Feed aggregator

Senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal on Sunday reiterated the terrorist group’s opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand to lay down arms and vowed “to defeat our enemy, Israel, God willing.”

Speaking at the 17th Al Jazeera Forum in Doha, Qatar, Mashaal said that the Islamist group would not disarm during the current Phase 2 of Trump’s plan, which calls for Hamas to lay down its weapons with the deployment of an International Stabilization Force to the Gaza Strip.

“As long as our people are under occupation,” he told attendees, “talk of disarmament is an attempt to turn our people into victims, to make their elimination easier and to facilitate their destruction at the hands of the Israeli side, which is armed with every international means of warfare.

“Questions about the resistance’s weapons are being raised forcefully. Some want to place it in the context that whoever carried out Oct. 7 must be cornered and made to pay the price,” continued Mashaal, in reference to the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of some 1,200 people.

“As those who participated in the resistance, we must not accept this,” he declared, saying that “resistance is the right of occupied peoples.”

Mashaal praised the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, during which around 1,200 people, primarily Jewish civilians, were murdered, thousands were wounded and 251 were taken hostage.

The massacre “returned the Palestinian cause to the forefront of regional and international attention, and it is no longer possible to bypass it; resolving it has become a necessity,” he told the forum.

Mashaal again vowed to defeat Israel, saying that the Jewish state “represents an existential threat and danger to us and the region.”

Asked about the U.S.-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, a transitional Palestinian body meant to exclude Hamas, Mashaal stressed the terrorist organization’s rejection of “foreign rule” over the Strip.

“We do not accept the logic of guardianship, foreign intervention or the re-imposition of a new mandate,” the Hamas leader told the summit.

Mashaal praised Doha for its support of the Palestinian cause, saying, “Qatar is a small country, but its role is great and respected.”

Doha “sympathizes and has an honorable stance on the issue, but Israel resents it,” he said. “They waged a campaign against it for this position.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Thursday sharply criticized the Al Jazeera Forum, describing it as a “gathering of jihadists and their support staff.”

Trump warned on Jan. 21 that Hamas terrorists would be “blown away very quickly” if they fail to lay down their weapons under the second phase of Washington’s peace plan.

Speaking at a question-and-answer session in Davos, Switzerland, after his address to the World Economic Forum, the U.S. president said Hamas had “agreed to give up their weapons” as part of his 20-point plan.

Mashaal has repeatedly rejected demands to disarm, including on Dec. 6, when he declared that “protecting the resistance project and its weapons is the right of our people to defend themselves.

“The resistance and its weapons are the ummah‘s [Islamic nation’s] honor and pride,” he told an anti-Israel summit in Istanbul.

Senior Hamas terrorist Musa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera on Jan. 28 that the terrorist group had never agreed to disarm.

“Not for a single moment did we talk about surrendering weapons,” Abu Marzouk told the outlet, claiming the issue was never raised in the talks. JNS

{Matzav.com}

Attorney Chaim Bleicher of the Honenu legal aid organization submitted an appeal to the State Attorney’s Office against the decision of Israel’s Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) not to open an investigation into police officers who removed dozens of Chareidi passengers from a bus in northern Israel, leaving them stranded on the side of […]

President Donald Trump’s administration can continue to detain immigrants without bond, marking a major legal victory for the federal immigration agenda and countering a slew of recent lower court decisions across the country that argued the practice is illegal. A panel of judges on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday evening that […]

Israeli fighter jets were scrambled Sunday to escort a commercial passenger plane into Tel Aviv after a suspected security incident midflight. The aircraft, operated by Wizz Air, was traveling from London to Ben Gurion Airport when a couple onboard reported receiving what they believed was a security-related threat on a mobile phone, according to officials. […]

A TIME’S “Shas-a-thon” is underway today at the Kalahari Resort in Pennsylvania, where the entire Shas is being learned under one roof in a powerful show of achdus — all to bring hope, raise awareness, and provide support for couples struggling with infertility.

Rep. Mike Lawler responds to Chuck Schumer’s claim that President Trump was only willing to release federal funding for the Gateway Project if Penn Station were named after him.

A building collapsed in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon. Rescue efforts are ongoing, and it is currently unclear how many people are trapped beneath the rubble.

Russian state TV aired FSB footage showing agents escorting a suspect, identified as Ukrainian-born Russian citizen Lyubomir Korba, allegedly involved in the shooting of a top military-intelligence officer.

A banner was raised in Tehran’s Palestine Square, displaying a map of potential targets in the Greater Tel Aviv area, alongside a warning: In the face of a rain of missiles, this is a small area. You start… we finish it!

Trump: America’s Elections are Rigged, Stolen, and a Laughingstock all over the World. We are either going to fix them, or we won’t have a Country any longer.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: I believe that if our conclusion is that this seriousness exists on the opposing side, these negotiations will continue. There are signs that this seriousness exists, but there are also signs that this seriousness is faint. The continuation of certain sanctions and some activities in the military sphere, well, create […]

TRAGEDY IN OFAKIM: A deadly road accident occurred on Sunday near Ofakim, in which a 5-year-old Chareidi boy was hit by a car and killed. The initial collision triggered a chain reaction involving three other vehicles that overturned at the scene. MDA and United Hatzalah teams arrived quickly and provided extensive medical treatment, but tragically […]

Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi: The missile issue and the regional issue (proxies) has never been on the agenda of foreign negotiations so it hasn’t been removed because it was never included…

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi: We neither trust them (Americans) nor rule out the possibility of deception and trickery. We know very well this possibility exists… this might be a deception let no one be deceived. Everyone should go about their work and complete their regular tasks as if we were not negotiating at all, […]

US Investor Emerges in Talks to Buy Arkia After Costly War Losses Following tens of millions of dollars in losses during the war and a prolonged legal battle over Wizz Air’s effort to establish a hub in Israel, the Nakash brothers are holding advanced talks to sell control of Arkia Airlines. The negotiations are being […]

James Fishback, a Republican running for governor of Florida, is facing intense criticism after making a disparaging remark about the Kotel during a campaign appearance, drawing condemnation from Jewish organizations, civil rights advocates, and political commentators.

The controversy stems from comments Fishback delivered on February 5, 2026, during a speech at the University of Central Florida. While discussing his view that Florida should focus on strengthening economic relationships with countries such as Brazil rather than emphasizing diplomatic visits to Israel, Fishback declared, “I will not visit the state of Israel.” He continued, “I’d rather go to Brazil and other countries to bring jobs to Florida, and not visit countries just to kiss a stupid wall.”

Footage from the event shows members of the audience applauding and cheering following the remark.

WATCH:

James Fishback, candidate for Florida Governor at UCF:

“If you’re going to visit another country, you should be helping people, creating jobs, facilitating trade, not kissing a stupid wall.” pic.twitter.com/4we296VXHm

— Joan (@joanfromdc) February 5, 2026

StopAntisemitism, a U.S.-based organization dedicated to combating antisemitism, sharply criticized Fishback in a post on X, writing, “StopAntisemitism is disgusted to see James Fishback, candidate for Florida Governor, denigrate the Kotel, the holiest site to the Jewish people. Listen to the incel groypers he’s preaching to [respond] with applause.”

The organization pointed to the crowd’s reaction as evidence that the comment was calculated to appeal to specific online subcultures. Civil rights attorney and former Fox News contributor Leo Terrell also denounced the statement, saying it “made my blood boil.” Terrell urged the public to speak out, adding that similar language directed at sacred sites of other faiths would be unacceptable. He has previously described a visit to the Kotel as a defining moment in his career.

Bryan E. Leib, a former congressional candidate and Newsmax contributor, addressed the controversy in an op-ed published on February 6, 2026, describing Fishback’s words as “ignorant and offensive.” Leib called on Florida Republicans to reject the remarks, arguing that they revealed character rather than policy differences.

Leib also questioned the silence of party leaders, asking why the Florida GOP and other elected officials had not yet issued condemnations. He added that Fishback’s rhetoric suggested that millions of Florida voters who have visited the Kosel “are not worthy to be Americans.”

Fishback, a hedge fund manager who entered the governor’s race in 2025, has previously attracted attention for controversial statements. This latest episode, however, appears particularly damaging given Florida’s large and politically active Jewish population, one of the largest in the United States.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump wants to keep home prices high, bypassing calls to ramp up construction so people can afford what has been a ticket to the middle class. Trump has instead argued for protecting existing owners who have watched the values of their homes climb. It’s a position that flies in the face of what many economists, the […]

The Skverer Rebbe has taken delivery of a new vehicle, marking a notable change after decades in which he was driven in a Cadillac. This time, the choice of his chassidim was a top-of-the-line Genesis luxury car, specially prepared to meet the Rebbe’s unique needs.

The new vehicle arrived at the Rebbe’s residence in New Square, New York, just before Shabbos.

Sources within the Skverer chassidus explained that the decision was driven not by aesthetics or branding, but by practical considerations tied to comfort and health.

Within Skver, it has long been customary to replace the Rebbe’s vehicle every year or two, a practice rooted in the immense distances the car once covered during frequent travel. In recent years, however, the Rebbe rarely leaves the confines of the village. As a result, the decision was made to invest in a vehicle that would provide maximum comfort and stability for the rare occasions when travel is necessary, with the Rebbe’s well-being as the primary concern.

Those close to the Rebbe emphasize that he had no involvement whatsoever in selecting the model, exterior appearance, or interior design. His only requests were purely functional and spiritual: the installation of a special reading light and a dedicated stand for seforim. The Rebbe is known to use every moment of travel for learning Torah, remaining fully immersed in his seforim without looking out the window or engaging with his surroundings.

The Genesis vehicle has been customized accordingly, ensuring that the Rebbe can continue his regular learning schedule even while on the road, with clarity of mind and optimal comfort.

{Matzav.com}

Dolev Davidovitz, an Israeli media personality and lecturer, shared a deeply personal and dramatic life story in a wide-ranging interview with Yossi Avdo on the popular Israeli program Hashem Echad, describing an extraordinary transformation from militant atheism and open hostility toward religious Jews to a life of faith and purpose that he now describes as becoming an “ambassador of God.”

Davidovitz, who grew up in the heart of Kiryat Gat in a thoroughly secular environment and went on to compete as part of Israel’s national boxing team, spoke candidly about a past defined by contempt for religion. He said he was convinced that science had disproven faith, spent his days training, partying, and socializing, and derived particular enjoyment from provoking religious Jews in public spaces.

He described his childhood as happy and full of friends, but intensely secular. “An amazing childhood packed with good experiences and good friends,” he recalled, adding that it was “more secular than probably the average secular home,” to the point that Yom Kippur and Shabbos were entirely absent from his life.

Davidovitz said his attitude went far beyond indifference. “I hated chareidim, I hated Judaism, I hated anything holy,” he admitted. He described deliberately harassing religious Jews on trains, confronting them with taunts about military service, the existence of God, and the Holocaust. He also recalled intentionally taking selfies with seminary girls in the street to disturb them. “I would come back from school and go take selfies with seminary girls. They would run away from the selfie. I was just bothering chareidim for fun,” he said.

On Yom Kippur, he said, he and his friends would deliberately eat sandwiches in front of traditional Jews to provoke them. “On Yom Kippur we would go out with sandwiches to annoy people. We did it especially near more traditional Jews, because they were more observant, so we would annoy them,” he said.

Academically, Davidovitz said he viewed himself as part of an intellectual elite. He studied in a gifted program and immersed himself in physics, mathematics, biology, and chemistry. That environment, he said, reinforced a sense of superiority. “You automatically create this feeling that I’m an atheist, there is no God, and anyone who claims there is a God is stupid. He’s stupid and his whole family is stupid. We were the enlightened, rational secular people who don’t believe in God,” he said.

Despite that worldview, he recalled an early childhood question that lingered in his memory. At around age five, he asked his mother how God could see people if there was a ceiling. “My mother told me that God sees even through the ceiling,” he said.

The first crack in his certainty came unexpectedly through one of his confrontations. Davidovitz recounted stopping a Gerer chassid and asking him deliberately rude questions, only for the encounter to turn into a friendship. “Something went wrong for me,” he said. “I stopped a Gerer chassid, asked him some cheeky questions, and we became friends.”

Their late-night arguments unsettled him. “Those debates made me realize that Judaism actually has answers,” he said. “There were many questions he could answer, and that scared me.” One explanation struck him in particular: “He told me that scientists discovered that the highest level of blood clotting is on the eighth day. Whoever wrote the Torah already knew the mechanisms of clotting.”

Davidovitz said his military service along the Gaza border provided the space for deeper reflection. Standing guard alone under the stars, far from the noise of daily life, he began to question everything. “You’re on guard duty, on the Gaza line, just you and the stars,” he said. “Suddenly I started asking questions and realized one thing: It can’t be that I came into this world for 120 years of ice cream, schnitzel, girls, parties, and drugs, and then you die and worms eat you. There has to be something beyond.”

He read Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning but rejected the idea of inventing purpose for himself. “I said, wait, am I fooling myself? Either there is meaning and I need to discover it, or there is no meaning,” he said.

After becoming intellectually convinced that there was a Creator, Davidovitz asked for a sign. “I said to myself in my heart, Creator of the world, if You really exist, do a miracle for me. I’m starving,” he recalled.

What followed left a lasting imprint. “Not even half a minute passed,” he said, “and on my left there were bushes, and inside them was a blue bag — a huge bag of potato chips — just sitting there, waiting for me. I understood. There was a kiss from God. God was showing me the way. I exist. I want a relationship with you.”

Before committing to change, Davidovitz said he examined other belief systems. “I put Buddhism aside. I was left with Christianity and Islam,” he said. “And I understood that they are based on Judaism. If Judaism is true, they can’t be true, because Judaism claims exclusivity.”

That realization initially filled him with fear rather than joy. “My life was ruined,” he said. “I said, wow, this is a bummer.” He explained that he was afraid of returning to religion because he believed it meant giving up who he was. “Today I understand that returning to religion is not giving up who you are — it’s upgrading who you are,” he said.

He described emotional final drives to the beach on Shabbos in his old car, a 2001 Renault Megane, caught between belief and habit. “One of the last Shabbasos, I remember driving to the sea, and Avraham Fried’s song ‘Ribbon Ha’olamim’ was playing. I was just driving and crying. That dissonance between knowing there is a God and still driving to the sea on Shabbos because it’s hard for you.”

His first visit to a beis medrash shocked him. Seeing young men shouting questions at a rabbi, he initially thought it was disrespectful. “I didn’t understand — is this how chareidim speak to elders?” he recalled. “They told me, no, this is the fire of Torah.”

Asked how he would respond to a secular young man emerging from war who accuses Torah students of parasitism, Davidovitz answered bluntly. “As someone who felt that way in the past, I understand him,” he said. “But with all due respect, you’re standing here a complete atheist, without Torah and without Jewish identity, and you’re calling me a parasite? I’m a Jew in the land of the Jews who refuses to enlist in an army that wants to uproot my Jewish identity. Before talking about parasitism, what about your last Shabbos? Did you keep it?”

In closing, Davidovitz stressed that influence should come through example, not coercion. “Spread the light you were exposed to, but not through preaching or forcing — that only pushes people away,” he said. “Just be yourselves. When people see how good your life is, that’s what brings them closer. Understand that you have responsibility. You are ambassadors of the Creator.”

{Matzav.com}