American citizen and former U.S. Marine Robert Gilman has been released by Russia on humanitarian grounds after more than four years in detention, U.S. officials confirmed Tuesday.

President Trump announced the release on Truth Social. “I am proud to announce that American Citizen Robert Gilman, a former United States Marine, is coming HOME!” Trump wrote, adding that Gilman would land at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. Tuesday night, where U.S. representatives, some of whom are traveling with him on the plane, will welcome him back.

Gilman, 32, of Lowell, Massachusetts, was arrested in Voronezh, Russia in January 2022 and later sentenced to prison on charges relating to an altercation with a police officer, allegations his family has disputed. Advocates said Gilman had been subjected to abusive treatment in custody and was recently found to be in a “dissociative stupor” — a catatonic, non-responsive state — after being moved to a civilian hospital in June.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed the release was carried out purely on humanitarian grounds, “not part of an exchange,” with no other concessions provided by the United States. Trump said he had personally discussed the release with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Gilman is now en route to the U.S. on a State Department plane, escorted by American personnel, and is expected to continue on to a military hospital in Texas for medical evaluation and treatment. A U.S. official said Gilman was walking and talking following his release.

Qatar has accused Israel of “dragging its feet” over the proposed roadmap for Gaza, arguing that Israel has repeatedly resisted efforts to advance the plan throughout the war in the Strip.

Majed al-Ansari, spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, said Doha wants the international community to increase pressure on Israel to move ahead with the second stage of the U.S.-backed 20-point plan for Gaza.

According to Ansari, Hamas has accepted the proposal, leaving Israel responsible for taking the next steps toward implementation.

Ansari also said Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are preparing to announce practical measures aimed at advancing the Gaza plan.

Turning to the ongoing U.S.-Iran discussions, Ansari said ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz remains the immediate priority. He added that efforts should focus on restoring conditions in the waterway to what they were before the war.

Any future agreement concerning the strategic strait, Ansari said, must be reached through “regional concurrence and full respect for international law.”

Rabbi Yehuda Gerami visited the New York offices of the Tzedek Association Monday evening, meeting with the organization’s president, Rabbi Moshe Margaretten.

Speaking with Belaaz, Rabbi Gerami confirmed he is currently in the country for summer vacation.

Gerami’s visit has drawn attention given his position within Iran’s Jewish community in Tehran and relationship to the Iranian regime, with many wondering about the circumstances under which he is able to travel freely.

Belaaz has also learned that despite the IRGC and the Iranian regime historically maintaining relatively cordial relations with the country’s Jewish community, Iranian state media has recently shifted tone, increasingly characterizing Jews in hostile terms, R”L.

Belaaz has chosen not to publish additional travel details, given the sensitivities involved.

An off-campus residence housing members of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) at UC San Diego was vandalized overnight with antisemitic graffiti, including swastikas, a Star of David, references to the KKK and the direct threat: “Die AEPi.”

The San Diego Police Department is investigating the incident as a bias-motivated hate crime, while UCSD police and university officials are assisting with the investigation.

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UC San Diego publicly condemned the attack, stating: “UC San Diego condemns an off-campus antisemitic and racist incident targeting students. We stand against hate and support those impacted.”

AEPi said it is working with UCSD administrators, campus partners and local law enforcement as the investigation continues.

DAMASCUS, Syria.  A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted President Bashar Assad and his younger brother, Maher Assad, to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Syria’s 14-year conflict, a devastating war that claimed roughly half a million lives.

The ruling, issued by Damascus’ Fourth Criminal Court, represents the first criminal sentences against Assad or members of his inner circle since the Assad family’s five decades in power ended 20 months ago.

“Bashar Assad used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity,” judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan said during a court hearing that was broadcast live on Syrian state television.

Assad’s maternal cousin, Atef Najib, was also sentenced to death after being convicted of directing a crackdown in the southern province of Daraa. The campaign helped trigger the uprising that eventually developed into a full-scale civil war. Al-Aryan said Najib has the right to appeal the verdict.

Security was heavy around the courthouse as Najib stood inside a prisoner’s cage wearing a uniform while the judge announced his sentence. Outside the central Damascus courthouse, a crowd gathered to listen to the verdict.

“Today is the day of justice for all the wounded, martyrs, detainees and Syrians who were forced to leave their country,” said attorney Adnan al-Masalmeh, who represented relatives of Najib’s victims. “Today marks a victory of right against injustice, a victory of the Syrian people against the ousted regime.”

Assad and Maher Assad fled to Russia after their government collapsed in December 2024 and were granted political asylum. Syria’s new authorities have since called on Moscow to surrender the two brothers.

Najib, who was placed under U.S. Treasury sanctions in April 2011, was subsequently detained and became one of the most senior Assad-era security officials to face trial.

A former Syrian army brigadier general, Najib headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa province in 2011 under Assad’s government.

During his time in charge, more than a dozen teenagers were arrested and tortured after writing anti-government graffiti on a school wall in Daraa. The incident became one of the sparks that ignited widespread demonstrations against the repression carried out by Assad’s security forces.

The demonstrations were answered with a violent government crackdown, eventually escalating into a 14-year civil war that ended when Assad was removed from power following a rapid rebel offensive.

Several of Najib’s victims attended Tuesday’s court proceedings. Among them were two men who had been teenagers when they were detained in 2011 and who later spoke with The Associated Press.

“Today we reached a point where the blood was not wasted,” said Mouawiya Sayasneh, referring to those killed during the crackdown. Fifteen years later, “there is happiness that Atef Najib was sentenced to death,” he said.

Nayef Abazeid, who was detained when he was just 13 years old in 2011, also welcomed the ruling. He said that “our biggest happiness will be when Bashar Assad is executed.”

Maher Assad previously commanded the Syrian military’s 4th Armored Division, a powerful unit that opposition activists have accused of carrying out killings, torture and extortion, as well as involvement in drug trafficking and operating its own detention facilities.

“Today’s scenes outside the courthouse reflect 15 years of pain and a justice long denied. Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all cases, including this one,” said Hiba Zayadin, Syria researcher at Human Rights Watch. “It’s cruel and irreversible, especially when a fair trial isn’t guaranteed.”

Zayadin emphasized that Najib is entitled to appeal and said the appeals process “needs to meet fair trial standards too.” She added that meaningful accountability for crimes committed during the Assad era will ultimately require Syria to establish a durable and credible justice system.

A Sefer Torah written in memory of Golani Reconnaissance fighters who fell at the Beaufort and in later battles was brought to the fortress in southern Lebanon, where soldiers read from it this week, 44 years after the bloody 1982 battle for the mountain.

The return carried added significance after IDF troops recaptured the Beaufort ridge in late May, 26 years after Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon. Golani Reconnaissance soldiers again reached the fortress and raised the Israeli and Golani flags there as part of a broader operation targeting Hezbollah infrastructure across the Beaufort and Wadi Saluki areas.

The Torah was written years after the original battle as an enduring memorial to members of the Golani Reconnaissance cohorts who were killed over the years, among them Maj. Giora “Guni” Harnik and Brig. Gen. Erez Gerstein. It was completed in 2020 and has since been kept at a Shul in Hoshaya in northern Israel.

Harnik, the former commander of the reconnaissance unit, returned to the force after the First Lebanon War broke out in June 1982. After commander Moshe Kaplinsky was seriously wounded, Harnik took command of the troops advancing toward the northern section of the fortress. His armored personnel carrier overturned on the way, but he continued on foot, reorganized the force and led the assault.

Harnik and several other Golani fighters were killed as the troops battled through fortified positions and trenches before completing the capture of the Beaufort. Forty-four years later, with Israeli soldiers once again positioned on the mountain, the memorial Torah was carried back to the site and opened for a Torah reading.

Following Monday’s report by the Washington Post on President Trump’s secret three plane switch in Turkey amid an Iranian assassination threat, video has surfaced that appears to show the Turkish catering truck described in the report, which was used to transfer Trump from the older Air Force One to a smaller military aircraft in Turkey last month.

Video Credit: John Hudson/WaPo

According to the Post’s reporting, Trump was publicly seen boarding the older Air Force One jumbo jet in full view of television cameras before leaving Turkey, instead of hsing the new Qatari gifted plane. Minutes later, he and several aides reportedly exited through a door on the opposite side of the aircraft and were driven by an airport catering truck normally used to load food and supplies, to a nearby Air Force C-32A, a much smaller modified Boeing 757, and transferred onto that aircraft instead.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the C-32A separately via external stairs in an effort to make the flight appear routine. Meanwhile, per the report, members of the White House press corps and some staff boarded the “decoy” Air Force One believing Trump was traveling with them, and were instructed to close their window shades before takeoff.

The Washington Post credited this great plane tracker account with an import detail in our exclusive tonight. Sharing credit where it's due: https://t.co/A5J6ltf8qZ

— Dan Lamothe (@DanLamothe) August 11, 2026

The two aircraft landed minutes apart at RAF Mildenhall in Britain. Trump was then transferred back onto the original Air Force One before appearing on camera descending its external stairs, maintaining the public appearance that he’d been aboard that plane the entire flight.

The elaborate operation reportedly stemmed from a credible threat from Iran and allied groups to fire a missile at the presidential aircraft.

Scoop: Trump flew secretly from Turkey on an alternate military aircraft unbeknownst to journalists and some White House staff members who believed they were on the same plane as the president, The Post has learned. w/ @DanLamothe @abtran & @joyceslee https://t.co/CZqvHnfi44

— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) August 10, 2026

President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. Navy has cleared mines from the Strait of Hormuz and now maintains “100%” control of the critical waterway, while also escalating his demands that Iran pay reparations. The latest comments add another layer of tension to an already dangerous standoff between Washington and Tehran.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump asserted that American forces now exercise complete control over the strait. “It’s open now,” he said, while emphasizing that the United States was “the only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now.”

Trump characterized the American military presence as a “steel wall,” arguing that occasional Iranian efforts to lay mines have not undermined U.S. control. “They will, on occasion, drop a mine, and we find the mine,” he said. The United States has maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports since mid-April.

Iranian officials, however, have maintained that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed unless Washington meets a series of Iranian demands, including ending its naval blockade. Tehran has also said that its discussions with Oman regarding shipping arrangements would not necessarily result in a complete reopening of the waterway.

Trump escalated the dispute over compensation in a Truth Social post early Tuesday, saying Iran’s demand for reimbursement for war-related damage had given him “an interesting idea.” He argued that Tehran should instead compensate the United States for Americans killed or wounded in roadside bombings and other attacks allegedly connected to Iran, as well as for Iranian protesters whom he said had been killed by the Iranian regime over the past five decades.

The president’s reparations demand has created another obstacle after Iran announced its own requirements Saturday for reopening the strategic waterway. Before the conflict, the Strait of Hormuz carried approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies, making continued disruption a major concern for global energy markets.

Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Saturday that the strait would remain closed until Washington lifts its naval blockade and sanctions, removes American forces from the region, provides war reparations and unfreezes Iranian assets. The council also demanded an end to U.S. attacks against Iran’s regional allies.

Trump has indicated that he may allow Iran’s worsening economic conditions to increase pressure on Tehran rather than immediately pursue additional military action.

Iranian officials pushed back Tuesday against Washington’s economic pressure campaign. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei responded to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s characterization of U.S. sanctions as “suffocating” Iran.

Baqaei argued that Washington turns to sanctions when diplomatic efforts fail and intensifies them when they do not produce the desired results. He described the approach as having become less a “policy” than a “compulsive addiction.”

The continuing deadlock reflects two sharply different positions. Washington views its naval deployment as a lasting guarantee of access through the waterway, while Tehran regards the American military presence as the principal barrier to restoring normal shipping. Iran has repeatedly said it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz while the United States continues its blockade of Iranian ports.

The disruption to energy supplies remains a major concern for financial markets. Tanker traffic through the strait continues to operate at reduced levels, according to Lloyd Chan, senior currency analyst at MUFG Bank in Singapore, who also noted that Brent crude prices remain well above levels seen before the conflict.

Chan said further flare-ups remain possible but added that a wider regional war is still not considered the most likely outcome.

Oil prices surged Monday as tensions and rhetoric intensified, reversing a short-lived decline from the previous week. West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery rose about 5% to settle near $82.13 per barrel, while Brent crude gained roughly the same amount to reach about $87.72. Oil prices were modestly higher in Asian trading Tuesday.

With Washington and Tehran continuing to disagree over control of the Strait of Hormuz, military deployments, sanctions and financial compensation, the strategic waterway remains at the center of an increasingly tense confrontation that could continue to weigh on global energy markets.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced a sweeping proposal to overhaul a decades-old food policy that has allowed manufacturers to introduce certain new ingredients without direct federal oversight. The Trump administration has also submitted what officials describe as the federal government’s first proposed definition of ultra-processed foods for final review, Kennedy said.

“Parents should not need a chemistry degree to understand what their kids are eating,” Kennedy said during an event in Washington, where he again emphasized his longstanding criticism of the typical American diet and its connection to obesity and chronic disease.

“Nearly 60% of the American diet is made up of ultra-processed foods for our kids … and more than 70% of American adults are obese or overweight,” he said. “We cannot spend our way out of a chronic disease epidemic while ignoring the things that are making Americans sick. Food is the most powerful weapon that we have in our arsenal.”

Kennedy said the Food and Drug Administration lacks a precise count of the ingredients currently used throughout the nation’s food supply, estimating the total could range from 4,000 to 12,000. He pointed to a 1958 law enacted by Congress that permits manufacturers to use substances considered “generally recognized as safe,” commonly known as GRAS.

Under the GRAS system, companies historically have not been required to conduct extensive safety studies on familiar substances such as salt, vinegar and flour. Kennedy said the policy was intended to provide a limited exemption but gradually evolved into a loophole that allowed companies to independently determine whether newer substances were safe.

“Industry hijacked the loophole and drove a convoy of chemical trucks through it straight into the American food supply,” Kennedy said. “The FDA was left with a major blind spot, and administration after administration allowed that system to persist. And Congress has not fixed it either.”

Under the proposed regulation, food manufacturers would be required to notify the FDA when they determine that substances qualify for GRAS status. The agency would also broaden its publicly accessible database of GRAS notifications. For ingredients already being used in food products, manufacturers would receive a timeline for providing the FDA with information about their existing applications.

FDA officials and public-health advocates also highlighted the administration’s proposed definition of ultra-processed foods during Monday’s events, describing it as a potentially significant development. The Department of Health and Human Services has not yet released the definition publicly, but said Monday that the proposal incorporates input from thousands of stakeholders, including consumer advocates, researchers and representatives of the food industry.

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health describes ultra-processed foods as products containing at least one ingredient that would not ordinarily be found in a household kitchen, including certain chemical preservatives, hydrogenated oils or artificial colors. Such products undergo processing “that leave the final products bearing almost no resemblance to the original ingredients.”

“The agency continues to operate with a lack of comprehensive knowledge of the substances present in the food supply,” acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said Monday.

Diamantas “strongly” urged “all stakeholders” to participate in the public-comment process for the proposal, which was released Monday morning. The FDA will accept public comments for 120 days.

The Consumer Brands Association, a trade organization representing the U.S. consumer packaged-goods industry, said Monday that it has significant concerns about the federal government’s effort to establish a definition for ultra-processed foods. The group warned that the policy could raise costs for consumers and create additional confusion.

“America’s packaged food supply is safe and has been a staple in American households for decades,” Consumer Brands Association Executive Vice President Rhonda Bentz said in a statement. “That’s something that a guidance document crafted without credible experts cannot change. Any so-called definition that captures 80% of the nation’s food supply while picking winners and losers is fundamentally flawed, not based on sound science and politically motivated.”

Consumer Brands is also part of Americans for Ingredient Transparency, a coalition advocating for federal legislation that would create nationwide standards governing ingredient-safety regulations, including rules concerning substances classified as generally recognized as safe.

During Monday’s event, Kennedy urged Congress “to give FDA the additional tools it needs to keep pace with the changing food supply” and called for expanded federal oversight of food ingredients.

“AFIT supports meaningful, science-based modernization of the GRAS program and efforts to strengthen consumer confidence in the safety and transparency of our food supply,” AFIT senior adviser Patrice Onwuka said in a statement. “The most durable way to achieve those goals is through bipartisan Congressional action that establishes a transparent, nationally uniform framework for food ingredient oversight.”

AFIT cited a recent analysis from the Policy Navigation Group estimating that grocery prices could rise by 12% if states continue developing separate ingredient regulations rather than adopting a national standard. The coalition also said federal legislation aimed at increasing food transparency has bipartisan backing.

“In attendance today we have left-wing groups who are in bitter disagreement with us on other issues but are joining arms on these initiatives today,” HHS senior adviser Calley Means said Monday. “All of us agree there is a unique political and cultural moment where we can change the incentives of our food system and improve transparency.”

BOGOTÁ, Colombia. At least 111 people have been killed and 87 injured after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, causing buildings to collapse, homes to be destroyed and residents to become trapped beneath rubble, officials said.

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national disaster as emergency crews responded to widespread destruction reported across several cities and communities.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered about 5 kilometers east of San José del Palmar, Colombia.

Some of the most severe damage was reported in Cali and Pereira. Officials said dozens of people were killed in the departments surrounding the two cities as rescue teams searched damaged buildings for survivors.

At least 61 buildings have collapsed, while more than 1,600 homes have been damaged or destroyed, according to the president. Health centers, community facilities and roads were also among the infrastructure damaged by the quake.

In Cali, at least 20 buildings collapsed, according to the city’s mayor. Rescue workers were conducting an operation at one damaged building where at least 15 people were believed to be trapped.

Authorities in the department of Chocó also reported injuries and “severe damage” to buildings in Quibdó, the department’s capital.

The earthquake also disrupted air travel, with seven airports suspending operations in Armenia, Cali, Manizales, Pereira, Quibdó, Buenaventura and Cartago.

There were no immediate reports of collapsed buildings in Bogotá, officials said.

The earthquake, which struck Monday morning, was the strongest recorded in Colombia in a decade, according to the Colombian Geological Survey. The shaking was felt throughout much of Colombia as well as in neighboring Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.

In a video posted on social media, the Colombian president said he was traveling to Bogotá to “focus on addressing the emergency facing our country”. He also convened a unified command post to coordinate the government’s response in affected areas, including the region known as the Coffee-Growers’ Axis.

The United States said it was closely watching the situation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration is “closely monitoring” the earthquake and stands “ready” to support the people of Colombia.

WILLIAMSBURG — The Satmar Rebbe, Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, strongly condemned the campaign of “attacks” against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his major annual Drasha marking the yahrzeit of the Satmar Rebbe, Reb Yoel Teitelbaum Zatzal, on Sunday.

Speaking to one of the largest annual gatherings of the Satmar community, the Rebbe warned that rhetoric directed against NYC Mayor Mamdani by members of the Jewish community violates the traditional Torah approach to relations with government and risks provoking hostility toward Jews.

“Recently, we have witnessed a terrible provocation against the nations by heimishe Yidden — through the incitement against the Mayor of New York City,” the Rebbe said in his speech.

The Satmar Rebbe with NYC Mayor Mamdani.

Citing the Navi Yirmiyahu’s instruction to the Jewish people to seek the peace of the city in which they live and to Daven on its behalf, the Rebbe said Frum Jews must conduct themselves according to the Torah’s guidance for Jewish life in Galus.

“We must remember that we are in Galus,” the Rebbe said. “The Navi Yirmiyahu instructed the Yidden: ‘Seek the peace of the city to which I have exiled you, and Daven to Hashem on its behalf.’ An observant Jew must follow the Torah’s path and accept the decree of exile”, the Rebbe added.

The Rebbe specifically condemned efforts to denounce Mayor Mamdani and brand him as an Antisemite.

He said: “To denounce the mayor and brand him an antisemite constitutes a true provocation against the nations (Hisgaarus Ba’umos)”, “As though the provocation against the nations taking place in Eretz Yisroel were not enough, they are now bringing it here to the United States as well.”

The Rebbe concluded by urging Jewish families to guard their homes against publications and messages influenced by “Zionist ideology.”

The Drasha was delivered on the 47th yahrzeit of the Satmar Rebbe, Reb Yoel Teitelbaum, who reestablished the Satmar community in the United States following the Holocaust and became one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the twentieth century. Opposition to Zionism and adherence to traditional Torah principles governing Jewish life in Galus were central foundations of his teachings.

Oil prices moved higher Monday as prospects for a near-term resolution to the confrontation between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz continued to fade.

Iran and Oman had recently suggested that the two sides were approaching an arrangement that could reopen the vital waterway to oil shipments and other commercial traffic. However, Tehran has presented an extensive set of conditions that it says Washington must satisfy before vessels can once again travel through the strait without restrictions. The demands have underscored Iran’s intention to retain the waterway as a bargaining tool. President Trump told Axios on Sunday that he expects Iran will ultimately yield as mounting economic pressure and inflation take their toll.

Oil Prices Move Higher

Brent crude, the international benchmark, gained about 1.5 percent, trading between $84 and $85 per barrel. The benchmark remains roughly 16 percent above its level immediately before the war began.

West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, also edged higher, climbing to slightly above $79 per barrel.

Markets continue to closely monitor the disruption affecting ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically important passage between Iran and Oman that normally transports roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies. Traders are also watching activity by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen, which has sought to limit shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia has relied on that route as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

Shipping Through Hormuz Remains Limited

Only a relatively small number of vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, with traffic continuing at a tiny fraction of normal levels. Maritime data firm Kpler estimates that approximately 12 ships a day have recently made the crossing. Before the war, the waterway handled an average of about 130 vessels each day.

Shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait has remained comparatively steady. Kpler recorded an average of just under 40 vessels per day from Friday through Sunday. Traffic has not experienced a major additional decline following Houthi threats against Saudi vessels in the area. However, shipping activity there had already fallen to its current level in 2023, when the Houthis began attacking commercial vessels in response to Israel’s war in Gaza.

The United Arab Emirates’ foreign ministry said Saturday that an Iranian strike had hit a tanker operated by the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company while the vessel was passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The company previously reported that at least 15 of its ships had come under attack in the waterway since the conflict began. Those incidents have resulted in one crew member being killed and 20 others injured.

Global Stocks Show Little Movement

S&P 500 futures indicated that U.S. stocks were headed for a largely unchanged opening Monday. The benchmark index finished Friday’s session at a new record high.

European markets were similarly subdued, with the Stoxx 600, which tracks major companies across the region, showing little movement.

Asian stocks were generally stronger despite the region’s heavy dependence on imported oil and natural gas. Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained more than 2 percent, while South Korea’s KOSPI and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index each advanced by roughly 1 percent.

Gasoline Prices Edge Lower

The national average gasoline price slipped slightly Monday to approximately $4.01 per gallon, according to AAA. Although pump prices have fallen by around 10 cents over the past week, motorists are still paying about 35 percent more on average than they were before the war began.

Changes in gasoline prices typically lag movements in crude oil prices by several days rather than immediately matching them.

Diesel prices also declined modestly Monday, reaching an average of approximately $5.30 per gallon. Despite the recent decrease, diesel remains about 41 percent more expensive than it was at the beginning of the war.

One Arab country reportedly advised another to reach an agreement with Israel as a tactical move, use it to lull Israel into complacency and prepare in parallel for a larger military confrontation, according to reports published Monday by Kan News and Channel 12. The recommendation was reportedly to later violate the agreement when conditions were more favorable for a confrontation with Israel.

The contacts took place in recent months, according to the reports, but neither country can currently be identified because of Israeli censorship restrictions. Channel 12 reported that the information had been held by the military censor for months before publication was permitted. The identities and seniority of the officials involved also remain unclear.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir seized on the revelation to argue against relying on regional agreements. “Behind all these misconception-driven agreements are lies and deception. They are intended to lull us to sleep ahead of the next blow,” he said. Ben-Gvir added that Israel’s response to its enemies should be “force, determination and total victory — without agreements and without mercy.”

Eyal Tsir Cohen, a former head of the Mossad’s Tevel Division, which handles the agency’s international relationships, offered a more cautious warning. “Any agreement with a country in the region must take into account that its internal political reality is fragile,” he said, warning that Israel’s reliance on a neighboring government’s current interests could eventually “turn against you.”

The Torah and rabbinical community in France is mourning the passing of Rabbi Chaim Peretz, zt”l, a respected dayan who served on a rabbinical court in France and was among the rabbis of the Torah V’Rachamim Yeshiva in Paris. He was 80 years old.

Rabbi Peretz’s passing was reported Sunday, August 9, 2026, bringing a wave of mourning to the Torah communities of both France and Tunisia, where his roots and early Torah development were closely connected.

A distinguished Torah scholar, Rabbi Peretz was counted among the prominent students of Rabbi Matzliach Mazuz, hy”d, the renowned Tunisian Torah leader who was murdered in 1971. Over the course of his life, Rabbi Peretz carried forward the traditions of Tunisian Torah scholarship and halachic learning while serving the Jewish community in France.

In Paris, he devoted himself to Torah study and teaching and served as one of the rabbis of the Torah V’Rachamim Yeshiva. His work as a dayan also placed him in a position of responsibility within the French Jewish community, where he was involved in matters of Jewish law and rabbinical leadership.

Despite enduring severe suffering and physical hardship for years, Rabbi Peretz continued his dedication to spreading Torah. Those reports describing his final years emphasized his extraordinary perseverance and self-sacrifice, as he remained committed to teaching and serving others despite his personal difficulties.

His passing marks the loss of a scholar whose life connected generations and communities from the rich Torah heritage of Tunisia to the vibrant Sephardic Torah world of France. Rabbi Chaim Peretz leaves behind decades of Torah teaching, rabbinical service and a legacy of dedication to Jewish learning.

May his memory be a blessing.

Wildfires continued to burn across the western United States and Canada on Sunday, leaving many residents anxiously watching for evacuation orders while others who had already escaped their homes waited to learn what damage they might face when they return.

In western Canada, a rapidly spreading wildfire forced more than 20,000 people from communities along British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake over the weekend, destroying homes and requiring dozens of residents to be rescued by aircraft. Meanwhile, in Washington state, firefighters battling three blazes in the Spokane region for more than a week continued cleanup efforts around containment lines.

Laurie Allen fled her Nine Mile Falls home, north of Spokane, last weekend with her husband, dog and two kittens as flames burned nearby. Although roads leading into her neighborhood remained closed Sunday, she said a friend had told her that her ash-covered home, along with others nearby, was still standing.

“I’ve been here 65 years. It’s never happened,” Allen said. “We didn’t think about anything but grabbing our animals and leaving. But now it’s affected so many of our friends and family around. So it’s pretty dang devastating.”

More Than 20,000 Forced From Canadian Communities

In Canada, Anette Boulet was among those who evacuated Summerland, a community of roughly 12,000 residents along Okanagan Lake. When she and her family fled at about 4:30 a.m. Saturday, thick smoke had engulfed the area.

“You couldn’t see barely. It was, it was just dark, and the ridge, the ridge of fire just coming towards you,” said Boulet, who evacuated to a center in Penticton.

“There’s no words to express it,” she said. “The fear.”

The Bald Range fire, which was first reported Friday evening, prompted evacuations not only in Summerland but also for roughly 8,000 people in and around nearby Peachland. British Columbia declared a state of emergency on Saturday.

Eleanor Olszewski, Canada’s minister of emergency management and community resilience, said Sunday on social media that she had authorized federal assistance requested by British Columbia to help provide shelter and accommodations for evacuees.

Spokane-Area Wildfires Keep Communities on Alert

Fire crews battling three major wildfires in the Spokane area continued “mop-up operations” near containment lines Sunday, according to the team overseeing the response. None of the fires were expanding, but the blazes that have burned over the past week have damaged or destroyed about 920 structures.

Earlier in the week, authorities arrested and charged a man with allegedly deliberately starting the largest of the three Spokane-area fires.

Residents of the small rural town of Malden, about 35 miles south of Spokane, were ordered to evacuate immediately on Saturday. By Sunday, officials had lowered the warning level, advising residents to remain prepared to leave quickly if conditions changed.

“The wind is fairly calm. The fire is not progressing,” said John Goyke, whose company operates Malden’s water under contract, “but we’re using social media and Facebook to keep in contact with everyone.”

Goyke, who also serves as mayor of nearby Rosalia, said Malden residents were asked to conserve water so supplies would be available for firefighting if needed. Malden’s fire department has also been receiving trucked-in water from Rosalia.

Malden was largely destroyed by a wildfire in 2020, which wiped out the town’s fire station, post office, city hall and library.

Two Pilots Killed in Utah Firefighting Helicopter Crash

In Utah, two helicopter pilots died after their aircraft crashed Friday morning while battling a wildfire in Fishlake National Forest. Rescue crews were not able to reach the crash site until Saturday, when they confirmed both deaths.

Officials said intense fire activity, combined with steep and rugged terrain, delayed efforts to reach the area.

“When we first got there we could see two different plumes of smoke, one from the crash site, one from an active fire coming towards us,” Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what caused the helicopter crash.

WASHINGTON ‒ The Trump administration’s sweeping effort to roll back Head Start regulations is drawing resistance from both parties in Congress,

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Aug. 5 that his department plans to eliminate or significantly scale back many of the federal regulations governing the multibillion-dollar Head Start program. The current rules span more than 100 pages.

The proposed changes would eliminate requirements for disability screenings, smaller class sizes, daily toothbrushing assistance and bus monitors. Rules requiring comparable pay for staff and prohibiting student expulsions would also be removed.

Several Senate Republicans have voiced concern in recent days about cutting back those standards, which advocates argue are important for protecting children’s health and safety.

Teaching assistant Anna Muniz reads a book with children during a Head Start preschool class in Wisconsin on Thursday, April 4, 2024.

“We’ve been hearing from our Head Start folks back home that are concerned about what they’re seeing,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told USA TODAY. “That’s something that we’re monitoring.”

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, said he previously examined potential Head Start reforms at the state level while serving as speaker of North Carolina’s legislature. Still, he questioned whether an overly broad rollback of regulations would be beneficial.

“Just walking away and turning a blind eye toward it, I don’t think that’d be a good idea,” he told USA TODAY.

The Republican concerns carry considerable weight because opposition from influential GOP senators can provide one of the strongest checks on Trump administration policies. Last year, resistance from lawmakers including Sen. Susan Collins, the Maine Republican who chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, to fully eliminating Head Start was widely seen as a key factor in preserving the program.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) arrives for votes at the U.S. Capitol on August 7, 2026.

Sen. Jim Justice, R-West Virginia, said he supports efforts to improve Head Start but warned against changes that could undermine a program he said already serves many children successfully.

“When we start tweaking with stuff, a lot of times we can make it better,” he said in a brief interview. “But there are ways we can make it worse, too.”

Cutting Red Tape, or Going Too Far?

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is interviewed after announcing new nutrition guidelines at the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 7, 2026.

Kennedy maintains that the proposed overhaul would simplify Head Start operations, reduce federal bureaucracy and potentially allow the program to serve more low-income children each year.

Alex Adams, a Kennedy deputy who oversees the Administration for Children and Families, said during a recent call with reporters that Head Start providers would remain subject to applicable state and local rules. He emphasized that reducing federal requirements would give programs more discretion rather than force them to abandon effective practices.

“Flexibility is permission. It’s not a mandate,” he said.

Democrats sharply rejected that argument.

“They’re saying they might be able to serve more children by promising each child less,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, said. “President Trump has all but declared war on Head Start.”

Cassidy Reviewing Proposed Head Start Overhaul

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, walks in the Capitol on August 7, 2026, after announcing his intention to vote to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, who chairs the Senate committee overseeing health and education issues and has jurisdiction over Head Start, said he and his staff are examining the proposed regulatory overhaul. Speaking Aug. 6 amid the political battle over Todd Blanche’s attorney general confirmation, Cassidy said he had not yet had the opportunity to fully review the changes.

“I’d like to see what they actually put out,” he told USA TODAY.

The 75-page proposed rule, formally published in the Federal Register on Aug. 7, does more than eliminate existing regulations. It would also establish new requirements, including making English the primary language of instruction and requiring children whose first language is different to learn English while enrolled. The proposal also sets new nutrition standards and requires 30 minutes of physical activity for every 3.5 hours of classroom instruction.

The rulemaking process remains at an early stage, and the proposal could also face legal challenges. Khari Garvin, who led the Office of Head Start during the Biden administration, noted that the public will have 60 days to submit comments. He encouraged concerned teachers and families to participate in the process.

“There still is an opportunity for their voices to be heard.”

“No one should surrender and feel like, well, all is done,” he said.

President Trump’s Board of Peace unveiled an agreement last month calling for Hamas to surrender its weapons as part of a broader arrangement that would also involve an Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza.

The Israeli government has rejected a 15-point proposal supported by the Trump administration that seeks to strip Hamas of its weapons in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday

The announcement marked an unusually public disagreement between Netanyahu and President Trump, whose political relationship has taken several unexpected turns. The two leaders joined forces in launching the war against Iran in late February, but tensions have since emerged over how that conflict should conclude and over Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

Trump announced the agreement between Hamas and his Board of Peace late last month, describing it as a significant diplomatic achievement. Netanyahu’s office initially voiced concerns, stating that the framework did “not reflect Israel’s positions,” but at the time stopped short of formally rejecting the proposal.

Under the American-backed framework, Hamas would surrender its weapons through a phased process to a newly established Palestinian governing body in Gaza. In return, Israel would progressively pull its forces out of the portions of Gaza that have remained under its control since the cease-fire reached last October.

Netanyahu rejected that arrangement outright on Sunday, insisting that Israeli forces “would not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed.” He clarified that the requirement covered “heavy weapons, lighter weapons, all weapons,” and added, “We are talking about real disarmament.”

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Netanyahu made his position unmistakable, saying, “I want to be clear here: Israel is ruling out the 15-point document.”

The Board of Peace did not immediately issue a response to Netanyahu’s comments. The White House likewise did not immediately respond when asked for comment.

Netanyahu, who is heading into a difficult re-election campaign this fall, has repeatedly pledged “absolute victory” over Hamas following the group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the Gaza war. Yet almost three years later, Hamas continues to maintain control over parts of the territory it has governed for nearly two decades.

Hamas has publicly endorsed the U.S.-backed framework. Israeli analysts, however, remain doubtful that the group is genuinely prepared to surrender its weapons to a new Palestinian administration, particularly because armed resistance against Israel remains a central principle of Hamas’s ideology.

The proposed agreement emerged following months of sensitive negotiations involving Hamas leaders living outside Gaza and representatives of Trump’s Board of Peace, a newly created organization tasked with overseeing the Gaza cease-fire. The board includes several national leaders, among them Netanyahu, and is chaired by Trump.

Despite the board’s broad membership, the negotiations were largely conducted by a small group of Trump-appointed officials. Among them was Nickolay Mladenov, a former United Nations envoy to the Middle East. American negotiators attempted to develop an arrangement that would result in Hamas surrendering its weapons while still giving the organization enough incentive to accept the deal.

The agreement’s text states that Israel would first need to satisfy several unresolved requirements from the original cease-fire reached with Hamas last October, which brought an end to the two-year war in Gaza. Those requirements include a “cessation of military operations.”

Even after the cease-fire, Israeli forces have continued carrying out attacks across the Gaza Strip on an almost daily basis. Palestinian health officials say more than 1,000 people have been killed since last October, including senior Hamas figures as well as civilians and children.

The Israeli strikes became particularly intense during the weekend following the agreement’s completion. Gaza health officials reported that more than 18 people were killed during the escalation.

The attacks largely subsided after Mladenov met with Netanyahu last Monday. Mladenov had previously condemned the Israeli strikes, saying they had “killed civilians and destroyed medical supplies that people depend on.”

Under the Trump-backed proposal, an international body would be responsible for determining whether Israel was complying with the cease-fire established last October. Hamas would then be required to “decommission and store” its heavy weapons under a process supervised by a group of Palestinian technocrats backed by the United States.

The plan would also require Israel to carry out a gradual withdrawal from Gaza. Palestinian militias that Israel has armed to oppose Hamas would likewise be expected to surrender their weapons.

Many elements of the arrangement, including the precise timetable, remain unresolved. The 15-point agreement calls for those outstanding details to be settled within 14 days, meaning the deadline would arrive later this week. Whether negotiators can meet that target remains uncertain as serious disagreements and doubts continue to threaten the future of the agreement.

A 12-year-old chareidi boy was found dead Sunday afternoon after his boat capsized in the Jordan River near Yesod HaMaalah.

Fire and rescue crews, along with special rescue unit fighters from the Northern District, conducted extensive searches of the river after receiving a report that the boy had capsized from a boat and contact with him was lost.

Police said extensive forces, including a police aviation unit helicopter, rescue unit volunteers, and fire and rescue teams, were dispatched to the scene to conduct wide-scale searches. Rescue units from the Golan located the houng boy in the water and transferred him to medical teams on scene, who sadly pronounced his death at the location.

Rav-Rasaf Dror Buchnik, commander controlling the incident, said firefighters and special rescue unit personnel searched in the water and along the banks, alongside a drone that scanned the length of the stream.

ZAKA’s Northern District unit was dispatched to the scene to ensure proper kavod hameis. His name and Levaya details will be published when available.

Shalom Saginer z”l, four years old, the grandson of Breslev Mashpia Rabbi Shalom Arush, drowned in a hotel swimming pool in San José del Cabo, Mexico, while on a family vacation.

The child is the son of Rabbi Assaf and Rivka Saginer, and the grandson of Rabbi Shalom Arush, rosh mosdot of Chut Shel Chessed. Local rescue teams responded to the scene and performed extended resuscitation efforts before pronouncing the child’s death R”L.

Following the tragedy, Mexican authorities sought to perform an autopsy on the child’s body. Through the intervention of ZAKA’s international unit, the autopsy was avoided, and the body was released for burial. ZAKA is now working with the relevant authorities in Mexico to complete the necessary procedures and bring the body to Eretz Yisroel for burial as soon as possible.

Yossi Landau, ZAKA regional commander for Lachish, said his organization has been accompanying the family since the report came in and is now working to finalize arrangements to bring the child to Israel for burial at the earliest opportunity.

In a statement, the family said: “Baruch Dayan HaEmes. A grievous tragedy has come upon us with the difficult news of the passing of the pure child Shalom Saginer, son of Rabbi Assaf and Rivka, grandson of Harav Shalom Arush, shlit”a. Only four years old, he was taken pure and unblemished. May Hashem comfort us and heal our brokenness.”

Rabbi Shalom Arush, the child’s grandfather, is among the leading mezakei harabim and baalei teshuvah movement leaders of this generation, and founder of the Chut Shel Chessed institutions active across Eretz Yisroel.

Betzalel David Giler z”l, five years old, a member of the Chabad community in Lod, Central Israel, passed Wat Sunday after being accidentally left in the family car for approximately two hours.

The boy’s father later discovered him unconscious in the vehicle. Emergency responders performed CPR at the scene, but Betzalel David could not be revived.

Baruch Dayan HaEmes.

Yehi zichro baruch.

Bchasdei Hashem, the medical condition of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe showed improvement over Shabbos, following several days of weakness, per reports.

On Shabbos morning, at the minyan in Moshav Ora, those davening were honored to hear the Rebbe’s voice as he recited Birkas HaChodesh for Chodesh Elul.

Over Shabbos, chassidim in Vizhnitz chassidishe batei medrash across Eretz Yisroel and around the world increased their recitation of Tehillim for the refuah sheleimah of the Rebbe Shlit’a, Rav Yisroel ben Leah Esther

Avishai Levi z”l, 46, a Sefardi singer and paytan, was sadly killed Friday in a tragic accident on Adoniyahu HaCohen street in Yerushalayim.

According to reports, the fatal accident occurred while Avishai Levi was working as a driver. Witnesses at the scene said he had stepped out of his vehicle to remove suitcases from the trunk when he noticed the car beginning to roll backward. He ran toward the door in an attempt to put the car in park and was tragically crushed against a poll near the door of the vehicle.

United Hatzalah medical teams responded to the scene and performed resuscitation efforts on the victim, who had sustained severe injuries in the collision. Despite their efforts, he was later pronounced dead at the scene.

His name was cleared for publication a short time before Shabbos, after he was identified at the hospital by family members.

Avishai z”l was born in Tverya on 14 Av, 1980, to his father R’ Eliyahu Levi and his mother Mrs. Rut. He grew up in Yerushalayim, where his exceptional musical talent stood out starting from a young age. He began his career at age 7 as the lead soloist of the legendary children’s choir “Perachei Yerushalayim” between 1987–1989.

Further details, including levaya arrangements, will be published as they become available.

Yehi Zichro Baruch

This is a developing story. Belaaz will update as more information is confirmed.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and AIPAC traded attacks after the pro-Israel group signaled it could work against Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in November, potentially benefiting Republican candidate Mike Rogers.

The dispute began after AIPAC celebrated 30 pro-Israel candidates who won primaries in five states and said more than 215 of its endorsed candidates had advanced to the general election. Referring to Michigan, the group said: “Our members remain determined to ensure that voters reject Dr. El-Sayed and his radical anti-Israel agenda in November.”

Axios reporter Andrew Solender described the statement as a signal that AIPAC planned to spend in support of Rogers. AIPAC did not formally announce an endorsement or specify planned spending, but its language suggested it could intervene against El-Sayed after heavily backing his Democratic primary opponent, Haley Stevens.

Ocasio-Cortez responded sharply on X. “I appreciate AIPAC proving it doesn’t belong in the Dem Party and especially our primaries,” she wrote. “From endorsing Jan 6th members to ensuring Congress remains in the hands of a 34-count felon, AIPAC is an org committed to undermining democracy at home and abroad. See you in November.”

AIPAC then accused Ocasio-Cortez of demonizing pro-Israel Americans and argued that its nearly seven million members include both Democrats and Republicans. The organization said it would continue supporting candidates who back a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and opposing what it called anti-Israel detractors. The clash comes after AIPAC and allied groups spent heavily to defeat El-Sayed in the Democratic primary, only for him to narrowly win the nomination for one of the country’s most closely watched Senate seats.

The New York Times reports that Yesterday, Marine One, carrying President Trump, came within 0.8 miles laterally and 700 feet vertically of an Envoy Air passenger jet near Reagan National Airport.

The FAA is investigating the incident, which officials say involved communication issues between the helicopter crew and air traffic controllers.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed (and others wounded) in an explosion involving an improvised explosive device in a booby-trapped building in the area of Majdal Selem in southern Lebanon. The IDF has responded with strikes.

The Gush Etzion Regional Council announced his death of Harel Birenstock hy”d, 34, with deep sorrow, noting he was the son of Shlomo and Yonat Birenstock of Neve Daniel and the grandson of Nechama Birenstock of Efrat is survived by his wife, brother, and sisters.

Condolences were extended to his parents, wife, siblings, and family.

The soldiers were operating when they were struck by an explosive device planted inside the booby trapped building.

An IDF investigation released Wednesday detailed how Maj. Yuval Ezra HYD and Capt. (res.) Benyahu Melt HYD rushed toward armed terrorists during a deadly clash near the Palestinian village of Tell in Samaria. Both were killed while fighting at close range and helping protect dozens of Israeli hikers, as the probe also identified serious operational and medical failures.

The hike began at 5:30 a.m. from Har Bracha and passed through Areas B and A without prior coordination with the IDF. The military had received indications that a hike was planned but did not know its route or timing, and said organizers did not cooperate with attempts to obtain details. A lookout identified the group at 7:27 a.m., shortly before clashes broke out between Israelis and Palestinians.

The confrontation escalated when two terrorists seized the rifle of Dvir, the security coordinator of Havat Gilad. A gun battle lasting one minute and 40 seconds followed, involving fire from the stolen weapon, Melt, Ezra, a platoon commander and two soldiers. Four terrorists were killed and two were wounded.

Ezra fired two rounds before he and terrorist Farouk Ramadan shot each other at point-blank range. Ezra was struck in the head and killed, while Ramadan was critically wounded. The IDF concluded that Melt was killed by terrorist fire but could not rule out that he was also struck by Israeli troops, partly because no autopsy was conducted.

The probe also found that Melt was left critically wounded near the terrorists’ bodies while military medics evacuated Ezra and Dvir. An Israeli civilian medic eventually treated him. The IDF described Melt’s actions as “exceptional heroism and conduct worthy of recognition.” Police are examining possible criminal conduct by the hike’s organizers, while IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered new guidance after two off-duty soldiers joined the hike. Zamir also posthumously promoted Melt to captain.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview on political commentator Gadi Taub’s podcast “Shomer Saf” that the temporary law freezing arrests of yeshiva Bochrim didn’t succeed” and will not be renewed in the next government.

According to Netanyahu, “After the elections we will establish a broad national government that will immediately pass a full draft law that meets the IDF’s needs.” The prime minister added a pointed message regarding those not studying in yeshivas: “Whoever doesn’t learn Torah will enlist — or go to jail.”

The remarks came as Israel’s Supreme Court, sitting as a panel of nine justices, was hearing petitions against the constitutionality of the arrest-freeze law, which had frozen arrests of Charedi draft evaders until November 30.

Reactions came quickly. United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yitzhak Goldknopf said the comments “only confirm what was clear to us from the start — the prime minister has no intention of resolving the status of yeshiva students and does not plan to advance a draft law, which is why we left the government.” Yisrael party chairman Gadi Eisenkot criticized from the opposite direction: “Netanyahu continues to disrespect the public. The public won’t buy the new spin.”

A Chabad Chasid serving in the IDF’s Chashmonaim Brigade was seriously wounded after he was accidentally shot by another soldier during an incident involving his unit.

According to initial reports, the soldier sustained serious injuries after a firearm was discharged unintentionally by a fellow soldier. Military Police have opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident, including suspected mishandling of the weapon.

The injured soldier’s name for Tehillim and Tefillah is Chaim Yisrael ben Yonit Yael. The public is asked to daven for his full recovery and a refuah sheleimah.

IDF Duvdevan special forces, guided by the Shin Bet, arrested a terror suspect in the Old City area of Shchem (Nablus) overnight Monday going into Tuesday.

According to an IDF statement, soldiers from the elite Duvdevan Commando Unit raided the area following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet on the suspect’s whereabouts.

The suspect is affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad and was acting to advance terror activities, the army said. He was also previously linked to the “Lions’ Den” terror network, a Nablus-based cell that Israeli security forces have successfully worked to dismantle in recent years.

Each time U.S. President Donald Trump threatens renewed strikes on Iran and later backs down, Israel has already spent hundreds of millions of shekels preparing for a possible regional war, according to a report published Tuesday by Calcalist. The newspaper described the pattern as Trump’s “TACO”—“Trump Always Chickens Out.”

Israel cannot assume that each threat will end in another reversal. Trump recently said the United States had come close to launching a major operation against Iran. “We were ready to go,” he said. “It was going to be a massive attack.”

Preparations begin within hours of indications that fighting could resume. The IDF urgently calls in Air Force pilots, technicians and ground crews, prepares aircraft, replenishes supplies and raises the readiness of air-defense systems against possible Iranian missile barrages. Intelligence units and Home Front Command search-and-rescue teams are also activated.

Tens of thousands of reservists may be summoned as the military moves troops, weapons and equipment and reinforces the northern front and Israeli positions in Lebanon. Israel must also prepare for the possibility that renewed fighting with Iran could trigger a wider escalation involving Hezbollah.

Calcalist said the latest episode resembled approximately five previous alert cycles since Trump halted the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran on April 8. The estimated military cost of the second Iran war rose from NIS 39 billion in mid-April to NIS 51 billion by early August. Around 65,000 reservists are now serving each day, compared with a planned ceiling of approximately 40,000.

The Defense Ministry is seeking an additional NIS 40 billion and owes Israeli defense companies more than NIS 15 billion. Trump later suspended the planned attack and said Iran was prepared to negotiate, but Tehran denied that direct talks had been scheduled, leaving Israel at risk of paying for another full mobilization even if no strike follows.

Belaaz spoke with a crew member involved in evacuating a skilled nursing home in the path of the Spokane wildfires.

“In 45 minutes we were able to evacuate 111 residents from a skilled nursing home,” he told Belaaz. “The fire was burning homes around the corner and time was of the essence. Many residents were wheelchair-bound and oxygen-dependent. Some of the employees lost their own homes to the fire, yet they stayed throughout the whole evacuation process.”

The three fires burning across Spokane County, together called the Spokane Complex, have so far burned more than 10,000 acres and destroyed an estimated 700 structures, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate as over 900 firefighters battle the flames.

As reported earlier, Aaron Farinacci, 37, has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree arson for allegedly starting the Old Trails Fire, the largest of the three blazes at over 3,600 acres. He is being held on $1 million bond and is expected to appear in court Tuesday.

Menachem Kolodetsky, a frum Israeli journalist, was verbally targeted in an antisemitic confrontation on MonxH while on vacation near the Austria-Germany border, close to Salzburg.

“I was on vacation in Austria, near the border with Germany, near Salzburg,” Kolodetsky told Belaaz. “I was in a store, buying a Coke there. While I was paying, some antisemite came over and asked me if I was from Israel. I said, ‘Yes.'”

According to Kolodetsky, the man then began shouting “Free Palestine” and accused Israelis of supporting Hamas.

When Kolodetsky left the store, he said the man approached him again. Kolodetsky recorded a selfie video to document the encounter as the man continued making accusations, telling him Israel “is not your country” and accusing Israelis of “murdering babies in Gaza.”

“I told him that on October 7th, it was Hamas who started it — that on October 7th, you murdered babies,” Kolodetsky said.

The man then told him “Go Israel, get out of here,” speaking, Kolodetsky said, with visible hatred and apparent agitation.

Kolodetsky noted the incident occurred just days after a separate antisemitic attack in Schladming, Austria, in which a Jewish man was shot after an argument reportedly broke out over a hotel.

Bar Asraf hy”d, 30, was found dead Shabbos evening at the grave of Liron Barda hy”d, his childhood best friend who was murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.

Asraf was discovered at the cemetery in Elkana, located in the Shomron. His sister Lihi told Israeli news outlet Walla that the family found him after growing concerned when he ran off alone to a place they knew he often visited to feel close to Barda. Magen David Adom responded to the scene.

Barda, 26, worked as bar manager at the Nova festival in Re’im. According to her father and multiple reports, she had the chance to flee when the attack began but chose to stay and give first aid to the wounded until she was tragically murdered herself.

Family members describe Asraf and Barda as having been “soulmates since childhood.” Asraf reportedly tried to reach Re’im during the attack to get to her but was turned back before arriving, then spent three days with her family awaiting news of her fate.

In the nearly three years since, Asraf remained close with the Barda family, visiting regularly, bringing her mother flowers.

His family says he had appeared happy in the days before his death, including at his brother’s wedding just three days earlier, and is asking that his struggle and the broader toll on those close to Nova’s victims, not only direct survivors be recognized. “The friends of those who were murdered are also victims of the tragedy,” his family said.

Yehi Zichro Baruch.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. In Israel, ERAN’s hotline is 1201.

Amudim offers confidential crisis support for the Jewish community at: 646-517-0740.

On the yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s father, Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the Kyiv detention center where he was imprisoned 86 years ago by the Soviet regime solely for serving as a Rav and Jewish leader ● The historic tribute was made possible through the efforts of Chief Rabbi of Kyiv, Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, who also serves as Chief Rabbi of Ukraine’s Prison Service ● The prison commander participated in the ceremony and expressed regret for the grave injustice inflicted upon him

A remarkable chapter of Jewish history came full circle on Monday, 20 Menachem Av, the yahrzeit of the renowned gaon and mekubal, Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson zt”l, father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, as an official memorial plaque was dedicated at Kyiv’s Lukyanivka Detention Center — the very prison where he was incarcerated under the Soviet regime for his unwavering commitment to Judaism.

The dedication marks a moving act of historical recognition, taking place exactly 86 years after Harav Levi Yitzchak was arrested and imprisoned simply because he courageously continued to serve as a Rav and strengthen Jewish life despite relentless Communist persecution.

The memorial became a reality following extensive efforts by Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, Chabad shliach and Chief Rabbi of Kyiv, who also serves as Chief Rabbi of Ukraine’s Prison Service. Working together with his son, Rabbi Ariel Markovitch, a Chabad shliach in Kyiv who oversees Jewish activities throughout Ukraine’s prison system, the two spent many months coordinating with prison authorities to ensure that the site where Harav Levi Yitzchak suffered for his faith would receive permanent recognition.

The dedication ceremony was attended by the commander of the detention center and his deputy, who joined Rabbi Markovitch in unveiling the commemorative plaque.

During the ceremony, the prison commander expressed deep regret over the injustice committed against Harav Levi Yitzchak, acknowledging that he had been imprisoned despite having committed no crime other than being a Jewish rabbi and spiritual leader.

He described the imprisonment as a painful chapter in history that deserves to be remembered and preserved for future generations.

The memorial plaque recounts the story of Harav Levi Yitzchak’s arrest and imprisonment and also features one of his own reflections from that difficult period.

In addition, the prison received a copy of Nitzotzei Levi Yitzchak, a volume based on the Torah teachings of Harav Levi Yitzchak. The book will remain in the prison’s library, where it will be available for the benefit and use of Jewish inmates.

“There is profound significance in the fact that specifically on the yahrzeit of Harav Levi Yitzchak we have merited to establish a memorial at the very place where his freedom was taken from him simply because he was a Rav spreading Yiddishkeit,” Rabbi Markovitch said.

“This represents a historic rectification and an emotional closing of the circle. At the very place where the Soviet regime sought to silence the voice of Judaism, there now stands a permanent memorial telling the story of the courage, sacrifice, and unwavering mesirus nefesh of Harav Levi Yitzchak Schneerson zt”l, the father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing attacks from opposition leaders and figures on the right after reportedly abandoning legislation freezing the arrest of Charedi draft dodgers. Netanyahu said in a closed meeting that the temporary measure had failed to increase enlistment and would not return under the next government, according to N12’s Amit Segal.

The remarks mark a sharp reversal. On July 15, Netanyahu defended the law as harmless and dismissed criticism as “false propaganda.” He now says he wants to form a broad national government after the October election and pass a comprehensive enlistment law meeting the IDF’s needs. “Anyone who is not studying Torah will enlist — or go to prison,” he said.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the announcement a “pathetic spin,” accusing Netanyahu of blocking Charedi enlistment while ignoring warnings from the military and reservists. Gadi Eisenkot said, “The public will not buy the new spin, which stems from fear of the polls,” accusing Netanyahu of advancing a “disgraceful draft-evasion law” only two weeks earlier.

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman said Netanyahu was “continuing to deceive everyone and trying to divert the conversation from his failures.” He added: “One thing is certain — he has no government without the draft dodgers.”

Former Likud MK Dan Illouz, who left the party after opposing the legislation, said Netanyahu “thinks the public is stupid.”

Former minister Gilad Erdan, who is reportedly preparing a new right-wing party, said voters would no longer accept promises on either enlistment or unity. “We will not sit in anyone’s narrow government,” he said. The disputed law passed the Knesset on July 14 but was frozen by the Israeli Supreme Court, which is reviewing claims that its final version improperly bypassed a required first-reading stage.

The United States and Israel are preparing for a potential major escalation in the conflict with Iran, with officials considering a joint bombing campaign targeting key Iranian energy infrastructure, according to multiple U.S. sources cited by CBS News.

The possible operation would represent a shift from previous strikes focused primarily on military targets toward direct attacks on economic and operational infrastructure, including refineries, power plants, fuel storage facilities, and parts of Iran’s electricity grid.

The escalation follows the collapse of a previous U.S.-brokered truce and memorandum of understanding. Fighting resumed in early July after Iranian forces carried out attacks targeting maritime shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting President Donald Trump to warn that future attacks on commercial vessels could lead to strikes on major Iranian infrastructure.

U.S. officials have discussed the possibility of carrying out and concluding the strikes over the weekend before global financial and energy markets reopen Monday. The goal, according to sources, is to reduce the potential impact on crude oil prices and limit broader economic disruption.

The proposal reportedly faced internal debate at the White House, with some political advisers expressing concerns about possible consequences, including rising fuel prices and international market instability.

The potential campaign would focus on Iran’s critical energy network, including power plants, oil refineries, fuel storage sites, and electricity infrastructure.

U.S. officials say the strategic goal would be to weaken Iran’s ability to support military operations, disrupt logistics, and reduce financial resources available to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

A former U.S. military official told CBS News that targeting energy infrastructure could affect Iran’s ability to provide services and maintain government operations.

Israeli and American officials have been coordinating on possible military options. The operation would mark Israel’s return to major offensive operations after it paused attacks during the previous ceasefire period.

However, an Israeli official told CBS News that Israel was not aware of a decision to restart full military operations and had not been asked to join any new U.S. strikes against Iran.

President Donald Trump discussed the strike plans during a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, but sources said he had not yet issued final authorization.

Trump told reporters: “We’ll be hitting them very hard. At some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore.’”

When asked about diplomacy, Trump said: “I think we just want to win.”

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department would not comment on specific targets before a final presidential decision but confirmed that U.S. forces were prepared.

“The Department of War is locked and loaded, ready to execute the President’s directives at a moment’s notice,” Parnell said.

The potential strikes come as U.S. forces maintain a heightened posture in the Middle East, with military assets positioned to respond if ordered.

No final decision has been announced, and officials emphasized that plans remain under review.

Reports indicate progress toward implementing the Gaza agreement, with Hamas officials expected to issue an official statement soon. Peace Council officials said the process will take time, with all military activity in Gaza set to halt under the deal.

The plan includes Hamas disarmament, which U.S. officials said could begin within weeks, while Israel remains skeptical that Hamas will abandon its weapons. Police weapons would reportedly be handed over first, followed by the removal of heavy weapons.

A technocratic local government is being prepared as a proposed alternative to both Hamas and the ‘Palestinian’ Authority. Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would take place in phases according to a timetable, while the conditions required for implementation are expected to be published within two weeks.

President Trump announced that the Board of Peace reached an agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, calling it “a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY.”

Trump said the agreement is “a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government,” while “Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used as a base for terror attacks.”

He added that as disarmament is completed, “Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.”

Trump thanked Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye “for their important efforts,” and credited “my outstanding team, whose tireless work made this historic breakthrough possible.”
He warned: “The threat that emerged from Gaza on October 7 will NOT be allowed to rebuild!”

Trump closed: “CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL ON THIS AMAZING DEVELOPMENT, THAT EVERYBODY SAID COULD NEVER BE ACHIEVED!”

A historic wooden shul has been reconstructed in Siberia, reviving a remarkable chapter of the region’s Jewish heritage.

The original shul, built in 1905 in the town of Zima, was dismantled in 2016 after falling into disrepair. Using archival photographs and historical records, the Taltsy Museum rebuilt it with funding from the Russian government and in close cooperation with Rabbi Aharon HaKohen Wagner of Irkutsk under the guidance of Russia’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Berl Lazar.

Dedicated on Tu B’Av, the reconstructed shul now welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, preserving the legacy of Jewish life in Siberia for future generations.

An indictment was filed today in the Lod District Court against the suspect in the murder of Rav Amos Guetta zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Rebbi Yitzchak Chai Taib in Netanya, who was murdered earlier this month at age 75.

According to the indictment, the suspect arrived at the Rav’s home in the early morning hours and asked to pray beside his bed. After being granted access to the room, he drew a knife and stabbed the Rav multiple times as he lay in his bed. The Rav’s attendant attempted to intervene and was lightly injured in the struggle. The suspect fled the scene, leaving behind the knife used in the attack, and was apprehended a short time later following a police manhunt.

During interrogation, the suspect showed no remorse for his actions and referred to the Rav as a “false messiah.” When asked if he regretted what he had done, he responded: “I’m sorry I didn’t tear out his main artery with my teeth.”

The indictment charges the suspect with aggravated murder, causing severe injury under aggravating circumstances, and illegal possession of a knife. The State has requested he remain in custody through the duration of legal proceedings.

President Donald Trump is growing increasingly frustrated over the failure to end the war with Iran, as senior administration officials remain divided over whether further military escalation would produce a clear strategic outcome, NBC News reported Thursday.

“The president is exasperated. I don’t think he believed it was going to be this difficult to get the Iranians to agree to a deal,” an unnamed Trump ally told NBC. A U.S. official said the administration had achieved “a series of tactical victories” but was now “facing a strategic defeat without clear policy guidance or a decision about where this is going.” Trump reportedly erupted and yelled expletives during a meeting with his national security team last week.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that the outburst occurred. “This is false. The president has a great team whom he trusts, and everyone on the team knows he’s the final decision-maker,” she said. Leavitt added that Trump was “locked and loaded to keep punishing Iran” after Tehran allegedly violated the June memorandum of understanding and renewed attacks on U.S. forces and shipping.

NBC reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu support increased military pressure, while Vice President JD Vance and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine have questioned what another major campaign would accomplish. Caine has reportedly warned about the continued depletion of U.S. munitions stockpiles. Netanyahu was not believed to have directly pressed Trump for further escalation during their Washington meeting this week.

Trump maintained a confrontational stance Wednesday after Iran launched missiles toward American forces in Jordan. “We’ll be hitting them hard. They are going to get a beating,” he told Fox News. The prolonged conflict and its impact on gas prices have also increased concern among Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections.

Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during a heated Senate hearing Wednesday examining the origins of COVID-19, federal funding for risky coronavirus research and the handling of pandemic-era government records. The former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director refused to answer dozens of questions from Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul.

Paul has spent years investigating whether federal funding passed through EcoHealth Alliance to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and supported research that increased the capabilities of bat coronaviruses. Fauci has consistently denied that the work met the relevant definition of gain-of-function research or that he misled Congress. The precise origin of COVID-19 remains unresolved.

The investigation has increasingly focused on whether officials concealed or destroyed federal records connected to the pandemic and the origins debate. David Morens, a longtime senior adviser in Fauci’s agency, was indicted earlier this year on charges related to allegedly concealing, destroying and falsifying government records. Fauci has not been charged in that case.

Fauci said he believed Paul had called him before the committee to obtain statements that could support a prosecution. He accused the senator of an “obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution” and said Paul wanted him “behind bars.” Fauci then repeatedly responded: “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully declined to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.”

Paul argued that former President Joe Biden’s broad 2025 pardon of Fauci should remove any legal exposure involving his earlier government service. He warned that there would be “repercussions” for Fauci’s refusal to testify. The hearing became more confrontational when Paul ordered security to remove Fauci attorney David Schertler after he repeatedly interrupted the proceedings.

Kotel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch has demanded that the Israel Museum transfer a rare Second Beis Hamikdash-era stone bearing the inscription “To the Place of Trumpeting” to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. Its return would complete a wider campaign to bring four original Kotel stones back from government institutions and museums.

The stone was discovered near the southwestern corner of the Har HaBayis compound and is believed to have marked the location where a kohen sounded a trumpet to announce the beginning and end of Shabbos and Jewish holidays. The surviving Hebrew inscription reads “לבית התקיעה להב…,” translated as “To the Place of Trumpeting,” with the final word left incomplete.

Three other large stones have already been returned from the Knesset, the Defense Ministry’s Kirya headquarters and the President’s Residence. The stone displayed at the Israel Museum is considered the final and most historically recognizable artifact still awaiting transfer.

Rabinovitch and Israel’s chief rabbis have argued for years that stones originating from the Kotel should not remain on display elsewhere. “A stone from the Western Wall does not belong in the Knesset or anywhere else. Its place is among the stones of the Western Wall, stored beside the Western Wall,” Rabinovitch previously wrote. The Israel Antiquities Authority has also reportedly supported returning the stone to the Kotel area.

The Israel Museum lists the Israel Antiquities Authority as the owner of the artifact, while the museum serves as its custodian and exhibitor.

On Tuesday, Congressman Mike Lawler joined Camp HASC’s annual bipartisan roundtable alongside Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Tom Engels, highlighting the organization’s more than 50 years of service to children and young adults with special needs and disabilities.

Lawler speaking at camp HASC

In a statement to Belaaz, Lawler praised Camp HASC for providing a life-changing summer experience that combines exceptional medical care, therapy, education, and recreation, allowing campers to thrive in a supportive environment.

“I was honored to join Camp HASC today for its annual bipartisan roundtable alongside HRSA Administrator Tom Engels,” Lawler tells Belaaz.

“For more than 50 years, Camp HASC has provided children and young adults with special needs and disabilities a life-changing summer experience, combining exceptional medical care, therapy, education, and recreation in an environment where every camper can thrive. I also had the opportunity to tour the camp and see firsthand the incredible impact it has on campers and their families. Thank you to everyone at Camp HASC for your hospitality and for the extraordinary work you do each and every day.”

President Donald Trump is meeting separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, before the three leaders attend a memorial service for the late Senator Lindsey Graham in Washington. The meetings come as the United States weighs its next steps in both the Ukraine war and the confrontation with Iran.

Trump’s closed-door meeting with Zelensky is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Zelensky said his “number-one priority” is securing anti-ballistic defenses and strengthening strategic cooperation with Washington. He is expected to seek additional air-defense capabilities as Ukraine continues facing Russian missile attacks.

Trump is scheduled to meet Netanyahu at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. The talks are expected to focus heavily on Iran, with Israeli officials reportedly planning to present new intelligence about Tehran’s military and nuclear recovery efforts, including evidence that centrifuges were recently moved to the secretive Pickaxe Mountain facility.

Netanyahu is expected to argue that the activity shows Iran is using negotiations to buy time rather than seriously abandoning its nuclear ambitions. The leaders may also discuss the broader direction of the Iran conflict, Gaza, regional security arrangements and potential diplomatic agreements with Arab countries.

Trump, Netanyahu and Zelensky will later attend Graham’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, where Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks. Graham, who died on July 11, was one of Washington’s most prominent supporters of both Israel and Ukraine and had recently visited Kyiv to promote tougher sanctions against Russia.

A frum woman was pulled from her car after it overturned on the Belt Parkway on Thursday, Tisha B’Av, as she drove from the Five Towns to Brooklyn — and her first two requests of the frum boys who rescued her were a tichel to cover her hair and a psak on whether she could drink during the fast, one of the men on scene told Belaaz.

Pinchas, who runs a Tisha B’Av program for bochurim, tells Belaaz he was driving into Brooklyn when the vehicle ahead of him flipped. He and the friend traveling with him quickly pulled over, exited and removed the woman from the car, which had begun smoking by the time they reached her.

The woman told them she was frum and FIRST asked whether they had a Tichel to cover her hair.

Pinchas said he was not driving his own car that day. He had taken his mother’s Tesla and did not know what was inside it.

“Maybe — it’s my mother’s car,” he told her, according to his account to Belaaz.

But when he checked the back of the Tesla, he found none other than a tichel.

He handed it to her, and after covering her hair, the woman asked her second question: whether she was permitted to drink water on the taanis.

“Who thinks of that?” Pinchas said in the conversation with Belaaz. “Most people get out of a crash and they’re like, ‘Give me a Powerade.’ She goes, ‘I need a tichel. Am I allowed to drink?’ I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I could have ever heard.”

The rescue was recorded in full. Pinchas usually drives his own vehicle, and the footage exists only because he had borrowed his mother’s car that afternoon. He shared the video exclusively with Belaaz.

Clean — there are no actual typos. Two small edits worth making:

Pinchas said he was only on the Belt Parkway at that moment because he was running late. He runs a Tisha B’Av program that encourages bochurim to take on the fast, picking them up for the final hours of the day and spending them together before breaking the taanis as a group. He had delayed his departure that afternoon to sit with one more bochur he was trying to be mekarev to join the program.

That conversation put him on the road later than planned — and directly behind the car that flipped. In the right place at the right time.

The program still went ahead that evening as scheduled. Pinchas rented an escape room for this year’s event, he said.

Pinchas recounted the incident to Belaaz in a conversation and shared the footage with Belaaz.

A delegation from the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States met on Monday with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at Lusail Palace, where they offered condolences following the passing of the Emir’s father and expressed appreciation for Qatar’s support of the Jewish community and its visitors Belaaz is told.

Iran’s Rabbi Yehuda Gerami told Belaaz that he, Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, and Rabbi Eliyahu Chitrik, the son of Mendy, who is the Chabad emissary serving Qatar, visited the Emir to convey their condolences on behalf of the organization.

Speaking with Belaaz, Rabbi Gerami said: “There was a meeting with the Emir of Qatar, and as rabbis of the Union of Rabbis in Islamic States, I and Rabbi Chitrik, and his son, who is a Chabad Shliach in Qatar, went to the Emir to comfort him on the death of his father.”

Rabbi Mendy Chitrik with the Emir

Rabbi Chitrik told Belaaz: “We have been received very, very warmly by His Highness the Emir. Together with us was Rabbi Eli Chitrik, who is the Rabbi of the Jewish community in Qatar; Rabbi Gerami, the Chief Rabbi of Iran; Rabbi Uzan, the Chief Rabbi of Nigeria. We had discussion about Jewish life in the Muslim world, in Qatar, and how we can live together as human beings in this beautiful stretch of land that we all call home.

Rabbi Chitrik added: “It was very, very encouraging, and we’re looking forward to continuing this engagement with the government and the authorities to benefit the Jewish community of Qatar, which is a numbers about 300 people or more.”

During the meeting, Rabbi Mendy Chitrik thanked Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for warmly receiving the delegation together with Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. He expressed gratitude for the Emir’s support in ensuring that Jewish life can continue to flourish in Qatar and for allowing Rabbi Eliyahu Chitrik to serve the Jewish community and the many Jewish visitors who come to the country.

Dutch opposition leader Geert Wilders concluded his visit to Israel on Monday with falafel in Jerusalem alongside Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan. Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom and a candidate for prime minister, used the trip to reiterate his support for Israel and Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

Earlier Monday, Wilders met Defense Minister Israel Katz, with the two discussing Israel’s security challenges, the fight against terrorism and the importance of international alliances. Katz praised Wilders as a longtime supporter of Israel, saying, “Israel cherishes its true friends.” Wilders said Israel “is at the forefront of the free world’s fight against terrorism and radical Islam.”

Wilders also visited the family of Benayahu Melt HY”D during shiva at Chavat Gilad. Melt, a member of the local emergency response team, was killed in Friday’s shooting attack near the community. “Millions of people in Europe support you and feel your pain. You are not alone. The spirit can never be defeated,” Wilders told the family.

During the Samaria portion of the visit, Wilders toured Sa-Nur, a northern Samaria community evacuated and demolished during Israel’s 2005 disengagement and recently reestablished, alongside Dagan, and voiced strong support for renewed Jewish settlement in the area. “You are returning to resettle all of Samaria. This is the only way,” he said. The visit came shortly after the Dutch government moved against imports from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, placing Wilders in direct opposition to the policy.

Wilders also visited the Kotel, where he described himself as a friend of Israel. “I am proud to be a friend of Israel. Always have been and always will be,” he wrote. “So I come here not only in peacetime but also in times of terror and war.”

After nearly a decade during which EL AL’s safety video starring Lior Suchard accompanied passengers and became one of the airline’s most recognizable brand assets, EL AL is launching a new series of safety videos created using a unique technology being utilized for the first time and featuring Gal Gadot, Rotem Sela, Deni Avdija and Lior Raz, among the most successful Israeli stars worldwide. The videos will be screened on all EL AL flights beginning in August.

In recent years, airline safety videos around the world have evolved into major productions.
Rather than relying on standard instructional videos, airlines are incorporating creativity, humor and global celebrities to capture passengers’ attention, increase engagement with safety instructions and encourage them to watch the video from beginning to end. EL AL’s new safety video series was created with the same approach and with the goal of transforming the safety briefing into a modern passenger experience designed for 2026.

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, EL AL integrated advanced AI technology into the production of its new safety video series, creating an innovative and dynamic content platform. As part of the initiative, approximately 10 different videos were produced and tailored to specific destinations. Instead of presenting a single safety video across all flights, passengers will enjoy a changing viewing experience in which visual elements vary according to the destination, while selected flights also include destination-specific recommendations.

The technology enables EL AL to create multiple versions of its safety video, refresh and adapt content over time, incorporate new stories for different destinations and continue enhancing the customer experience in the years ahead while increasing passengers’ attention to critical safety messages.

The initiative was produced in collaboration with Samsung and integrates Samsung Galaxy devices and Galaxy AI technology as an integral part of both the storyline and the visual language of the videos.

Levy Halevy, EL AL CEO:
“We are proud to continue bringing our customers one of the most advanced travel experiences in the world. The new safety video series combines creativity, technology and high-quality content, allowing us to communicate important safety messages in an innovative and relevant way while joining a standard now embraced by the world’s leading airlines. The decision to feature Israeli stars who have achieved success on the international stage reflects EL AL’s values of excellence, innovation and Israeli pride, while adding another layer of connection to Israel and the story we bring to the world.”

Kenny Rozenberg, one of EL AL’s controlling shareholders:
“EL AL continues to strengthen its position as a global airline that adopts the most advanced standards in the aviation industry and brings them to its customers. This initiative reflects the way we view EL AL: an airline that leads through innovation, remains connected to its roots and proudly represents Israel wherever it flies. As an Israeli airline, it is important for us to continue showcasing the Israeli spirit, innovation and excellence that define who we are.”

Iran said Monday that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and insisted that Washington cannot dictate when the fighting ends. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said there had been no change in the shipping situation despite a pause in attacks between Iran and the United States.

“We have never allowed, and will not allow, the United States to determine the timing of the war,” Baghaei said. “We will defend ourselves whenever our interests require it, and we will certainly use diplomatic tools whenever we feel it is appropriate.”

Baghaei rejected reports that Tehran had resumed negotiations with Washington. “We currently have no negotiations with the United States,” he said, adding that Iran was instead holding discussions with Oman over arrangements for vessels passing through the strategic waterway. Qatar and Pakistan are also working to revive broader indirect diplomacy between the two sides. 

The remarks came after the United States and Iran paused attacks following nearly two weeks of escalating strikes. Washington described the lull as an opportunity for diplomacy, while Tehran said it would suspend retaliatory attacks as long as the U.S. bombing pause remained in place.

Baghaei also threatened a response to a Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea. Iran said the strike caused an explosion that killed one sailor and wounded another. Ukraine said it had targeted vessels used to carry military cargo between Iran and Russia.

Toronto police are investigating damage at two locations of Kiva’s, a Jewish-owned bakery chain, after one branch was struck by gunfire and another had a window smashed early Sunday. No injuries were reported in either incident.

Officers responded at 8:12 a.m. to the Kiva’s location near Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue West, where investigators found evidence that shots had been fired into a window. Police received a second call around 8:30 a.m. about damage at another Kiva’s location near Bathurst Street and Steeles Avenue West, but found no evidence of gunfire there.

Investigators believe the damage occurred overnight and are examining whether the incidents are connected. Toronto police’s Hate Crime Unit and Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force are involved, though authorities have not formally confirmed an antisemitic motive. Residents were told to expect an increased police presence while the investigation continues.

“We understand that this is concerning for those that work and live in this area, especially members of the Jewish community, and we have all the resources available to thoroughly investigate this matter,” Duty Insp. Scott Bradbury said.

Noah Shack, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said the incidents had “shattered” the community’s sense of security. Adam Minsky, president of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, said residents who frequent the bakeries were “incredibly shaken.” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow called the incidents “targeted attacks” that were “vile” and “unacceptable,” adding, “I will always stand with Toronto’s Jewish community against antisemitism.”

Former President Joe Biden has sharply reduced his public schedule while undergoing treatment for Stage 4 prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, according to a Washington Post report published Sunday. Eighteen months after leaving the White House, the 83-year-old now spends most of his time with relatives, longtime friends and former aides.

People close to Biden said the treatment appears to be working, but the illness and accompanying procedures have left him visibly frail and frequently exhausted. Biden said earlier this month that his treatment was going “really well,” while his office declined to answer detailed questions about his daily routine, medical care or prognosis.

Unlike several recent former presidents who established large foundations or maintained active public schedules, Biden has kept a limited profile. His foundation expects to raise roughly $11 million by the end of 2027, far below the amounts typically associated with major presidential libraries. His days are reportedly organized around treatment, family and efforts to shape his legacy.

Biden is scheduled to release a memoir, Promise Me, America, on November 17, two weeks after the midterm elections. Some Democratic advisers fear the book tour could revive questions about his age and fitness that dominated the end of his 2024 campaign. Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett said candidates were still working to overcome “the political damage he left behind.”

The controversy may intensify after Biden dropped his effort to block the release of recordings and transcripts from interviews used in Special Counsel Robert Hur’s classified-documents investigation. Hur previously described Biden as “a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” a phrase that became central to Republican attacks and Democratic concerns over his decision to seek a second term.

A lighter moment is surfacing from President Trump’s Oval Office meeting with five Holocaust survivors two weeks ago.

According to new details shared with Belaaz, Trump turned to one of the survivors, seated in a particular chair, and told her “You know who sat in that chair you are sitting in? Putin.”

Without missing a beat, the elderly survivor with young energy, stood up and asked “which chair did netanyahu sit in? — she wanted to sit there instead. The room, including President Trump and Jared Kushner, broke into laughter.

The funny moment added a warm postscript to the visit, which included a moving, candid discussion where the survivors shared their experiences during the Holocaust, offered Trump a traditional Bracha, and each received a presidential coin from his desk before departing, as reported by Belaaz.

A massive fire broke out overnight Friday at the Tziyun complex of the Chabad Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Baal HaTanya, in Hadiach, Ukraine, causing extensive damage to the main beis medrash and the hachnasas orchim facilities run by Chabad shliach Rabbi Shneur Deitsch.

Local firefighters battled the large blaze for hours before bringing it under control, preventing what could have been an even greater tragedy.

B’chasdei Shomayim, there were no injuries.

Ukrainian police have opened an investigation into the cause. Two leads are being examined: a possible electrical short in the building’s wiring, or a possible link to the war and the sensitive security situation in the region amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The Tziyun complex, Kever of the Baal Hatanya, the founder of Chabad Chassidus, serves as a spiritual hub year-round, hosting thousands of mispallelim, visitors, and refugees from across Ukraine and around the world, with a full hachnasas orchim operation providing meals, lodging, and Tfilos.

Rabbi Deitsch and community leaders have begun assessing the damage as they plan reconstruction, with hopes of restoring the beis medrash and hachnasas orchim as soon as possible.

Yuval Kogan, the 4-year-old boy who went missing Thursday near Hof Hofit Beach in Ashkelon, was Baruch Hashem located alive and well Friday afternoon after more than a day of intensive searching.

The search effort drew hundreds of police officers, volunteers, Border Police fighters, rescue units, and citizens from across the country, with the Shin Bet assisting as well. Police Commissioner Rav-Nitzav Dani Levi ordered police academy cadets deployed to reinforce search teams in the field.

Yuval was ultimately found by a civilian who had come to the area to join the search. The man said he hadn’t even intended to reach the spot where the child was found, he had taken a wrong turn en route to Nitzanim Beach when he suddenly noticed the boy standing beneath a tree.

Overcome with emotion, he said: “I took a wrong turn, and suddenly I see the boy standing under a tree. Hashem is in this world. Thank G-d. This is a child who brought the whole country to its feet.” He added a call to the public: “Everyone should say a perek of Tehillim or Mizmor L’Todah. We did this together, with unity and ahavat chinam.”

The commander of the Southern District said agter the child was located: “The actual distance was shorter than it seemed. The boy walked toward what he thought was home. During the night he fell asleep, and woke up in the morning. He’s a smart child who stayed in a shaded spot, which is likely what saved him. When he heard the horses approaching, he went toward them and called out — that’s how he was found.”

Earlier Friday, Yuval’s mother, Dina Kogan, had appealed to the public to join the search, telling Ynet: “We’re in critical hours and my child’s life is in danger. This may be an abduction. Shin Bet and police alone aren’t enough — the whole country needs to be on its feet.”

According to details released, Yuval was last seen Thursday at 12:50 p.m. near Hof Hofit Beach while walking with his father. His father, Dmitry (Dani) Kogan, said he lost eye contact with him for a few minutes and was unable to locate him afterward. Police launched the search operation shortly after being called, which concluded Friday with the child’s safe recovery.

Early Friday, Ukraine launched a record-setting wave of hundreds of long-range drones targeting Russian territory across multiple regions.

The strikes hit oil depots, energy infrastructure, military airfields, and logistics hubs deep inside Russia, including areas around Moscow.

The large-scale drone swarms are believed to be aimed at overwhelming Russian air defense systems, causing flight disruptions and forcing temporary airport closures in several regions.

Sen. Ted Cruz is predicting that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will run for president in 2028, warning Republicans not to assume her progressive politics make her unelectable. “Some Republicans are cheering that our opponents are crazy. I’m not,” Cruz said.

A recent University of New Hampshire poll placed AOC at 22% among likely Democratic primary voters, narrowly ahead of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 21%. Every other prospective candidate remained in single digits. Her support rose from 14% in October 2025 to 22% in July, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris both lost ground.

AOC is also well positioned to inherit the movement built by Sen. Bernie Sanders, who would be 87 in 2028. She already has national name recognition, a powerful fundraising network, an energized online base and a clear message centered on health care, housing, economic inequality and taxing the wealthy.

Republicans may believe that message is too socialist to win. Cruz’s warning is that voters struggling with housing, medical bills and daily costs may still support her if they believe the political establishment has no better answer. Asked whether democratic socialism could lead toward communism, AOC replied: “We can’t even raise the minimum wage. Do they really think communism is going to happen?”

A crowded Democratic field could also work in her favor. Buttigieg, Newsom, Josh Shapiro, Mark Kelly and other mainstream candidates may divide moderate voters while AOC consolidates the progressive left. Democrats united behind Joe Biden to stop Sanders in 2020, but there is no guarantee that one clear establishment alternative will emerge in 2028. Cruz could still be wrong, but dismissing AOC’s chances may prove to be the mistake he is warning against.

Large-scale search operations are underway in Ashkelon after a 4-year-old Chareidi boy, Yuval Kogan, went missing Thursday afternoon, on Tisha Bav, near Chof Hofit Beach, in an area just north of the city.

Father recounted in his police interview: “I turned my head and I didn’t see him — he just disappeared.”

Photo: IL Police Spokesperson

Police say Kogan was last seen around 1:00 p.m. local time, reportedly on a walk with his father, before losing contact. Ashkelon police station commander Superintendent Eldad Eliashiv said the call to police came from the boy’s father, and that the child had gone missing in an open area north of the city.

Photo: IL Police Spokesperson

The Shin Bet has joined the search effort alongside officers from Israel Police’s Southern District. Shin Bet’s involvement is notable, as usually the agency’s core mandate is counter-terrorism and internal security, and its participation in a missing-child case often signals that authorities have not ruled out abduction or hostile involvement, rather than treating this as a simple case of a toddler wandering off. Police have not publicly specified the reason for Shin Bet’s involvement.

Search teams include police aerial units, marine police, volunteers, police diving units, and additional emergency and rescue personnel, conducting extensive sweeps along the coastline and surrounding area in an effort to locate the child and ensure his safety.

Ashkelon Mayor Tomer Glam arrived at the search site, and the municipality said its emergency rescue unit “Magen,” along with municipal inspection and enforcement teams, are conducting intensive searches alongside police.

Police describe Kogan as thin-built, with brown hair, last seen wearing a green shirt.

Anyone with information is asked to call Israel Police at 100, or the Ashkelon police station directly at 08-6771440.

Klal Yisrael is asked to daven for the safe and speedy return of Yuval.

Belaaz will continue to update as more details emerge.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is close to deciding whether to launch a “massive attack” on Iran, potentially larger than the strikes carried out during Operation Epic Fury. “I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,” Trump told Axios.

Trump did not give a deadline for the decision. Two U.S. officials said no final call has been made and no new military orders have been issued, despite the president’s statement that American forces are prepared for a new operation.

Trump said Israel “would join in two minutes if I ask them to,” but added that “we don’t need anybody” to carry out the attack. He also said there would be “consequences” for Israel joining the strikes, without elaborating.

The president said Iran wants negotiations but is not currently prepared to accept a deal. “They haven’t received enough pain yet,” he said. Two regional sources familiar with mediation efforts said Iran’s leadership has not accepted the latest proposal, with one saying, “We are trying, but the Iranians are not being helpful.”

The warning comes as the United States has intensified attacks over the past 12 days in an effort to halt Iranian strikes on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has continued escalating, while Iran-backed Houthis have renewed attacks on Saudi ships in the Red Sea. Trump warned that further Houthi attacks would lead Washington to hold Iran responsible and said “major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves.” Oil prices have risen above $100 per barrel amid the widening crisis.

Adolf Hitler’s birthplace in Braunau am Inn officially reopened Wednesday as an Austrian police complex, part of a government effort to end the building’s appeal as a destination for neo-Nazis. Around 50 officers will work at the site near the German border, which will house both the local police station and the Braunau district police command.

Austria debated the building’s future for years. Officials feared that leaving it empty would preserve its symbolic value, while turning it into a museum could attract even more visitors because of its connection to Hitler. Demolition was also rejected over concerns that it could appear to erase history. Police will now actively operate from the building rather than simply guard it.

“Today’s police, our Austrian federal police, are the exact opposite of the symbolism associated with this place,” Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said. “Our police stand for democracy and the rule of law.” Parts of the complex will also be used for human-rights training, while a memorial stone outside will remain in place.

Austria spent approximately €20 million renovating the building and making it less recognizable. The ochre-yellow exterior was painted white, arched windows were replaced and the facade was extended upward. Construction debris was secretly disposed of to prevent extremists from collecting pieces as Nazi memorabilia. The site continued to attract far-right visitors in recent years, including four Germans who left white roses there in 2024, with one woman allegedly performing a prohibited Hitler salute.

Critics say Austria went too far in making the site ordinary and failed to create a substantial educational component. “A unique historical opportunity was missed to use the birthplace of history’s greatest mass murderer in a lasting and historically responsible way,” said Eveline Doll of the local Diskurs Hitlerhaus initiative.

US President Donald Trump will travel to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday to attend the dignified transfer of four American service members killed in incidents linked to the war with Iran. Their flag-draped caskets will return to American soil as the conflict’s military, financial and political costs continue to rise.

First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, were killed or believed killed after Iranian missiles and drones struck living quarters at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Friday. All three served in US Army air-defense units.

Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, was killed Sunday during the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian attack drone at Erbil Air Base in Iraq. The Pentagon classified Swinton as killed in action, although the circumstances of the incident remain under investigation. Another service member suffered minor injuries.

The war has now killed 18 US service members and injured more than 450 troops. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers this week that the conflict has cost at least $37.5 billion, a figure that includes some anticipated expenses through the end of September. The Pentagon separately said that 100 service members had been injured since July 7 and that 96% had already returned to duty.

Pressure on the administration is growing as lawmakers from both parties question the war’s objectives and duration. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 79% of Americans expect the conflict to continue for an extended period, while only 37% approve of the US strikes. Rising oil and gasoline prices have also increased concerns among Republican strategists ahead of November’s midterm elections.

New York Knicks center, NBA star and champ Karl-Anthony Towns, joined a special evening Monday night at Reserve Cut in Manhattan in support of Chazaq, the organization dedicated to giving every Jewish child the opportunity to receive a Torah education.

Towns addressed the crowd with warmth, telling attendees it was “an honor to be able to play for y’all.”

The dinner featured a siyum, along with divrei chizuk and divrei Torah offered by several speakers throughout the evening.

Victoria Zirkiev, President of Chazaq’s Women’s Division, told Belaaz in a statement: “This was A special evening which featured Karl-Anthony Towns of the NY Knicks in support of Chazaq and its incredible work.”

Victoria Zirkiev with Karl Anthony Towns

“The dinner had a special siyum with many speakers offering words of Chizuk and Torah”, Mrs. Zirkiev added.

Chazaq’s work spans after-school programs, community outreach, and efforts to help families transition their children from public school into yeshiva. Through these initiatives, the organization continues to strengthen Jewish identity and build a stronger future for the next generation of Yiddishe Children.

By Jamie Geller

I did not expect to hear the word joy so many times while making a film about grief.

In 2025, twenty Jews were murdered in antisemitic attacks outside of Israel. More than 800 severe antisemitic incidents were documented around the world. It was the deadliest year for Jews living outside Israel this century, and so I started working on a film to document it. When I began, I assumed I already understood the shape of that year. I did not. It took sitting across from the people who lived through it to see the pattern that had been there all along.

They did not come for us at random moments. They came for us on our holidays.

A terrorist attacked Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, while worshippers prayed and fasted. Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby were murdered that morning. Melvin was the first Jewish man killed in the United Kingdom for being Jewish in 80 years. Gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, killing fifteen people, among them a girl who had just turned ten, a Holocaust survivor, and a rabbi. And during the war between Israel and Iran, a ballistic missile struck a residential building in Haifa on the fourth day of Passover, killing four members of the Gershovitz family.

Yom Kippur. Hanukkah. Passover. While we were praying. While we were lighting candles. While we were celebrating. This has been something that has happened in Israel several times: the Yom Kippur War, October 7th, now it is spreading to the Diaspora.

As the person behind Aish’s Tisha B’Av documentary While We Were Celebrating, I traveled to three continents this year to sit with the people who lived through each of these attacks, and with the families they left behind. I went in bracing myself for grief. I have made enough films and sat with enough loss to know what to expect. What I found instead has not left me since.

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Karen Cravitz told me she was the one who encouraged her husband Melvin to leave for synagogue early that Yom Kippur morning, because that is simply what you do on the holiest day of the year. She has spent every day since turning that decision over in her head, a decision made entirely out of love and faith. Yoni Finlay was holding the synagogue doors shut to keep the terrorist out when a police bullet struck him in the chest and passed through his body into his friend Adrian, who was standing right behind him. And Rabbi Daniel Walker described his congregation to me as a reserved, quiet English crowd that does not usually dance on Friday nights. That next Friday, they danced.

In Sydney, Sheina Gutnik told me about her father, Reuven Morrison, who ran toward the gunmen at Bondi Beach and used his own body as a shield, saving dozens of lives before losing his.

Through the grief, through the funeral, through the memorial service that followed, Sheina lit Hanukkah candles. All eight nights. She told me she was not going to be the one to let the light go out. That message really moved me in ways I cannot explain.

Chavi Israel recounted how she threw herself over her baby, Meir, the moment the shooting started, trying to protect him and trying somehow not to suffocate him at the same time. She told me it was Reuven who saved both their lives. 

Yonatan Frank, a soldier who had come to Australia from Gaza days earlier, and wanted to go to the beach, found himself unarmed in the middle of a massacre and ran toward it anyway. Yonatan helped Chavi’s sister-in-law and her baby reach a waiting car that had arrived to rescue them. Eleven people ended up crammed into a car built for five. Chavi, Meir, Yonatan, and eight strangers who were suddenly not strangers at all. Once they were safe, they lit Hanukkah candles to keep the light alive.

In Haifa, Professor Lena Sagi told me about her neighbors, the Gershovitz family, who were found after an eighteen-hour search through what had been their home. Lena had lost everything but her life that night, the Gershovitz family weren’t as lucky. Lena told me that she later danced at her daughter’s bat mitzvah. Alex Gershovitz, Vladimir’s brother, still cannot speak about his family without his voice catching. In the same moment that he described himself to me as a secular Jew, he looked me in the eye and said that he believes God has a plan.

I sat with each of these people separately. Different continents, different languages, different circumstances. None of them knew what the others had said, yet every single one of them told me the same thing, completely unprompted.

They did not want to talk to me about their pain. They wanted to talk to me about joy. Not in spite of what happened to them, but because of it.

They chose to speak now, ahead of Tisha B’Av, because they understand what that day means to the Jewish world. It is our most reflective moment, the day we sit with our losses across history. None of these people are asking to be pitied. They are asking to be heard; they are asking us to understand our mission to live.  

This is nothing new for us. It runs through our history like a current, from the Inquisition to the pogroms to the Holocaust to October 7th, to Manchester, to Bondi, to Haifa. Our enemies have tried to extinguish our flame in every generation, and in every generation, the answer has been the same.

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Live more Jewishly. Live more joyously. Celebrate again. That will be the ultimate victory over our enemies.

This Tisha B’Av, as we sit on the floor and mourn what we have lost, I am sure that I will keep hearing Karen, Sheina, Chavi, and Lena in my head, asking this of me. I did not write their message. I am only carrying it, but now I am not making simple assumptions; I too am listening.

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While We Were Celebrating, the Aish Original Tisha B’Av documentary film, premieres worldwide on July 22. It is free to watch. Register at aish.com/9av. To arrange a community screening, visit 9av.aish.com/groupscreening. For more information email [email protected]

Hamas spent years building operational networks across Europe that allegedly prepared attacks against Jewish, Israeli and Western targets, according to an investigation published by Switzerland’s Neue Zürcher Zeitung. The suspected infrastructure stretched from Greece and Cyprus to Germany, Austria and Denmark, involving sleeper cells, weapons caches and explosives training.

The latest case emerged in June, when Greek authorities arrested a 37-year-old Egyptian man of Palestinian origin in Crete. Police reportedly found chemicals, a precision scale and equipment potentially usable for making explosives at his Athens apartment. Investigators linked him to Palestinians arrested in Cyprus and suspect the cell considered attacking an Israeli cruise ship that regularly docks in Greece.

Separate but overlapping investigations uncovered an alleged weapons network centered on Germany. Suspects reportedly moved at least 13 handguns, an AK-47 and more than 900 rounds of ammunition through Scandinavia, Germany and Austria. German prosecutors said one group had selected a target for an attack around October 7, 2025, and recorded a video claiming responsibility, although authorities have not disclosed the target.

The alleged infrastructure predates Hamas’ October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel. A Berlin court in March sentenced four Hamas members to prison terms of between four-and-a-half and six years for involvement in European weapons depots. Investigators traced caches to Bulgaria and Denmark, suspected another in Poland, and said operatives had examined potential targets including Israel’s Berlin embassy and the U.S. Ramstein Air Base.

Hamas denied connections to the suspects and maintained that its armed campaign is limited to Palestinian territory. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler rejected that denial, citing alleged personal links between suspects and senior Hamas figures in Lebanon. “Hamas’ weakness is not necessarily good news for Europe,” he warned, arguing that pressure on the terrorist organization in Gaza could increase its incentive to seek global attention through attacks abroad.

Israeli intelligence assesses that Iran transferred thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into a deeply buried tunnel complex known as Pickaxe Mountain, located roughly a mile south of the Natanz nuclear site, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing Israeli and U.S. officials.

The transfer reportedly took place last fall, in the months following the June 2025 strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure carried out under Operation Midnight Hammer.

Satellite imagery from late June 2026 shows vehicle activity at tunnel entrances carved into the mountain, which Iran refers to internally as Mount Kolang. The tunnels are believed to sit several hundred feet underground, a depth that would make the site far harder to damage in an airstrike than Iran’s previously targeted facilities.

Satellite image from the end of June.

The site has not been made available to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, and Iran has not disclosed its activity there, fueling concern that Tehran is positioning itself to resume enrichment even after the damage inflicted on Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan last year. U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly named Pickaxe Mountain as a possible target, telling a radio interviewer the site was a candidate for further military action, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pressed for continued pressure on Iran’s weapons program.

Officials briefed on the intelligence caution that the full contents of the tunnel complex remain unverified, and that striking a target buried so deep would likely require specialized munitions or repeated strikes.

A second potential parah adumah calf has been born in the Golan Heights, the National Institute for Red Heifer Research announced Tuesday, roughly five weeks after another candidate was discovered.

The calf was born in the herd of Shay Givon, the institute’s cattle specialist, who also identified the previous calf. No identification tag was attached to its ear, in order to avoid creating a possible blemish. “I feel that we are living in a historic period,” Givon said, adding that he has received inquiries from Jews across Israel and abroad since the earlier birth.

However, the new calf was born alongside a male twin, creating a separate halachic question. In cattle, female calves born with male twins can develop a condition known as freemartinism, in which shared hormones affect the female’s reproductive system. The calf may appear entirely normal externally while having an internal congenital abnormality.

Rabbi Azaria Ariel, who heads the institute’s beis medrash, said approximately 20 rabbis will examine whether such a hidden condition would disqualify the animal. “There is a question over whether a congenital defect that is not external or visible on the cow’s body disqualifies its unblemished status, both regarding offerings generally and the parah adumah specifically,” he said. The institute plans to bring its conclusions to leading poskim.

Under halacha, the ashes of a qualifying parah adumah are required to purify people from impurity caused by contact with the dead, a necessary step for renewed Beis Hamikdash service. Neither of the two recent calves has yet been declared halachically valid. The earlier calf also remains under review because an ear tag was attached shortly after its birth.

The IDF and Shin Bet announced Sunday that they had eliminated Adham Ibrahim Sha’aban Nasman, y”sh, Head of the Operations Department of Hamas’ Gaza City Brigade, in a strike over the weekend in the Gaza City area.
Nasman’s terror record spanned years of planning and directing attacks against Israel. In recent years he served as a Nukhba battalion commander, and it was in that capacity that he commanded and directed the infiltration of Gaza City Brigade terrorists into Israeli territory during the October 7th massacre — one of the masterminds behind the murderous assault that shook Klal Yisroel to its core.
Throughout the war, Nasman was directly involved in holding numerous hostages captive, among them Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Ziv and Gali Berman, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest, and Omri Miran — names that became etched into the hearts of Jews around the world as their families davened and fought for their return.
The terrorist held a string of senior roles within Hamas’ terror apparatus over the years, including Intelligence Officer of the Gaza City Brigade and Commander of the Al-Shati Battalion, positions from which he planned and executed numerous attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.
The IDF and Shin Bet noted that in recent months, Nasman had been working to train new terror operatives for the Gaza City Brigade and to advance the production and distribution of weapons to its battalions — part of an ongoing effort by Hamas to rebuild its military strength in direct violation of the ceasefire agreement currently in place.
IDF troops under the Southern Command remain deployed in the region in accordance with the agreement and will continue operating to remove any emerging threats.

UTJ Chairman MK Yitzchak Goldknopf visited the military Prison 10 and called for an end to the arrest of Yeshiva Bochurim.

Goldknopf said: “It’s impossible to witness the suffering of prisoners who ask, ‘Why do we deserve to sit in prison? Just because we learn Torah?'”

Amid reports of the MOU resuming, a senior U.S. official told Israeli media that President Donald Trump is focused on making Iran pay for MOU violations, actions in the Strait of Hormuz, and the deaths of American soldiers in Jordan.

The official added that while Iran will be held accountable, the U.S. remains committed to reaching a peace deal through ongoing negotiations.

Israeli exports reached a record $169 billion in 2025, surpassing both earlier forecasts and the previous all-time high, according to figures released by the Foreign Trade Administration at the Economy Ministry. The total exceeded the projected $165 billion and topped the previous record of more than $166 billion set in 2022.

The increase came despite the war, continued security challenges and lower exports to parts of Europe. High-tech, software, and research and development led the growth, helping offset weaker performance in traditional industries including chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Asian markets also played a growing role. Israeli exports to India rose by about 7%, while increases were recorded in Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Japan. Exports to Serbia jumped by roughly 33%, and the Economy Ministry plans to open a new economic mission there during the coming year.

Economy Minister Nir Barkat said the figures showed the continued strength of Israeli industry. “These numbers prove the strength of Israel’s economy and its entrepreneurial spirit. Despite all the crises, the world continues to choose Israeli innovation.” Barkat said the government aims to increase Israeli exports to $1 trillion within two decades.

Israel currently operates 55 economic missions around the world. Those offices helped advance approximately $1.2 billion in export deals during 2025, according to the ministry. Five additional missions are expected to open in Miami, Buenos Aires, Athens, Belgrade and Addis Ababa, bringing the total to a record 60.

Large wooden roof beams burned during the destruction of First Beis Hamikdash-period Yerushalayim have been uncovered in the City of David, archaeologists announced Monday. The beams were found at the Givati Parking Lot excavation in a destruction layer associated with the Babylonian conquest of Yerushalayim in 586 BCE.

Excavation director Dr. Efrat Bocher said the beams likely supported the roof of an internal courtyard before collapsing during the fire. “It appears that these beams, which were probably used to roof an internal courtyard in a First Temple-period building, collapsed onto the building’s floor during the destruction,” she said. “We believe that plaster covering the walls melted during the fire, covered the charred wooden beams and helped preserve them so exceptionally.”

The discovery is considered unusual because wood rarely survives in Israel with a substantial number of visible growth rings. Dr. Johanna Regev of the Israel Antiquities Authority said the thick beams could allow researchers to narrow the dating of the building and its destruction to approximately 10 years. Scientific analysis remains underway, and researchers have not yet independently confirmed the exact year the beams burned.

The beams were found inside a large First Beis Hamikdash-period structure whose purpose remains unknown, though archaeologists believe it may have served an important public or administrative function. Excavation directors Dr. Yiftah Shalev and Prof. Yuval Gadot said the evidence shows the building “was deliberately burned and collapsed all at once.”

Residents later returned during the Persian period, blocking the ruined section while continuing to live elsewhere in the structure. Archaeologists believe part of the destruction may have been deliberately preserved as a place of memory. The building previously yielded a seal impression reading “Natan-Melech, Servant of the King,” a name also appearing in the Sefer Melachim.

Announced shortly before Tisha B’Av, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said: “On the eve of Tisha B’Av, this discovery reminds us that our connection to Yerushalayim is not only one of faith, but also of history, archaeology and national memory. Our responsibility is to continue uncovering the truth, preserving it and proudly passing it on to future generations.”

France on Sunday commemorated the 84th anniversary of the Vel d’Hiv roundup, the largest mass arrest of Jews carried out in the country during World War II, as authorities condemned the vandalism of a Paris plaque honoring a family that saved a Jewish child.

Vel d’Hiv refers to the July 1942 operation in which French police arrested thousands of Jews and confined many of them inside Paris’s Winter Velodrome before deportation to Nazi concentration and death camps. The damaged plaque honored a couple and their daughter who rescued a 13-year-old child and were later recognized by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations.

“To attack the Righteous is to desecrate the entire universe,” Deputy Defense Minister Alice Rufo said. “The plaque will be restored. Their memory remains undiminished. In the face of antisemitism, in all its forms, the Republic will not yield an inch.”

More than 4,500 French police officers were mobilized for the roundup on July 16 and 17, 1942, with arrests continuing until July 20. A total of 13,152 Jews were seized, including thousands of children, and sent through transit camps before deportation to Nazi camps.

The operation was carried out under the collaborationist Vichy government after Nazi Germany occupied France. France did not formally acknowledge the state’s responsibility until 1995, when President Jacques Chirac apologized for the role of French authorities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview that Iran cannot be pressured through threats or incentives, claiming the country has shown that the United States and Israel are not “superpowers” and are not invincible.

Araghchi said Iran resisted demands to end its nuclear enrichment program and accused its adversaries of turning to war after failing to achieve their goals through negotiations.

He claimed Iran remained standing after the 12 day war, saying the government did not collapse and that the public supported the system.

Araghchi also said the strike that killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was made possible by a security breach inside Iran that has still not been resolved.

The Israeli government has reportedly launched a roughly $50 million campaign to improve its standing in the United States as American support declines following the wars in Gaza and Iran, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation. The effort, led in part by former Trump campaign adviser Brad Parscale, forms part of a broader Israeli public-diplomacy push reportedly budgeted at approximately $730 million.

The campaign uses conservative media advertising, influencer outreach, social-media content and AI-assisted text conversations. It also includes the creation of pro-Israel websites designed to appear in search results and influence how artificial-intelligence chatbots answer questions about Israel.

Millions of Americans reportedly received messages from supposed representatives named Emma, Sarah or John, who identified themselves as members of a group called “Friends for Peace.” Beth Surdut, one recipient, said the exchange appeared artificial. “I said to him, ‘I don’t think you’re a real person’ — and he tried to persuade me to think that he was.” Asked whether Friends for Peace was a real organization, Parscale responded: “What do you define as a real organization?”

The effort has focused heavily on younger conservatives, evangelical Christians and MAGA-aligned audiences. Parscale also serves as chief strategy officer at Salem Media, a major conservative Christian media company, although Salem and Parscale have denied that hosts were paid to deliver Israeli government talking points.

The report said the campaign comes as polling shows a sharp deterioration in Israel’s image among Americans, particularly younger voters. A recent Pew survey found 60% of Americans viewed Israel unfavorably, while only 37% held a favorable opinion. Parscale’s team says major AI platforms have begun drawing from its websites, but it has not publicly released evidence demonstrating the campaign’s effectiveness.

A group of Israeli travelers was attacked this week at a remote campsite in northern Mongolia after an intoxicated man allegedly approached them with an ax and shouted “Heil Hitler” after hearing them speak Hebrew.

One Israeli suffered a broken jaw and was flown back to Israel for medical treatment, while the rest of the group was evacuated from the area.

Local authorities condemned the attack and offered the Israelis the option to file a police complaint. The incident occurred in a remote region of northern Mongolia and was described as unusual for a country generally viewed as friendly toward Israeli visitors.

• A new Channel 12 poll found that 23% of Israelis say they or a family member are considering leaving the country if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reelected, while 68% said they are not considering leaving.
• The poll also showed continued opposition to coalition legislation passed this week, with 67% of respondents saying they oppose the laws and 21% expressing support.

A 28 year old man was arrested in Antwerp after allegedly threatening Jewish residents with a hammer, knocking a man’s hat off and shoving passersby in the city’s Jewish quarter.

Belgian soldiers stationed to protect Jewish institutions intervened, restrained the suspect and held him until police arrived. No injuries were reported.

Police said the suspect is known from previous offenses, including public nuisance and drug related incidents. The increased security presence in Antwerp follows a rise in antisemitic incidents across Europe.

Iran has reportedly launched a ballistic missile toward a U.S. base in Saudi Arabia for the first time early Saturday morning, marking a very significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. Saudi Arabia is expected to respond.

Iran also attacked Bahrain and Kuwait.

A 90-year-old extreme left-wing activist arrived at Tomer Farm (Chavat Tomer) in the Alminiya area of Gush Etzion in order to film the farm.

He argued with a local teenage boy who was there, then got into his vehicle and drove off, lightly striking the boy.A local woman (a resident of the place) approached the car to question him and understand what he wanted.

The man continued driving, hit her as she held on, and dragged her several meters. She sustained light injuries.

The 90-year-old suspect was detained for questioning at the police station, and his vehicle was seized. Security forces are investigating the incident.

Early Friday morning, the Israeli Knesset voted 62–0 to approve a party financing amendment, dissolving the 25th Knesset and setting Israel’s next election for October 27.

Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana closed the final plenum session, saying Israel is entering an election campaign marked by debate and disagreements, but urged Israelis to remember that “despite all differences, we are not enemies, but partners.”

Michael Katz hy”d, 82, from Haifa, passed away on Wednesday, from wounds sustained during an Iranian missile strike on Haifa during Operation Roaring Lion.

Katz had been critically injured in the attack three months earlier. HY”D.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to establish two pilot zones in southern Lebanon to test Lebanese army control and efforts to remove Hezbollah weapons.

The U.S.-mediated plan includes Lebanese forces taking responsibility for security, with implementation verified by a third party. Officials described the talks as positive, with further discussions expected.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is introducing legislation to restrict entry to the U.S. from 39 countries across the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean, citing national security concerns and visa overstays.

The bill includes countries such as Iran, Syria, Yemen, Cuba, and Venezuela, and would also restrict entry for individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued documents.

President Trump hosted five Holocaust survivors in the Oval Office on Tuesday, in a meeting Belaaz has learned was arranged over an extended period by the Nachas organization before finally coming together.

Among the five survivors was Mrs. Blau of Borough Park, who spoke with Belaaz following the visit and described an experience she called deeply moving.

Mrs. Blau said that aside from the President, she was especially thrilled to meet his son in law Jared Kushner during the visit, and marveled at the Oval Office itself, calling it beautiful.

Describing the officials she met, she said with a smile that Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks “like a little boy,” adding that President Trump was “even better looking in real life.”

The president was in good spirits throughout the meeting, according to Mrs. Blau.

At one point, one of the other survivors mentioned that four children urgently needed to fly out for special medical treatment but lacked the funds to do so. The family had reached out to the White House for help. Mrs. Blau recounted that the president turned to one of the survivors and asked who she thought had covered the cost. “It was me,” he told her.

The survivors were asked by the president to describe what they had endured, and he asked them how they had managed to survive. Mrs. Blau reflected on the extensive Secret Service presence and the security involved simply in reaching the Oval Office, saying she was struck by the process.

For Mrs. Blau, the visit to the Oval Office itself was the highlight of the day. She recalled telling the president that he should always keep Israel in his thoughts, to which he responded, “Of course, of course, Madam.”

Mrs. Blau says that each of the five survivors was presented with a presidential coin taken from the Oval Office desk before they departed. Asked what she planned to do with hers, Mrs. Blau laughed and said she wasn’t sure yet, noting simply, “It’s not a Rebbishe coin.”

All of the survivors were given brachos for health and long life by the White House staff, including the president.

Fourteen years ago today, the Torah world lost Hagaon Harav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l, widely regarded as the Posek Hador for the Litvishe Torah world.

Born in Lithuania in 1910, Rav Elyashiv immigrated to Eretz Yisrael together with his parents and grandparents in 1922, settling in Yerushalayim’s Meah Shearim neighborhood. He received his early Torah education from his father and his grandfather, the Ba’al HaLeshem, and later learned under Harav Zalman Reuven Bengis zt”l of the Edah Charedis and Harav Shimshon Aharon Polonsky zt”l, the Tepliker Rav. He went on to marry Rebbetzin Sheina Chaya, daughter of Harav Aryeh Levin zt”l, the famed “father of the prisoners.” The Rebbetzin was niftar in 1994.

Rav Elyashiv began his rabbinic career around 1948 as rav of Ramleh. Two years later, he was appointed a dayan on Yerushalayim’s District Court, and later served on the Chief Rabbinical Court, stepping down from that post in 1972. In 1989, at the request of Hagaon Harav Elazar Shach zt”l, he joined the leadership of Degel HaTorah. Following the petirah of Hagaon Harav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l in 1995, Rav Elyashiv became the address for psak throughout the Litvishe world, and in 2001, after Rav Shach’s own petirah, he took on the leadership of the litvishe community at large.

Among his 12 children was a daughter, Batsheva a”h, who married Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l.

Rav Elyashiv was niftar in 2012 at the age of 102. More than 250,000 Yidden from around the world attended his levaya in Yerushalayim.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the most outspoken supporters of Israel in the U.S. Congress, died Saturday evening at the age of 71 after what his office described as a brief and sudden illness.

A statement issued by Graham’s communications director on X confirmed his passing and said, “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”

Emergency crews responded to Graham’s South Carolina home Saturday night following reports of a cardiac arrest, according to police scanner audio obtained by NBC News. Images reviewed by the network showed paramedics transporting an individual from the residence by stretcher as police and fire personnel remained on the scene.

A Lifelong Advocate for Israel

Throughout his Senate career, Graham became one of Israel’s most dependable champions on Capitol Hill, consistently backing military assistance, strengthening U.S.-Israel ties, and advocating for firm action against Iran and regional terrorist organizations. He was a frequent visitor to Israel and regularly defended the country’s security policies during times of conflict.

His support for Israel remained a defining feature of his foreign policy positions, earning him recognition as one of the Jewish state’s closest allies in Washington.

Final Overseas Visit Focused on Ukraine

Just one day before his death, Graham met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, where the two discussed Ukraine’s air defense requirements and legislation aimed at increasing sanctions on Russia.

During the visit, Graham argued that combining stronger sanctions with continued military support could pressure Moscow into negotiations.

“The road to ending this ⁠war, the road to peace, passes through Beijing more than it does (through) Washington, Kyiv, or Moscow,” Graham told ​reporters at Kyiv’s Mykhailivska Square. “China has ​an oversized influence. I’d like them to use their influence for the good of the world.”

He added, “I don’t believe (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is there yet, but it wouldn’t take much to get him there.”

From Trump Critic to Trusted Ally

Graham served as one of the Republican Party’s most recognizable figures in the Senate, representing South Carolina for more than two decades. Although he initially emerged as a vocal critic of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, he later became one of the president’s closest allies and strongest defenders in Congress.

His influence extended across national security, judicial appointments, and foreign affairs, where he often took a hawkish stance on global conflicts.

Military Service and Political Career

Born in Central, South Carolina, in 1955, Graham grew up helping his parents operate a restaurant and pool hall. He became the first member of his family to graduate from college before serving as an Air Force lawyer and later with the South Carolina Air National Guard.

Graham entered Congress after winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, representing South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and secured reelection in 2008, 2014, and 2020.

At the time of his death, Graham was unmarried and lived in Seneca, South Carolina.

His passing marks the end of a decades-long political career defined by conservative leadership, an assertive foreign policy agenda, unwavering backing for Israel, and a prominent role in shaping Republican national security policy.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California said this weekend that IDF soldiers joined local Jewish residents in blockading his vehicle for over an hour during a visit to Yehuda and Shomron earlier this week, and called on the Israeli government to prosecute those involved.

Speaking with CNN on Saturday, Khanna said the incident occurred after he visited an elementary school that he said had been destroyed by extremists from the area. He described young men brandishing M4 rifles, circling his vans, cursing at his group in Hebrew and Arabic, and blockading the vehicles while filming and laughing.

Khanna said he and his team contacted the U.S. Embassy and waited for IDF soldiers to arrive. When four soldiers reached the scene, Khanna claimed they sided with the local residents rather than intervening on his behalf, telling his security detail they didn’t care that an American congressman was involved.

The IDF disputed the characterization of its soldiers’ conduct, saying in a statement that troops were dispatched to the scene upon receiving the report, quickly dispersed the Israeli civilians, and reopened the blocked road. The IDF said its soldiers did not take part in blocking the road.

Khanna said he and his team were ultimately freed after communication between the U.S. Embassy and a senior Israeli official, and that both the embassy and the Israeli government had been notified of his trip in advance.

The visit comes amid a rise in tensions in Yehuda and Shomron, including an incident Saturday in which Israeli Police arrested four local residents following an altercation with CNN and other journalists in the area.

Khanna, a progressive lawmaker considered a potential 2028 presidential contender, has been sharply critical of Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza. He said he sought to visit the region to see the situation firsthand, and that he intends to press the White House and State Department for information on how the Israeli government plans to handle the IDF soldiers involved.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, escalated his campaign against Sen. Mitch McConnell on Saturday, demanding the 84-year-old Republican reveal his undisclosed medical condition amid growing questions about his ability to continue serving.

In a post on X, Beshear drew a parallel to his past calls for transparency about former President Joe Biden’s health, saying he was now asking McConnell to do the same and provide voters with an update. He urged the senator to end the speculation and simply explain what’s going on.

The comments follow a formal letter Beshear sent McConnell on Wednesday, requesting a full health update on behalf of constituents he said are increasingly concerned about the senator’s wellbeing and capacity to hold office.

McConnell has been absent from the Senate for three weeks after being hospitalized in early June for a condition his office has declined to detail or provide a timeline on. Leaked emergency dispatch audio from a June 14 call indicated he was found unconscious at his home and may have suffered a heart attack. His wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, traveled to China shortly afterward, with her office saying his condition did not require her immediate return to the U.S.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso both said they have spoken with McConnell at length about Senate business in recent weeks. President Donald Trump, asked about McConnell’s condition aboard Air Force One Wednesday, said he had no idea how the senator was doing.

Harav Yitzchak Yosef shlita, Shas leader and former Sefardi Chief Rabbi, launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his weekly shiur Motzoei Shabbos, declaring flatly that there is “no chance” the premier will ever return to a life of Torah observance.

Rabbi Yosef opened his remarks by lamenting the spiritual state of the country, saying Israel remains a secular state rather than a religious one, and that while some public figures have done teshuvah, others clearly never will.

He then singled out Netanyahu directly and asserting there was no possibility of him becoming observant. In a surprising twist, Rav Yosef suggested that National Unity chairman Gadi Eisenkot might be more likely to embrace a return to Torah observance.

A frum family in Adelaide, South Australia was targeted in an antisemitic attack over Shabbos, with offenders slashing the tires of vehicles at the property and spray-painting swastikas and antisemitic slurs across the home, according to News Corp Australia. The homeowner’s name is Rosti Sverdlov.

Details of the attack remain limited, though it fits into a broader and deeply troubling pattern of antisemitic incidents that have plagued Australia’s Jewish community since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023. A report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry documented 1,654 anti-Jewish incidents across Australia between October 2024 and September 2025 alone, on top of over 2,000 incidents the year before.

South Australia has not been spared from the wave of hatred. In one recent incident, Nazi swastikas were found carved into trees in Adelaide’s Veale Park, while in another, a passerby shouted abuse and taunted a congregant heading into shul in the city.

The attack on the Sverdlov family adds to a string of incidents nationally that have included arson attacks on synagogues, vandalism of Jewish-owned businesses, and assaults on visibly Jewish men and boys, prompting Australian Jewish leaders to repeatedly call on federal and state governments to step up protections for the community.

The United States carried out a third round of strikes on Iran within the past week Saturday night, after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz and then declared the strategic waterway closed until further notice. Axios reported, citing an unnamed US official, that the strikes hit targets near the strait.

CENTCOM said the strikes began at 7:15 p.m. Eastern time, hours after the IRGC targeted the M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship. The attack caused significant damage to the vessel and ignited an onboard fire, with one crew member reported missing. Britain’s UKMTO maritime security agency reported damage to the rear of the ship.

CENTCOM said Iran had been given another chance to abide by the memorandum of understanding governing the fragile ceasefire but again failed to do so, and that the US was imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping. The strikes were ordered directly by President Donald Trump, the command said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was blunter in a post on X: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.”

Iranian state media reported hearing explosions across a string of coastal areas near the strait, among them Bushehr — the site of an Iranian nuclear power plant — as well as Asaluyeh and Chabahar. Three blasts were reportedly heard in Bandar Abbas, which faces the strait directly, and two in Sirik, with explosions also reported on Qeshm Island.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy said earlier Saturday that it had fired a warning shot at a vessel attempting to use what it called an unapproved route, and that the ship subsequently halted. In response, the IRGC declared the strait closed to all traffic until Washington ends what it termed its regional interference, warning that any attempt by the US to use the closure as a pretext for further action would draw a severe response.

The exchange marks the latest collapse of the ceasefire framework that has governed the Iran war since a memorandum of understanding was reached in June. That truce extended an earlier April ceasefire and set the stage for talks aimed at ending the US-Israel war on Iran that began in late February, with Washington lifting a naval blockade in exchange for Tehran reopening Hormuz. The arrangement has unraveled repeatedly in recent days: after three commercial vessels were struck in the strait on July 6-7, the US carried out a major wave of strikes on more than eighty Iranian targets, including dozens of IRGC boats, and Washington moved to reimpose oil sanctions it had waived weeks earlier.

Even as the latest strikes were underway, diplomatic efforts had reportedly been continuing. Oman had drafted a tentative proposal for managing traffic through Hormuz, with a southern route open to free passage and a northern route near Iran’s coast requiring Tehran’s permits but no fees, according to CNN. Iran’s Foreign Minister discussed the proposal with his Omani and Turkish counterparts even as the ministry separately condemned the American strikes as a violation of the truce.

Neither side has signaled a near-term path back to negotiations. Iran’s chief negotiator has said in recent days that the strait will only remain open on Tehran’s terms, not under what he called American threats, while Trump has warned Iran it will face escalating consequences for any further attacks on shipping.

A man who filmed himself accusing an Orthodox Jewish man of “killing babies” and threatening to break his jaw has been sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Shafiq Rahman, 48, of Slough, pleaded guilty to racially aggravated common assault, using threatening words to provoke violence, and criminal damage over the April incident on Elliman Avenue. He was sentenced Friday at Reading Crown Court, with a district judge previously calling the attack “a pure hate crime.”

Video filmed by the victim, a man in his 20s identified only as Moshe, showed Rahman accusing him of “killing babies in Palestine,” threatening to break his jaw, and knocking a phone from his hand while repeatedly cursing and calling him a “dirty Jew.” Moshe, who was wearing a black yarmulke at the time, said he had been thinking only of survival during the confrontation.

“What were you thinking going out like this, in England, as a visible Jew?” he recalled asking himself afterward, adding that the incident left him feeling unsafe.

The case comes amid a string of recent antisemitic attacks across the UK, including the sentencing of two men who traveled to Clapton Common to film themselves abusing a Jewish man for TikTok content.

The fourth day of Tyler Robinson’s preliminary hearing in the assassination of Charlie Kirk brought some of the most condemning testimony yet, as prosecutors played a recorded interview with Robinson’s former roommate and introduced DNA results tying Robinson to the murder weapon, and presented text messages exchanged between the two men in the hours after the September 10, 2025 shooting at Utah Valley University.

Robinson, 23, faces several charges including aggravated murder, a capital offense, in Kirk’s killing outside a “Prove Me Wrong” event in Orem. The hearing, now in its fifth day Friday, will determine whether prosecutors have shown sufficient probable cause to send the case to trial.

Thursday’s proceedings opened with Judge Tony Graf declining a request from an attorney representing Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, to have every piece of evidence displayed in open court. Graf said he would continue using a tiered approach, weighing each exhibit separately for admission, in-courtroom display, and broadcast to the public. A media attorney pushed for maximum transparency, while Robinson’s defense accused the Kirk family’s legal team of dragging out proceedings with matters unrelated to the evidence itself.

Utah State Bureau of Investigation agent Brian Davis then played the long-awaited video interview with Lance Twiggs, Robinson’s former roommate, portions of which were redacted. Twiggs told investigators that roughly a month before the shooting, Robinson had asked to borrow a Dremel tool, saying he wanted to engrave bullets ahead of a family hunting trip. Twiggs said he later confronted Robinson in person, who confirmed the shooting was real and appeared visibly shaken. Twiggs also said Robinson generally discussed politics in the context of the Trump administration and current policy debates.

Text messages between the pair, recovered from Twiggs’ phone, were read into the record. In the exchange, Robinson confirmed to Twiggs that he was responsible for the shooting, telling him he could no longer tolerate Kirk’s rhetoric. He described plans to retrieve the rifle he’d left behind at the scene, expressed concern about a police vehicle stationed nearby, and worried about fingerprints on the weapon. He later informed Twiggs he intended to surrender to authorities voluntarily.

A Discord channel tied to Robinson under the username “tyler/ikum” was also entered into evidence, along with a photograph of a handwritten note Twiggs found under Robinson’s keyboard the night of the shooting — a note that was inadvertently broadcast to media during the proceedings before officials caught the error.

Sergeant Jennifer Faumina of the Utah State Bureau of Investigation, who oversaw the crime scene, testified that a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel was recovered from bushes near campus, along with a fired cartridge casing and three unfired rounds bearing engraved messages. Search warrants executed at Robinson’s residence turned up a Dremel tool and bits, ammunition, shoes matching surveillance footage, a cartridge marked “test shot,” and multiple shooting targets. DNA testing on the rifle, cartridges, and Dremel tool all returned results implicating Robinson as a likely contributor.

A defense witness, ATF forensic examiner Samantha Carner, testified that while she conducted toolmark and rifling analysis on the recovered bullet fragments, the quality and quantity of the markings were insufficient to either conclusively link or exclude them from the recovered firearm.

Judge Graf ultimately decided not to issue closing arguments Friday as originally scheduled, instead asking both sides to submit written briefs on whether probable cause has been established, with oral arguments now set for September 1.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration is facing criticism over a city map highlighting immigrant neighborhoods that omits longstanding Jewish, Italian, and Irish communities despite their historic role in shaping the city.

The map, titled “New York City Immigrant Enclaves,” was promoted by the administration in May and features 30 neighborhoods representing communities including Yemeni, Pakistani, Egyptian, Palestinian, Chinese, Korean, Albanian, Colombian, Dominican, Ecuadoran, Indian, Haitian, Polish, and others.

Critics argue the map overlooks some of New York’s best-known historic immigrant neighborhoods, including Little Italy and longtime Irish and Jewish communities that played a major role in the city’s growth during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Queens Councilwoman Joann Ariola criticized the omissions, telling the New York Post that the administration appeared to have excluded Jews, Italians, and Irish residents from its depiction of the city’s immigrant heritage.

“They were able to get a Little Bhod-Tibet in there, but what about the original ‘Little neighborhood,’ Little Italy?” Ariola asked. “And what about areas like Woodlawn, in the Bronx, which are home to plenty of Irish immigrants? Do the Irish and Italians not count for the Mayor’s office?”

State Assemblyman Kalman Yeger also criticized the map, accusing the mayor of excluding the Jewish community.

“Mr. Mamdani’s erasing Jews is an essential part of his brand. No surprise.”

Joseph Scelsa, founder of the Italian American Museum on Mulberry Street, called the omission “a terrible mistake.”

“Italian-Americans are still a major population in New York City. To not recognize where Italian-Americans came from and settled is a terrible mistake. I don’t understand why Little Italy isn’t included. I hope it’s an oversight,” Scelsa said.

Jewish author Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt also criticized the map in a post on X, writing, “The Mayor’s Office made a map of NYC’s immigrant enclaves: Little Africa, Little Poland, Little Palestine. But they just couldn’t figure out how to represent 11% of the city. Couldn’t decipher where the Jews are from.”

Other critics, including Manhattan Institute writer Christopher Rufo and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, also questioned the administration’s decision, with Pratt accusing City Hall of “deliberate subversion.”

Responding to the criticism, the mayor’s office said the map was designed to highlight neighborhoods with large foreign-born populations rather than religious communities.

The administration said the map “does not highlight religious groups,” adding that the project focuses on “neighborhoods in New York City that have substantial foreign-born populations from regions and countries around the world.”

City Hall also noted that the immigrant enclave initiative began under former Mayor Eric Adams and said additional neighborhoods will be added in the coming months.

Around 200 Jewish communal leaders, advocates and local officials gathered Wednesday night in Brooklyn for an Agudath Israel of America legislative reception, held amid growing concern over antisemitism in New York City.

Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Agudah’s new Washington office director, said the event underscored the value of relationship-building in advocacy work, noting that lawmakers need to know their communities in order to properly represent them.

The program honored elected officials who have taken a firm stance against Jew-hatred, with New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and City Comptroller Mark Levine each receiving “mezuzah” awards for their work on behalf of the Jewish community.

Levine, who is Jewish and previously chaired the City Council’s Jewish Caucus, said the gathering came at a difficult moment for the city’s Jewish community and offered a chance to show unity. He has been a vocal defender of Israel against calls, including from within City Hall, for New York City to boycott the Jewish state, and called Wednesday for stronger education initiatives and better tracking and prosecution of hate crimes. He affirmed that the community is “not going anywhere.”

Menin, another Jewish elected official, whose relatives survived the Holocaust, called the current rise in antisemitism “shameful and unconscionable,” pointing to recent vandalism incidents in Brooklyn and Queens, and highlighted Council efforts including buffer-zone legislation around houses of worship and schools. A companion bill establishing buffer zones around schools was vetoed by Mayor Mamdani after passing without a veto-proof majority.

Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Agudah’s director of New York government relations, detailed recent legislative wins during the program at Brooklyn Square Rooftop, including $243 million in state mandated services funding for non-public schools, more than $150 million for school and institutional security, statewide 50-foot buffer zones around houses of worship and schools, and the Mezuzah Protection Act. He also praised Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan to opt New York into the federal scholarship tax credit program once regulations are finalized.
“With antisemitism on the rise amidst increasing demonization of the Jewish community, it is gratifying to know we still have good friends in elected office standing up for us,” Silber told Belaaz.

Assemblyman Lester Chang, a Republican whose district includes parts of Brooklyn’s Orthodox community, attended to show solidarity, citing longstanding ties between the Chinese and Jewish communities. Chang recalled that his January 2025 resolution calling for the state to recognize an “Oct. 7 Remembrance Day” was blocked in committee by non-Jewish Democrats, failing by a single vote after what he described as last-minute committee reshuffling.

New York City failed to crack the top five in Travel + Leisure’s annual ranking of the best U.S. cities, landing in eighth place despite its global reputation as one of the country’s premier travel destinations.

According to the magazine’s annual Best Cities awards, which are based on reader voting as part of its long-running World’s Best Awards, Santa Fe, New Mexico, claimed the No. 1 spot, while Charleston, South Carolina, finished second after topping last year’s list.

New York earned an overall score of 88.5, trailing several smaller destinations that readers praised for their charm, culture, and hospitality.

Santa Fe, home to just over 90,000 residents and nestled at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, was recognized for its thriving arts community, acclaimed food scene, and appeal as a year-round destination. The city is also known for its distinctive Pueblo-style architecture and historic central plaza.

The plaza, designated as a National Historic Landmark, continues to serve as a cultural and commercial center where local artisans display and sell handcrafted works.

The city is also home to the San Miguel Chapel, widely believed to be the oldest church in the United States.

The article jokingly noted, “(Presumably, votes were counted and travel completed before it was revealed that wild rats in Santa Fe country tested positive for the plague — just saying.)”

Charleston, which slipped one place to second, still received strong praise from readers and earned an overall score of 87.3.

Readers highlighted the South Carolina city’s “excellent restaurants,” “Southern hospitality,” and “beauty and history.”

Charleston has also continued attracting new residents. In 2025, it recorded the highest net migration per capita in the nation, gaining nearly 80 new residents for every 10,000 people already living there.

Southern destinations continued to dominate the rankings, with Savannah, Georgia, placing third and New Orleans finishing fourth.

Chicago ranked as the highest-rated large city, coming in fifth overall.

Travel + Leisure contrasted Chicago with New York, writing, “Chicago’s got something for everyone. It’s a big city that’s not quite as crowded and fast-paced as New York, but still filled with more things to do than you’ll have time,” the editors explained.

Fort Worth, Texas, claimed sixth place, followed by Honolulu in seventh, narrowly edging out New York by just 0.06 points.

Despite its ranking, the publication emphasized New York’s enduring appeal, stating, “Whatever it is you’re looking for, you can find it in New York.”

Even so, recent surveys suggest the city’s tourism image has weakened. One study found New York ranked second only to Las Vegas among destinations American travelers most regretted visiting, with 9% saying they wished they had skipped the trip.

Tourism has also yet to fully recover, with New York City still below its pre-pandemic visitor levels earlier this year.

Although it missed out on the top spot in the travel rankings, New York recently earned the title of America’s “most sinful” city, surpassing Las Vegas due to its abundance of nightlife venues and high number of sexually transmitted infection cases.

Travel + Leisure’s Top 10 U.S. Cities for 2026

1. Santa Fe, New Mexico
2. Charleston, South Carolina
3. Savannah, Georgia
4. New Orleans, Louisiana
5. Chicago, Illinois
6. Fort Worth, Texas
7. Honolulu, Hawaii
8. New York City
9. Alexandria, Virginia
10. Greenville, South Carolina

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the Israeli aid delegation working in earthquake-stricken Venezuela, saying the team is not only helping the country recover from last month’s devastating earthquakes but is also restoring diplomatic ties nearly two decades after Caracas severed relations with Israel.

In a video message to the delegation’s leadership, Netanyahu told the head of the mission and IDF Home Front Command chief of staff, Elad Edri, along with Israel’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Yoed Magen, who is heading the delegation’s civilian component, that their work is showing both the Venezuelan government and its people the true character of the State of Israel.

The delegation has spent the past 10 days operating in several earthquake-hit areas at the request of the Venezuelan government, assessing damaged buildings and assisting with reconstruction. After meeting with Venezuela’s infrastructure minister, the Israeli team also drew up a national reconstruction plan that was approved by acting President Delcy Rodriguez.

Netanyahu noted the significance of the outreach given the history between the two countries: Venezuela cut diplomatic ties with Israel over the 2008-2009 Gaza war, and under then-President Hugo Chavez became one of Israel’s most vocal critics during the war sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 invasion.

Israel has voiced hope for improved relations with Caracas since the U.S. captured then-President Nicolas Maduro in January and backed Rodriguez’s rise to power. Edri said in the video that the delegation is proud to represent Israel, working day and night alongside the Venezuelan government’s Infrastructure Ministry, and noted the team has also connected with the local Jewish community, describing a warm reception from both officials and residents.

The White House on Thursday said President Trump’s decision to switch from the new Qatari-donated Air Force One back to the original presidential aircraft for his flight home from Turkey on Wednesday was a deliberate security tactic rather than a response to any specific threat.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the new plane is fully equipped with advanced security systems designed to protect the president and his staff, and that the administration uses every tool available, including distraction and misdirection, to counter threats against Trump.

The explanation came after Trump said Thursday that he is at the top of Iran’s “kill list,” a claim he made shortly before boarding the older Air Force One for the return trip to the U.S. from the NATO summit in Turkey.

The White House did not say whether any specific intelligence prompted the switch, and officials continued to deny that physical security concerns were behind the decision.

The Gerrer Chasidus world was shocked Thursday evening after Reb Yidel Toib, 77, one of the chassidus’s veteran and well-known baalei kriah, collapsed during a shiur held in the main Beis Medrash of the Gerrer shul on Yirmiyahu Street in Yerushalayim. He was niftar a short time later.

MDA responders, together with United Hatzalah, were rushed to the scene and immediately began CPR, in front of the many people present in the beus medrash at the time. Sadly, despite their efforts, Reb Yidel passed away.

Reb Yidel was related by marriage to the family of the Pnei Menachem of Gur zy”a, and several of his sons today serve as marbitzei Torah and askanim within the Gerrer community.

For close to a quarter of a century, he delivered the daf yomi shiur in Gur’s main beis medrash, earning a reputation as a serious talmid chacham. Beyond that, he headed Kollel Polin for over thirty years, a position the Pnei Menachem personally asked him to assume.

As relentless missile and drone attacks batter Ukraine’s capital, leaving dozens dead and thousands in distress, Kyiv’s Jewish community has mobilized an extensive humanitarian operation. Led by Chief Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, volunteers are distributing food, water, clothing and essential supplies to Jews and non-Jews alike who have been affected by the bombardments

Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, has endured one of its most devastating waves of bombardment since the outbreak of the war. In recent days, large-scale missile and drone attacks have struck residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure, claiming dozens of lives and leaving many more wounded.

The scale of the destruction prompted city authorities to declare an official day of mourning, while rescue teams continue searching through the rubble for survivors and victims.

In a statement to Belaaz, Rabbi Markovitch said:

“Over the past week, we’ve gone to sleep to the sound of explosions and woken up again and again to the noise of incoming missiles. It certainly hasn’t been easy. But when you’re able to help a Jewish man put on tefillin for the first time in his life, or bring a bag of food and clothing to someone whose home was destroyed and who breaks down in tears from gratitude, your entire perspective changes.”

Alongside the emergency services, JCC Beit Menachem Kyiv community has mobilized to provide assistance to those affected. Under the leadership of Kyiv’s Chief Rabbi and Chabad shaliach, Rabbi Yonatan Markovitch, community volunteers have launched a broad humanitarian relief effort to aid residents whose lives have been upended by the attacks.

Over the past several days, volunteers have been distributing food, bottled water, clothing, medications, essential supplies and other basic necessities to families whose homes were damaged, as well as to the elderly, the needy and anyone requiring immediate assistance, regardless of their religion. In addition to providing material aid, volunteers are offering practical support and guidance to families left without help in the wake of the devastation.

“At a time when the air raid sirens scarcely stop, our responsibility is to be here for every person in need,” Rabbi Markovitch said. “We are distributing food, water, and essential supplies, strengthening families and giving them hope. Our mission is to bring light precisely during these darkest moments for the people of Ukraine in general, and for the residents of Kyiv in particular.”