

Likud officials say the push is not intended to weaken Ben Gvir, but rather to prevent right-wing votes from being lost if Religious Zionism fails to cross the electoral threshold. The source compared the concern to Meretz falling below the threshold in the previous election, which cost the left-wing bloc crucial votes.

The entrance of former IDF Maj. Gen. Ofer Winter into politics has added to Likud’s concerns over a further split in the right-wing vote. According to the report, Likud believes it has significantly more ability to influence Ben Gvir than Winter. “There is no control over Winter. There is more control over Ben Gvir than there is over Winter,” the Likud source said.

Likud officials believe pressure on Ben Gvir could intensify as additional polls are released showing the potential electoral cost of running separately. “When he starts seeing that it is hurting him in mandates, he will start moving,” the source predicted.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Germany is dramatically expanding efforts to deport Afghan nationals, including people without criminal records, while quietly increasing direct coordination with the Taliban regime to establish a regular system for returning migrants to Afghanistan.

The shift represents a significant change from Germany’s previous policy, under which deportation flights to Afghanistan were largely limited to convicted criminals and individuals considered security threats.

According to an investigation by German broadcaster NDR, three Taliban representatives traveled secretly to Germany last week to help prepare the logistics for expanded deportation flights.

The delegation reportedly traveled from Kabul through Qatar, where German consular officials issued the Taliban representatives 30-day visas allowing them to enter Germany.

Germany’s Foreign Office confirmed that the delegation had arrived in the country.

More than 250 Afghans have been deported from Germany over the past two years. The latest flight, on July 28, returned 31 Afghan nationals to Kabul.

Among those deported was one person without a criminal record, marking the first such removal since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021.

Berlin is now looking to significantly increase the pace of removals, with plans reportedly calling for as many as three group deportation flights each month in addition to Afghans being returned on regular commercial flights.

The cooperation comes despite Germany not formally recognizing the Taliban government.

Approximately 450,000 Afghan citizens were living in Germany as of April 2026, including roughly 403,000 who were born outside Germany.

Germany is not alone in reopening channels with the Taliban over migration. In June, the European Union hosted Taliban representatives in Brussels for closed-door discussions focused on returning Afghan nationals whose asylum claims had been rejected.

Representatives from 15 European Union countries participated in those talks, which were led by Sweden and the European Commission.

The growing contacts underscore a broader shift across Europe as governments seek ways to increase deportations to Afghanistan despite continuing concerns over the Taliban’s rule and human rights abuses.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Monday that Tehran is still working toward an agreement to end the war, saying continued fighting is not in Iran’s interests or those of the wider region.

“We are still working to reach an agreement and believe that continuing the war does not serve our interests or the interests of the region,” Pezeshkian said, arguing that dialogue and cooperation remain the path toward resolving the conflict.

Pezeshkian accused the United States of failing to honor previous understandings, saying Iran remains prepared to pursue diplomacy if Washington fulfills its commitments and takes steps to restore trust.

Before departing for a visit to Kyrgyzstan, Pezeshkian also warned that Iran would respond forcefully to further attacks. “We are not seeking war,” he said, “however, we will not sit idly by in the face of any aggression.”

His comments came following the most significant U.S.-Iran escalation in roughly a month. U.S. Central Command confirmed that American forces struck two IRGC rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian forces were observed preparing rockets carrying sea mines for deployment into international shipping lanes.

Iran reported casualties among IRGC personnel and civilians but did not release an official toll. An IRGC spokesman called the American strike a “strategic and deadly mistake” and warned that Washington would pay economically and militarily.

Iran subsequently launched ballistic missiles toward King Hussein Air Base and Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, where American forces are stationed. Most of the missiles were intercepted, with no casualties or significant damage reported.

The escalation also spread to the United Arab Emirates, where the Defense Ministry said its air force intercepted an Iranian drone over UAE territorial waters. Iran claimed it targeted Al Minhad Air Base, which hosts American forces and helicopters, though the UAE denied that the base was hit.

Meanwhile, the IRGC claimed that an oil tanker attempting to travel through the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz was struck by two sea mines and caught fire after allegedly violating Iranian instructions.

President Trump responded with a blistering attack on Tehran, declaring Iran “officially a failed nation” and saying the country is “dead,” pointing to what he described as the destruction of its military capabilities, collapse of its currency, soaring inflation and chaos within the regime.

Washington is also preparing to intensify its economic pressure campaign. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration plans to impose new secondary sanctions every week against institutions and entities doing business with Iran, beginning with banks helping Tehran circumvent financial restrictions.

The renewed military escalation and concerns over additional mining in the Strait of Hormuz have pushed oil prices higher and weighed on markets across the Gulf.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel’s security establishment is on unprecedented alert amid a dramatic surge in warnings and terrorist plots across Yehuda and Shomron.

Security officials are warning of intensified efforts to carry out significant attacks against civilians and security forces in the area.

According to a Channel 12 News report, the efforts to carry out attacks are being directed primarily by terrorist elements outside Israel, primarily Iran, Hamas leaders abroad, and Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Channel 12 News quoted a senior military official as saying: “The motivation to carry out attacks in Yehuda and Shomron is high, and the lack of success is driving that motivation even higher.”

The security establishment has identified growing difficulty among terrorist elements in Yehuda and Shomron in carrying out significant attacks in the area. According to the assessment, this difficulty is further increasing their motivation to carry out attacks in an effort to score a psychological victory and encourage hostile elements abroad to orchestrate attacks.

The IDF is working to thwart every hostile initiative, with the understanding that any incident that is not thwarted in time could ignite a widespread conflagration throughout the entire sector.

Against the backdrop of the growing threats, security forces and IDF soldiers are intensifying offensive operations to thwart terrorist infrastructure in cities and villages. The ongoing operations include nighttime raids, the seizure of large quantities of weapons, searches, and the questioning of suspects in the field.

Over the past week alone, forces from the IDF’s Yehuda and Shomron Division arrested approximately 60 suspects involved in terrorist activity, including terrorists who were already in advanced stages of planning attacks intended to be carried out in the immediate future.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The Trump administration plans to impose a new round of sanctions against Iran every week as Washington intensifies its economic pressure campaign against Tehran, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday.

Bessent said the new measures will begin by targeting financial institutions that assist the Iranian regime, signaling that Washington intends to steadily increase the economic pressure on Tehran.

“The banks will be first,” Bessent said.

The announcement comes as the Trump administration seeks to further squeeze Iran’s already struggling economy while tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran.

The weekly sanctions campaign marks an escalation in the administration’s effort to isolate Iran financially and restrict the regime’s ability to access the international banking system.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has accused Israel and Russia, along with international far-right groups, of spreading disinformation on social media that helped fuel last month’s massive migrant surge into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, where more than 70,000 people crossed the border in just two days.

Sánchez said his allegations were based on research by the European Union’s diplomatic service, which found that Russian and Israeli networks circulated false claims portraying Spain as having lost control of its borders. Among the claims was a distorted account of a Spanish Supreme Court ruling suggesting that migrants who entered Ceuta by swimming could not be returned.

According to Sánchez, the disinformation campaign was aimed at attacking Spain over its positions on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

However, Sánchez said there was no evidence that Morocco was involved in triggering the unprecedented wave of crossings and praised Moroccan authorities for quickly cooperating with Spain to bring the situation under control.

That position drew sharp criticism from members of Sánchez’s own left-wing coalition. Sumar lawmaker Alberto Ibáñez called the accusations against Israel and Russia “not credible” while criticizing Sánchez for defending Morocco. Party spokesperson Verónica Barbero also criticized the government’s reluctance to blame Rabat and accused it of failing to show sufficient concern for residents of Ceuta.

Official figures presented by Sánchez show that more than 90% of the migrants who crossed into Ceuta have since been returned to Morocco. Around 5,000 remain in the city, including approximately 1,200 unaccompanied minors.

European Commission officials and intelligence agencies have also identified activity by Russian-linked actors and human-smuggling networks that circulated similar content aimed at destabilizing Europe.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

As the Yamim Noraim and Selichos season approaches, the legendary king of Jewish music, Mordechai Ben David has released a moving new single, “U’V’Tuvcha Hagadol.”

Presented by Yeedle Werdyger and Zevi Fried, the new song draws its words from Shacharis and Selichos, expressing Klal Yisroel’s heartfelt tefillah for chesed, rachamim and the ultimate Geulah.

The song was composed by Mordechai Ben David together with Eli Laufer, with musical arrangement and production by Eli Laufer, Moshe Laufer and Nir Graf.

“This is a tefillah that we say every morning after Parshas HaAkeidah,” Mordechai said.

“רבונו של עולם, כמו שכבש אברהם אבינו את רחמיו לעשות רצונך בלבב שלם, כן יכבשו רחמיך את כעסך מעלינו.”

“Master of the World, just as Avraham Avinu suppressed his compassion in order to fulfill Your will wholeheartedly, so too may Your compassion suppress Your anger against us.”

“Wishing that we should all have a good year, filled with abundance, closeness and love of Hashem,” MBD added.

The production is by Yeedle Werdyger and Zevi Fried, with vocal arrangement by Moishy Roth.

Composers | לחן: Mordechai Ben David & Eli Laufer
Producers | הפקה: Yeedle & Zevi Fried
Additional Music Production | הפקה מוזיקלית נוספת: Nir Graff
Arrangers | עיבוד: Nir Graff, Eli Laufer & Moshe Laufer
Vocal Editing | עריכת שירה: Eli Klein & Yossi Tyberg
Choir | מקהלה: Moishy Roth
Duduk | דודוק: Ilia Mazia
Mixing & Mastering | מיקס ומאסטר: Eli Lishinsky
Cover Art | עיצוב עטיפה:
Shneur Cortez PR | יחסי ציבור: Israel Rozen

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Three Force 100 soldiers are taking their legal battle to the next level, launching a new offensive—this time against the ousted Military Advocate General and the State Attorney.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in the Jerusalem District Court, the soldiers are demanding NIS 18 million in compensation for a series of wrongs they say were committed against them throughout the affair, including “false suspicions, false arrest, invasion of privacy, defamation, the wrongful filing of an indictment and the cover-up of the investigation into the leak.”

The lawsuit follows an initial civil proceeding in the Magistrate’s Court against journalist Guy Peleg and Channel 12’s news company. Now, due to the size of the damages being sought and the allegations raised, the case is moving to the District Court. The lawsuit was filed by attorney Menashe Yado of the Honenu organization and attorneys Dr. Itamar Miron and Elchanan Miron of the Miron, Prives, Ben-Zion law firm.

The defendants named in the new lawsuit include former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, former Chief Military Prosecutor Matan Solomash, Lior Ayash, the Military Advocate General’s Office spokeswoman, the Military Police, the IDF, Guy Peleg and the Israeli News Company, as well as Guy Gofman, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, State Attorney Amit Aisman, Gal Asael, Alon Altman, the State Attorney’s Office, the Israel Police and the State of Israel.

The total amount sought in the lawsuit is NIS 18 million. The complaint details a series of alleged damages, including NIS 1.5 million for falsely being suspected of a serious offense, NIS 450,000 for 15 days of false arrest, NIS 3 million for defamation, NIS 1 million for a wrongful indictment and NIS 500,000 for the alleged cover-up of the investigation into the leak, in addition to other damages.

The lawsuit does not focus solely on the media publication in 2024, but on a chain of events that the soldiers say began with the false suspicions against them, their highly publicized arrests and the leaking of investigative materials, and continued with the criminal proceedings and the manner in which the investigation into the leak was handled.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs raise particularly serious allegations regarding the conduct of authorities after the leak was exposed. They claim that those responsible for investigating the leak refrained for months from opening an effective investigation and that a subsequent inquiry was structured in a way that, they allege, could not have uncovered the full truth. They further claim that misleading representations were made to the High Court of Justice regarding the leak and the extent of exposure to the leaked materials.

According to the lawsuit, defendants, including senior officials in the prosecution and law enforcement system, covered for those responsible for the leak and even submitted a position paper to the High Court that the plaintiffs claim was misleading.

The plaintiffs say this subjected them to prolonged legal torment, beginning with the leaking of the investigative materials on August 6, 2024, and continuing until the indictment was withdrawn on March 12, 2026.

The lawsuit further alleges that State Attorney Amit Aisman and other officials were responsible for handling the investigation into the leak but failed for months to order a criminal investigation. The plaintiffs claim that instead of identifying those responsible for the leak and investigating how the materials were transferred to the media, actions were taken that delayed and obstructed efforts to uncover what happened.

The plaintiffs further argue that even after the leak was exposed, the system was obligated to reexamine the conduct of those involved rather than settle for an internal review.

At the same time, the lawsuit sharply criticizes the criminal proceedings themselves. According to the complaint, the Military Advocate General and other officials held a hearing for the soldiers at the request of their defense attorneys but rejected their arguments concerning the leaking of the investigative materials, which the plaintiffs claim constituted a severe conflict of interest.

An indictment was subsequently filed, and the soldiers contend that the proceedings were fundamentally flawed. The plaintiffs point in particular to the decision by the current Military Advocate General, Itai Ofir, to withdraw the indictment. They argue that the indictment’s withdrawal following a new hearing and the acceptance of the defense’s arguments is a significant indication that the original proceedings were flawed, and that had the alleged wrongdoing not occurred, the period during which they were forced to contend with a serious indictment could have been prevented or at least substantially shortened.

Attorney Menashe Yado of Honenu, who represents the soldiers, said: “This is a complex lawsuit against powerful entities, including the former senior command of the Military Advocate General’s Office and Channel 12 News, the most powerful media organization in Israel, which joined together to severely harm the soldiers, as well as against the heads of law enforcement agencies who are protecting the Military Advocate General out of ideological identification and institutional closeness to her, while severely undermining the rule of law and the individual’s equality of rights when facing the law enforcement system.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Several Israeli desalination plants south of Hadera were temporarily shut down Monday after unusual weather conditions caused severe turbidity in the Mediterranean Sea, preventing the facilities from operating normally.

Israel’s Water Authority said the unusual sea conditions affected water quality and forced some desalination facilities to suspend operations. Authorities also ordered a reduction in the supply of fresh water for agricultural use in southern Israel.

Despite the shutdowns, officials stressed that Israel’s overall water system continues to operate normally. Mekorot, Israel’s national water company, has begun increasing production from other available water sources to compensate for the disruption.

Officials expect some of the affected desalination plants to resume operations in the near future as sea conditions improve. Full operations will return once turbidity levels decline and the seawater becomes sufficiently clear.

The shutdown initially raised concerns that Israel’s water infrastructure may have been targeted in a cyberattack, particularly amid previous Iranian attempts to attack Israeli water systems. However, an industry official told N12 that the disruption was not caused by a cyber incident.

Israel’s National Cyber Directorate has previously warned that Iranian actors have repeatedly attempted to target the country’s water sector, but said those efforts have so far failed to cause significant damage.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The confrontation between the Finance Ministry and the defense establishment is escalating, with senior Finance Ministry officials rejecting claims that they are withholding funds and launching an unusually harsh attack on the IDF’s financial management, Walla reported.

The criticism comes after IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir claimed last week that “the IDF’s coffers are empty,” in remarks aimed at deflecting public criticism over the millions of shekels he ordered transferred to disgraced former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.

Senior Finance Ministry officials fired back with an unprecedentedly scathing response, calling the defense establishment’s accusations against the ministry “baseless and completely contrary to reality.”

They said the Finance Ministry has transferred enormous sums to the IDF—well beyond the amount allocated in the state budget—and has fully honored its budgetary commitments. “The defense budget has nearly tripled in two years,” the officials said, “while the defense establishment engages in wasteful management and routinely refuses to implement efficiency measures.”

They further charged that the IDF has “closed its ears to the many proposals” suggested by the Finance Ministry to increase the defense budget through additional funding sources.

Their sharpest criticism was directed at the defense establishment’s handling of its budget itself. “The defense establishment routinely manages its budget in a manner contrary to the law,” the officials said. “It disregards the budget approved for it by law, does as it pleases, and then the Finance Ministry has to come running to cover the shortfall.”

They added that defense officials instead choose “the easy way out—demanding money from taxpayers,” describing the defense budget as “the only budget in the country that operates without oversight and without transparency.”

Finance Ministry officials also blasted what they called the defense establishment’s “ingratitude,” stressing that the ministry has financed the IDF’s operations on all fronts to the tune of hundreds of billions of shekels.

The officials concluded by warning that the refusal of senior defense officials to seriously grapple with the enormous scale of their budget is “extremely concerning,” saying that their conduct “harms the country’s economy while failing to provide security commensurate with the state’s investment.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The Israeli Navy has identified increased Turkish naval activity in recent months, including military exercises and a growing Turkish presence in the Mediterranean and in areas used by Israeli naval forces, Kan News reports.

Against the backdrop of growing tensions between Israel and Turkey, the Navy is preparing for what defense officials describe as the possibility of a “turn” in relations — including the operational and strategic need to be ready for a potential military confrontation with Turkey.

The assessment does not mean the IDF believes a confrontation with Turkey is imminent. Rather, the Navy is preparing for the possibility that relations could deteriorate significantly and require Israel to contend directly with Turkish military forces.

The growing concern also comes amid Turkish military activity connected to Syria, where Israel has been closely monitoring Ankara’s efforts to expand its presence and capabilities.

Despite the tensions, Israeli defense officials have stressed that Israel does not want Turkey to become an enemy, and channels remain in place between the two countries aimed at preventing friction and unintended escalation.

The Israeli Navy is continuing to monitor Turkish exercises, deployments and naval activity as it prepares for the possibility of a significant change in the strategic relationship between Jerusalem and Ankara.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Tzuriel Sharon, CEO and owner of the Direct Polls polling firm, spoke with Kol Chai following the poll that gave Ofer Winter’s new Amcha Yisrael party eight seats.

Sharon said the poll began on the evening Winter launched his party and continued into the following day because of the surprising results and the need to verify them.

“It was a very unusual poll, relatively speaking, compared with the polls we conduct every week,” he said.

Sharon then broke down where Winter’s eight seats are coming from.

“Six and a half of those eight seats come from the right-wing bloc,” he said. According to Sharon, nearly four and a half seats come from Likud, about half a seat from Shas, and another seat from Otzma Yehudit and the Religious Zionist Party.

Another seat and a half comes from so-called “third bloc parties”—voters for Gilad Erdan, Yuli Edelstein, Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel. Roughly another half-seat comes primarily at the expense of Avigdor Liberman.

Despite Winter drawing most of his support from existing right-wing parties, Sharon said his entry into the race actually strengthens the right-wing bloc overall, raising it from 58 to 59 seats.

“You can even begin to imagine getting back to a number starting with six,” he said cautiously, referring to the possibility of the bloc returning to 60 seats or more.

However, Sharon warned that it is far too early to know whether Winter will be able to maintain his current strength.

“For Winter, it’s either a citation for excellence or a failing grade,” he said, recalling previous parties that debuted strongly in the polls only to collapse by Election Day. The New Right, he noted, once opened with 14 seats in the polls before ultimately failing to cross the electoral threshold, while Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope began with 22 seats and finished with just six.

Sharon added that Betzalel Smotrich is now at greater risk and argued that Likud’s attacks on Winter over the past week were a mistake.

“Those attacks only strengthened him,” he said.

Sharon also addressed Shas, which received just seven seats in the poll, saying the result points to a “real problem” for the party as it battles to hold on to its voter base, particularly traditional voters.

“Shas has a very serious problem among the traditional electorate,” he said, estimating that those voters represent a pool of three to four seats out of the roughly 11 seats potentially available to the party.

According to Sharon, Likud, Itamar Ben Gvir and now Winter are all competing for those voters, with Winter taking roughly half a seat from Shas in the latest poll.

Sharon noted that Shas has already launched a campaign aimed, among other things, at “restoring the sense of pride” among its voters.

Regarding Naftali Bennett, Sharon said the former prime minister has managed to halt his decline over the past two or three weeks.

“Bennett changed direction, changed his campaign,” Sharon said. After falling to seven seats in Direct Polls surveys, Bennett climbed back to nine before stabilizing at eight. According to Sharon, Bennett has “managed to stop the bleeding” and stabilize his position.

By contrast, Sharon said Winter’s entry into the race has dealt a major blow to the smaller parties and efforts to establish a so-called “third bloc.”

“Yesterday, the person who finally crushed that whole development was Winter,” he said. “There is no Erdan event.”

According to Sharon, the possibility of Benny Gantz consolidating that bloc around himself has also failed to materialize.

Toward the end of the interview, Sharon was asked about the significant gap between Direct Polls surveys, which show the right-wing bloc approaching 60 seats, and polls conducted for other Israeli media outlets that put the bloc considerably lower.

He declined to engage in a dispute with other pollsters.

“I don’t deal with comparisons between my polls and 11, 12, 13 or 14,” he said. “I deal strictly with what I see.”

Sharon also stressed that pollsters must approach their findings with humility.

“I’m not a Navi, nor do I claim to be,” he said, concluding that ultimately, “the public isn’t stupid,” and every voter will draw his own conclusions.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Rabbi Aviad Gadot, the director of the Torat Lechima organization, addressed the IDF’s decision to jail 16 soldiers for refusing to enter an APC with a female paramedic, analyzing what he described as the roots of the incident and the dynamics within the military.

Speaking in an interview with Kol Chai, Rabbi Gadot said: “This incident is not a confrontation between the soldiers and the military as a whole, but with senior commanders who are imposing a progressive agenda and a corrupt cultural foundation.”

“The soldiers on the ground—the overwhelming majority and backbone of the fighting force—want a Jewish army and basic standards of kedushas hamachaneh. The religious soldier is treated as though he has special needs and is asking for something extraordinary, when in fact this is a basic values-based demand from a community that pays an extraordinarily heavy price in combat. This struggle is Am Yisrael’s struggle over the identity of its army.”

Rabbi Gadot sharply criticized the composition of the IDF’s senior command and warned about the effects of the Joint Service Order.

“We warned in advance about the appointments at the top of the military. These are generals whose entire outlook is political and progressive, who promote the mixing of men and women and undermine kedushas hamachaneh. Joint service is seriously harming the military, and this madness is permeating the upper ranks. They try to portray every such incident as an ‘exception,’ but in practice they are turning the exception into the norm.”

Asked whether the military’s promises to establish dedicated frameworks tailored to the Chareidi public could be trusted, Gadot responded emphatically:

“They are lying to the Chareidi public and to all of us. During discussions in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, we demanded to see the wording of the Chareidi enlistment order, and we saw clearly that even this order subordinates itself to the Joint Service Order and the Gender Affairs Adviser. Senior commanders in the past have also admitted that these promises do not hold water. The Chareidim, in their wisdom, recognize this bluff and are not falling into the trap. The Defense Minister must intervene immediately to restore the IDF’s Jewish character and kedushas hamachaneh.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday confirmed that a second Israeli is missing in Nepal, six days after catastrophic flooding hit Nepal and China.

She was identified as Katerina “Katya” Sakovich, 41. She holds both Israeli and Belarusian citizenship and has been living in Milan in recent years. She was in Nepal as part of a journey to Mount Kailash in Tibet. She was last seen in the area of the Rasuwagadhi-Gyirong border crossing around the time a powerful flood struck the area.

According to a report by Kan News, her family said that Sakovich is listed in official records in Nepal solely as a Belarusian citizen, with no mention of her Israeli citizenship. As a result, the family contacted the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem and requested assistance in coordinating the search efforts with authorities in Nepal, China and Belarus.

The missing woman’s sister is expected to travel to Nepal tomorrow to take part in the search efforts, and the family has launched a fundraising campaign to cover the costs of her stay and the search.

The Foreign Ministry said that the Israeli Consulate in Kathmandu and the Department for Israelis in Distress are in continuous contact with the family and are working in cooperation with local authorities.

Alongside the search efforts on the ground, the family is using facial-recognition technology provided by an Indian company in an effort to trace Sakovich through cameras installed in the area.

Another Israeli citizen, a man in his 60s, is missing in the same area. He was last seen on the morning of the disaster while crossing the border from Tibet into Nepal.

The combined deaths in Nepal and China surpassed 900, with more than 4,700 people missing, and a private-sector association representing power companies said at least 900 workers have been unaccounted for from 12 hydropower projects damaged by the floods in Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts.

Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal, or IPPAN, said there’s an estimation of at least 500 of the 900 missing workers trapped in the tunnels, although authorities have provided varying numbers and said several foreign teams were assisting Nepali rescuers.

At least one expert said the tunnels offered enough space for people to take refuge and that some workers could have access to oxygen. But others warned that the chances of finding survivors were diminishing.

Dangi said some workers had managed to make contact and call for help when the disaster struck last Wednesday, and some others who managed to flee reported to authorities and relatives that many of their colleagues were still in the tunnels. But he said that, six days after the disaster, fears grew that some might have suffocated.

“We are working in search and rescue of the stranded people from hills, settlements and river areas,” said Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, Nepal’s army spokesman.

Nepal’s disaster agency said Monday that 903 deaths had been counted in that country, with 4,247 people, including 592 foreigners, missing. As of Sunday, Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, and Chinese state media said 261 of the missing were foreigners, including over a hundred Nepalis.

Workers shoveling mud from a flood-ravaged power station in Dhading, Nepal, told The Associated Press that the station is a key node for providing power to over 20,000 people in the region. The workers cleaning the power station said they hope that it is not rebuilt near the river.

Rescue efforts are focused on people trapped in the gigantic tunnels built for controlling the waterflow to produce hydropower, across multiple sites.

“The tunnels are built to access hydropower infrastructure and to divert water — an essential step to generate energy. These tunnels are big enough to drive trucks through,” said Jakob Steiner, a geoscientist at the University of Graz in Austria, who is currently based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. “There is enough place for people to take refuge safely inside and from what we understand they have managed to get oxygen to some of those stuck inside and are trying to rescue them now. It’s a race for time though as people need food and water.”

In the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project, in the hard-hit Rasuwa district, at least 576 were missing, Dangi said, adding that around 300 of them were believed to be trapped inside the project’s tunnel. Rescuers have been trying to find survivors for days, working through the rain.

At the Trishuli-3 Hydropower Project, crews were working to descend about 15 meters (50 feet) into the tunnel in an effort to reach those believed trapped inside, according to Basnet, the army spokesperson.

On the Chinese side, rescue and recovery efforts included rebuilding the road leading to Gyirong Port at the border between China and Nepal.

Trucks carried giant rocks as workers tried to repave a portion of the road, state broadcaster CCTV showed Monday, next to rapidly rushing waters, which have been made more powerful by rains in the past couple of days. The road is now under some 2 to 3 meters (6.6 to 9.8 feet) of water, hampering rescuers’ ability to reach the border. The repaving effort was just a little over a kilometer (.62 miles) from the border, CCTV said.

Although some rescue teams have managed to reach the border, that represented only a portion of the force.

Chinese state media coverage has focused largely on the official response, highlighting the deployment of firefighters, the People’s Liberation Army as well as the instructions from top leaders. Little is known about victims on the Chinese side.

Two days after the disaster, Maraval Nagappan traveled to Nepal to search for his son, who was among the missing. He visited rescue centers and morgues and went as far as 40 kilometers (25 miles) from where his son was believed to have been, but found no sign of him.

His son, Sathya Narayan had been leading a group of 49 Indian devotees who were returning from Mount Kailash — a sacred site in southwestern Tibet. The group has been missing since floodwaters swept through a Chinese immigration complex where they were waiting to cross into Nepal.

Nagappan, who owns the Chennai-based travel company that organized their pilgrimage, and said the group had been expected to complete immigration formalities and leave for Nepal within about two hours. Instead of making the crossing, they were caught in the flood, Nagappan said.

The pilgrimage had begun Aug. 14. “I haven’t heard from my son since then. I don’t know whether he is alive or dead,” he told AP, but he said he hadn’t given up on hearing from his son.

Surveillance footage showed water surging through the immigration complex at the border as people scrambled to escape. Nagappan said some of those seen fleeing were members of his son’s group and were identified by the clothes they were wearing.

Wednesday’s flash floods started after a glacial collapse high in the Himalayan region. Scientists who studied satellite images said bedrock underneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it. The rockfall was so extreme that it registered as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event.

The rocks and melted water then swelled the rivers in the valleys below, causing a torrent of water that swept buildings, bridges and earth downstream in Tibet and Nepal.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem & AP)

The Noam L’Yisrael party announced that it will hold an urgent protest tonight at 9:00 p.m. outside the gates of Prison 10 in the wake of the imprisonment of 16 soldiers who heeded their Rabbanim and refused to enter an APC together with a female paramedic.

Prominent Rabbanim from Noam L’Yisrael, public figures, and a large crowd are expected to take part in the protest.

“It’s unfathomable that in the army of the Jewish state, observing halacha is considered a criminal offense,” the protest organizers said.

Party chairman Avi Maoz has been a fierce critic of the IDF’s dismissive attitude toward religious soldiers in the IDF, emphasizing that this attitude proves that the IDF has no interest in truly recruiting Chareidim but instead wants to reeducate them.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

President Trump said the United States will respond to Iran’s overnight missile attack targeting American forces in Jordan, as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate.

Trump told Fox News that the U.S. intends to retaliate following the Iranian attack. The strike came after U.S. forces targeted Iranian positions on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran subsequently launched missiles toward Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Israel was reportedly informed in advance of the U.S. operation. Israeli officials currently view the latest exchange as a limited confrontation that could remain contained as long as neither side suffers significant damage.

Jordan and the UAE condemned the Iranian attacks targeting their territory. UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said the current situation of being neither at war nor at peace is not sustainable and called for realistic political and economic solutions to the crisis.

Trump also issued a blistering assessment of Iran’s condition, declaring the country a “failed” and “dead” nation and claiming its leadership is in complete disarray. He said Iran has been left without a functioning navy or air force, its currency has collapsed, security forces are going unpaid and inflation has reached 300%.

The president further accused Iran’s leadership of killing more than 100,000 protesters and said those responsible should face prosecution for crimes against humanity.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Hundreds of members of the Sephardi Olam HaTorah gathered Sunday night for a protest outside the gates of Prison 10 following the arrest of Bnei Brak yeshiva bochur Yisrael Guchfi, who was sent to prison

During the gathering, addresses were delivered by Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah member Hagaon Harav Shlomo Machfud and the head of the Halichot Moshe institutions, Hagaon Harav Shabtai Levi, and a number of other Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshivos. The gathering concluded with Hagaon Harav Moshe Zalicha leading the crowd in a mass Kabbalas Ol Malchus Shamayim.

HaGaon HaRav Shabtai Levi highlighted Israel’s current security situation, emphasizing the importance of the Torah world to the country’s security: “We’ve been at war for 78 years, from operation to operation and from war to war, without a decisive victory, facing seven fronts. Everyone asks: Where is the IDF’s deterrence power? We have planes, precision missiles, intelligence, and the Mossad, yet the enemies around us continue to grow stronger. There is no deterrence. They’re making a mockery of us.”

“Hezbollah is growing stronger, Hamas is growing stronger, Iran is growing stronger—they’re laughing at all of us. We fired endless missiles, and it had no effect. Endless millions, and it had no effect.”

Harav Levi then defined the true source of deterrence: “The passuk in this week’s parsha states: ‘And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of Hashem is called upon you, and they shall fear you.’ Deterrence cannot be achieved with weapons, missiles, and planes. The only power of deterrence that Am Yisrael possesses, and that its enemies do not, comes from the Olam HaTorah and shemiras hamitzvos. It is the Torah world that brings protection and Hashem’s bracha upon the entire nation.”

Concluding his remarks, Harav Levi called for continued spiritual strengthening: “Our path is clear. They seek to make arrests, and we deepen and continue our limmud Torah. This is our heritage, and through it we will merit geulah and yeshuah.”

HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Machfud spoke tearfully about the imprisonment of Lomdei Torah: “We stand here today, during these days of Rachamim and Selichos, facing the iron and concrete walls of the military prison, and our hearts are bleeding. Instead of the holy yeshiva bochurim sitting in the Beis Medrash with their Gemaras open before them, with the voice of Torah protecting all of Klal Yisrael, there are bochurim sitting here behind bars.”

“This is not a new struggle,” the Rav emphasized. “For 78 years, the state has fought over everything holy, but the latest decrees surpass them all.”

“They built the state only to destroy Yiddishkeit. They don’t really want soldiers. They don’t want them in the army. They don’t care about the yeshiva bochurim who are learning in yeshivos. What do they care about? Uprooting Yiddishkeit from Klal Yisrael!”

“They know that Am Yisrael is not Am Yisrael except through its Torah. The Torah is our life, and they cannot move us even a hair’s breadth.”

The Rav invoked the mesirus nefesh of Rebbe Chanina ben Teradyon and emphasized: “Torah is acquired only through mesirus nefesh. The nations of the world burned the Torah and persecuted those who learned it, but Netzach Yisrael lo yeshaker.”

The protest rally in front of Prison 10. Photo: Ariel Sar

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Two terrorists convicted of involvement in the lynching of three Jews during Operation Guardian of the Walls have been ordered to pay more than NIS 220,000 in total compensation to the three victims.

The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ruled that each of the three plaintiffs, who were represented by attorney Chaim Bleicher of the Honenu organization, will receive NIS 60,000 in compensation. In addition, the defendants were ordered to pay NIS 36,000 in legal fees and court costs.

The lynching took place on Jerusalem Day in 2021, when the three plaintiffs were driving toward the Kosel and encountered a mob of Arab rioters on the road leading to the Kosel from the direction of Sha’ar Shechem, near the turnoff to Sha’ar HaArayos.

The Arabs hurled concrete blocks and rocks at their car, sprayed pepper spray, and violently attacked the occupants. The attack caused the driver to lose control of his car, which almost turned over before ramming into at least one of the Arabs.

The Arabs then ran to the car and attempted to carry out a lynch of the driver. A nearby police officer ran to the scene to protect the driver and his two passengers while firing his gun in the air to control the Arab mob. In a frightening glimpse of how little fear the Arabs have even of an armed police officer, the Arabs continued to heckle the driver and policeman even after the near lynch.

The three Jews were injured in the attack, including cuts and bruises, and suffered burning in their eyes due to the Arabs spraying pepper spray and tear gas at them from close-range.

Judge Eliad Winshal ruled that the incident was a particularly severe case of a mass assault motivated by nationalism. The ruling emphasized that the plaintiffs were attacked because of their religious Jewish appearance and that the fear and terror they experienced during the lynching constituted a significant part of the harm they suffered.

Attorney Bleicher said: “We welcome the ruling, which imposes substantial compensation on the terrorists who participated in a severe terrorist lynching as part of the Guardian of the Walls war.

“We will continue working to ensure that every terrorist or terrorist rioter pays a heavy price for his actions, thereby increasing deterrence and working to eradicate terrorism.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Yamam counterterrorism officers arrested a wanted terrorist overnight in Shechem who is suspected of advancing terrorist activity and attempting to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians.

According to Palestinian reports, the suspect is Fatah al-Ashqar, who previously served as a commander in the Lions’ Den terrorist organization and as an officer in the Palestinian Authority security forces.

The arrest was carried out near the municipal stadium in Shechem following precise intelligence from the Shin Bet. Undercover Yamam officers covertly approached the wanted man’s home, caught him by surprise and arrested him.

After the undercover Yamam force began its operation and was exposed in the field, large numbers of IDF troops entered the area to secure the operation and enable the terrorist to be safely extracted from the area.

In a joint statement, the Israel Police and IDF said that al-Ashqar had been wanted for arrest since his involvement with Lions’ Den, the terrorist organization that operated in Shechem and was thwarted by Israeli security forces in 2022.

Israeli security officials said that throughout this period, the wanted terrorist continued working to advance terrorist activity and attempted to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians.

At the conclusion of the operation, the suspect was transferred to the Shin Bet for further interrogation.

B’Chasdei Hashem, no Israeli security forces were injured during the operation.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

One person died and about 15 people are missing or unaccounted for after a major flash flood at the Grand Canyon forced evacuations, pushed large boulders into the Colorado River and knocked out the sole water pipeline that serves tourists and residents, the National Park Service said Sunday.

The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, the park service said without providing additional details. Officials from an Arizona coroner’s office were on scene.

The flooding Saturday in Bright Angel Creek, which flows into the river, led to more than 60 people being airlifted from the depths of the canyon. The park service asked anyone with details about hikers or campers still unaccounted for to get in touch. The Arizona Department of Public Safety was helping with additional evacuations Sunday.

The limited potable water supply because of the damaged pipeline means tourists won’t be able to stay overnight at lodges and hotels within the park, starting Monday. Year-round residents are being asked to conserve water.

“These measures are crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources,” the park said in a statement.

Visiting the Grand Canyon — a crown jewel of the national park system — can be particularly dangerous in the summer because of the risk of flash flooding that accompanies the monsoon, or rainy season. Clear days can give way quickly to thunderstorms and downpours.

Parth Desai was hiking through a narrow passage in Bright Angel Canyon with fellow physicians and a park ranger when heavy rain started falling Saturday.

“We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” he said.

Later, as they made their way toward Phantom Ranch, a colleague shouted “Up, Up, Up, Up!” as a 4-foot (1-meter) debris wall headed toward them and they ran up into a patch of cacti, he said. They were rescued by helicopter late Saturday after making it to the Phantom Ranch area, he said.

Torrents of water wiped out footbridges over the creek and altered the landscape, widening the creek bed and extending an existing river rapid or creating a new one. The flood was a major blow to an enduring effort to modernize the pipeline that serves 6 million visitors a year and roughly 1,600 residents of Grand Canyon Village.

“Heaven help us if the whole thing down there at the bottom has to be reconstructed,” said Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University. “Where are they going to get the money?”

Halting overnight stays at the park because of a lack of water is rare, although the pipeline frequently has failed over the years. While the Grand Canyon has large storage tanks for potable water on the South Rim, they won’t be refilled while the pipeline is out of service.

A $208 million rehabilitation of the pipeline and upgrades to the associated water delivery system started in 2023, with the park service calling it a crucial investment to ensure the park can meet the needs of residents and visitors. The project was expected to be completed next year.

Popular tourist spots, including the Bright Angel Campground, the North Kaibab Trail and Phantom Ranch, home to a historic canteen and dormitories, remained closed Sunday. Lodging is still available just outside the park’s South Rim entrance station in Tusayan.

Erica Viola said she and about 50 other hikers at that campground watched the creek rise Saturday and debris start to flow by, including what looked like a bunkhouse. The helicopter ride out cut her adventure short by two days, she said.

About half an inch to 1 inch (1 to 2.5 cm) of rain fell within about 20 minutes on a rocky slope where there’s a steep drop in elevation, said National Weather Service meteorologist Darren McCollum in Flagstaff. The deluge was preceded by two smaller systems that drenched the area hours earlier.

“So when the main storm moved in, torrential rain fell on everything that was already soaked, and that caused all the problems that we’re seeing,” McCollum said.

The weather service said the flooding happened on the north side of the Grand Canyon, where Bright Angel Creek comes from the North Rim down to the Colorado River, dropping around 6,000 feet (1,828 meters).

More rain and thunderstorms were possible for the area into Monday.

(AP)

The case of the Hesder soldiers who were sentenced to jail for heeding their Rabbanim was not an isolated incident but part of a series of confrontations over religious issues that have escalated in recent weeks, Arutz Sheva reported.

Fellow Hesder soldiers told Arutz Sheva that there have been ongoing tensions between the company commanders and Hesder soldiers in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to force them to violate their religious standards.

They recounted that about 10 days ago, the company commander decided to hold a training exercise on Shabbos involving evacuating casualties and inserting an IV even though there was no operational urgency that justified holding it specifically on Shabbos.

The soldiers said that they asked their commanders to postpone the exercise to another time. “We asked why it was necessary to carry out such an exercise on Shabbat when there was no professional or operational necessity for it,” they said. “We did not receive a substantive answer.”

After Shabbos, they spoke to the Brigade Rabbi and described the exercise, and he confirmed that there was no justification for conducting such an exercise on Shabbos.

The soldiers added that there was also no operational urgency for the most recent incident, when soldiers were asked to board an APC with a female paramedic. The soldiers said that the incident was presented to the Brigade Rabbi as an operational activity when, in fact, it was a routine activity.

“We feel that there is a deliberate attempt here to provoke a confrontation with the religious soldiers and the Hesder yeshiva students,” the soldiers said. “Instead of finding solutions and enabling joint service based on mutual respect, time and again they choose confrontation.”

They emphasized that these confrontations also carry an operational cost. “The battalion commander has now lost 15 soldiers who were sent to ten days in military prison,” one of them said. “Ultimately, one has to ask who will go into battle with him. At a time when the IDF needs every soldier, it is unfortunate that energy is being invested in internal confrontations instead of strengthening unity.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The IDF’s decision to imprison 16 soldiers for heeding the directive of their Rabbanim and refusing to board an APC with a female paramedic present sparked a wave of angry reactions.

Five of the soldiers were sentenced Sunday evening by the battalion commander to 10 days in military prison, and another 11 soldiers were sentenced to five days in military prison. Two of the five soldiers will be evaluated by an assessment committee before returning to combat duty.

Rav Dror Aryeh of the Sderot Hesder Yeshiva slammed the move: “This is unparalleled chutzpah. The defense minister failed to protect devoted soldiers from progressive madness. The soldiers are heroes; prison won’t break them. They are the pillar of fire leading the camp and will be remembered for generations as the true victors in this insane story. Their commanders acted contrary to halacha and contrary to orders. The ones who should have been tried are the commanders who violated the regulations.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday morning that he will demand answers from the IDF regarding the soldiers’ punishment.

“I support the Givati soldiers who insisted on their right and duty to serve in the IDF while preserving their values and beliefs and adhering to the Joint Service Order,” Smotrich stated. “The soldiers have the full backing of the Rabbanim and administrators of the Association of Hesder Yeshivas, who examined the matter thoroughly and with the appropriate caution, and stand behind the decision.”

He added, “I davened and hoped with all my heart that the IDF would come to its senses and avoid the need for my intervention, but since that did not happen, as the leader of Religious Zionism I cannot sit idly by, and I will demand answers from the IDF on the matter.”

“It is very unfortunate that there are those in the IDF who, exercising poor judgment, choose to directly confront the sector that serves and contributes the most, in a way that will only cause harm and damage public trust in the IDF,” the minister concluded.

Arutz Sheva, which first uncovered the story, reported that Rav Tzvi Kostiner, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Mitzpe Ramon Yeshiva, and Rav Shlomo Shushan, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Beit She’an Yeshiva, whose students serve in the platoon, instructed their students not to board a combat vehicle when a female paramedic is inside.

The Association of Hesder Yeshivot backed the soldiers and argued that they acted in accordance with the Joint Service Order and that soldiers who acted in accordance with it should not be punished.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in Jordan in response to US strikes on IRGC rocket launchers on Larak Island Sunday night, the first US military action against Iran in a month.

Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted eight missiles that penetrated the country’s airspace early Monday.

U.S. military officials disputed Iran’s claim that the latest American strikes were an act of aggression, calling them a “limited, precise action” against what they said were minelaying forces.

“In essence, Iran created the threat and the U.S. military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement late Sunday.

The last time the U.S. military confirmed targeting Iran was on July 29, when it announced a “heavy wave of strikes” on dozens of Revolutionary Guard targets including coastal surveillance and defense sites. On Aug. 1, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would order the military to hold off on new strikes at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The attack comes just days after the Trump administration said it would turn its focus to increasing economic pressure — rather than military action — to try to end its war with Iran. The shifting strategy centers on threats to punish any country or entity that continues to conduct business with Tehran.

Sunday’s attack was a “fatal mistake by the Trump regime during the economic war” and the enemy will pay the consequences militarily and economically, a Guard spokesperson, Gen. Hossein Mohebi, said in a statement carried by Iranian media.

The U.S. turn to using sanctions came as the administration weighs diminished munitions stockpiles after months of war, sparking concerns that the prolonged conflict could undermine U.S. military readiness in other parts of the globe.

As the conflict grinds on, Trump’s talk of finding a quick end to the war also appears to be fading. He stressed last week that he’s “not in a hurry” to get Iran back to the negotiating table, and he continues making the case that the Islamic Republic’s leadership is on the ropes.

Appointments to Iran’s senior security leadership in the past month, however, have signaled Tehran’s defiance after weathering decades of sanctions as well as a lack of tolerance for dissent at home.

Trump has consistently emphasized that the U.S. and Israeli campaign has been devastating for Iran’s navy and air force. Iranian officials have said the country has suffered $270 billion in direct and indirect damage. Israeli military strikes in the first weeks of the war wiped out much of the theocratic government’s leadership structure.

But Iran has found leverage through its strikes against vessels on the Strait of Hormuz, where relatively few ships carrying oil and liquefied natural gas are risking passage. Iran still has enough drones and missiles to fire at vessels transiting the waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows.

Crude oil prices rose Sunday in response to the U.S. attack. The price for a barrel of U.S. oil went up 1.8% to $84.94, while the price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 1.9% to $89.79.

Tehran continues to assert that even after it works out a management plan for the strait with Oman, its neighbor on the other side of the waterway, the U.S. can’t use it until it fulfills its obligations under the memorandum of understanding the countries signed in mid-June.

Trump has repeatedly declared that the “Strait of Hormuz is open,” saying 24 vessels passed through last week. But that’s a fraction of the roughly 130 vessels that transited daily before the war began.

Earlier on Sunday, a multinational coalition overseen by the U.S. Navy said commercial traffic through the strait remained at “reduced levels.”

And a monitoring agency run by the British military said an unknown projectile struck a tanker ship on Saturday north of Khasab, Oman, in the strait. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said no casualties or environmental impact had been reported, and cited unspecified military authorities. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The U.S. military said that as of Sunday, it had redirected 83 commercial vessels and disabled three under its blockade of Iranian ports.

(AP & YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

In a solemn and emotional maamad in Beit Shemesh on Sunday, the remains of the Sifrei Torah that were burned in the missile strike that devastated the Tiferes Yisrael shul were brought to kevurah. Community leaders, families of those who were killed, and the shul’s gabbaim participated in the maamad.

Among those present was Tzion Revach, who had donated one of the Sifrei Torah and lost his son, Gavriel Baruch HY”D, in the same tragedy. Before the kevurah, remarks were delivered by Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg, City Councilman Nati Gabay, and Revach.

“For me, this is a difficult day,” Revach said. “It brings me back to the terrible blow I suffered this year when I buried my son, and now I am burying the Sefer Torah that I collected shekel by shekel to have written.” He added that he finds nechama in the rebuilding of the shul, which he said will symbolize the community rising from its mourning.

The Tiferes Yisrael shul, where the Sifrei Torah had been kept, was completely destroyed in the missile strike. Reconstruction is now at an advanced stage, and the new building is expected to reopen to mispallelim ahead of the upcoming Yomim Tovim.

Mayor Greenberg said the community was laying the Sifrei Torah to rest “with sorrow and honor,” adding that, b’ezras Hashem, the rebuilt shul will be ready for the Yomim Tovim. “May the year and its curses come to an end, and may the new year and its blessings begin.”

Councilman Nati Gabay described the kevurah as another painful chapter for the city, noting that for Revach, it was a “second burial” after the loss of his son. He said the community is now rebuilding its temporary Mikdash Me’at, with the hope of ultimately restoring the community to its permanent shul.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

An initial investigation into the massive disruption at Ben Gurion Airport on August 20 has found that baggage-sorting employees left their posts earlier than planned, triggering a chain of events that ultimately led airport management to halt baggage handling and close check-in counters.

The investigative committee presented its preliminary findings Sunday to the Israel Airports Authority Council, detailing how the unusual breakdown unfolded.

According to the findings, baggage-sorting workers left at the end of their regular shifts rather than remaining for previously agreed-upon overtime hours. Their departure caused a growing backlog in the airport’s baggage system, raising concerns that continuing to accept additional luggage would make the situation significantly worse.

Ben Gurion Airport Director Zohar Gefen subsequently ordered baggage transportation halted and check-in counters closed. The preliminary review determined that Gefen’s decision was “correct and appropriate” given the circumstances.

The findings immediately sparked a dispute with Israel Airports Authority Workers’ Committee chairman Pinchas Idan, who reportedly erupted during the meeting after details of the investigation were published by Channel 12.

Idan acknowledged following the incident that he had instructed employees to finish their shifts after nine hours rather than work an additional three hours. However, he argued that the departure of between 12 and 20 baggage handlers was not sufficient justification for effectively shutting down the airport.

Airport management disputed that argument, saying workers had known in advance that they were scheduled for 12-hour shifts, including overtime.

Officials said the absence of roughly 20 baggage handlers made it impossible to continue check-in operations without creating additional chaos, including luggage becoming mixed up and insufficient staffing to load bags onto aircraft.

The committee stressed that its findings remain preliminary and that no personal conclusions have yet been reached. A final report will be issued after the investigation is completed.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Two Israeli election polls released Sunday presented dramatically different pictures of the political landscape, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud receiving just 21 seats in a Kan 11 survey — compared to 31 seats in a Channel 14 poll conducted the same day.

The Kan 11 poll showed Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party emerging as the largest party with 24 seats, while Likud fell to 21. Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad received 14 seats.

The poll also showed Otzma Yehudit with 7 seats, Religious Zionism with 5, and the newly formed party led by former IDF Maj. Gen. Ofer Winter crossing the electoral threshold with 4 seats.

The Democrats received 9 seats, Yisrael Beiteinu 8, United Torah Judaism 8, the Joint List 8, Shas 7, Ra’am 5 and Amcha Yisrael 4. Bayit Tzioni, Blue and White and Gilad Erdan’s party all failed to cross the electoral threshold.

But a Channel 14 poll released Sunday showed a vastly different result, with Likud receiving 31 seats — a full 10 seats more than in the Kan survey. Eisenkot’s Yashar received 24 seats, while Bennett’s Beyachad fell to just 6.

In the Channel 14 poll, Otzma Yehudit, United Torah Judaism and Yisrael Beiteinu each received 7 seats, while Religious Zionism and Amcha Yisrael each received 4.

Channel 14’s poll placed the right-wing bloc at 63 seats, compared to 45 for the left-wing bloc and 12 for the Arab parties.

Netanyahu also held a significant advantage in Channel 14’s question of suitability to serve as prime minister, receiving 51%, compared to 35% for Eisenkot and 10% for Bennett.

The sharply different results come as Ofer Winter’s entrance into the political arena adds another player competing for votes on the Israeli right, with the Kan survey showing his party crossing the electoral threshold.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Swiss police broke up an unauthorized anti-Israel demonstration in Basel on Saturday after hundreds of protesters gathered for an event organized under the slogan “Death to Zionism.”

Between 200 and 300 demonstrators gathered at Theaterplatz at around 2 p.m., chanting pro-Palestinian slogans and carrying signs calling for an “end to Zionism.” The protest was deliberately scheduled for August 29, the anniversary of the opening of the First Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897.

Basel police deployed a large contingent of officers, including reinforcements from other regions, and brought a water cannon to the scene. Police sealed off the area and gradually surrounded demonstrators to conduct identity checks.

Clashes broke out during the police operation, prompting officers to use pepper spray as they moved to disperse the crowd.

Authorities had announced in advance that the demonstration would not be permitted because of explicit calls for violence connected to the event. Police also stressed that Basel’s Jewish community must be able to feel safe in the city at all times.

The demonstration had been promoted on social media by a group called “Basel for Palestine.” Organizers chose August 29 to coincide with the anniversary of the First Zionist Congress, convened by Theodor Herzl in Basel in 1897.

Jonathan Kreutner, secretary-general of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities, called on authorities to identify and prosecute those responsible for organizing the demonstration, warning that calls for the destruction of Zionism were causing serious concern among members of Switzerland’s Jewish community.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Three Givati Brigade soldiers, all students of Hesder yeshivos, were sentenced Sunday night to 10 days in military prison after refusing to enter a Namer armored personnel carrier together with a female paramedic, sparking outrage among religious soldiers and their supporters.

The soldiers were tried by their battalion commander following the incident, which occurred during an operational activity last week. According to the soldiers, the circumstances did not involve an unfolding emergency or a life-saving situation that required them to enter the vehicle under those conditions.

During the nighttime operation, the company was preparing to conduct a patrol involving a Merkava tank and a Namer. A medical team that included the female paramedic was ordered to join the company commander’s command group and three additional soldiers inside the Namer. A source familiar with the incident told Walla that because of the extremely confined conditions inside the armored vehicle, it would be difficult for a religious soldier to avoid physical contact with a female soldier during the ride.

The punishment triggered furious condemnation from the organization “Wives of Soldiers for the Sanctity of the Camp,” which demanded the soldiers’ immediate release and accused the IDF leadership of persecuting religious soldiers for adhering to Torah and halacha. The group called the decision a disgrace and said the military cannot speak about recruiting Chareidim while religious soldiers already serving in the IDF are treated this way.

HaRav Dror Aryeh of the Sderot Hesder Yeshiva also sharply condemned the punishment, accusing Defense Minister Israel Katz of failing to protect dedicated soldiers. He said the soldiers were heroes who would not be broken by prison and argued that their commanders — rather than the soldiers — should have faced disciplinary proceedings for violating regulations and halacha.

Walla reported that the dispute was not the first recent clash between the battalion’s religious soldiers and their commanders. About a week and a half earlier, the company commander ordered a casualty-evacuation exercise on Shabbos that included inserting an IV. Soldiers from the yeshiva students’ unit objected, saying there was no operational necessity that justified performing the exercise on Shabbos.

According to the soldiers, they approached a military rav after Shabbos, who determined that the exercise should not have been conducted on Shabbos. The tensions then resurfaced with the Namer incident — ultimately resulting in the three soldiers being sentenced to 10 days behind bars.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has surrounded himself with a hardline circle of veteran generals and clerics, including figures closely associated with the regime’s past crackdowns on anti-government protests, signaling that Tehran has little intention of moving toward a more moderate leadership.

Khamenei, who has led Iran since February, has issued a series of appointments placing some of the country’s most powerful hardliners at the center of the regime. Mohsen Rezaei was appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, while Ahmad Vahidi was named commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Among the most significant appointments is Hossein Taeb, the former head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization who was removed from that position in 2022. Taeb has now been placed in command of the Basij, the paramilitary force that has played a central role in suppressing demonstrations across Iran.

The appointment is being viewed as a sign that Iran’s leadership is determined to prevent another outbreak of unrest as the country struggles under severe economic pressure and continuing sanctions.

Sascha Bruchmann, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, described the officials surrounding Khamenei as a clique of older senior officers who have served alongside one another for decades. He said placing an intelligence veteran like Taeb at the head of the Basij makes sense for a regime seeking to stop a potential uprising before it even begins.

At the same time, Iran’s leadership is showing little confidence that an agreement with the United States can be reached after Iran was attacked twice while negotiations were underway. Rezaei has warned that if the economic war against Iran continues, “not a single drop of oil” will be exported from the Persian Gulf.

President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, continues to publicly call for a diplomatic solution and an end to the war, highlighting significant divisions within Iran’s leadership over the country’s future direction.

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, has not appeared publicly, in videos or in audio recordings since his father was killed in Israeli strikes. The report says there is speculation that Khamenei was injured, with his continued absence potentially reflecting either the severity of his injuries or the extraordinary security surrounding him amid concerns that Israel could target him.

The appointments indicate that Khamenei is consolidating power around veteran security officials with decades of experience inside the regime and a history of confronting internal dissent — particularly as Iran faces mounting economic pressure and the possibility of renewed unrest.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In a dramatic revelation, thousands of Kurdish fighters were secretly brought to Israel and underwent operational training as part of a sweeping Mossad plan to send them into Iran and help trigger the collapse of the Islamic regime, according to details revealed by Israel’s Channel 13.

The highly ambitious operation, code-named “Cat in the Boots,” began taking shape following Operation Rising Lion in June 2025. Then-Mossad Director David Barnea strongly backed the plan and presented regime change in Tehran to Israel’s political leadership as an achievable goal.

The plan was far beyond the conceptual stage. Thousands of Kurdish fighters actually traveled to Israel, where they trained for operational scenarios ahead of a potential entry into Iran. During their preparations, the fighters were instructed that any harm to civilians would result in Israel cutting off its assistance.

The plan envisioned the Israeli Air Force launching a massive assault in Iran’s Kurdish region to open an entry route for Kurdish forces into the country. Israeli planners believed that initial successes by the Kurdish forces on Iranian soil could ignite demonstrations involving millions of Iranians, placing enormous pressure on the regime and potentially bringing about its downfall.

When massive anti-regime demonstrations erupted in Iran in January 2026, officials considered accelerating the operation. Israel, however, sought additional time amid concerns that the forces were not yet sufficiently prepared. During a White House meeting the following month, President Trump asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when Israel wanted to move forward and when it would be ready. Barnea estimated that bringing down the regime could take approximately one year, while IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir believed it could take as long as three years.

Trump eventually gave the green light and Israel launched its campaign — but just days later, a dramatic order from Washington brought the Kurdish component of the operation to a halt. Three days after the campaign began, the White House instructed Israel not to send the Kurdish forces into Iran. “Three days after the campaign began, we got a ‘Don’t,’” a senior Israeli official said.

Israeli officials attributed the reversal to opposition from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and pressure from Vice President JD Vance. Israel’s political leadership and the Mossad attempted to persuade Washington to reverse the decision but were unsuccessful. Barnea subsequently presented an alternative plan, which security officials described as inferior to the original and not nearly as prepared. The alternative ultimately failed to produce the results Israel had hoped for.

The operation also involved a previously reported effort surrounding former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Israeli planners had identified Ahmadinejad — referred to internally as “the friend” — as a possible candidate to lead Iran if the existing regime were toppled.

Separately, Channel 13 reported Sunday that another Mossad initiative, known as “Project Garden,” prompted an unusual internal review inside the intelligence agency. The worldwide influence operation, launched following October 7 and managed outside Mossad headquarters by a well-known campaign manager, was reviewed following claims of irregularities in financial conduct. The Mossad said the review was intended to formalize procedures and that no financial embezzlement was uncovered.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israeli security forces seized approximately NIS 1.4 million in cash suspected of being intended for terrorism after discovering the money hidden inside a vehicle traveling from Yehuda and Shomron toward Jerusalem.

The seizure took place over the weekend at the Tunnels Checkpoint during an operation involving Border Police officers from the Jerusalem perimeter and troops stationed at the crossing.

Security forces stopped the vehicle for inspection and discovered a concealed double wall inside the vehicle. Officers opened the compartment and found two bags containing approximately NIS 1.4 million in cash.

Authorities suspect the money was terror funds being transported into the Jerusalem area.

The driver, a 29-year-old Jerusalem resident, was arrested at the scene and transferred for questioning in a joint investigation by the Jerusalem District Police Central Unit and the Shin Bet.

A magistrate’s court subsequently extended the suspect’s detention through August 31 as the investigation continues.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Senior officials from Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces have reportedly made several secret visits to Israel as the paramilitary group seeks to strengthen its diplomatic ties and international standing.

According to a report by Africa Intelligence, RSF deputy commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo has been expanding channels of communication with Israeli officials as part of an effort to secure political and diplomatic support amid Sudan’s ongoing civil war.

The report says Dagalo secretly visited Israel together with several other senior officials, despite being under personal sanctions imposed by the United Nations, United States and European Union over his alleged responsibility for war crimes committed in Sudan’s western Darfur region.

Dagalo is the brother of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti. The RSF has been fighting Sudan’s military for roughly three years in a devastating conflict that has left the country facing a massive humanitarian crisis.

The United States has determined that members of the RSF and allied militias committed genocide in Sudan, citing systematic atrocities committed against civilians during the conflict.

The reported contacts with Israel come as the RSF seeks to broaden its foreign relationships and strengthen its international legitimacy while the battle for control of Sudan continues.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Mohammed is the most common name among boys entering first grade in Israel for the 2026-2027 school year, according to new figures released by the Population and Immigration Authority.

The data, published ahead of the start of the new school year, show Mohammed leading the overall ranking for boys, followed by Yosef in second place and Adam in third.

David ranked fourth, followed by Omer, Ariel, Daniel, Lavi, Eitan and Ahmad, rounding out the ten most common boys’ names nationwide.

The rankings look significantly different when examining only Jewish students. Among Jewish boys entering first grade, Ariel is the most common name, followed by David and Lavi.

Uri ranked fourth among Jewish boys, followed by Daniel, Eitan, Noam, Itay, Rafael and Yehuda.

Among girls across Israel, Tamar was the most common name for incoming first graders. Miriam ranked second and Avigail third, followed by Adele, Sarah, Yael, Noa, Shira, Lia and Maya.

Tamar also topped the ranking specifically among Jewish girls, followed by Avigail and Yael. Noa, Adele, Shira, Sarah, Ayala, Lia and Ella completed the top ten.

The figures provide a snapshot of naming trends among the newest generation of Israeli schoolchildren as families prepare for the beginning of the 2026-2027 academic year.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Finland’s opposition parties are fiercely attacking the government after a report by broadcaster Yle revealed that the government signed an extension of its military cooperation with Israel through 2034.

The agreement, which Finland initiated efforts to extend as early as the beginning of 2024, covers research, development and procurement of defense systems and includes the establishment of a joint coordination team that will meet at least once a year.

As part of the two countries’ military cooperation, Finland is purchasing Israel’s David’s Sling air defense system in a deal worth about 317 million euros.

Green League chair Sofia Virta called the government’s policy a historic disgrace, accusing it of deepening ties with Israel instead of applying pressure on it, and linked the move to the decision not to renew funding for UNRWA.

The development comes after it was reported over the weekend that Finland is ending its financial support for UNRWA, the aid organization for Palestinian refugees.

The Left Alliance announced that it would submit a parliamentary question to examine the circumstances surrounding the signing of the agreement and Finland’s arms trade policy, with party chair Minja Koskela criticizing the silence surrounding its approval.

Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen rejected the criticism, explaining that the deal with Israel is a routine agreement of the kind Finland has with 40 countries and is intended to meet Finland’s defense needs and support the implementation of existing air-defense and procurement projects.

He said procurement decisions are based on military capabilities, costs and suitability, a position echoed by Chief of Defence Janne Jaakkola, who noted that Israel’s David’s Sling system, whose purchase was approved in 2023 for more than €300 million, had distinguished itself with its performance.

Finland, which shares a border with Russia, has significantly increased its military procurement since Russia invaded Ukraine, amid fears of a similar invasion of its own territory.

Finland has been a major customer of Israel’s defense industries for years, buying advanced weapons systems, including tank ammunition and missiles. According to a Defense Ministry source, Finland currently purchases hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of equipment from Israeli defense industries each year, with that figure continuing to rise.

The largest-ever delegation of Israeli defense companies visited Helsinki in May 2026 and participated in a joint defense industry seminar and meetings with senior officials from the Finnish military and Defense Ministry, Ynet reported.

“We have a wonderful relationship with the Finnish Defense Ministry and many joint projects,” an Israeli Defense Ministry official said at the time. “We reviewed industrial projects. The Finnish military has 23 projects underway with Israel’s defense industry. For them, the meeting was not just about procurement, but also about learning from Israel’s military approach and hearing about future projects. Finland’s deputy chief of staff and head of procurement gave us a briefing on their equipment and procurement needs.”

SIBAT, the International Defense Cooperation Directorate at Israel’s Defense Ministry, views Finland as a strategic target beyond direct deals. “We see Finland as a potential production hub built to NATO standards, which would allow us to compete for NATO tenders and establish a manufacturing foothold in the Nordic countries,” the official added.

For Israel, Finland, which joined NATO in 2023, is a gateway to Europe as a whole.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Freed hostage Omer Shem Tov has opened up about the harrowing conditions he endured in Hamas captivity and how, while alone in the darkness of a Gaza tunnel, he developed a profound connection with Hashem.

In an emotional interview with Kan Reshet Bet, Shem Tov described his continuing struggle with post-traumatic stress, saying there are moments when he suddenly freezes and mentally finds himself back in captivity.

Shem Tov recounted an especially brutal 50-day period during which he was held completely alone in a dark tunnel, starving and isolated, without other hostages or even his Hamas captors around him.

He said the space was so small that he could neither stand upright nor fully stretch out his arms. Once a day, he would briefly turn on a small flashlight simply to reassure himself that he could still see.

Unable to scream while in captivity, Shem Tov wrote down a simple task for himself to carry out when he finally returned home: scream.

It was during this period of extreme isolation that Shem Tov said his connection with Hashem grew dramatically. Over time, he developed a routine that included meditation and using his imagination to cope with the darkness and isolation.

His emunah, he explained, eventually became something he experienced as physically real, particularly when he felt that his life had been given back to him.

Shem Tov also recalled an extraordinary moment from an earlier period of captivity, when he was being held in an apartment together with fellow hostage Itay Regev.

According to Shem Tov, a Hamas terrorist gave them a small bottle of grape juice that had been sent as a gift from Itay’s sister and fellow hostage, Maya Regev. Shem Tov and Regev used the precious bottle of grape juice to make Kiddush while being held captive in Gaza.

Shem Tov was abducted by Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre and was eventually released from captivity after enduring more than 500 days in Gaza.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israeli police rescued a monkey that was being illegally kept inside a cage at a private home in southern Israel over the weekend, arresting a man in his 30s on suspicion of illegally possessing and trafficking protected wildlife.

Police from the Ayarot station, together with Border Police officers and other enforcement personnel, carried out an operation at the suspect’s home in Moshav Berekhya, near Ashkelon.

During a search of the property, officers discovered a green monkey being held inside a cage in violation of Israeli law.

Police removed the monkey from the property and handed it over to inspectors from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. It was later transferred to the Israeli Primate Sanctuary, where it will undergo medical examinations and receive further care.

The homeowner was arrested and questioned on suspicion of illegally trading and possessing a protected wild animal. He was later released under restrictive conditions.

Police and the Nature and Parks Authority stressed that privately keeping monkeys is prohibited in Israel, warning that captivity can cause serious harm to the animals because of their complex physical and social needs.

Authorities said they will continue working together to combat the illegal trade and possession of protected wildlife.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A Jewish man was assaulted and robbed in an apparently unprovoked antisemitic attack in Midtown Manhattan on Monday evening, with the attack captured on CCTV footage.

The incident occurred at approximately 5:45 p.m. near West 47th Street and Sixth Avenue, close to Manhattan’s Diamond District.

According to information provided to YWN, the victim was walking along Sixth Avenue when a man he had never encountered before suddenly approached him and began repeatedly shouting antisemitic slurs and profanities.

CCTV footage from the area shows the victim walking normally before the suspect approaches him. The attacker then grabbed the victim’s hat and punched him hard in the side of the head, leaving significant bruising around his temple.

After the assault, the victim attempted to photograph the attacker. The suspect then grabbed the victim’s phone and threw it to the ground before fleeing.

Two bystanders came to the victim’s aid and began following the suspect as the victim contacted 911 and Manhattan Shomrim.

Manhattan Shomrim immediately launched an operation to locate the attacker, with volunteers responding to the area and coordinating closely with the NYPD. The joint response ultimately led to the suspect being located and taken into custody.

The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force became involved in the investigation, and the suspect was charged with felony robbery and assault-related hate crime charges.

Despite the serious charges, the suspect was released without having to post bail several hours after his arrest. The criminal case remains active and the charges against him will continue to be prosecuted.

The victim, meanwhile, has been left badly shaken by the attack and concerned for his safety while returning to work and going about his daily routine.

Manhattan Shomrim thanked the responding NYPD officers and the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force for their work in investigating the attack.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Alarming claims of forced conversions to Islam inside prisons across England and Wales are drawing renewed scrutiny in Britain, with reports alleging that Muslim gangs have pressured and threatened vulnerable inmates into converting.

The controversy intensified after Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy called on the Labour government to urgently investigate the allegations. Timothy said data he obtained showed that one in five Muslim prisoners is a white Briton — roughly four times the equivalent proportion in the general population.

Timothy claimed Islamist gangs wield significant influence inside some prisons and alleged that inmates may view conversion as necessary to receive protection from powerful groups behind bars.

The concerns are backed by warnings contained in previous official reviews of Britain’s prison system.

A 2022 report by Jonathan Hall, the UK’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, found evidence that Islamist terrorists were acting as “self-appointed emirs” inside prisons and exerting controlling and radicalizing influence over other Muslim inmates.

The report described extremists recruiting vulnerable or isolated prisoners through mentoring, food and gifts, and documented cases of conversion accompanied by implied or actual violence.

Another government-commissioned review, conducted by Colin Bloom and published in 2023, raised similar concerns. Bloom said investigators received evidence that Qurans had been placed on the beds of newly arrived non-Muslim inmates with an apparent warning that they should convert or face violence.

Bloom said aggressive Islamist gangs in certain prisons could effectively determine who received protection, leaving inmates who refused to join vulnerable to intimidation or attacks. He also stressed that many Muslim chaplains perform positive work inside British prisons and that the problem should not be generalized to all Muslim prisoners or institutions.

The British Ministry of Justice pushed back against claims that extremist gangs dominate the prison system, saying there is no evidence of gang-based extremism in most prisons.

Officials nevertheless said religious coercion, intimidation and gang activity will not be tolerated, and that prison authorities have strengthened intelligence gathering and training to identify and disrupt extremist organizations.

Muslims currently account for approximately 18% of prisoners in England and Wales, compared with around 6.5% of the general population. Critics say the disparity and reported conversion patterns warrant further investigation, although those figures alone do not establish that forced conversions are responsible.

Warnings over religious coercion in British prisons stretch back more than a decade, with previous government reviews documenting religious extremism and what one report described as aggressive efforts to encourage inmates to convert to Islam.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Senior U.S. military leaders have warned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that prolonging large-scale operations against Iran is unsustainable and could weaken America’s ability to respond to threats elsewhere, including threats to the U.S. homeland, according to The Washington Post.

The warnings were included in an Aug. 14 classified Pentagon assessment that reviewed the worldwide availability of U.S. warships, aircraft, personnel and weapons systems. Military leaders said the Iran campaign has pulled ships, aircraft and other assets away from Europe, Asia and Latin America, limiting training and reducing readiness in those regions.

Some U.S. forces in the Middle East have been ordered to remain through September, while other deployments have been extended into 2027. The heads of U.S. European Command, Pacific Command and Southern Command, along with the Navy’s top admiral, formally objected to further extensions even while agreeing to carry out the orders. Army and Air Force leaders accepted additional extensions but warned that doing so comes with significant risk.

The Navy has raised the sharpest concerns. Adm. Daryl Caudle, the chief of naval operations, warned that the Navy cannot sustain its current level of support for the Iran campaign with no clear end date. Barely one-quarter of the Navy’s destroyer fleet is currently ready for deployment, according to people familiar with the assessment.

The prolonged conflict has also strained key U.S. weapons stocks. Patriot and THAAD air-defense interceptors, Tomahawk missiles and Reaper drones have all been affected, while many Air Force units sent to the Middle East are slated to remain there into 2027. The Trump administration has disputed reports that the U.S. is facing munitions shortages.

Overall, one person familiar with the assessment described the view among senior military leadership as the six-month Iran operation having been “too much for too long.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Former Shin Bet negotiator Adi Rotem revealed that he held secret, direct telephone conversations with senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad in 2024, establishing an Israeli-approved backchannel that he says helped break a deadlock in negotiations and advance the January 2025 hostage deal.

Speaking in an interview with Channel 12, Rotem said the extraordinary contacts received approval from Israel’s political and security leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the war cabinet and the security cabinet.

Rotem said he proposed contacting Hamad because the two had previously dealt with one another during negotiations surrounding the 2011 release of captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

He brought the proposal to then-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, who Rotem said obtained the necessary approvals to establish the channel.

According to Rotem, the idea emerged after Israeli officials became increasingly frustrated with negotiations being conducted through the United States, Egypt and Qatar, which were making little progress.

Rotem was particularly critical of Qatar’s role, accusing Doha of taking positions too closely aligned with Hamas and allowing negotiations to repeatedly go in circles.

The murder of six Israeli hostages by their Hamas captors in August 2024 became the “last straw,” Rotem said, increasing pressure to find an alternative way to move negotiations forward.

Rotem and Hamad subsequently began communicating exclusively by telephone, frequently speaking late at night.

The conversations were difficult and often emotional, with significant portions of the negotiations focused on lists of Palestinian prisoners who could potentially be released in exchange for Israeli hostages.

Rotem said speaking directly with a senior Hamas terrorist did not mean Israel was legitimizing the terror organization, but rather reflected the lengths negotiators were prepared to go to bring the hostages home.

“We negotiate with the terrorist, with the enemy, to get someone out,” Rotem said.

Following each conversation with Hamad, Rotem briefed a small circle of senior Israeli officials, including Bar, on what had been discussed.

Rotem said the secret channel ultimately helped overcome negotiating obstacles and contributed to progress toward the January 2025 agreement that secured the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has vowed to retaliate following a U.S. military strike on Larak Island, warning that the attack “will be answered” and “will result in the punishment of the aggressor.”

The warning came after U.S. forces struck two IRGC rocket launchers on Larak Island that had been preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines toward the Strait of Hormuz. The attack marked the first U.S. strike inside Iran in weeks.

According to an American official, U.S. forces have also completed an operation to clear mines from international shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. The official said Washington continues to closely monitor developments and remains prepared to protect freedom of navigation and commercial shipping through the strategic waterway.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency initially reported that two people were killed in the U.S. strike and said the attack on Larak Island was carried out by a drone.

The IRGC subsequently issued a threat of retaliation, saying the strike had killed and wounded several IRGC personnel and civilians. The Guard warned that the attack would not go unanswered and vowed that those responsible would face punishment.

The latest escalation comes after two previous ceasefires between the United States and Iran, in April and June, collapsed within a short period. Both agreements had been aimed in part at restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz amid the months-long confrontation.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel and Greece are expected to sign a series of agreements in Tel Aviv on Monday formally launching the $3.6 billion “Achilles Shield,” a massive integrated air-defense network designed to protect Greece from missiles, drones and other aerial threats.

The project, a centerpiece of Greece’s military modernization program, will combine existing Greek air-defense capabilities with several advanced Israeli-made systems into a single multilayered network.

The Achilles Shield will incorporate Greece’s existing Patriot batteries alongside Rafael’s SPYDER short-range air-defense system, Israel Aerospace Industries’ Barak MX medium-range system and David’s Sling, which is designed to intercept ballistic missiles and other long-range threats.

Instead of operating independently, the various systems will be linked through a unified command-and-control network capable of sharing information and coordinating responses to incoming threats.

Artificial intelligence-powered software will analyze information gathered by multiple sensors, classify incoming threats and recommend the most appropriate system and interceptor to neutralize them.

The layered approach is also intended to dramatically reduce interception costs by allowing commanders to use less expensive systems against cheaper threats such as drones rather than deploying costly interceptors or fighter aircraft.

Greece approved the program on July 23, with the complete system expected to become operational within approximately 35 months. Components of the network will be delivered and activated in stages.

The agreement will also provide a significant role for Greece’s domestic defense industry. Twelve Greek companies are expected to participate in the project, receiving contracts totaling more than $811 million and accounting for at least 25% of the overall program.

Negotiations between Jerusalem and Athens also focused heavily on Greece retaining control over the network’s software, with the agreements expected to include the transfer of source codes for various components.

The massive project represents another major expansion of defense cooperation between Israel and Greece and further establishes Israeli air-defense technology as a central component of European military modernization.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Nearly two-thirds of American Jews surveyed believe the war against Iran has been unsuccessful, even as a majority say U.S. military action against Tehran did not go far enough, according to a new survey from the Jewish People Policy Institute.

JPPI’s August 2026 Voice of the Jewish People Index found that 64% of U.S. respondents viewed the campaign against Iran as a failure, while 33% considered it successful and 4% said they did not know.

The numbers represent a significant shift from earlier this year. In March, 66% viewed the campaign as successful. That figure fell to 56% in April, 48% in May, 28% in June, 36% in July and 33% in August.

The results showed a sharp political divide. Among respondents identifying as strongly liberal, 89% considered the campaign a failure, while 80% of strong conservatives viewed it as successful.

The divide was similarly stark along presidential voting lines. Among Trump voters, 73% viewed the campaign as successful, compared with 84% of Harris voters who considered it a failure.

Despite the overall negative assessment of the campaign’s success, 55% of connected U.S. Jews said American military action against Iran did not go far enough. Thirty percent said the U.S. went too far, while just 3% said the level of military action was about right.

Among Trump voters, 94% said U.S. military action did not go far enough. Meanwhile, 45% of Harris voters said it went too far.

The survey also showed declining approval of President Trump’s handling of Iran. Twenty-six percent rated Trump’s leadership on Iran positively in August, down from 46% in March, while 67% gave him a negative rating.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also saw his ratings decline. Thirty-eight percent rated Netanyahu’s leadership on Iran positively, down from 53% in March, while 52% rated it negatively.

JPPI conducted the survey from August 15 through August 20 among 804 respondents in the United States. The organization noted that its sample primarily reflects “connected” Jews with relatively strong ties to the Jewish community, Israel or Jewish identity and is not representative of all American Jews.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Nearly three years of fighting have severely degraded Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, stripping it of the ability to carry out the massive, coordinated invasion of northern Israel that the terror group spent nearly two decades preparing, according to a new report by Walla military correspondent Amir Bohbot.

The IDF’s campaign against Radwan has systematically targeted the unit’s commanders, fighters, underground infrastructure and supporting networks, dramatically changing the balance of power along the Lebanon border.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has placed particular emphasis on dismantling the elite force, backed by extensive intelligence collection that extended beyond Radwan operatives themselves to secondary and tertiary support networks.

During the fighting, Israeli forces uncovered the full extent of Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure near the border, revealing the scale of preparations that had been made for a potential attack on Israeli territory.

According to the report, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah initially hesitated to activate the invasion plan. By the time he began seriously considering it, the IDF had reorganized its forces along the northern border and disrupted Hezbollah’s plans through operations on the ground and from the air.

The situation changed even more dramatically once the IDF launched its deep ground maneuver in Lebanon. Most Radwan fighters withdrew deeper into Lebanese territory, while many of the unit’s veteran commanders and experienced field officers were eliminated.

Those commanders have largely been replaced by younger operatives without comparable battlefield experience, resulting in what the report describes as a significant deterioration of Radwan’s operational command structure.

The damage has deprived Hezbollah of one of its most dangerous capabilities: launching a coordinated, deadly cross-border assault simultaneously at numerous locations.

Hezbollah had spent nearly 18 years developing the plan, which envisioned Radwan terrorists infiltrating Israel by surprise, seizing communities and IDF positions throughout the Galilee, and creating a major strategic and psychological victory.

The planned assault was designed to take place both above and below ground, using extensive tunnel systems and other infrastructure built along the border.

Israel’s destruction of forward Hezbollah positions, underground routes and command structures has now pushed the terror group away from an offensive posture near the border and forced it deeper into a defensive battle for survival.

The IDF believes the weakened Radwan Force no longer presents the same invasion threat that existed before October 7, though Northern Command continues preparing for a wide range of potential Hezbollah attack scenarios.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A majority of American Jews would prefer to see Israel’s opposition win the upcoming elections, according to a new survey from the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI), which also found remarkably high interest among U.S. Jews in Israel’s political developments.

The August survey found that 78% of American Jews are closely following news surrounding Israel’s elections, despite only 8% of respondents holding Israeli citizenship and therefore being eligible to vote.

When asked about their preferred election outcome, 54% said they would prefer an opposition victory, while just 14% said they would prefer the current governing coalition to win.

The political divide was especially pronounced based on ideology. Among respondents identifying as strongly liberal, 78% preferred an opposition victory and only 2% backed the coalition. Among strongly conservative respondents, however, 56% preferred the current coalition and just 8% favored the opposition.

Among Trump voters, 43% said they preferred the current Israeli coalition to win, while 34% said it was not their place to express a preference regarding the outcome of Israel’s elections.

Interest was even higher among American Jews who are eligible to vote in Israel, with 92% saying they are closely following the election. Among those respondents, 55% preferred an opposition victory and 26% favored the current coalition.

The survey also found that 65% of respondents believe it is entirely legitimate for Israelis living abroad to travel to Israel in order to cast their ballots.

JPPI President Prof. Yedidia Stern said the intense interest in Israel’s elections demonstrates that American Jews continue to view Israel as part of the same broader family, adding that rebuilding relations with American Jewry should be a central priority for Israel’s next government.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel has publicly rejected a 15-point Gaza plan being advanced by President Donald Trump’s administration and the Board of Peace, but behind the scenes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly reached understandings on several key elements of the proposal.

According to a report cited by B’Chadrei Charedim, discussions with Netanyahu produced agreements aimed at advancing the surrender of Hamas weapons, establishing oversight mechanisms and addressing urgent humanitarian issues in Gaza. Major disagreements, however, remain over exactly how Hamas would be disarmed.

Board of Peace representative Nikolay Mladenov has said the agreement requires Hamas to completely surrender its weapons and provide maps of its tunnel network. Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan, however, claims the understandings only require heavy weapons to be transferred to a Palestinian technocratic authority under the supervision of Palestinian factions. Hamas is also opposed to surrendering weapons to a multinational force or allowing Shin Bet security checks on Hamas members seeking to join a new police force.

The Trump administration and Board of Peace are also reportedly seeking to use Hamas’ worsening financial situation as leverage. The terror group is struggling to pay salaries and collect taxes, while Israeli officials remain skeptical that Hamas will ultimately fulfill its commitments and believe the process could stall until after upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, agreements have reportedly been reached on urgent sewage and sanitation problems in Gaza ahead of the winter, partly to prevent pollution from reaching Ashkelon’s coastline. Plans involving the reopening of the Erez Crossing have been frozen, while disagreements also remain over allowing tents into Gaza amid Israeli concerns that some materials could be used to manufacture weapons.

The proposed multinational ISF force tasked with collecting Hamas weapons has not yet been established. Military representatives from Uganda, Morocco and Kosovo have visited planned deployment areas, but forces are not expected to arrive soon amid disagreements over how weapons would be surrendered, stored and destroyed — and concerns among participating countries about their troops potentially confronting Hamas.

The Board of Peace also said it sent Hamas a direct message through mediators demanding an immediate end to armed activity in Gaza, including the recent launching of kites toward Israel. At the same time, it told Israel that all sides must respect the ceasefire and that military action should be limited to responding to genuine and immediate threats.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A bitter dispute is erupting ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, with retired Port Authority police officers and relatives of victims demanding that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul stay away from the annual Ground Zero memorial ceremony.

The Retired Port Authority Police Association says the political actions and positions of both officials have deeply angered members of the 9/11 community and warned that their attendance could distract from honoring the nearly 3,000 people murdered in the attacks.

Association president John McDevitt sent letters to Mamdani and Hochul on August 14 asking both officials not to attend the September 11 ceremony.

McDevitt stressed that the anniversary should remain focused exclusively on those murdered, the first responders who rushed into danger, survivors and families who have carried the loss for 25 years.

The issue is deeply personal for the association. Thirty-seven Port Authority police officers were killed in the attacks, along with 47 civilian employees of the Port Authority.

The association specifically cited Mamdani’s past rhetoric, political associations and public positions, saying they have generated “deep concerns” among members of the 9/11 community.

McDevitt warned Mamdani that his appearance at Ground Zero could cause additional grief to victims’ relatives and urged him to commemorate the anniversary through a written statement or separate event instead.

Opposition to Mamdani’s attendance has also spread beyond the retired officers. More than 95,000 people have signed an online petition launched by Giovanni Galante, whose wife, Grace Catherine Galante, was murdered in the attacks, calling for the mayor to be barred from the ceremony.

Mamdani, however, has said he intends to attend and pay his respects to victims’ families, survivors and first responders.

The association is separately demanding that Hochul stay away, citing her decision to illuminate One World Trade Center in recognition of Muslim American Heritage Month.

The retired officers stressed that they do not oppose celebrating Muslim heritage but objected to using One World Trade Center for the display because of the location’s unique connection to the September 11 attacks.

Hochul has rejected the demand and says she will attend the ceremony. Her office said she has enormous respect for families who lost loved ones on September 11 and defended the lighting decision, noting that Muslim New Yorkers were among the first responders who served following the attacks.

Nearly 3,000 people were murdered on September 11, 2001, when Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing two into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon and a fourth into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In the wake of the launch of the Amcha Yisrael party, which will win eight seats according to an i24 poll conducted by the Direct Plus institute and push Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party under the threshold, strategist and pollster Shlomo Filber presented a different view.

In a post published on his X account, Filber wrote: “Some Facts About Smotrich/the Religious Zionist Party:”

• The Chardal-Torani-settler base is worth close to four seats.

• In addition, there are about 65,000 “first-time voters” who grew up in the state religious education system. That is another seat and a half that none of the pollsters are counting.

• These voters are the most loyal. Even Winter is not taking votes from them, but rather from the “lites” — those who for the past four years have refused to hear about Smotrich and have been grazing in other pastures.

• Religious Zionist voters have always been here, even as journalists, “commentators” and “pollsters” have been claiming for the past two years that they are “disappearing” and have faded away.

• This is one of the parties with the highest voter loyalty — second only to Likud and the Chareidi parties.

Filber added: “There are many in the sector who like to be condescending, mock others and, above all, set themselves apart. In most of the five election campaigns, the parties of those doing the mocking have, in practice, failed to create an alternative.”

“As of today, the Religious Zionist Party’s chances of being in the next Knesset are higher than those of the parties that purport to replace it.”

Filber added: “By the way, the parallel historical parallel for many years was the [far-left] Meretz party — a small, cohesive ideological core that influenced the shaping of the country far beyond its political strength.

“The only difference is that Meretz has no next generation.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

In a surprising development in the affair involving former Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, Supreme Court Justice Dafna Barak-Erez on Friday temporarily froze the transfer of responsibility for the investigation to State Attorney Amit Aisman.

Barak-Erez wrote in her decision that “for caution’s sake only, and without taking any position at this stage, I hereby order a temporary stay of implementation of the ruling that is the subject of the request, by freezing the existing situation with respect to the State Attorney’s handling of the investigation file, until a further decision is issued.”

The decision is surprising, since about two weeks ago, the High Court rejected objections to transferring the case to the State Attorney, ruling that Aisman was not connected to the events and circumstances at the center of the investigation in a way that would preclude his involvement.

Now, however, in response to a request for an additional hearing filed by MK Avichay Buaron, the Choosing Life forum of bereaved families, and the Lavi organization, the court has temporarily halted implementation of that ruling until the justices decide how to proceed.

The ruling also rejected a request to give Justice Minister Yariv Levin additional time to appoint an outside official to oversee the investigation.

There are serious claims of conflicts of interest within the State Attorney’s Office. As a reminder, officials in the Attorney General’s Office and State Attorney’s Office covered up the leak of the doctored Sde Teiman video carried out by disgraced Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi by carrying out a feigned internal investigation and claiming that they were unsuccessful in identifying the source of the leak. Justice Minister Yariv Levin then demanded that an external party oversee the investigation. However, the High Court stymied those efforts by imposing impossibly harsh restrictions on the candidate’s qualifications. The Court then proceeded to disqualify Levin’s appointments twice, leading Levin to give up on his efforts for an untainted investigation.

In addition, there are deep suspicions that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara was deeply involved in the cover-up of the MAG affair. During his interrogation by the police over the lackluster internal investigation into the source of the leak, ex-Deputy Military Advocate General Brig. Gen Asael said that “all of my actions were guided and directed by the Attorney General’s office.” In addition, Baharav-Miara personally prevented the transfer of information on the case to Lahav 433.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Hundreds of young Chareidi men reported to the IDF’s Tel Hashomer induction center on Sunday in what organizers described as a record day of Chareidi enlistment, with many of the new recruits slated to serve in combat units.

The current wave of enlistment is expected to continue over the next two weeks, with hundreds joining military tracks designed to accommodate a Chareidi lifestyle while serving in the IDF.

Among the units receiving the new recruits are the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, the Chashmonaim Brigade, the Chetz company in the Paratroopers Brigade, and the Negev platoon in the Israeli Air Force.

Shomer Yisrael, an organization that works to integrate Chareidim into the IDF, said the growing enlistment numbers reflect years of work by Chareidi pre-military programs and hesder yeshivas.

Lt. Col. (res.) Yossi Levy, the organization’s CEO, said the recruits demonstrate that it is possible to maintain a strong Torah identity while contributing directly to Israel’s security.

One recruit, Itamar Reinhold, said he was inspired to enlist after seeing his brother serve in Gaza.

Another recruit, Nachman, who is joining the Chashmonaim Brigade, said the current security situation requires people from across Israeli society to contribute to the country’s defense.

Parents accompanied many of the recruits to Tel Hashomer, including families from Bnei Brak and Petach Tikvah who expressed pride in their sons as they prepared to begin their military service.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, is facing criticism over plans to travel to Portugal for what is reportedly her third luxury Islamic women’s retreat this year.

Duwaji is scheduled to participate as an “artist in residence” at the “Journey Through Islamic Calligraphy” retreat organized by The Women Sanctuary. According to the retreat’s website, prices range from approximately $4,300 for shared accommodations to $5,260 for a private room with a bathroom.

The program includes exploring Islamic history and heritage in Portugal as well as an illustration workshop led by Duwaji.

The upcoming trip follows another retreat Duwaji attended last month on the Spanish island of Mallorca, where she participated in a “spiritual wellness” program organized by the same group.

The trips have drawn criticism from Mamdani’s political opponents, including Queens Councilwoman Joann Ariola, who contrasted Duwaji’s activities with previous New York City first ladies who focused on visiting schools and charitable work.

“Being Zohran Mamdani’s wife must be very stressful, because this first lady is more interested in vacations than in issues affecting New Yorkers,” Ariola told the New York Post.

Former City Councilman Bob Holden also criticized the couple, accusing them of behaving like “jet-setters” rather than focusing on New Yorkers and calling the trips an example of what he described as hypocrisy within the Mamdani administration.

Duwaji has also faced scrutiny over previously reported social media activity. Reports earlier this year highlighted old posts and interactions attributed to her that included inflammatory anti-Israel content and criticism of the U.S. military.

Mamdani has previously defended his wife from political attacks, arguing that she does not hold an official position in his administration and should not be treated as a political figure.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir recently toured Damon Prison, where he received a briefing from prison commanders and met with prison officers.

Ben Gvir then toured the wing where female terrorists are being held, including terrorists affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.

Ben Gvir entered the cells and heard complaints from the female terrorists about the stringent prison conditions and the revocation of privileges they had previously enjoyed. The terrorists claimed that their prison conditions had deteriorated significantly and had become “very bad.”

One terrorist complained that she didn’t receive enough shampoo. “Our hostages didn’t receive shampoo,” Ben-Gvir responded.

“You abducted our children,” Ben Gvir added. “The days of summer camps in Israeli jails are over. Whoever harmed my brothers won’t receive hotel-like conditions. I hope that you don’t get released, but if you do, inform everyone in Jenin about the conditions here.”

Ben Gvir added that he’s proud that he succeeded in reducing terrorists’ prison conditions to the barest minimum. We make no apologies — anyone who harms Israeli citizens will not get a summer camp in prison. Male and female terrorists will receive the minimum required by law, and nothing beyond that.”

Former hostage Rom Braslavski responded to a video of the tour published on social media, writing: “I was held hostage by her organization, Islamic Jihad, and she allows herself to talk way too much. Ben Gvir, you could be sure that they didn’t speak to us like that. B’ezrat Hashem, the next time you speak with her, give her a slap across the face.”

Braslavki, who returned from Hamas captivity emaciated after being deliberately starved by his captors, later revealed he had endured unspeakable torture and assault in Gaza.

In a tremendous Kiddush Hashem, he has been drawing closer to Yiddishkeit since his return, even removing his tattoos as part of his teshuva process.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Shas MK Moshe Abutbul appealed to Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, demanding that he intervene in the case involving religious soldiers from the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion who refused to board a Namer armored personnel carrier for an operational mission together with a female paramedic.

In a letter sent to Katz, Abutbul wrote that “draconian and disproportionate” measures were taken against the soldiers, who were Hesder yeshiva students serving in a Bnei Yeshivot platoon.

Abutbul asked Katz to investigate the incident and the manner in which commanders handled it, and to ensure that religious soldiers are able to maintain their way of life and religious beliefs during their military service. He warned that conduct that fails to take the soldiers’ religious sensitivities into account could harm the willingness of religious and Chareidi young men to enlist, and asked Katz to take immediate action on the matter.

The incident began when a force from the Rotem Battalion was ordered to set out on a nighttime operational mission in a Namer armored personnel carrier. When the soldiers discovered that a female paramedic would also be participating in the operation, they refused to go.

The company commander spoke with them during the night and explained that it was an urgent, short-duration mission. Due to the urgency, the matter was also brought before the brigade rabbi, who permitted them to participate under the arrangements that had been set — but the soldiers stood by their refusal, and the operation was canceled.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

As the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre approaches, Israeli defense officials increasingly believe that there is no alternative to another ground maneuver in the Gaza Strip that would include the conquest of Gaza City, Walla reported.

According to the report, the assessment stems from the understanding that despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, Hamas is rebuilding its military strength and reconstructing terrorist infrastructure.

A defense official quoted in the report said that most Hamas commanders, members of its military wing and terrorists are currently hiding in Gaza City, and that the assessment is that dismantling Hamas will require taking control of the area.

In mid-May of this year, U.S. envoy to the Gaza Strip Nikolay Mladenov made extensive behind-the-scenes efforts to advance U.S. President Donald Trump’s points-based plan, which includes demilitarizing the Gaza Strip of weapons and transferring authority from Hamas to the Board of Peace.

However, Israeli defense officials soon understood that Hamas intended to drag out the process, refuse to disarm, refuse to relinquish control and, more seriously, rebuild its military wing. As a result, it was decided to advance the plan for renewed fighting in Gaza City.

That same month, Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor presented IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir with a plan for a return to fighting in Gaza City, including plans for the evacuation and relocation of the population to new humanitarian zones.

The situation has grown worse in recent weeks after Hamas’s military wing grew increasingly confident following a visit by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, who was one of the architects of the October 7 massacre.

According to assessments by the security establishment, Hamas began launching kites that landed inside Israel as a preliminary step toward incorporating incendiary materials or explosives. The IDF did not rush to respond, but when the military and Shin Bet assessed that the next stage would involve the use of drones against IDF forces, along with the discovery of infrastructure for carrying out attacks in the Gaza Strip, it was decided to return to the policy of targeted eliminations.

Now, with that policy at its height and more than 20 terrorists eliminated in recent weeks, and with it clear to all that Hamas will not genuinely disarm in a manner acceptable to Israel, security officials assess that there will be no alternative to another ground operation in the Gaza Strip following the Israeli elections and the U.S. midterm elections.

Security officials have warned the political echelon that Hamas is not only rebuilding its strength in the Gaza Strip and organizing infrastructure for attacks against IDF soldiers, but is also establishing infrastructure for attacks against Israeli interests in Yehuda and Shomron and around the world.

For that reason, the Southern Command chief has been instructed to prepare for a large-scale ground operation involving several divisions operating simultaneously. This comes amid an understanding among senior security officials that the current reality — in which Hamas continues rebuilding while the IDF attacks from the air — cannot continue indefinitely if Israel is to create a new security reality in which the organization no longer poses a threat to the country.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The State Attorney’s Office filed an indictment on Sunday with the Haifa District Juvenile Court against two minors, ages 14 and 16, from Kiryat Motzkin, who worked together to carry out paid missions for a foreign agent operating on behalf of Iran.

Among other things, they carried out photography missions, spray-painted graffiti and worked to recruit additional minors to perform missions for the agent.

According to the indictment, one of the minors made contact through a Telegram job-search group with a person who identified himself as “Daniel” and offered to pay him to carry out missions. The minor later brought his friend into the activity, and the two cooperated on some of the missions even after they suspected, and later knew, that the individual was an agent operating on behalf of Iran.

As part of the contact, one of the teens photographed various locations in Israel, including shopping malls in the Herzliya and Tel Aviv areas. During one of the missions, he also provided the agent with information about the number of entrances and exits at a mall and the number of security guards there.

After one of the photography missions, he deleted the videos he had sent out of concern that the agent would use them to carry out a terrorist attack.

The indictment further states that the two minors jointly spray-painted graffiti in the Kiryat Motzkin area and sent documentation of it to the agent. One of the minors later asked the agent whether he was Iranian, and the agent replied that he was connected to Iran. Despite this, their contact continued.

The two later cooperated in an attempt to expand the activity. One of the minors used his friend’s Telegram account and posed as a soldier in Unit 8200 in an effort to obtain additional missions. In addition, after the agent asked them to recruit more people, he worked to establish a Telegram channel and asked his friend to add teenagers who would be willing to carry out “high-risk” missions.

They received payments totaling hundreds of shekels for their activities, including through cryptocurrency.

The indictment charges one of the minors with contact with a foreign agent, three counts of providing information for the benefit of the enemy, and defacing property. The second minor is charged with assisting contact with a foreign agent and defacing property.

The court prohibited the publication of any details that could identify the minor defendants.

According to police, the investigation began with the dramatic arrest of one of the teenagers at Ben Gurion Airport upon his arrival in Israel, on suspicion of espionage and contact with a foreign agent.

The investigation revealed that the initial contact was made while the suspect was searching for work online. The foreign agent initially recruited the teenager using a gradual, step-by-step method, assigning him tasks that appeared “innocent,” such as distributing flyers, before later demanding that he fully identify himself through photographs.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, apologized to the state’s Jewish Democratic Caucus on Saturday for comments he made after an attack on a synagogue in March, which he tied to Israel’s actions in the Middle East.

“My comments may have been misconstrued to justify something I did not mean to justify,” El-Sayed told reporters after he addressed the caucus at a party convention in Lansing. “To anyone who feels like my comments might have been hurtful, I’m really sorry. That was not my intention.”

In March, a man attacked Temple Israel synagogue in a Detroit suburb, ramming his car into the building and opening fire on a security guard before dying by suicide.

The man, Ayman Mohammad Ghazali, had lost four relatives in an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon the week prior. However, El-Sayed failed to mention one  “small detail”—that the Michigan terrorist was the brother of a Hezbollah commander who oversaw the launch of hundreds of rockets toward Israel and was eliminated in an IDF strike on a terror facility during Operation Roaring Lion.

In a video response at the time, El-Sayed condemned the attack and added that “hurt people hurt people,” a reference to “what happened” to Ghazali’s family. He did not mention the family’s involvement with a U.S. designated terror group.

“What I was trying to do was offer context for why it happened, but it wasn’t the time for context,” El-Sayed said on Saturday, “and you don’t ever want to trample somebody’s pain.”

Earlier this month, it was revealed that El-Sayed’s mother worked for five years for an organization that the U.S. Treasury Department later designated over its financial links to Hamas, the Taliban and other terrorist networks.

El-Sayed’s apology was his latest attempt to unify Democrats after a bitter primary where he defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. He’s eager to push past a series of controversies involving allegations of antisemitism, including his association with controversial commentator Hasan Piker. He faces Republican nominee Mike Rogers in a race that will help determine control of the Senate.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Concern is mounting throughout Vizhnitz and across the Chassidish world over the condition of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, who has been undergoing difficult medical treatments for approximately two years.

The Rebbe’s son, HaRav Yaakov Mordechai Hager, issued an emotional plea to chassidim and Yidden around the world to increase their tefillos for his father, saying that the Rebbe’s condition remains far from good.

Speaking through the Vizhnitz telephone system before Shabbos, Rav Yaakov Mordechai broke down as he described the suffering his father has endured.

“This is an emergency cry everywhere — men, women and children, and all of Klal Yisroel: Why are you sleeping? The condition of the Rebbe, our father, is very far from good. The Rebbe is undergoing very difficult treatments that weaken him. For two years already, the Rebbe has been suffering greatly from the illness, with terrible suffering. It is already impossible to watch and bear. We need a healthy and strong Rebbe, and unfortunately, the doctors say they still do not see the end.”

He urged the public to take advantage of the special days of Elul to storm Shomayim with tefillos, saying that there is no path other than placing one’s trust in the Ribono Shel Olam and begging for rachamim.

Vizhnitz leaders instructed chassidim to recite the fourth sefer of Tehillim on Friday night as a zechus for the Rebbe. Rav Yaakov Mordechai also called on individuals to undertake personal improvements in tefillah and maasim tovim.

The concern has spread well beyond Vizhnitz. On Shabbos morning, after receiving an aliyah, the Belzer Rebbe instructed that a Mi Shebeirach be recited for his brother-in-law, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, whose name for tefillah is Rav Yisroel ben Leah Esther.

Last week, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey traveled to Moshav Ora to visit his cousin. Due to the Rebbe’s condition, only four accompanying individuals were permitted inside, and the two Rebbes spent an extended period speaking privately.

During Shalosh Seudos this Shabbos, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey also called upon the tzibur to daven for the Rebbe, declaring that “the generation needs him.”

Despite his weakened condition, plans are currently being made for the Rebbe to participate in the first Selichos next Motzei Shabbos, when thousands of chassidim are expected to gather. In the meantime, organized groups of chassidim have been traveling to Moshav Ora to submit kvitlach to the Rebbe, with visits being arranged in advance.

The public is urged to continue davening for the complete refuah of Yisroel ben Leah Esther b’soch shaar cholei Yisroel.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

YWN regrets to inform you of the petira of the Komarna Rebbe of Manhattan, HaRav Yehoshua Safrin zt”l, a distinguished link to the prewar Komarna dynasty and one of the last surviving talmidim of HaRav Reuven Grozovsky zt”l at Bais Medrash Elyon. He was 91.

The Rebbe was niftar over Shabbos, leaving behind a family and a remarkable legacy deeply rooted in the Torah and Chassidic heritage of Komarna.

HaRav Yehoshua was the son of the Komarna Rebbe, HaRav Chaim Yaakov Safrin zt”l, an extraordinary talmid chacham and mekubal who served as the Komarna Rebbe in New York and later in Yerushalayim. HaRav Chaim Yaakov was renowned for his mastery of both nigleh and nistar and helped rebuild the Komarna dynasty following the devastation of the Holocaust.

The Safrin family arrived in the United States in 1938, after HaRav Chaim Yaakov recognized the growing danger facing European Jewry. His chassidim subsequently established Bnei Yaakov Anshei Komarno for him on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

It was in this environment that HaRav Yehoshua grew up, immersed in the distinctive Komarna mesorah of Torah, avodah and Toras hanistar.

The Komarna dynasty traces its roots to HaRav Alexander Sender Safrin and his son, HaRav Yitzchok Eizik Yehuda Yechiel Safrin of Komarna, the famed Heichal Habracha, one of the prominent Chassidic and kabbalistic figures of the 19th century.

HaRav Yehoshua was a son-in-law of Reb Moshe Menachem Razler zt”l.

In addition to carrying on his family’s Komarna mesorah, HaRav Yehoshua played an important role in preserving the Torah of his father. He worked to publish manuscripts left behind by HaRav Chaim Yaakov, including volumes of “Pri Chaim” and “Poras Yosef,” ensuring that his father’s Torah would remain available for future generations.

HaRav Yehoshua also had particularly close ties with Ger and was a major benefactor of Gerrer mosdos. Over the decades, he developed a close relationship with the Gerrer Rebbe and was frequently accorded honors at Gerrer family simchos, including being called upon to recite brachos under the chuppah.

He also devoted significant resources to preserving his father’s legacy in Eretz Yisroel, including renovating and restoring the historic Komarna Bais Medrash on Rechov Malchei Yisrael in Yerushalayim’s Geulah neighborhood.

Those who knew HaRav Yehoshua remembered him as a Yid of an earlier generation, known for his warmth, ready smile and ability to offer an encouraging word to those around him.

His petira marks the loss of another living connection to the generation that established Torah life in America before and after the Holocaust, as well as to nearly nine decades of Komarna history in New York.

The levaya will take place Sunday at 11:00 a.m. at Shomrei Hadas Chapels, 3803 14th Avenue in Boro Park.

Following the New York levaya, the aron is expected to be flown to Eretz Yisroel for kevurah. The family will be sitting shiva in Manhattan.

Yehi zichro baruch.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A group of leading Admorim and Roshei Yeshiva are reportedly scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House this Thursday, in what is expected to be a highly significant meeting between the president and senior leaders of the frum community.

Sources tell YWN that logistical arrangements for the visit have been worked out in recent days. The delegation is expected to advocate on a number of issues affecting the frum community while also expressing appreciation to President Trump for his administration’s support on matters important to Orthodox Jews.

Among those reportedly invited are the Satmar Rebbes, the Skverer Rebbe, the Bobover Rebbe, the Bobov-45 Rebbe, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe of Monsey, and BMG Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, along with additional Admorim, Roshei Yeshiva and askanim.

The planned meeting was publicly confirmed in part by the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Joel, who revealed over Shabbos that he had received an invitation to meet President Trump at the White House this Thursday together with other rabbonim and askanim.

Speaking to talmidim at the Satmar Mesivta in Kiryas Joel on Friday night, the Rebbe said he initially considered declining the invitation.

“Last Sunday, I received an invitation from the White House to meet with the president this coming Thursday, together with other rabbonim and askanim,” the Rebbe said. “At first, I thought not to confirm my participation. We are in the middle of Chodesh Elul, immersed in the yeshiva in the sugya of ‘Chatzi Shiur,’ and we need to prepare for the Yamim Noraim.”

The Rebbe then explained what ultimately convinced him to accept Trump’s invitation.

“I remembered that about 30 years ago, I had a similar situation, when there was a meeting with the president at the time. During that period, there was a Jew who was in distress, and through that meeting we were able to help him. Since there is now another Jew who is in distress, I thought perhaps we could help him through this meeting — and therefore I ultimately agreed.”

The Rebbe added that he hopes to use the extraordinary access to the president to raise another matter of major concern: the ongoing draft crisis facing bnei yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel.

“Even now, tens of thousands of Jews in Eretz Yisroel are in distress because of the decree to draft yeshiva students. We hope that we will be able to appeal to the president to help with this situation.”

The Rebbe concluded by cautioning the talmidim against allowing the attention surrounding the White House visit to distract them from their learning.

“I ask all the bochurim — events like these can distract a person. Every one of you should continue diligently learning the sugya of ‘Chatzi Shiur.’ Do not neglect Torah and do not become immersed in all this ‘Trumpism.’ I am telling you: One shiur in the sugya in yeshiva is worth more to me than this entire matter!”

Following the remarks, the assembled chassidim and bochurim broke into spirited singing of “Atah Vechartanu Mikol Ha’amim.”

The White House meeting is scheduled for Thursday, with additional details regarding the delegation and the issues it intends to raise expected to emerge ahead of the visit.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

An 8-year-old boy was seriously injured after falling approximately 40 feet from the fourth floor of his residential building in Bnei Brak.

The incident occurred on Emek Yizrael Street, prompting a large emergency response from Magen David Adom, United Hatzalah and Hatzalah medical personnel.

First responders found the child lying on the ground unconscious and suffering from a severe head injury and multiple traumatic injuries.

The child was unconscious at the time of transport and listed in serious condition.

The circumstances surrounding the fall were not immediately clear.

A name for Tehillim was not immediately available.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Two people were seriously injured in a motorcycle crash early Sunday morning in Monsey, with a third person also transported to a hospital.

The crash occurred shortly after 12:30 a.m. on College Road near Dolson Road and involved a motorcycle and a taxi.

The two people riding on the motorcycle suffered serious injuries. Hatzoloh EMS paramedics treated them at the scene before transporting both victims to Westchester Medical Center for further treatment.

The driver of the taxi was also injured and was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital.

A major emergency response was launched following the crash, with Hatzoloh EMS, Ramapo Police, Chaverim of Rockland, Spring Hill EMS and Rockland Paramedics all responding to the scene.

College Road was shut down in the area as emergency personnel treated the victims and police investigated the circumstances surrounding the crash.

The public is asked to daven for Pinchas ben Baila Rivka and Yaakov ben Feya Yael, who were seriously injured in the crash.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A woman in her 50s was killed and six other people were injured early Sunday morning in a serious multi-vehicle crash on Highway 2 near Atlit.

Emergency services were alerted to the collision at approximately 6:13 a.m. Magen David Adom paramedics and EMTs arriving at the scene found extensive wreckage involving four vehicles, including one that had been badly crushed and another that had overturned onto its side.

Inside the crushed vehicle, rescuers found a woman in her 50s trapped and unresponsive.

MDA paramedic Netanel Menachem and EMT Linoy Azulai said: “Inside the crushed vehicle, a woman approximately 50 years old was trapped, unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing, suffering from extremely severe injuries. We performed medical examinations, but unfortunately, her injuries were critical and there was nothing we could do but pronounce her dead.”

A man in his 60s was trapped inside the overturned vehicle but remained conscious. Emergency personnel provided medical treatment while firefighters worked to extricate him. He was subsequently transported to the hospital in serious condition.

Five additional people suffered minor injuries in the crash.

The injured were transported to Hillel Yaffe Medical Center and Rambam Health Care Campus for further treatment.

Police officers and traffic investigators were dispatched to the scene and opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deadly collision.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Criminal charges have been filed following the horrific Erev Shabbos crash outside NPGS in Jackson that claimed the life of nine-month-old Yitzchok Rosenberg z”l and left his mother and five-year-old sister hospitalized.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Maria CobonGuzman, 20, of Trenton, has been charged with manslaughter, two counts of assault by auto, and operating a motor vehicle without ever having possessed or been issued a valid driver’s license while involved in a fatal crash.

In a stunning detail revealed by investigators, authorities say CobonGuzman had never possessed a valid driver’s license — in New Jersey or any other state.

A second woman, Ariadna Lazaro-Flores, 22, of Toms River, was also arrested and charged with knowingly engaging in conduct creating a substantial risk of death to another. Prosecutors allege that Lazaro-Flores knew CobonGuzman had never been licensed to drive but nevertheless allowed her to operate the vehicle.

The tragedy unfolded at approximately 11:55 a.m. Friday in the parking lot of NPGS on West County Line Road.

According to investigators, CobonGuzman was behind the wheel of a Ford Fusion when she struck a Jewish mother and the baby carriage carrying her two children — her five-year-old daughter and nine-month-old son.

Central Jersey Hatzolah and numerous other emergency personnel rushed to the scene, and a Mass Casualty Incident was declared due to the severity of the incident. All three victims were rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

Tragically, Yitzchok Rosenberg z”l could not be saved and was pronounced niftar at the hospital.

His mother and five-year-old sister remain hospitalized in stable condition, according to prosecutors. The public is asked to continue davening for Golda Chana bas Leah Shaindel and Rochel bas Golda Chana for a complete refuah sheleimah.

CobonGuzman and Lazaro-Flores were both taken into custody and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where they are being held pending detention hearings.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Iran says it has reached an understanding with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran is refusing to implement the agreement until the United States fulfills commitments Iran says were made under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Saturday that despite the understanding with Oman, Tehran continues to exercise control over passage through the strategic waterway.

“The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and any vessel passing through the strait does so in coordination with Iran,” Gharibabadi said, according to Iran International, citing Iranian media.

Gharibabadi said Iran intends to continue what he described as its “defensive measures,” adding that Tehran is “prepared for any scenario.”

The Iranian official also addressed recent diplomatic efforts by Qatar and Pakistan, saying visits by officials from those countries were aimed at determining whether the sides could return to implementing commitments reached under the Islamabad MoU.

The latest Iranian claims come amid an escalating showdown between Tehran and Washington over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy shipping routes.

U.S. Central Command has rejected Tehran’s assertion that it controls the strait, putting Washington and the Islamic Republic directly at odds over who has authority over passage through the waterway.

Meanwhile, mounting American pressure appears to be taking an increasingly serious toll on Iran’s already battered economy.

Uzi Rabi, an Iran expert and professor at Tel Aviv University, said U.S. sanctions and the blockade are steadily depriving Tehran of desperately needed hard currency.

“There is one thing that is undisputed. Iran has been forced in recent weeks to manage with fewer and fewer dollars,” Rabi told Israel’s 103FM radio.

“When it lacks hard currency, it cannot even operate its agriculture and industry,” he said.

Rabi described the sustained American blockade as “theoretically the best thing to do” if Washington remains committed to maintaining the pressure.

But he cautioned that even a devastating economic crisis does not guarantee the collapse of the Islamic Republic.

“Iran is a battered country,” Rabi said, noting that the regime continues to maintain alternative financial lifelines, including smuggling operations and cryptocurrency.

“The economic path also does not provide a 100% guarantee,” he added.

Nevertheless, Rabi said continued economic pressure could steadily drain the Iranian regime of its “vitality and power,” potentially helping create the conditions for its eventual downfall.

The developments come as the Trump administration continues applying intense pressure on Tehran while insisting that Iran does not have the right to dictate passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A new Israeli election poll shows troubling numbers for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, with a record gap emerging on the question of his suitability to continue serving as prime minister just 60 days before Israelis head to the polls.

According to the Channel 12 poll, 59% of respondents said they do not want Netanyahu to continue serving as prime minister following the upcoming election, while only approximately one-third want him to remain in office.

The numbers are even more dramatic when respondents were asked about suitability for the premiership, with Netanyahu trailing by 27 percentage points — the largest gap recorded in the poll on that question.

The survey also paints a difficult picture for Netanyahu when voters are divided into political blocs.

Approximately 50% of respondents said they intend to vote for parties belonging to the anti-Netanyahu bloc, compared to just 31% who said they plan to support parties aligned with Netanyahu.

The poll, conducted by Manu Geva’s Midgam Institute together with iPanel, is the first conducted since former IDF Maj. Gen. Ofer Winter launched his new political party, dramatically shaking up the right-wing political map.

Winter’s new party receives 4% of the vote in the survey, which would translate into approximately six Knesset seats.

Meanwhile, the so-called “third bloc,” consisting of parties headed by Chili Tropper, Gilad Erdan and Benny Gantz, receives a combined 5% but nevertheless fails to cross the electoral threshold. ([bhol.co.il][1])

The survey also asked Israelis whom they would prefer to serve as the country’s next National Security Minister, amid plans for cooperation between former senior police official Yoav Segalovitz and Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas.

On that question, current National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir maintains the advantage, with 29% preferring him for the position compared to 21% who favor Segalovitz — an eight-point lead for Ben Gvir.

The latest numbers come as Israel’s political parties enter the final two months of an increasingly volatile election campaign, with new parties and alliances threatening to dramatically reshape both the right-wing and anti-Netanyahu blocs.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef issued a blistering attack against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Motzei Shabbos, following her opposition to holding the annual government-sponsored memorial marking the yahrtzeit of his father, Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, due to its proximity to the upcoming elections.

Speaking during his weekly Motzei Shabbos shiur, HaRav Yosef expressed outrage over the decision, stressing that Maran zt”l belonged to all of Klal Yisrael and that honoring his memory cannot be dismissed as a political event.

“At Maran’s levaya there were nearly a million people — all of Am Yisrael,” HaRav Yosef said. “There were secular and religious Jews, knitted kippahs, white kippahs, Chassidim and Litvaks.”

HaRav Yosef contrasted the decision with state commemorations held for former Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, questioning why those events are permitted while a gathering honoring one of the greatest Torah leaders of the generation is being restricted.

“Rabin was murdered close to elections, and they don’t prohibit [events] for him because he belongs to the left,” HaRav Yosef said. “Fine, let them hold a gathering, why not? But Maran, the Gadol Hador, was not a political person. Maran was a Torah person. Rabin was a political person, but Maran was a Torah person.”

The Rishon L’Tzion then delivered particularly fiery words against Baharav-Miara and called for her directive to be ignored.

“Don’t listen to her! Who is she anyway?” HaRav Yosef declared.

“The Holy One, Blessed is He, will destroy her, He will give her her blow,” he continued.

“She is messing with Maran? Maran, the Gadol Hador, she is messing with him? This will not pass in silence. Hashem should help that she receives her blow.”

The controversy surrounds the annual memorial events held in honor of Maran HaRav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, the legendary posek and longtime spiritual leader of Sephardic Jewry, whose petirah in 2013 plunged the Torah world into mourning.

His levaya in Yerushalayim drew 750,000 people, with Yidden from across the religious and political spectrum filling the streets to accompany the Gadol Hador on his final journey.

The Attorney General’s position reportedly stems from restrictions governing state-sponsored events during an election period, amid concerns that public funds could be used for events carrying a political character.

HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, however, fiercely rejected the suggestion that an event honoring his father could be treated as a partisan political gathering, stressing that Maran zt”l was first and foremost a towering Torah leader whose influence extended across Klal Yisrael.

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For the first time since reports emerged last week, the Shin Bet has officially confirmed that Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister’s son, faced a “significant threat” while living in Miami.

The security establishment subsequently made the urgent decision to bring Netanyahu back to Israel along with his close protection team from the Shin Bet’s VIP Protection Unit.

“In light of this, and following a situational assessment, a decision was made to urgently evacuate him back to Israel together with his security detail,” the Shin Bet said in a statement.

Channel 12 reported that the Shin Bet diverted some of its agents who were providing security for President Isaac Herzog, who was visiting New York at the time, to Miami to assist in the operation.

The statement follows remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who revealed during a live interview on Channel 14 last week that Iran had attempted to assassinate one of his sons.

“As for my sons, I think there is something unbelievable here. Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to murder, to kill one of my sons,” Netanyahu said.

The military censor was reportedly caught off guard by Netanyahu’s disclosure of the assassination attempt during the live broadcast. For weeks, media outlets had been prohibited from publishing information about the matter, and even now, restrictions on the publication of specific details remain in place.

(YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)

Dozens of Chareidim blocked Egged buses at the entrance to Jerusalem near the Chords Bridge in a stormy protest against buses operating during the final hours on Shabbos.

The buses travel from northern Israel and drop off passengers outside the Central Bus Station.

The blockade caused significant traffic delays in the area, with vehicles forced to seek alternative routes.

About an hour after the blockade began, and just minutes before the end of Shabbos, police announced that “reinforced forces are on their way to the scene in order to disperse those disrupting public order and restore traffic to normal.” Security officials said they were proceeding with great caution due to the sensitivity of the hour, while attempting to prevent confrontations.

Police later said the protesters had left the area and traffic had returned to normal. Police forces remained in the area to ensure that traffic continued to flow.

Protests against public transportation operating on Shabbos also took place in Tzfas. An unusual incident was also reported in Bnei Brak over the same issue. Large construction containers were placed on the bridge leading to the mixed Shikun HaSofrim neighborhood in an effort to prevent vehicles from traveling there on Shabbos.

Following a report by Army Radio, police reopened the road, seized the truck, and questioned the truck driver who had placed the containers. The driver claimed that he had been sent by the Bnei Brak municipality. However, the municipality denied that it had ordered the containers to be placed there.

A police source told Army Radio: “We view this act of thuggery and irresponsibility, which harms residents’ freedom of movement, with great severity. We acted immediately to remove the dangerous obstruction from the road, and the route is now open to vehicular traffic.”

(YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)

Clashes broke out on Shabbos between Israelis and Arabs in the area of the villages of Qusra and Jalud in Binyamin.

According to the Binyamin Regional Council, the incident began when Israelis conducting a security patrol encountered dozens of masked Arabs from Qusra wielding stones and clubs. Footage from the scene shows Arabs hurling stones at the Israelis as journalists from foreign media outlets stood behind them documenting the events. The Jews said that the Arabs also blocked access roads with rocks and burning tires in an attempt to prevent IDF forces from quickly reaching the scene. The initial attack subsequently escalated into a confrontation in which both sides threw stones. Several Palestinians were injured during the clashes,

However, the IDF presented a different version of the incident, saying that several Israelis threw stones at Palestinians and later entered a home in the village and barricaded themselves inside while members of a Palestinian family were present in the home. Large numbers of IDF and Border Police forces were dispatched to the scene. The forces were required to act urgently to extract the Israelis from the house in which they had barricaded themselves. The IDF said that no arrests have been made at this stage and that law enforcement authorities are thoroughly investigating all the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Conversely, Jewish Binyamin residents claim that some of the settlers entered an abandoned structure farther up the hill and continued throwing stones from there, while the IDF described the location as a residential home occupied by members of a Palestinian family. The Binyamin Regional Council condemned the violence and called on the security forces to investigate everyone involved in the incident and bring the Arabs to justice who were filmed throwing stones at Jews.

Jewish residents also sharply criticized the IDF Spokesperson’s statement and the media coverage, saying that the incident was presented in a one-sided manner while the residents, because it was Shabbos, were unable to respond in real time. They added that the incident was a planned Arab provocation intended to smear the settlement movement and undermine the struggle for control of the area.

At this stage, conflicting accounts remain regarding the sequence of events, and the IDF said that all reports and allegations are being examined as part of the investigation into the incident.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the violence. “I strongly condemn the criminal acts of violence committed in the villages of Qusra and Jalud by a handful of rioters who are breaking the law, causing tremendous harm to the law-abiding settler public, interfering with the IDF in carrying out its missions and harming Israel’s standing in the world,” he said.

According to Netanyahu, the security forces confiscated three vehicles and brought the incident to an end within a short time. “The IDF, Shin Bet and police are conducting an intensive investigation on the ground, and I expect law enforcement authorities to arrest the rioters and bring them to justice as soon as possible,” he added.

President Isaac Herzog also issued a strong condemnation: “I strongly condemn the serious acts of violence in Qusra. This is the crossing of a red line by lawbreakers acting in complete contradiction to the laws and values of the State of Israel. This is another in a series of incidents that are a stain on Israel and demand firm and decisive action.”

Herzog added: “I commend the IDF, which is doing its utmost. The government, security agencies, judicial system and law enforcement authorities must use every tool at their disposal and act in full coordination to root out this reprehensible phenomenon and bring the rioters to justice.”

(YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)

Millions of shekels originating from Qatar have flowed to an Israeli nonprofit in Haifa through a British foundation, allowing the funds to be officially recorded in Israel as donations from England without Qatar appearing in the organization’s filings, according to an investigation by Shomrim published by Ynet.

The investigation found that the Arab Culture Association in Haifa received NIS 17.8 million in foreign donations between 2020 and 2025, accounting for more than 95% of its income. The overwhelming majority reportedly came from the London-based Galilee Foundation, whose own funding largely originates in Qatar.

At the center of the funding network are brothers Azmi and Marwan Bishara. Azmi Bishara, a former Israeli MK, has lived in Qatar since leaving Israel in 2007 amid an investigation into suspicions that he assisted Hezbollah during the Second Lebanon War. He currently heads the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha.

That Doha-based center transfers money to the Galilee Foundation in Britain, where Marwan Bishara — an Al Jazeera commentator — is chairman of the board of trustees and one of its founders. The London foundation then distributes money to organizations in Israel, including the Arab Culture Association. The brothers’ late sister, Dr. Rawdat Bishara, was among the Israeli organization’s founders and directors.

The amount transferred from the Doha center to the British foundation increased dramatically after 2022. The foundation received $181,000 from the center that year, followed by $1.8 million in 2023, $2.1 million in 2024 and $1.6 million in 2025. The Doha institute also has financial connections to the Qatari government, including a graduate program funded primarily by Qatar.

The British foundation additionally receives interest from an investment fund donated by the Emir of Qatar. Its $2.5 million investment portfolio includes bonds issued by two Qatari entities controlled by the emirate, according to the report.

Despite the money trail, neither “Qatar” nor the Doha-based Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies appears in the Israeli nonprofit’s filings. Instead, the funds are reported as donations from the British foundation. The investigation noted that Israeli regulations require nonprofits to identify their direct donor, but not the donor’s underlying sources of funding, meaning the filings appear to technically comply with reporting requirements.

The Arab Culture Association had a NIS 3.3 million budget in 2025, with approximately 90% coming from foreign donations. Its activities include book fairs, performances, festivals, “Nakba tours” and scholarships for Arab-Israeli students. Scholarship recipients are required to attend workshops and lectures dealing with Palestinian identity and history and participate in volunteer activities.

According to the investigation, the organization also failed to report that one of its board members and authorized signatories, Dr. Mahmoud Muhareb, serves as a research fellow at Bishara’s Doha institute — the same institute transferring funds to the London foundation.

Neither the Galilee Foundation nor the Arab Culture Association provided a response to the report.

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Chevron and other major U.S. energy companies are nearing agreements to invest billions of dollars in Venezuela’s oil fields, potentially marking a significant expansion of American involvement in the country’s vast energy sector, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Chevron is close to an agreement that would expand its longstanding operations in Venezuela by potentially adding two new heavy-oil fields to its portfolio. The company currently operates three joint ventures with Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PdVSA, and remains the only major U.S. oil company currently operating in the country.

Halliburton is also in discussions to bring equipment and oil-field services back into Venezuela as American energy companies move toward new investments following months of negotiations.

The emerging agreements would represent a major development for President Trump’s push to expand U.S. involvement in Venezuela’s enormous oil industry, with billions of dollars in potential American investment now moving closer to reality.

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A horrifying tragedy unfolded Friday in Jackson, New Jersey, where an 8-month-old baby was R”L niftar after a mother and her two children were struck by a vehicle outside NPGS.

Central Jersey Hatzolah and other emergency personnel rushed to the scene after receiving reports of multiple pedestrians struck. Due to the severity of the incident and number of victims, a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) was declared.

The three victims — a mother and her two children — were rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Tragically, despite desperate efforts to save the infant, the 8-month-old baby was niftar.

The Niftar has been identified as Yitzchok (ben Pinchos) Rosenberg, 8 months old, from Jackson.

Initial information indicates that the incident occurred when a woman pulling out in a vehicle struck the family.

The mother and her other child remain hospitalized and are in need of tefillos.

The public is asked to please daven for Rochel bas Golda Chana and Golda Chana bas Leah Shaindel.

Additional details regarding the horrific incident and the conditions of the injured will be published as they become available.

Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes.

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The construction of Germany’s first permanent military base outside its borders since World War II is raising concerns over the future of historic bunkers in Lithuania where hundreds of Jews who escaped the Vilna Ghetto hid while fighting the Nazis.

The bunkers, located in Lithuania’s Rūdninkai Forest, were used by approximately 400 Jewish partisans and are described as the country’s only memorial site dedicated specifically to Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.

Concerns have increased as construction moves forward on a base for Germany’s 45th Armored Brigade. Signs warning of a dangerous military area and prohibiting entry have begun appearing in the forest, making access increasingly difficult for descendants of the Jewish partisans who travel there to visit the historic site.

Germany has said it is committed to preserving the former partisan camp as a place of remembrance and education, stressing that the bunkers are not part of the military training facilities. Berlin, however, says responsibility for managing the site and determining public access rests with Lithuanian authorities.

Lithuania’s Culture Ministry, meanwhile, says the bunkers do not qualify for protected cultural-heritage status because they are not considered authentic structures. According to the ministry, the bunkers were reconstructed during the Soviet era and were associated with Soviet propaganda.

Researchers argue that the position reflects a broader Lithuanian historical narrative that places greater emphasis on Soviet repression and makes recognition of the legacy of Jewish partisans more difficult.

Lithuanian officials say visits to the site will eventually be permitted, but visitors will be required to follow military regulations and receive advance approval from the training-area command. Authorities also plan to install a new informational sign near the site.

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Hezbollah is continuing to maintain its grip on southern Lebanon through medical, humanitarian and reconstruction organizations, even as the Lebanese army struggles to fulfill the security requirements of the framework agreement reached with Israel in June, according to new research from the Amit Institute for Terrorism and Intelligence Research.

The research focuses on the village of Zoutar al-Gharbiya, one of the pilot areas where the Lebanese army is supposed to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure and prevent the terror group’s operatives from returning. Despite those commitments, Hezbollah members have reportedly been allowed back into the village.

Among those permitted to return are members of Hezbollah’s “Rabat” unit, which is involved in military coordination and embedding infrastructure in civilian areas. The report says Lebanese army checkpoints are not checking the identities of people entering the village and vehicles are not routinely searched.

Two organizations linked to Hezbollah are also operating in the area. The Islamic Health Organization, which is subordinate to Hezbollah’s Executive Council, operates clinics and ambulances that are reportedly permitted to enter the village, while Red Cross ambulances have been prevented from entering.

A second organization, the “Wata’awanu” association, provides residents with food and housing assistance while mapping damage in the area. The organization is headed by Afif Shuman, who has raised donations through Hezbollah’s Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial institution.

Researchers assess that Hezbollah is using the organizations to preserve the local population’s dependence on the terror group and maintain its influence in southern Lebanon, effectively undermining the framework agreement with Israel.

The report also notes that legal restrictions preventing searches of private property are making it more difficult to uncover Hezbollah military infrastructure. Researchers warn that as long as Hezbollah continues providing essential services while maintaining operatives on the ground, transferring formal responsibility to the Lebanese army will not necessarily break the terror group’s hold over the region.

The Amit Institute is expected to publish its full research in the coming days.

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Israeli authorities have uncovered an ISIS-inspired terror plot involving a 16-year-old from the Galil and a 19-year-old Haifa resident who allegedly planned separate attacks against Israeli security forces, police and the Shin Bet announced Friday.

The Haifa District Prosecutor’s Office is set to file indictments against the two suspects in Haifa District Court, along with requests that they remain in custody until the conclusion of legal proceedings.

According to investigators, both suspects pledged allegiance to the ISIS terror organization. The 16-year-old, who was arrested earlier this month, viewed and documented online material containing instructions for constructing explosive belts.

Authorities say the teen intended to carry out a terror attack targeting police officers and Jewish soldiers on the Har Habayis in Yerushalayim.

As the investigation progressed, security forces arrested 19-year-old Ibrahim Kaabia of Haifa. Investigators subsequently determined that Kaabia was planning a separate terror attack against an IDF base in northern Israel.

The investigation was conducted jointly by Israel Police and the Shin Bet, leading to Friday’s planned indictments against both suspects.

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President Donald Trump personally dispatched CIA Director John Ratcliffe on a highly secretive diplomatic mission to Moscow, with the trip kept so closely guarded that even senior White House officials and military leaders who would normally receive such briefings were not informed, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Ratcliffe reportedly traveled aboard a U.S. military C-17 aircraft to Latvia before continuing into Russia. His arrival surprised European allies, who had not been informed in advance of the unusual mission.

During meetings with Russian security officials, Ratcliffe delivered a clear message that the United States remains fully committed to NATO’s Article 5 collective-defense provision, under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. He also warned Moscow against launching attacks on NATO countries.

Ratcliffe also discussed reviving peace negotiations with Ukraine in an effort to bring the war to an end. At the same time, he pressed Russian officials to avoid deepening economic or security ties with Iran as the Trump administration continues its sanctions campaign against Tehran.

Trump later downplayed concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an attack against NATO allies and described Ratcliffe’s journey as “semi-routine.”

The mission follows previous diplomatic efforts by Trump administration envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that failed to halt the fighting, as Russia continued escalating its attacks and strengthening cooperation with Iran.

Experts cited in the report said Ratcliffe’s experience using intelligence channels and negotiating the release of Americans held overseas made him a potentially effective envoy to communicate directly with the Kremlin while reinforcing that Trump’s peace efforts do not come at the expense of America’s security commitments to Europe.

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Left-wing activists are organizing a new effort to bring Israelis living abroad back to Israel to vote in the October 27 election, using Jordan as an alternative route amid high airfare and limited flights to Ben Gurion Airport.

Under the initiative, Israelis would fly to Amman during the week before the election and then travel by organized buses to the border crossing near Beit Shean. From there, they would continue into Israel by train or private transportation.

The effort is being promoted by the Facebook group “Supporting a Free Democratic Israel” and is being organized by a group of Arabic-speaking Israeli volunteers led by Haifa resident Gilad Mulyan, in cooperation with a Jordanian tourism agency and transportation company.

Organizers say the Jordan route is expected to cost approximately $100 per traveler, including border fees and transportation. Arabic-speaking Israeli volunteers would meet participants at the airport in Amman and accompany them during the journey to Israel.

The initiative is part of a broader effort by activists opposed to the current government to help Israelis overseas return to the country for Election Day, potentially bringing additional voters into Israel at a time when polls show a tight battle between the political blocs.

Organizers say the initiative is formally open to Israeli citizens regardless of political affiliation. For security reasons, however, applicants will reportedly be required to provide a photograph of their Israeli passport and have a credible social-media profile before receiving final registration details.

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The Trump administration is working to deliver Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a significant “victory image” in Gaza ahead of Israel’s upcoming elections, according to a report Friday by Israeli political commentator Amit Segal.

Under the emerging arrangement, weapons in Gaza would be handed over to the United States before Israelis head to the polls. Israel, meanwhile, would only carry out a partial withdrawal from Gaza after voting has concluded, allowing Netanyahu to enter Election Day with the disarmament move already underway without having yet implemented the Israeli concession.

The reported effort comes despite tensions between Netanyahu and the White House. According to Segal, Trump administration officials are angry with Netanyahu, while President Donald Trump has refrained for months from publicly endorsing him ahead of the election. Nevertheless, Washington has reportedly accepted most of Israel’s demands regarding Gaza.

Segal also revealed that Jared Kushner has met with senior Hamas officials as the United States works toward an arrangement for Gaza’s future. American officials have defended the direct contacts, noting that similar discussions were held last year as part of efforts that led to the release of 56 hostages.

The Trump administration says its bottom line remains unchanged: Hamas will not remain armed and will not govern Gaza. U.S. officials reportedly view the precise mechanism used to achieve those goals as less important than ensuring they are ultimately accomplished.

The report also revealed that during negotiations for the release of the hostages, a very senior Israeli security official spoke directly by telephone with Hamas leaders. American officials have pointed to that contact in response to criticism in Israel over Washington’s own direct discussions with the terror group.

Israel continues to have concerns about the involvement of Qatar and Turkey in postwar Gaza. Neither country is expected to deploy troops to the Strip, but both are expected to participate in an oversight council tasked in part with monitoring Israel’s compliance with an agreement.

While most Israeli concerns have reportedly been resolved through talks with Washington, one major issue remains: Israeli officials fear that an international body deployed in Gaza could fail to actually disarm Hamas and instead become a buffer between the IDF and the terror group, restricting Israel’s freedom to operate against future threats.

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A mother and her two children were seriously injured Friday morning after they were struck by a vehicle outside NPGS in Jackson, prompting a major emergency response.

Central Jersey Hatzolah and other emergency personnel rushed to the scene after a woman who was pulling out in a vehicle struck the mother and her two children.

Due to the number and severity of the patients, a Mass Casualty Incident, or MCI, was declared, allowing emergency responders to coordinate additional resources for the multiple victims.

All three patients were transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. One of the victims was reported to have been in traumatic arrest, while another was reported in serious condition.

The tzibur is asked to say Tehillim and daven for the mother, Golda Chana bas Leah Shaindel, and her two children, Yitzchok ben Golda Chana and Rochel bas Golda Chana.

YWN will continue following this developing story and provide additional updates as more information becomes available

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