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Arab affairs analyst Zvi Yehezkeli cautioned that despite the deep sense of relief surrounding the hostages’ return, the initial phase of the current agreement delivers sweeping benefits to Hamas at Israel’s expense, Arutz Sheva reports.

“This morning we were informed that the hostages are returning and there is no greater joy,” Yehezkeli said. “Now we need to view the agreement from the enemies’ perspective. What are its implications? The first stage is clear: the release of all our hostages and the bodies of the fallen, two years after they were abducted — and, on the other hand, a massive exchange: 250 prisoners serving life sentences and another 1,700 detainees. That is a critical boost to terrorism.”

He argued that the terms of the arrangement reveal how poorly Israel continues to handle negotiations within the Middle East — a weakness that has lingered even since October 7. The current exchange ratio, he said, is worse than in previous agreements and demonstrates that Hamas has succeeded in strengthening its infrastructure both in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria. “I hope Israel insisted that they return to the Gaza Strip and not to Judea and Samaria,” he added.

From Yehezkeli’s perspective, Hamas can now boast that it “took the maximum number of prisoners, stopped the war, remains armed and remains the authority in Gaza,” achieving every one of its key objectives. He noted that the organization never surrendered or disarmed, and that even if international or Arab peacekeeping forces are brought in, Hamas will continue to dominate Gaza. “Those poor people who said there was starvation now receive Egyptian trucks and are happy and coming out of all the tunnels,” he said.

Yehezkeli emphasized that Israel must already be planning for renewed military action once the hostages are home. He expressed concern that President Donald Trump’s involvement in advancing the deal placed excessive emphasis on concessions and reflected misplaced optimism about the nature of peace in the region. “On October 7 they murdered and butchered our women, our children, and our soldiers,” he said. “The Palestinian Authority sees a state and Hamas sees ongoing war and continued rule.”

He advised that Israel approach the next stage with calculated precision, imposing its own conditions while targeting high-ranking terrorists who gain freedom through the deal and ensuring Hamas is stripped of its weaponry. Otherwise, he warned, a new generation will grow up convinced that violence pays. “If Israel acts according to Trump’s agreement and every time it fires a shot he asks ‘why are you doing this,’ we will not have achieved our objectives in Gaza,” he said.

Yehezkeli concluded that Hamas’s ideology, influence, and military capacity remain intact, and that the impending prisoner releases will put dangerous operatives back into circulation. “The war is not over. There is immense joy, but this is not peace nor the end of the war — rather a pause to receive our hostages, and we must continue because Hamas cannot remain in Gaza,” he said.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced that Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu has chosen the name Shavim L’gvulam (“Returning to their Border”) for the operation to free the hostages. The title draws from a posuk in Yirmiyahu 31:16, which foretells the return of the Jewish people from exile.

According to the current timetable, both the Security Cabinet and the full government are slated to meet today to give their approval for the initial stage of the hostage deal. This phase involves the release of Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for the hostages. The Cabinet will gather in the afternoon, followed by a broader government session later in the day. At this stage, only this portion of the agreement will be brought for authorization.

Once the government grants its approval, the IDF will begin pulling back its forces to a designated line established in coordination with Hamas under the agreement. Israel has pledged to finalize this redeployment within 24 hours. While the precise boundary has not been made public, an Israeli official indicated that it closely resembles the “yellow line” unveiled by President Trump over the weekend, though some modifications were made after consultations with Israeli security officials.

As part of this redeployment, Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza City, which they recently re-entered during Operation Gideon’s Chariot 2. Israel will still maintain control over approximately 53 percent of the Gaza Strip following the maneuver.

After the pullback is complete, a 72-hour period will begin during which Hamas must release the hostages quietly, without any formal public events. Estimates suggest that the surviving captives will be freed on Sunday, while the remains of those who were killed will be returned on Monday.

President Trump is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Sunday, where he will deliver an address at the Knesset in Jerusalem.

Under the terms of the agreement, Israel will free 250 security prisoners, along with about 1,700 Gazans who were arrested after October 7 but had no direct involvement in the attacks, as well as 22 minors under the age of 18. Additionally, the bodies of 360 terrorists will be returned to Gaza.

The decision specifies that prisoners convicted of murder, manufacturing weapons used in fatal attacks, or directly involved in dispatching terrorists who carried out deadly assaults will be transferred to Gaza or to foreign countries. They will be permanently banned from entering Israel or the areas of Yehuda and Shomron.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Authorities in Beersheba have begun demolishing an apartment building that was directly struck by an Iranian ballistic missile during the final hours of June’s 12-day war. The devastating attack on June 24 claimed the lives of four people — Cpl. Eitan Zacks, 18, his mother, Michal Zacks, 50, his girlfriend, Noa Boguslavsky, 18, and a neighbor, Naomi Shaanan, 73. The building, a relatively new complex equipped with reinforced rooms, suffered catastrophic damage when the missile made a direct hit on two safe rooms on the sixth floor.

UPDATE: An Israeli government spokesperson confirmed that Marwan Barghouti, a senior Fatah leader serving five life sentences for orchestrating deadly attacks during the Second Intifada, will not be included in the reported Israel-Hamas hostage-prisoner exchange.

Preparations are underway at the Knesset for President Trump to visit early next week.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are voicing alarm as worsening air travel disruptions spark memories of the 2019 government shutdown, when similar chaos ultimately pushed President Trump to agree to reopen the government. Many now fear history could repeat itself if the current shutdown continues.

Significant delays plagued airports nationwide on Monday and Tuesday as staffing shortages among air traffic controllers disrupted roughly 10,000 flights. Though the situation slightly improved on Wednesday—with about 3,000 flights still delayed, some due to bad weather in the Northeast—concern is growing rapidly among senators who recall how flight turmoil once became the breaking point that ended the nation’s longest shutdown.

“It becomes a pressure point,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). “You talk about disruptive — if air travel shuts down and all the air traffic controllers are sick, you basically have shut down the economy.” He added, “I hope we don’t get to that point.”

The 35-day shutdown in 2019 reached its climax when 10 air traffic controllers—six in Northern Virginia and four in Florida—called in sick, setting off massive delays that brought LaGuardia Airport in New York to a standstill and rippled through major East Coast airports.

This time, the fallout has not yet been as severe, though significant issues have been reported at airports in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Nashville in recent days. Over 1,000 flights have been canceled nationwide, with weather contributing to part of the problem.

The Department of Transportation announced earlier this week that more than 13,000 air traffic controllers are continuing to work without pay, as they, along with TSA employees, are classified as essential workers during the shutdown.

Senators are watching the unfolding situation closely, especially as they search for any external factors that might force movement on the stalemate. Democrats are pushing to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire on December 31, while Republicans are refusing to negotiate until Democrats agree to vote on reopening the government.

No progress was seen in the Senate on Wednesday, as Democrats once again rejected the GOP’s “clean” stopgap funding bill for the sixth time, a measure that would keep the government open through late November. Lawmakers on both sides admit that outside pressure—possibly from public anger over disrupted travel—may be what finally brings negotiations back to the table.

“I certainly worry about it,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), whose state saw flight issues this week at Denver International Airport. “I think it is one of many things that is complicating having a government shutdown.”

Hickenlooper added that he and other senators have held several discussions about the growing air travel problems. “In the universe, that means we’re paying attention,” he said, though he noted the issue isn’t yet “dominating” Senate conversations.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a close ally of Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), said he has been involved in informal discussions exploring possible solutions. While declining to reveal specifics, he described those talks as “pretty productive.”

Still, some lawmakers doubt that air travel disruptions—even at the scale of 2019—would be enough to break the current impasse. They argue that the administration appears far less inclined to compromise this time around.

“I think they’re too hunkered down,” one Republican senator said. “The difference is that in the past, [it] has been, kind of, hardball that was only pitched out of one corner. This administration is wired for a fight.”

“You’ve got the bully pulpit saying that it’s only happening because the Democrats refuse to fund the government at levels that they’ve voted for in the past,” the senator continued. “They may be erroneously banking on that pressure being what breaks the logjam. I don’t necessarily see it.”

Even so, some lawmakers remain hopeful that a full-blown air travel crisis could again compel swift action.

“Of any of the factors that led President Trump in 2019 to, ‘We’ve got to solve this,’ it was the air traffic control issue. The reason we don’t have a solution now is we have an unengaged president,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). “I’m hoping he rethinks his ‘be disengaged’ strategy because he’s got the key to helping resolve this if he wants to.”

“It wasn’t the air traffic controllers saying ‘we’re overworked and underpaid,’ it was the economic issue that made Trump realize, ‘Oh wait, we need to have vigorous aviation or the American economy doesn’t work,’” Kaine continued. “This one is really serious and he grasped that six years ago. I think there’s a good chance he’ll grasp it again.”

{Matzav.com}

British counterterrorism investigators disclosed chilling new details about last week’s assault on a Manchester synagogue, revealing that the attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a phone call to police made during the violence itself.

Authorities said the revelations are part of the slow release of facts surrounding the attack, even though police were aware of much of this information within minutes of the incident. On Wednesday, counterterrorism officials confirmed that the 35-year-old Syrian migrant called a police operator as the rampage unfolded, boasting that he had “killed two Jews in the name of the Islamic State.”

According to investigators, al-Shamie had initially approached the Heaton Park Synagogue and was turned away by congregants and volunteer guards. He then returned in a car, deliberately struck pedestrians, and emerged wielding a knife to continue his assault. Worshippers quickly barricaded the synagogue doors, and when police arrived seven minutes after the attack began, they found al-Shamie attempting to stab his way through a window.

Officers fatally shot al-Shamie at the scene. Tragically, a member of the local Jewish community was also killed when a police bullet intended for the terrorist pierced the building’s front door.

Police have stated that the attacker was “influenced by extreme Islamist ideology,” though they have not yet formally classified the event as a terror attack. Counterterrorism authorities added on Wednesday, “We are continuing to investigate the full circumstances and motivation behind what happened. The investigation is continuing at pace.”

In the aftermath of the assault, officials initially claimed al-Shamie had not been known to police—a statement now shown to be inaccurate. As more information emerges, the attacker’s personal background has grown increasingly troubling. According to the Daily Telegraph, al-Shamie was married to at least three women and also involved with a teenage girlfriend.

Despite polygamy being illegal in the United Kingdom, he maintained multiple marriages, all reportedly within the Islamic faith. Two of his wives were said to be white converts to Islam, and one has been arrested on suspicion of terror offenses since the attack.

Reports indicate that al-Shamie fathered three children with his first wife. Another woman has accused him of assaulting her “multiple times,” adding that he justified his behavior by claiming that under Islamic law, he was permitted to have “up to four wives.”

{Matzav.com}

An Israeli government spokesperson clarified that Marwan Barghouti, one of the most well-known Palestinian terrorists, will not be among those released under the reported agreement between Israel and Hamas for a hostage-prisoner exchange. “I can tell you at this point in time that he will not be part of this release,” spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters. Barghouti, a senior Fatah figure, is currently serving five life sentences for his involvement in orchestrating terror attacks that claimed the lives of five Israelis during the Second Intifada.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both known for their left-wing policies, lashed out at President Donald Trump after he said they should face arrest for obstructing federal law enforcement operations.

“I will not back down,” Pritzker declared defiantly in a post on X soon after Trump’s comments. Johnson responded by accusing Trump of racism, saying the president “loves arresting black men.”

The controversy began Wednesday morning when Trump took to his Truth Social platform to condemn Pritzker and Johnson for what he described as ongoing interference with federal law enforcement agents working to restore order in Chicago.

“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote.

Both Democrats fired back quickly. Pritzker denounced Trump as an “authoritarian” and insisted that he “would not back down” from defending his policies that shield illegal migrants.

“I will not back down,” Pritzker reiterated following Trump’s comments.

“Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power,” he wrote. “What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?”

Mayor Johnson, meanwhile, accused Trump of racial bias.

“This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested,” Johnson said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

During an interview later that day on CNN, Johnson escalated his rhetoric, describing Trump as mentally unstable and a danger to democracy.

“Well, you know, first of all, this president is unstable, unhinged, a double minded individual that, quite frankly, is a threat to our democracy,” he said.

He continued, “And it’s certainly not the first time that Donald Trump has called for the arresting of a black man unjustly. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to stay firm as the mayor of this amazing city, which was voted nine years in a row the best big city in America. And we’re going to defend all of Chicago.”

The president’s outburst came after reports surfaced that Chicago police officers were ordered not to provide assistance to federal agents during a violent confrontation with pro-migrant demonstrators on Sunday. ICE officers had reportedly called for emergency backup when their position was overrun, but local authorities refused to respond.

Adding to the tension, on Monday Johnson announced the creation of “ICE-free zones” across the city, asserting that his new executive orders would prohibit federal immigration agents from assembling on municipal properties to conduct raids or detain suspects.

{Matzav.com}

Israel and Hamas are gearing up to activate the opening stage of President Donald Trump’s initiative aimed at freeing hostages and halting the ongoing Gaza conflict.

According to the tentative timeline, Israel’s Security Cabinet and the government will convene on Thursday to authorize the exchange of terrorist prisoners for Israeli captives as part of the first stage of the plan. The Cabinet is scheduled to meet at 3:00 p.m., followed an hour later by a full government session. The broader terms of the deal are expected to be discussed and finalized at a later date.

Once approval is secured, the IDF will begin pulling back its forces to a designated line that was mutually agreed upon with Hamas. Israel has committed to completing this redeployment within 24 hours. While the precise boundary has not been disclosed, one Israeli official noted that it largely mirrors the “yellow line” President Trump revealed last weekend, with slight modifications accepted by Israel. As part of this move, Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza City—recently re-entered during Operation Gideon’s Chariots II—while maintaining control over roughly 53% of Gaza’s territory.

When the withdrawal concludes, a 72-hour countdown will begin. Hamas will then be obligated to free all hostages at once, without any public fanfare or ceremonies. Based on current intelligence, hostages who are alive are expected to be released on Sunday, while the remains of those who were killed will be returned on Monday.

President Trump is scheduled to land in Israel on Sunday and is expected to deliver a speech before the Knesset.

Egyptian officials told the Qatari outlet Al-Araby that under the agreement, the Rafah border crossing will reopen for movement in both directions. Additionally, 600 aid trucks per day will be permitted to enter Gaza to provide humanitarian relief.

An Israeli official emphasized that the accord will exclude members of Hamas’s Nukhba unit who took part in the October 7 atrocities, as well as the four senior figures the terror group had specifically demanded to be released.

In a statement about the agreement, Hamas said: “We are awaiting final agreement on the list of prisoners. We are committed to the prisoners and their families, that they remain at the heart of our priorities, and we will not rest until the last prisoner is released.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Yisrael Beytenu leader MK Avigdor Lieberman outlined his plan for how to secure victory in the next national election, proposing a 63-seat coalition composed entirely of parties opposed to Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu — deliberately excluding both the chareidi and Arab factions.

“I saw a poll showing us around 61 seats, and if we fully tap into the potential, we could reach even more,” he said during an interview with Yediot Achronot.

Lieberman leveled scathing criticism at the chareidi establishment, accusing it of taking advantage of public resources. “Rabbis receive State salaries and pensions. A Chief Rabbi tells people that if they receive draft orders they should tear it up and throw it in the garbage,” he alleged.

He further lashed out at Slabodka rosh yeshiva Rav Dov Landau, attributing to him a statement: “These Zionists made the Arabs hate us. Those confused ones with knitted kippahs are dying in war because they don’t pray enough.”

Lieberman continued his tirade, asserting that “the chareidi establishment also opposed the founding of the State of Israel in 1948,” and adding, “To this day, the Lithuanian-chareidim recite mourning prayers on Independence Day. It’s utter madness. These are racist, sectarian parties. They live off this racism. Right now, it’s a battle over Israel’s character — Zionist and liberal or a state of Jewish law.”

In response, Rav Landau’s office issued a sharp denunciation, firmly rejecting the comments attributed to the rosh yeshiva. “Liberman, in his desperation over the progress in hostage deal negotiations and the fact that there are no elections on the horizon, has completely lost it,” the statement read.

“A week ago, he frightened the entire country with fabricated stories about Iran, and now he’s moved on to quoting invented statements,” the office added.

Lieberman’s remarks came just days after he sparked alarm by warning Israelis to prepare for an Iranian strike — despite no official reports or evidence pointing to any imminent threat.

{Matzav.com Israel}

A new report has revealed that the White House, working together with Qatari officials, crafted the wording of Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s apology to Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani following Israel’s accidental strike in Qatar on September 9.

According to Politico, “a powerful Qatari interlocutor and close ally of the country’s prime minister” was present in the Oval Office alongside President Donald Trump and Netanyahu to ensure that the Israeli leader delivered the apology exactly as written. The publication cited three individuals familiar with the details of the exchange.

The strike in question reportedly aimed to hit Hamas’s political leadership but did not achieve its intended objective.

The phone call containing the apology was placed directly from the Oval Office, with President Trump orchestrating and attending the conversation while meeting with Netanyahu. Soon after the call concluded, the White House unveiled its comprehensive plan for ending the Gaza conflict. During a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Trump announced that both Israel and the Arab world had agreed to the proposal.

In response to the report, Netanyahu’s office rejected the claims outright, calling them “fake news.”

“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s remarks in his conversation with the Qatari prime minister were determined by the prime minister himself, in consultation only with his professional team,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The office further clarified that “as for the Qatari official — he was present only during the call at the invitation of the American team, and there was no contact whatsoever with the Israeli team.”

Reports indicate that Qatar made Israel’s apology a precondition for resuming its role as mediator in negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

According to an official White House readout, Netanyahu “expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman.”

The statement continued, noting that the Israeli leader “further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.”

Qatar’s government issued its own statement soon after, confirming the call and saying that Prime Minister al-Thani “expressed Qatar’s refusal to tolerate violations of its sovereignty” while reiterating his country’s readiness to keep participating in diplomatic efforts “to end the war in the Gaza Strip under the framework of the US president’s initiative.”

The apology represented a significant reversal for Netanyahu, who had previously maintained that Israel was within its legal and moral rights to strike Hamas targets, even those based in Qatar.

It was not the first time Netanyahu has issued such a statement. He previously apologized to Turkey “for any errors that could have led to loss of life” following the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident and to Jordan after a botched 1997 attempt to assassinate Hamas operative Khaled Mashaal in Amman.

Meanwhile, diplomatic talks are taking place in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh over Trump’s proposed framework to end the war and secure the release of the 48 remaining hostages held in Gaza. The plan requires Hamas to surrender its weapons and relinquish authority over the territory to an international security force while Israel withdraws its troops.

{Matzav.com}

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that his Religious Zionism party will vote against the Gaza ceasefire deal, which includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a temporary halt to fighting in Gaza. Smotrich expressed “mixed emotions,” saying that while he feels “immense joy” at the pending return of the hostages, he also feels “tremendous fear of the consequences of emptying the prisons and releasing the next generation of terrorist leaders, who will do everything to continue spilling rivers of Jewish blood, God forbid.” “As such,” he said, “we cannot join in the short-sighted celebrations or vote in favor of the deal.” The security cabinet is scheduled to meet this afternoon to be briefed on the Gaza ceasefire deal, followed by a full government meeting to vote on the agreement. A substantial majority in favor of the deal is expected. Smotrich argued that Israel must continue the war after the hostages are freed. “It is a huge responsibility to ensure that this is not, God forbid, a deal of ‘hostages in exchange for stopping the war,’ as Hamas thinks and brags about,” Smotrich declared, insisting that immediately after the return of the hostages, Israel should “continue to strive with all its might for the real eradication of Hamas and the real demilitarization of Gaza so that it no longer poses a threat to Israel.” He also warned against any political process leading toward Palestinian statehood or the deployment of an international force in Gaza — both elements included in the U.S. 20-point plan for the enclave. “It is a huge obligation to ensure that we do not return to the Oslo path, God forbid, and that we do not abandon our security to the hands of foreigners,” he said, noting that his opposition to previous deals “led to progress in the occupation of Gaza and the application of military pressure that brought Hamas to its knees.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Israeli cabinet will convene at 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening to vote on the proposed agreement aimed at securing the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza, according to an official government statement. The agenda posted on the government website reads simply: “Plan for the release of all Israeli hostages.” An earlier meeting of the Security Cabinet has been scheduled for one hour prior to the full cabinet session, during which senior defense and intelligence officials will present the latest updates and recommendations before the vote. According to an Israeli source quoted by Reuters, the deal envisions the release of all 20 living hostages as soon as Sunday or Monday, though the exact timing remains uncertain. Reports indicate that under the terms of the agreement being finalized between Israel and Hamas, the hostages will be freed within 72 hours of the deal taking effect — a process expected to begin following cabinet approval. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a criminal case that has highlighted the Justice Department’s efforts to target adversaries of President Donald Trump, with lawyers for the former FBI director saying they plan to argue the prosecution is politically motivated and should be dismissed. The arraignment lasted less than half an hour, but it was nonetheless loaded with historical significance given that the case has amplified concerns the Justice Department is being weaponized in pursuit of the Republican president’s political enemies and is operating at the behest of an administration determined to seek retribution. Comey’s not guilty plea to allegations that he lied to Congress five years ago kick-starts a process of legal wrangling that could culminate in a trial months from now at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside of Washington. Defense lawyers said they intend to ask that the case be thrown out before trial on grounds that it constitutes a vindictive prosecution and also plan to challenge the legitimacy of the appointment of the prosecutor who filed the charges just days after Trump hastily appointed her to her position. “It’s the honor of my life to represent Mr. Comey in this matter,” one of Comey’s lawyers, Patrick Fitzgerald, a longtime friend who served with him in President George W. Bush’s Justice Department, said in court on Wednesday. The indictment two weeks ago followed an extraordinary chain of events that saw the Trump administration effectively force out the prosecutor who had been overseeing the Comey investigation and replace him with Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide who previously served as one of the president’s former lawyers but had never served as a federal prosecutor. The president also publicly implored Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and other perceived adversaries. Less than a week after being appointed, Halligan rushed to file charges before a legal deadline lapsed despite warnings from other lawyers in the office that the evidence was insufficient for an indictment. She sat at the prosecution table Wednesday. In a sign of the unusual nature of the case, the two prosecutors who have signed on to handle it are both based in North Carolina as opposed to the elite Eastern District of Virginia, which Halligan now leads. What the indictment says The two-count indictment alleges that Comey misled the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 30, 2020, when he was asked whether he had authorized any associate to serve as an anonymous source to the news media related to investigations of either Trump or 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Comey replied that he stood by earlier testimony that he had not given such authorization. The two-count indictment charging him with making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding does not identify the associate or say what information may have been discussed with the media, making it challenging to assess the strength of the evidence or to even fully parse the allegations. Comey has denied any wrongdoing and has said he’s looking forward to a trial, which the judge set for Jan. 5, though that date will be subject to change. Though an indictment is typically just the start of a protracted court process, the Justice Department has trumpeted the development itself as something of a win, regardless of the outcome. […]

A report in the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed claims that Israel has agreed to release several of the most notorious terrorists held in its prisons — including senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine chief Ahmad Sa’adat, and Hamas commanders Ibrahim Hamed and Hassan Salameh — as part of a deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza. All four are serving multiple life sentences for orchestrating deadly terror attacks that claimed dozens of Israeli lives, primarily during the Second Intifada. The report further alleges that Israel has agreed to free around 250 senior terror convicts as part of the deal. However, Israeli media say there is significant uncertainty regarding the exact list of prisoners being discussed — and whether any of these arch-terrorists will actually be released. Barghouti, in particular, is viewed as a potential political rival to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, raising additional concern in Jerusalem over the implications of his possible release. Channel 12 News in Israel, however, reported Sunday that both Barghouti and Hamed will  not be released, contradicting the Qatari report. Israeli officials have not yet issued an official comment on the matter. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg sparked outrage after posting an image of an Israeli hostage who appears severely malnourished, as part of a social media campaign accusing Israel of abusing Palestinian prisoners.

The post, created in partnership with several pro-Palestinian campaigners, featured a series of graphics displaying statistics and images of Palestinians in Israeli custody, claiming to highlight “the suffering” of those detained.

“The suffering of Palestinian prisoners is not a matter of opinion — it is a fact of cruelty and dehumanization. Humanity cannot be selective. Justice cannot have borders,” read the message attached to the post.

Among the visuals, however, was a photo of Evyatar David, an Israeli hostage held by Hamas, appearing gaunt and weak inside a tunnel used by the terror group. The image was taken from a Hamas propaganda video released months earlier, in which David, visibly skeletal, described the horrific conditions of his captivity.

Thunberg, who has become one of the most outspoken pro-Palestinian activists on the international stage, had been deported just a day before the post for joining a flotilla that attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. The inclusion of a Hamas hostage’s photo in a post condemning Israel’s treatment of Palestinians was quickly met with widespread mockery and backlash online.

The post also drew an angry reaction from David’s sister, Yeela David, who wrote in the comments: “You need to do research before you post things you don’t understand.”

“On the sixth slide, you included a photo of an ISRAELI HOSTAGE that Hamas deliberately starved! That is Evyatar David,” she stated.

“Every minute you are not deleting this post you are becoming a bigger joke,” she added in another comment. “Embarrassing.”

Evyatar David was abducted from the Nova music festival near Re’im during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre and has remained in captivity ever since.

He has appeared in two Hamas propaganda videos, the first filmed during a hostage release ceremony earlier this year, in which he and fellow hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal were seen forced to watch as other captives were freed — a display widely condemned as a deliberate act of psychological torment.

{Matzav.com Israel}