🎗️Lonny's War Update- October 566, 2023 - April 24, 2025 🎗️
Omri Miran’s family: On eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day an Israeli is crying out in a Hamas tunnel
After Hamas releases a propaganda video of hostage Omri Miran, his family okays the publication of a still image from the clip.
“On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, on which it’s customary to say ‘never again,’ there is an Israeli citizen crying out for help in a Hamas tunnel. This is a disgrace for the State of Israel,” Miran’s family says in a statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
“Our Omri is strong and will not break, but his heart is broken. A year and a half, and 58 hostages are waiting to be brought back. We will not give up and will continue to fight until Omri comes back to us.
- Sign of Life from Hostage Omri Miran; His Family: "On Holocaust Memorial Eve, an Israeli Cries Out from the Tunnels—Shame"
🎗️Day 566 that 59 of our hostages in Hamas captivity
**There is nothing more important than getting them home! NOTHING!**
“I’ve never met them,But I miss them. I’ve never met them,but I think of them every second. I’ve never met them,but they are my family. BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!”
We’re waiting for you, all of you.
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
A deal is the only way to bring
all the hostages home- the murdered for burial and the living for rehabilitation.
#BringThemHomeNow #TurnTheHorrorIntoHope
There is no victory until all of the hostages are home!אין נצחון עד שכל החטופים בבית
Red Alerts - Missile, Rocket, Drone (UAV - unmanned aerial vehicles), and Terror Attacks and Death Announcements
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A year after the previous video: Hamas published a sign of life from the hostage, who marked his 48th birthday about a week and a half ago. His family: "He is strong and won't break—but our hearts are broken." His wife at the Knesset: "What independence are you talking about? We surrender daily to a terror organization—simply by the fact that hostages remain in Gaza."
Hamas released a video today (Wednesday) documenting Omri Miran, four days after a sign of life from Elkanah Bohbot—and about a year after publishing another sign of life from the 48-year-old hostage. Omri's family requested that the video not be published but approved the release of a still image from it.
The Miran family stated: "On the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, when we vow 'Never Again,' an Israeli citizen cries for help from Hamas tunnels. This is a disgrace to the State of Israel. Our Omri is strong and won't break, but our hearts are shattered. For a year and a half, he and 58 other hostages have been waiting to be returned. We will not give up and will continue fighting until Omri comes home—especially to his two daughters, who wait with all their hearts to hug him."A picture of Omri that the family permitted for publication from the Hamas videoOmri Miran was abducted from Nahal Oz
Lishay Miran-Levy, Omri’s wife, participated today in a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hearing. "We’ve been living in a fiction for a year and a half," she cried out in pain. "What independence are you talking about? We surrender daily to a terror organization. Every day we wake up and hostages are still in Gaza—we surrender to them. That is the real surrender!"
About a week and a half ago, Omri marked a second birthday in captivity. "Lately, we’re told that families speak from emotion, and a country can’t be run on emotion alone," Lishay said. "What logic is there in a 3.5-year-old girl and a 2-year-old girl standing in a Tel Aviv square, blowing out a candle for their father’s birthday while he remains captive for a year and a half?" During the hearing, Lishay played a recording of her daughter describing a dream she had about her father.
On April 27 last year, Hamas released a sign of life from Miran and Keith Siegel, who was freed in the last deal. The latest video, showing Elkanah, was published two days after a senior Hamas official effectively rejected Israel’s proposal for a hostage deal and ceasefire. It was the third video of Elkanah released by Hamas—all within one month. In one of them, he was seen alongside hostage Yosef Chaim Ohana.
Last week, Islamic Jihad released the first filmed sign of life from hostage Rom Braslavski. His family approved the release of an excerpt from the full video, in which he is heard shouting: "All day I just scratch. All day I’m in pain. I don’t know what this illness is. Enough, enough. Please, Mr. Prime Minister. Please get me out of here. Trump—where are you? Where are your promises? Didn’t you say everyone would be released in a deal?"
Einav Zangauker: "Matan Will Be Kept Captive Out of Revenge"
Meanwhile, Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan, who is fighting for his release, said this morning that she spoke with senior officials last night—and from these conversations, she learned that "Netanyahu is planning personal revenge against me for my criticism."
In a conversation with Ynet, she explained: "From ongoing talks with those involved in negotiations and senior political officials, I understand—especially after yesterday’s cabinet meeting—that the intention is to pursue another 'initial deal,' which is a selective deal, and all the conclusions are clear."Einav Zangauker at a Protest Rally in Habima Square Organized by the 'Free in Our Land' CampaignAccording to her, "Netanyahu is surrendering to the emerging capitulation. In this deal, one hostage held with Matan will be released in any scenario. I know from intelligence that Matan is held only with him, and they are alone—I must warn that Bibi intends to leave Matan in captivity not just for political reasons, but out of vengeful motives."
She added: "I don’t know how a prime minister could even consider agreeing to release one and leave the rest. Matan has muscular dystrophy, and we know the conditions he’s held in—lack of proper nutrition, chains on his legs—everything worsens his condition, and Bibi doesn’t intend to fight for him. He wants him left to die in the tunnels, and I won’t accept that."
Hostage families have said in recent weeks that they understood from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hostage Coordinator Gal Hirsch that in a partial deal, Hamas would decide who is released. "Families were told Hamas determines the lists," Zangauker said today. "But on the other hand, some families are afraid to speak their minds in front of Bibi. They’re told to stay quiet and they’ll get them back."Matan Zangauker, from a Sign of Life Released by Hamas
She claimed, "The prime minister wants to pursue a 'Witkoff framework.' How can a prime minister not fight for his citizen, who is expected to remain alone in a tunnel? I’ve received indications that the Israeli government is the one submitting the lists." She accused Netanyahu of "pitting families against each other: 'We’re in a race for the humanitarian hostage.' If he says all are humanitarian, then bring a full deal. He is sentencing hostages to death, and I won’t accept that."
She concluded: "Matan must be freed—a 25-year-old citizen kidnapped in his pajamas from bed. He [Netanyahu] was elected to lead us, but he’s only leading us deeper into the abyss. Families are afraid to criticize because they’re told speaking out will harm the deal. If that’s the case, let’s all stay silent and get everyone back. But this is a partial deal. Bibi is acting out of personal revenge because of my criticism—he is condemning Matan to death." link
- Who Determines the Lists of Released Hostages? Netanyahu: It's Hamas. Likud: The Professionals Decide
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, told Ynet that from conversations with senior officials, she understood Netanyahu plans to leave her son in captivity out of vengeful motives. She claimed to have received indications that Israel is the one formulating the release lists. Likud responded—contradicting statements the prime minister made to the mother of hostage Avinatan Or just eight days ago.
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, said today (Wednesday) in a conversation with Ynet that she believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is retaliating against her in determining which hostages will be released and plans to leave her son Matan in captivity. "He does not intend to fight for my Matan and is going to leave him behind out of vengeful motives," she said.
Zangauker’s remarks prompted Likud spokesman Guy Levy to respond to the hostage mother and contradict statements made by the same Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to other hostage families. "For your information, the list is determined by professionals and not by the prime minister," Levy wrote to Zangauker. However, Netanyahu—just eight days ago—said, according to a statement from the Tikva Forum, that "Hamas alone" decides who will be on the lists. He made these remarks in a conversation with Ditza Or, mother of Avinatan Or.
Viki Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, also noticed the conflicting versions. "I assume that as the prime minister’s political spokesman, when you write here, it is with the prime minister’s knowledge and in coordination with him," she wrote to Likud spokesman Guy Levy. "Last week, I met with the prime minister, who looked me in the eyes and said Hamas decides who will be on the list. Here, you wrote that Israel decides. I would appreciate clarifications as soon as possible."
Zangauker told Ynet after the post she published this morning: "Families were told Hamas determines the lists, but on the other hand, some families are afraid to voice their opinions to Bibi. They are told to stay quiet and they’ll get them back. When I tell Bibi there’s a deal on the table and it’s selective, the PM says the military pressure is meant to bring Hamas back to negotiations. But I know he wants to pursue a ‘Witkoff framework.’ How is it that a prime minister won’t fight for his citizen, who is expected to remain alone in a tunnel? I’ve received indications that the Israeli government is the one submitting the lists, the one choosing the lists. The prime minister is pitting hostage families against each other."
Levy, for his part, wrote further to Zangauker: "To date, we have brought home 196 hostages from all parts of Israeli society and across the political spectrum, of course without any distinction based on religion, gender, or political affiliation. Among the survivors released so far, there are quite a few left-wing individuals whose family members were among the harshest critics of the prime minister, and some even participate in this criticism themselves today, after their release. But all of this, of course, has never factored even a fraction of a percent into the order of releases. The prime minister is committed to continuing to bring everyone home without any separation or distinction, including your dear Matan, and that is what he will do.""Netanyahu is planning personal revenge against me for my criticism." – Zangauker(Photo: Jack GUEZ / AFP)
Zangauker said this morning, as mentioned, that she spoke last night with senior officials—and from these conversations, she learned that "Netanyahu is planning personal revenge against me for my criticism." According to her, she understood from the officials that "Netanyahu is heading toward another partial, selective deal that will abandon the hostages left behind, and he also plans to deliberately leave my Matan alone in captivity—even though today he is not alone (but with another hostage). A sick citizen with muscular dystrophy will be left to die alone in a tunnel as revenge against his mother for criticizing."
Zangauker said: "On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, my son has been enduring his own Holocaust for a year and a half. The leader of the Jewish state can rescue him, but he chooses not to—because he is taking revenge on me. That is the unvarnished truth." link It is known through the years, as a political animal, Netanyahu is a vindictive politician, so Einav Zanguaker's worries about punishing her for all of her statements against Netanyahu are legitimate. It is strongly believed but not spoken much, that if it is up to Netanyahu, Einav's son, Matan will be the last hostage to be released when there will finally be a deal. A very sad situation.
- Israelis pack Hostages Square for gathering marking Holocaust Remembrance Day
Large crowds of Israelis fill Hostages Square in Tel Aviv for an event organized to coincide with Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Anat Angrest (left), mother of hostage Matan Angrest, speaks at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, alongside Holocaust survivor Aliza Landau, at a special gathering to mark Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 23, 2025. (Paulina Patimer / Hostages’ Families Forum)The gathering is arranged by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and the Zikaron BaSalon initiative (literally, “commemoration in the living room”), which brings Holocaust survivors’ stories to groups.
Large crowds of Israelis listen to an address by Holocaust survivor Aliza Landau at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, at a special Holocaust Remembrance Day gathering, to support the families of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, April 23, 2025. (Adar Eyal / Pro-Democracy Protest Movement)Among the speakers are Holocaust survivor Aliza Landau; Anat Angrest, mother of hostage Matan Angrest; and Kobi Ohel, father of hostage Alon Ohel.
- US envoy: I’m sure Edan Alexander is in a decent place; we’ll come for Hamas if he’s harmed
Adam Boehler says he could resume direct talks with Hamas, after they fell apart in March amid Israeli pushback; claims offer he made in those talks was coordinated with JerusalemThe Trump administration’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler speculated on Wednesday that the lone living American-Israeli hostage in Gaza is in “a decent place,” asserting that Hamas wouldn’t be “dumb” enough to harm him, as doing so would lead the US to “come after” the terror group.
“Because I think that Hamas is not dumb… Edan [Alexander] is in a good place… Because if Edan gets sick, if Edan has a cold, guess who’s getting blamed? Hamas,” Boehler told Al Jazeera. “I hope no hair on his head is hurt, or we’re going to come for them, and it’s not going to be pretty. So I believe Edan is fine.”
The comments came four days after Hamas released a propaganda video in which a gaunt and emotional Alexander pleaded with the Israeli and US governments to secure his release, after over a year and a half in captivity.
On Monday, Hamas claimed to have lost contact with the operatives holding Alexander in Gaza following an Israeli strike. It has not provided further updates on the matter.
The interview was Boehler’s first on the Israel-Hamas conflict in several weeks, following uproar in Jerusalem over unprecedented direct negotiations he held with Hamas officials to release Alexander and the bodies of four other American-Israeli hostages.
Israel found out about those talks after the fact, leading Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer to hold an angry call with Boehler, knocking him for negotiating on Israel’s behalf without keeping Jerusalem in the loop, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel last week.
But Boehler said in the Wednesday interview that the offer he made in early March for the five American hostages was “coordinated with Israel.”
A spokesperson for Dermer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Boehler’s offer included the release of 100 of the remaining 300 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails in exchange for Alexander, the Israeli official said last week, confirming reporting from The New York Times.
“I gave Hamas an offer. It was an offer that was decided in the United States, it was coordinated with Israel,” Boehler told Al Jazeera. “Hamas, at that time, wasn’t able to get there. Then Steve came out and talked about something else, and then [Hamas] came and accepted my offer.”
Hamas on March 14 announced that it was prepared to release Alexander and four other dual nationals. By then, though, Boehler’s direct channel with Hamas had all but fallen apart. Its existence had been leaked by Israel on March 5 in order to sabotage the envoy’s effort, a US official told The Times of Israel at the time.
Even US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Boehler’s talks a “one-off,” while Witkoff avoided speaking out in Boehler’s defense, even though the latter’s talks were fully coordinated with him. Instead, Witkoff sought to advance his own hostage release proposal, which was transmitted through Qatari and Egyptian mediators. That indirect channel has yet to bear fruit, though.
Boehler gave a series of interviews on March 9 seeking to defend his direct talks with Hamas, but the TV appearances only further angered Netanyahu’s inner circle, leading Dermer to urge his US counterparts to sideline the Trump envoy, the Israeli official said.
Dermer’s effort initially appeared to work, as Boehler rescinded his nomination to become the US special presidential envoy for hostage affairs on March 19. But on Wednesday, Boehler went public with the news that he had been given a slightly different title — special envoy for hostage response.
The new position doesn’t come with the rank of ambassador, but it also doesn’t require Senate confirmation, and grants him a broader mandate, allowing him to assist Americans held wrongfully abroad who don’t meet the legal definition of “hostage” or “wrongfully detained.”
With his spot in the Trump administration seemingly secure, Boehler said “it is possible” that his direct talks with Hamas could resume.
He argued that the Trump administration is principally in favor of the direct negotiation approach, explaining that it makes for faster communication with “no confusion.” The US envoy pointed to the direct talks that Washington has held with Iran and Russia, noting that negotiations with the Kremlin have led to the release of two Americans.
He urged Hamas in the Al Jazeera interview to negotiate with more urgency “and identify an offer that they know Israel and the United States can accept, and end this.”
“Hamas knows exactly where we stand, and they’re welcome to put something together that meets our criteria with hostages,” Boehler added.
He urged Hamas to release all 59 remaining hostages — 24 of whom are believed to still be alive — unilaterally.
“The fighting would end immediately if the hostages are released,” Boehler said, adding that this would allow for the rehabilitation of Palestinians to move forward.
Israel has said it will only agree to end the war if Hamas’s military and governing capabilities have been dismantled, snubbing Hamas offers to release all of the hostages at once in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.
Boehler, for his part, also called for Hamas to “disarm” and defended Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza.
He also characterized the recent protests of thousands of Palestinians throughout Gaza against Hamas as “very impressive and beautiful to see.”
“It shows that moderate people in those regions are real good people [who are] willing to put their lives at risk,” he said. link How absolutely stupid could this guy be? He was in direct negotiations with Hamas and doesn't know the first thing about them. Does he realize what exactly happened on October 7? Does he have an inkling that 1200 people were brutally tortured, raped, burned alive, murdered by these barbarians? Shouldn't he know that 40 hostages were killed while in Hamas captivity? Doesn't he have any awareness that these terrorists don't give a damn that they have killed and are holding Americans? What planet has this guy been living on? This seems like Pinocchio was sent to resolve the world's economic crisis. Unbelievable!
The one thing that he has right is the need to have direct negotiations. This is the way to have quick and efficient negotiations and outcomes. Netanyahu has fought direct negotiations even though it was direct negotiations (with my brother as the secret direct channel between the Israeli government and Hamas) that finally got the soldier Gilad Schalit released after 5 years and 4 months in Hamas captivity. It is disingenuous for Netanyahu to be against direct negotiations. The problem with direct negotiations for him could be that agreements could be reached that are opposed to his personal agenda and that is one of the main reasons he is against direct negotiations. He also knows that the Americans may agree to certain parameters of a deal and then force them upon him such as ending the war and pulling back our troops. - Weeping, mother of freed hostage says Auschwitz reminds her of captives’ plight
Shelly Shem Tov, mother of released hostage Omer Shem Tov, says her instinct to come to Auschwitz for March of the Living was correct.
“I was right to come here and hear the stories and see the pictures and the exhibits, of mounds of eyeglasses,” says Shem Tov.
She weeps, says she is thinking about how hostages were taken captive by Palestinian terrorists on October 7, 2023, their glasses taken away from them so that they couldn’t see.
“Or a mother who told her child to hide in a closet during the Holocaust just as they did on October 7,” says Shem Tov.
“People are crying from the tunnels, ‘Save me, save me.’ Omer came back out, others are still calling. We must return them home and repair our nation.”
- ‘Same kind of torture’: At March of the Living, ex-hostages, relatives of captives draw parallels
Former hostages held in Gaza and captives’ family members gather outside a crematorium at Auschwitz at the start of March of the Living.
Releases hostage Eli Sharabi stands with his brother Sharon Sharabi.
“We will never forget or forgive,” says Sharabi, adding that he is at Auschwitz with hostages’ relatives, released hostages and bereaved families.
“The land of Israel is a reminder that the Jewish nation will last forever. We sanctify life, not death. And the unwritten contract between the State of Israel and its citizens is to bring back the 59 hostages now to their homeland and for burial in their land,” he says.
It is the second year in which hostages and relatives of abductees have come to Auschwitz for the March of the Living.
Michael Kupershtein, Holocaust survivor and grandfather of hostage Bar Kupershtein, says the Germans wanted to kill all the Jews, and this same hate caused children, women and men to be murdered on October 7, 2023.
His wife, Faina Kupershtein, says her grandson is going through almost the “same kind” of torture that Holocaust survivors experienced.
Tzili Wenkert, grandmother of released hostage Omer Wenkert, recalled that when she was a baby her family had to survive a ghetto in Romania.
“We immigrated to Israel in 1965 and had two sons there, and I never dreamed something like this could happen,” says Wenkert of the October 7 attack.
- Strike on former school in Gaza City targeted Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives
The IDF and Shin Bet say an airstrike early this morning targeted Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives embedded within a former school in Gaza City.
The strike on the Yaffa School, which served as a shelter for displaced Gazans, killed at least six Palestinians, according to local media reports.
According to the military, Hamas and Islamic Jihad were using the school as a command center to plan and carry out attacks on Israel and troops.
The IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including the use of a “precision munition, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.”
“The terror organizations systematically violate international law while taking over civilian infrastructure, and while brutally exploiting the civilian population as a human shield for its terror attacks,” the military adds.
- Israeli strike targets terror operatives in northern Gaza command center, IDF and Shin Bet say
The IDF and Shin Bet say an airstrike in northern Gaza’s Jabalia a short while ago targeted a group of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives at a command center used by the terror groups.
Palestinian media reports that the strike targeted Jabalia’s former police station, and that at least nine people were killed.
According to the IDF, the site was used by the terror operatives to plan and carry out attacks on Israeli civilians and troops.
The IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike, including the use of a “precision munition, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.”
“The terror organizations systematically violate international law while taking over civilian infrastructure, and while brutally exploiting the civilian population as a human shield for its terror attacks,” the military adds.
Gaza and the South
- IDF says 9 Hezbollah operatives killed in Lebanon strikes this past week
In a summary of activities in Lebanon over the past week, the IDF says it killed nine Hezbollah operatives and struck over 40 sites belonging to the terror group.
The IDF says the strikes come as part of efforts to prevent Hezbollah from rearming. Operatives involved in Hezbollah’s regrouping efforts and those who Israel says were violating the ceasefire were targeted.
It publishes footage of some of the strikes this past week.
Since the start of the ceasefire in Lebanon, the IDF says it has killed over 140 Hezbollah operatives.
- Syrian leader has expressed interest in normalizing ties with Israel — report
New Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says that Damascus, “under the right conditions,” seeks to normalize ties with Israel, US Congressman Cory Mills tells Bloomberg after meeting with the president in Syria on Friday.
Mills says he held talks with Sharaa about the conditions for removing US-imposed economic sanctions, as well as peace with Israel, according to the report.
Sharaa told Mills during their meeting that Syria is interested “under the right conditions” in joining the Abraham Accords — the series of normalization agreements that US President Donald Trump’s previous administration negotiated between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and others.
According to Mills, Sharaa is also open to clarifying how he plans to address the presence of foreign fighters still operating in Syria and offer guarantees to Israel, which remains deeply distrustful of the Syrian leader and opposes any easing of sanctions.
Syria’s new Islamist-led leadership has pushed for the US and Europe to fully lift sanctions so the country can kickstart an economy decimated by more than a decade of civil war.
Mills, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees, and US Congressman Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, both landed in Damascus on Friday to meet Syrian officials, the first visit by American lawmakers to the war-ravaged country since Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power by an Islamist-led rebel offensive in December.
Mills met with Sharaa, who is still under US and UN sanctions for his previous ties to al-Qaeda, on Friday night, during which the two discussed US sanctions and Iran during a 90-minute meeting.
Mills told Bloomberg that he will bring Trump a letter from Sharaa, without providing details on its contents, and that he will brief the US president and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz after his trip.
“I am cautiously optimistic and look to maintain open dialog,” Mills tells Bloomberg. link A-Shaara's statements are monumental, as many of them have been since the overthrow of Assad. He has clearly stated that he will not allow any other country or organization (such as Hizbollah and Hamas) to conduct wars or terror from Syrian territory and that he wants to have peace with his neighbors. In my opinion, those statements alone were a gateway to us needing to open up channels of communication with the new regime. Unfortunately, our leaders who are no more than petty politicians can't see earth changing opportunities even when they are thrown in their face. Our foreign minister, one of the most politically opportunistic politicians in the arena today has only made negative and alarming comments about the new regime and has been warning Europe and the US not to be fooled by them. I think he is the fool and the one being fooled. What should have been a diplomatic initiative taken by our own political and diplomatic core will be taken by others, such as the Trump Administration and we will eventually be brought to the table (hopefully), but it would be a whole lot better if we were the ones engaging in direct communication.
600 Syrian Druze clerics said set to visit Israel tomorrow for pilgrimage, including overnight stay
Defense Minister Israel Katz has approved the entry of 600 Syrian Druze clerics into Israel tomorrow to celebrate the holiday of Ziyara at the tomb of Nabi Shuaib in the Lower Galilee, the Walla news site reports.
This would mark the first time Syrian Druze visitors are permitted to stay overnight in Israel. They will return to Syria the following day.
In March, Katz authorized a similar visit for 60 clerics, who met with the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, Sheikh Muafak Tarif, and visited the sacred site.
The IDF’s Northern Command is expected to heighten its readiness during the visit and will oversee the crossing of the clerics across the border, according to the report.
- Settlers reportedly torch Palestinian home and adjacent agricultural lands in Jordan Valley
Palestinian media reports that Israeli settlers in the Jordan Valley of the West Bank torched a home and adjacent agricultural lands in the Palestinian village of Bardala.
Locals say ambulances and firetrucks trying to reach the scene have been blocked by Israeli authorities. video`
- 20 Hasidic men enter Palestinian village overnight, hurl stones at Palestinians
A security official tells The Times of Israel that 20 Breslov Hasidim entered the Palestinian village of Kifl Haris in the northern West Bank last night without coordination with authorities.
The site is occasionally visited by Jews due to the belief that the tomb of the biblical prophet Joshua is located there.
The Hasidic men are documented throwing stones and leaving the area after a few minutes. No Palestinian injuries have been reported. The IDF has not issued an official response. video
- Politics and the War and General News
- Ben Gvir vows ‘full backing’ to cops who fatally shoot civilians in self-defense
Far-right minister touts laws championed by his party that drastically expand police powers, says ‘there would be the death penalty’ if he could only convince NetanyahuNational Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir promised his “full backing” to police officers who fatally shoot civilians in apparent acts of self-defense, during a Sunday police ceremony in Beit Shemesh.
Held at the city’s National Police Academy ahead of Independence Day, the annual ceremony attended by Ben Gvir and Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy saw senior officers awarded new ranks and appointments.
The far-right minister hailed the so-called “shift in course” that occurred in law enforcement since he first took office, rattling off a litany of new changes he introduced to the police.
“If, in the past, when a criminal fired at a police officer who was forced to kill him, there was a stuttering response from the office of the minister, today there is no stuttering, no tut-tutting. There is complete backing,” Ben Gvir said. “If a terrorist throws a petrol bomb at a warrior, who eliminates him, I want to know how he can be promoted.”
The minister also called for Israel to begin imposing the death penalty, asserting that “for terrorists there is no redemption, there is no remedy or rehabilitation.”
“If I were able to convince the prime minister, there would be the death penalty and there would also be the electric chair. With God’s help, we will get there,” he said.
Ben Gvir also took credit for leading a “historic reform” that broadened civilian eligibility to bear arms, pointing to a sharp rise in gun permits granted on his watch.
Before taking the helm, he said, the average number of gun permits issued per year stood at 8,000, but has since risen to a staggering 200,000 permits issued each year on his watch.
The gun licensing boom under Ben Gvir has prompted fears of a growing deadly threat to victims of domestic abuse.
That fear became reality earlier this month in Jerusalem, when Esther Dadashi Cohen, a 35-year-old mother of four, was shot dead by her husband, who then proceeded to shoot himself.
Hebrew outlets reported at the time that he had held a permit for the gun since July 2023.
Dadashi’s younger brother Moshe railed against the current firearms regulations in a letter to the Michal Sela Forum, an NGO combating domestic violence.
“The existing licensing laws are illogical — and they endanger us,” he said, adding that he would dedicate his life to “changing the gun regulations in this country… so not every psychopath will be able to own a personal firearm.”
On top of his efforts to loosen the criteria for acquiring a firearm license, Ben Gvir also touted several laws allowing police broad discretion when pursuing criminals.
“We’ve given you vast tools of administrative restrictions,” he told his audience, referring to a recently passed law allowing police to drastically curb suspects’ freedom of movement and expression on the basis of secret evidence.
He lauded another 2023 law allowing police to “search homes without a warrant,” which was jointly spearheaded by his Otzma Yehudit party and Yisrael Beytenu, in the opposition.
Israel Police chief Levy also addressed the event, announcing that next month the police plan to launch a “long-term strategic plan” to combat crime in Arab society.
“We are conducting a determined and consistent fight against crime, with an emphasis on crime in Arab society. We will destroy this monster… it is our commitment to the Arab sector,” Levy said.
There have been at least 76 homicides in the Arab community since the start of 2025 — a similar pace to 2024 and 2023, according to the Abraham initiatives.
The coexistence group has recorded the unprecedented rise in violent crime in the Arab community in the first two years in office of Ben Gvir, whose portfolio includes the police. link. This article is filled with very scary things that this convicted criminal minister of internal 'insecurity' has done and is proud of having done that show dangerous breakdowns of our society and put our fading democracy going swiftly down that slippery slope. We see almost daily the police violence against protesting citizens, the illegal activities and arrests of the police, the police enabling the Jewish terrorists attacks and killing of Palestinians and the continuing degradation of civil rights by this failed and corrupt government. However, none of Ben Gvir's actions come as a surprise to anyone. He has promoted these actions and laws for years but he had no power because no one would normalize his abhorrent behavior or accept his illegal activities and his criminal conviction for support of a terrorist organization and inciting racism. The army refused to take him because of the dangers he presented to the army and those around him. He spent his professional life as a lawyer defending the worst of the worst Jewish terrorists. And then we have the desperate Netanyahu who would go to the lowest of the low in order to put together a coalition so he could stay prime minister, took in the extremists Ben Gvir and Smotrich and all of their cronies who were always on the fringe and he normalized their extremism, racism, hatred of the other, and put their extreme plans before anything else. Yes, they are dangerous and should never ever have any public roles to have impact on the society, but the most dangerous person is Netanyahu who brought them in and would do anything for his own self interests above all the interests of the country.
- The Heroism of a Holocaust Survivor on the Day of the Massacre: "The Terrorist Stood Before Me and I Thought It Was the End"On October 7, when the sirens sounded, Jacqueline Glicksman (82) entered the safe room in her home in Ein HaShlosha. Her heroic actions were mentioned in the IDF's investigation: terrorists located her, robbed her, and she managed to jump out the window and escape. Later, she returned the deputy security coordinator's phone to him, making it operational again: "I was shaking and crying. The next day, I saw my house had burned down."
"I heard 'Allahu Akbar' from the yard, I thought it was the end." Holocaust survivor Jacqueline Glicksman, 82, was in her home in Ein HaShlosha when the sirens sounded on the morning of October 7. Following the publication of the IDF's investigation into what happened in the kibbutz, she recounts the terrorists who reached her home—and how, with great resourcefulness, she assisted the deputy security coordinator."At 6:30 in the morning, there was a 'Red Alert,' so I entered the safe room and sat on the bed," Jacqueline described the first moments she experienced on Simchat Torah morning. "I had a phone and tablet with me. I waited and waited, there was a lull, and I went to the kitchen to make myself breakfast. My son from the U.S. called me, and suddenly I hear 'Allahu Akbar.' I quickly returned to the safe room, and after a few minutes, I heard noises inside my house again and things breaking. I thought it was the army."She continued: "The safe room door opens, and an armed terrorist is standing in front of me. He put a finger to his lips—signaling me to be quiet. I looked at him and didn’t react. I sat and stared at him. I thought it was the end. He took my phone and opened it, also the tablet, opened the closet drawer, left, and closed the door."If Jacqueline thought this would be the only time she encountered a terrorist that morning—reality surprised her again. "I kept waiting in the safe room, and suddenly I heard noise from the window, the shutter being broken and the metal window being moved," she explained. "Three of them stood there and demanded money from me. I raised my hands and tried to explain, in my own way, that they had already taken my phone and money—the same terrorist from before. I sat on the bed and heard rustling behind the safe room door. I assumed something bad was about to happen."Then, with remarkable resourcefulness, she decided to take control of her fate—and escape after the terrorists set her house on fire. "I decided to put my foot on the dresser, climbed onto the windowsill, and jumped outside. I tried to run along the path behind the house, and I saw my friend Sylvia Miransky’s house burning. I ran to the secretariat area because I thought the standby squad was there and would protect me. I was shaking and crying. At the secretariat, I saw our security coordinator’s pickup truck blown up and him lying lifeless on the ground. I told myself, 'It can’t be. It’s not Rami, it’s not Rami,'" she shared."My entire life burned up at that moment." The charred home (Photo: Courtesy of the subject)Jacqueline later explained how she helped the deputy security coordinator regain communication. "I kept running, and along the way, I saw a phone. I picked it up and kept running, knocking on doors and asking if someone could let me in. Suddenly, someone saw me through a window and called out, 'Marcelo, Marcelo' (the deputy security coordinator). He came and told her he knew me. I ran toward their door, they opened it, and I quickly entered their safe room and sat down. I was exhausted. I told them I’d found a phone, and Marcelo said, 'Yes, it’s mine.' It fell when he went out and encountered the terrorists," she said."The next day, I saw my house had burned down. My entire life burned up at that moment. Sixty years of my life were there. Everything was gone. It was completely burned, and now it’s demolished. My friend Sylvia died in her home. It’s horrible. My children said, 'Mom, you did the right thing.' Everything they reported yesterday, we already knew. We lived it. It doesn’t feel good. The saddest part is not knowing what comes next. No one knows," she concluded.Earlier, as mentioned, the IDF published its investigation into the battle in Ein HaShlosha, detailing how, despite the kibbutz’s location in the heart of the Gaza envelope—near Kibbutz Nir Oz—Hamas’s attack did not achieve the horrific outcome it did in neighboring communities.The investigation revealed that a severe malfunction in the Gaza Division prevented orders from reaching forces on the ground—but, in hindsight, this almost entirely saved the kibbutz near the border: Four people were murdered on October 7 in Ein HaShlosha, located just three kilometers from the Gaza border, where 15 terrorists infiltrated in the first wave of the massacre and dozens more in a subsequent wave.Jacqueline Glicksman's Burned-Down Home
The reason, as mentioned, was a severe communication failure between the command centers in the sector. The Gaza Division issued an order around 3:00 a.m. for forces to distance themselves from the border fence to avoid arousing Hamas’s suspicion that their movements in the Strip had been detected overnight due to "indicators" of a possible attack. However, this order never reached the ground forces of the Kisufim sector battalion because it got stuck between command centers—and the soldiers never received it.Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha stated:"Following the IDF investigation that referred to the standby squad’s performance that Saturday, we wish to express our anger and disappointment at the claim that the squad’s performance was ineffective. Particularly troubling is the fact that the army is attempting to shift blame onto the standby squad’s preparedness, which is neither fair nor correct.It is important to emphasize that the responsibility and preparedness of the standby squad lie with the IDF, including the number of annual training sessions, the quantity of weapons in the community, oversight, and supervision. It is neither right nor fair for the investigation to refer to the squad’s effectiveness without addressing the challenging conditions under which they operated and the steps taken by the Defense Ministry before the war that led to this situation.For nearly a decade, there has been a persistent struggle to recognize the standby squads and security coordinators. The army sought to reduce the squads and their salaries, including by removing weapons from the kibbutz, leaving the squad with only four weapons on that cursed Saturday (one of which was with the security coordinator, who was killed around 7:11 a.m., and his weapon was stolen)."The squad members went out to fight at the security coordinator’s command, doing everything they could with the means at their disposal, despite the lack of preparation for such events—which is the IDF’s responsibility. We are proud of our standby squad members and stand behind them. They showed courage and acted with sound judgment, playing a significant role in defending the kibbutz. From the outbreak of the war until today (now the community defense unit), they have worked tirelessly to protect the kibbutz. We demand that full responsibility be placed on the appropriate parties and that the efforts to defend the kibbutz receive the recognition they deserve." link
- The Region and the World
- Jordan accuses Muslim Brotherhood of destabilizing kingdom, producing and stockpiling arms
Jordan’s interior minister accuses the country’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood of seeking to destabilize the kingdom, as well as manufacturing and stockpiling weapons, after moving to ban the group.
Weaponry seized in what Jordan said was a plot linked to the Muslim Brotherhood to carry out attacks on targets inside the kingdom involving rockets and drones, April 15, 2025. (Jordanian General Intelligence Department via X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya tells reporters that “members of the so-called Muslim Brotherhood… are operating in the shadows and engage in activities that could undermine stability and security.” He adds that authorities found “explosives and weapons transported between Jordanian cities and stored in residential areas,” as well as covert missile manufacturing facilities and “training and recruitment operations” linked to the group.
- More Than a Year After the War's Outbreak: Antisemitism Continues to Rage WorldwideA new report from Tel Aviv University indicates that the number of antisemitic incidents worldwide remains high in 2024, even more than a year after October 7. Some countries saw a decline compared to 2023, which was a record year. And also: The dismal handling by law enforcement.Antisemitism is raging—and dismal enforcement statistics(Photo: Reuters)The number of antisemitic incidents worldwide remains very high compared to the years before the war, but in 2024, a moderate decline in antisemitism was recorded in some countries, according to the annual report on the state of global antisemitism published by Tel Aviv University today (Wednesday), on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day. The report states that only a tiny fraction of complaints about antisemitic attacks lead to arrests, and in several countries with large Jewish populations, an increase in antisemitic incidents was recorded.Broadly speaking, the report shows that the number of antisemitic incidents has declined compared to 2023 but remains significantly higher than before the war. According to the report, the peak of the antisemitic wave was immediately after the October 7 attack.A particularly sharp spike in antisemitic incidents was recorded in Australia, with increases also seen in the U.S., Italy, Spain, Canada, Argentina, and Brazil.According to the report, only a tiny fraction (less than 10%) of complaints about antisemitic attacks led to arrests and indictments: In New York, about a third of antisemitic incident instigators were arrested—significantly fewer than for other hate crimes. In Chicago, the arrest rate stood at around 10% of cases reported to police. In Toronto, only 6% of reports to police about antisemitic activity led to an arrest, and in London, the arrest rate was 4%."There are unique, objective difficulties in identifying perpetrators of hate crimes. Still, much more could be done—if there was a will. Education and legislation without enforcement are meaningless. The fight against antisemitism requires determination from law enforcement and prosecutors, not pompous declarations and ceremonies," said Dr. Carl Yonker, a senior researcher at the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry and academic director of the Irwin Cotler Institute.The report’s lead editor, Prof. Uriya Shavit, added: "Around the world, antisemitism levels remain significantly higher than before the October 7 attack. However, contrary to popular belief, the report’s findings show that the antisemitic wave did not steadily intensify following the war in Gaza and the humanitarian disaster there. The peak in incidents was in October-December 2023. The sad truth is that antisemitism reared its head the moment the Jewish state appeared weaker than ever and under existential threat."Antisemitic incident in Amsterdam, archive(Photo: AP, News)Pro-Palestinian protest at Harvard University(Photo: Reuters)United States:In New York, the city with the largest Jewish population in the U.S. (1.5 million Jews), the upward trend in antisemitic hate crimes continued (344 hate crimes recorded, compared to 325 in 2023 and 264 in 2022).The same was true in Chicago, the city with the third-largest Jewish population in the U.S. (79-50-39). Data for Los Angeles, the city with the second-largest Jewish population, was not published.France:The number of antisemitic incidents in the country decreased slightly in 2024, standing at 1,570. It remains far higher than before the war, when only 436 incidents were recorded.Physical attacks increased in 2024. 106 incidents of antisemitic physical violence were recorded in 2024, compared to 85 in 2023 and 43 in 2022.Pro-Palestinian protest in SpainPro-Palestinian protests in GermanyCanada:In Canada, B’nai Brith recorded an increase in antisemitic incidents in 2024—6,219 incidents, compared to 5,791 in 2023 and 2,769 in 2022.United Kingdom:The UK recorded 3,529 antisemitic incidents in 2024—a slight decline compared to 2023 (4,103 incidents) but a sharp increase from 2022 (1,662 incidents).Most incidents were classified as "offensive behavior," alongside 201 cases of assault and 37 cases of objects being thrown at Jewish victims.Australia:Australia saw an upward trend in antisemitic incidents in 2024, with 1,713 such incidents, compared to 1,200 in 2023.Among the antisemitic incidents in Australia over the past year were threats and spitting at a 77-year-old Jewish woman during an anti-antisemitism protest in Melbourne, the smashing of synagogue windows, and vandalism at the home of a former leader of a Jewish organization.Pro-Palestinian student protests at U.S. universities(Photo: AP).link Prior to the war, I was a firm advocate for saying that being anti-Israel, or anti-Israel government of army equals anti-semitism. If that was the case, so many of us leftist Israelis and Jews would be considered antisemites because we were against this extremist government and their actions as well as many of the actions of the army in the West Bank against innocent Palestinians. Sure, there are plenty of people who are anti Israel and also antisemites.
But so much changed following the October 7 attack and massacre. Israel's 'hasbara' (information/PR) system was totally broken after years of elimination of budgets and positions by the successive Netanyahu governments, yet the PR machine of Hamas and Hamas supporters was a well funded and well oiled machine that had been building its infrastructure and mechanisms for years in the US and Europe and it was being funded by Qatar, Iran and Russia. Qatar, for years invested billions of dollars in universities, particularly in the US, endowing full departments and determining the professors and instructors who would lead and teach there. As a result of their mega money donations, they also caused major changes in those universities administrations and how they would handle antisemitic and anti Israel incidents while promoting the teaching of the same. The immediate protests, sit-ins, marches seen in campuses and cities across the US and Europe did not happen spontaneously, they were planned and directed by the organizations and people who were put in place, just waiting for the green light. They helped to change the map and aligned anti Israel with antisemitism and it was seen and is still seen in the attacks of Jewish students on campuses throughout the US. Just being Jewish is enough to be attacked, verbally and physically and it has nothing to do with Israel. Hamas, in its original charter doesn't only call for the destruction of Israel but also the destruction of Jews and we saw that in action on October 7 and everything that followed.
'In the middle of chaos, I called my mother'
'I promised my daughter I’d survive'
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-850753
Acronyms and Glossary
ICC - International Criminal Court in the Hague
IJC - International Court of Justice in the Hague
MDA - Magen David Adom - Israel Ambulance Corp
PA - Palestinian Authority - President Mahmud Abbas, aka Abu Mazen
PMO- Prime Minister's Office
UAV - Unmanned Aerial vehicle, Drone. Could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance, or be weaponized with missiles or contain explosives for 'suicide' explosion mission
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