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A bruising online fight erupted on X over the past 24 hours after Elizabeth Tsurkov sharply condemned Channel 12’s description of an incident in the southern Gaza Strip. Her post triggered an immediate and fiery response from political commentator Amit Segal, setting off a back-and-forth that quickly drew widespread attention.

The televised report at the center of the blowup stated: “The Air Force this morning eliminated two suspects in the southern Gaza Strip who crossed the yellow line, conducted suspicious activities on the ground, and approached troops.” Within minutes of its broadcast, Arab outlets asserted that the individuals killed were actually children, reported to be 10 and 12 years old.

Tsurkov — who endured abduction by the Kta’ib Hezbollah terror group in Baghdad in March 2023 and was freed in September 2025 — shared an English rendering of the Channel 12 phrasing and commented: “How Israeli Ch 12 reported on the killing of 10 and 12-year-old boys in Khan Younis today. Ch 12 is the most watched channel in Israel and represents the mainstream.”

Segal blasted her critique with a biting attack that immediately escalated the dispute. He wrote: “What an extraordinary country Israel is, that it makes an effort to redeem from captivity even its greatest slanderers – captivity that has nothing to do with it and did not happen through any fault of its own. Even scum like Tsurkov don’t deserve to rot in terrorist captivity.”

Tsurkov insisted that her post was straightforward and that Segal’s outrage was misplaced. She fired back: “If you consider an English translation of a Channel 12 headline as ‘slandering’ the country, maybe it’s worth changing the coverage so it fits journalistic standards. And the State of Israel indeed worked for my release, and I thank those involved that they didn’t listen to your public calls while I was still in captivity, not to.”

Segal responded with renewed force, doubling down on his accusation that she routinely maligns the state. He declared: “You are an obsessive person, and you hate our country. Instead of sitting silently and introspecting on the high price your stupid adventures cost the country over the years, you still dare to spit into the well with a handful of English tweets.”

Tsurkov rejected the characterization and defended her right to critique government policy without being labeled an enemy of the state. She replied: “I don’t hate the country. I criticize its policies in many areas and express my appreciation for those in others. If you want to live under a rule where it’s forbidden to express criticism, move to Gaza.”

Segal then issued his final volley, accusing her of employing rhetoric that echoes hostile foreign narratives. His closing shot read: “You don’t hate the country, you’re just in a years-long ‘Tourette’s episode’ of slandering the country using the cheapest means of enemy propaganda, including the systematic belittling of October 7th, and the systematic magnification of the results of IDF activity. I will not go to Gaza because, unlike you, I do not tend to place responsibility for my actions on the state. But you are welcome to do so.”

{Matzav.com}

Dublin councilors have halted plans to rename a park currently honoring a past Israeli president that had drawn criticism from the Irish and Israeli governments, the city council says. Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin, who has led the country to new heights of antisemitism since Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel, issued a statement in […]

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that the Afghan national accused of gunning down two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., last week was likely “radicalized” after arriving in the United States, and vowing mass deportations of immigrants from “third world” countries, while US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the gunman shouted “Allah Akbar!” […]

BREAKING: Person shot in Flatbush on Avenue J and East 16 Street. NYPD and Flatbush Shomrim are on the scene. Additional details momentarily.

A planned launch of reconstruction work in Rafah has been indefinitely pushed off after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich refused to sign off on the necessary budget, according to a report from i24NEWS that quoted a security official.

The rebuilding effort was originally slated to get underway on Sunday, November 30. With the finance minister declining approval, however, officials have now frozen the initiative until a new decision is reached. Those familiar with Smotrich’s position confirmed the move and sharply articulated his reasoning, stating, “Israeli citizens will not pay out of pocket for the reconstruction of Gaza. There is a limit to every trick.”

While budgetary disagreement is one explanation for the holdup, another security source offered a completely different assessment. According to that official, work cannot begin because armed operatives are still hiding in Rafah, creating conditions too dangerous for crews to enter the area.

In the meantime, even the initial step of clearing out the rubble has yet to begin.

The reconstruction phase is intended to roll out only during the second stage of the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas. Yet progress toward that stage is stalled, as two deceased hostages are still being held by the terror groups in Gaza—an unresolved issue that continues to prolong the conclusion of the ceasefire’s first phase.

{Matzav.com}

A routine family outing turned extraordinary after a young gamer unexpectedly uncovered a concealed stockpile of weapons not far from the Dimona nuclear facility. The revelation has prompted a full-scale investigation by Israeli security authorities.

The discovery occurred when a teenager, absorbed in completing a mission on the Pokémon Go app, wandered up a cliffside in the Mamshit National Park area. While following the game’s prompts, the teen came across a stash that stunned both his family and, later, law enforcement.

According to i24NEWS, the cache held a troubling assortment of military-grade equipment: three M16 rifles outfitted and ready for action, along with multiple magazines for both rifles and handguns, as well as a military vest and coat. The manner in which the weapons were concealed suggested they were positioned for quick access and immediate operational deployment—despite being only a few hundred meters from one of Israel’s most sensitive sites.

Initial assessments by police point toward criminal involvement. Investigators believe the arsenal was stolen from an IDF base and was likely connected to a Bedouin crime network, though the inquiry remains ongoing.

The moment the teen realized what he had found, his family contacted security forces without delay. Responding units secured the area, collected the weapons, and began a deeper probe into who placed them there—and for what purpose.

{Matzav.com}

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday that he would support a presidential pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — but only if Netanyahu permanently withdraws from political life. Bennett announced his position in a post on X/Twitter, framing the move as a necessary step to pull Israel back from the brink. “In recent […]

Northwestern University has agreed to pay $75 million to the U.S. government in a deal with the Trump administration to end a series of investigations and restore hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding. President Donald Trump’s administration had cut off $790 million in grants in a standoff that contributed to university layoffs […]

וביום השביעי שבת וינפש: This is what the website of B&H Photography – sometimes referred to as Beard & Hats Photography due to being run almost exclusively by chasidim – showed on Shabbos, as shoppers rushed to checkout on-sale items.

The White House is ratcheting up its war with the “fake news media,” unveiling a new “media offender of the week” feature aimed at publicly shaming news organizations it accuses of bias and misrepresentation. The newly launched section of the White House website names The Boston Globe, CBS News, and The Independent as its first […]

In a message at the conclusion of his weekly shiur, Rav Moshe Shternbuch urged the avreichim of his Teshuvos V’Hanhagos kollel to recognize the immense joy inherent in Torah learning, declaring that “every halacha deserves its own seudah.”

At the end of this week’s session, the posek marked the completion of a lengthy sugya with a small l’chaim, celebrating months of intense study undertaken by the kollel. Rav Shternbuch has been guiding his students through the sugya of mechitzos for nearly three months, delivering dozens of in-depth shiurim on the topic.

Following the final shiur , he addressed the kollel members and emphasized the true magnitude of their accomplishment. The joy of completing each segment of Torah, he said, is so profound that “it would be fitting to hold a full seudah and celebration for every single halacha on its own.”

{Matzav.com}

A confident far-right Alternative for Germany set up its new youth organization on Saturday even as thousands of protesters converged on the western city of Giessen, where the party held its meeting, some of them clashing with police. A convention of the anti-immigration party, known by its German acronym AfD, started more than two hours late after […]

Over the past 40 days, combat teams from the Nahal Brigade and the Golan Reconnaissance Battalion, together with Yahalom fighters and under the command of the Gaza Division’s 143rd Brigade, have been operating with precision in eastern Rafah. Their goal is to eliminate the terror infrastructure that remains in the area and expose the underground […]

On whether Steve Witkoff should continue to serve as a U.S. negotiator in the Ukraine-Russia peace deal, Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) says the White House “should be very concerned about any efforts to orchestrate Putin’s voice at the White House before Zelenskyy’s.”

Sen. Tim Kaine says he will move immediately to try and pass a War Powers Act resolution again if the U.S. carries out military action in Venezuela.

At a Motzoei Shabbos dinner held in Boro Park in support of Satmar institutions, the Satmar Rebbe, Rav Aharon Teitelbaum, offered candid impressions from his recent visit to Israel and expressed deep concern over the state of many American bochurim learning there.

The Rebbe addressed what he described as a troubling spiritual decline among American boys who travel to learn in Eretz Yisroel. Rather than gaining from the experience, he warned, many are losing ground.

The Rebbe recounted what he witnessed firsthand: “When I was in Yerushalayim, I would sometimes be out at 9:00 in the morning, sometimes at 10 or 11 or even later. I saw them in Yerushalayim—with a hat, without a hat, with wet peyos—wandering here and wandering there, not knowing what to do. I saw the hefkeirus of the American bochurim who are walking around in Yerushalayim. They aren’t going up. They’re going down,” he said.

He then turned directly to parents who currently have sons learning in Israel. “I want to tell the people here who have boys in Eretz Yisroel that their children are roaming the streets of Eretz Yisroel,” he cautioned.

{Matzav.com}

Pope Leo XIV’s arrival in Beirut on Sunday set the tone for a visit the Vatican is portraying as crucial for a nation weighed down by crisis. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun received him at Rafic Hariri International Airport, where crowds came out to greet the pontiff and listen for signals about how he intends to engage with the region’s most urgent challenges.

Before even touching down in Lebanon, the pope outlined his regional outlook while speaking to reporters aboard his flight from Turkey. There, he reiterated that “the only solution… must include a Palestinian state.” He acknowledged the current geopolitical reality, saying, “We all know that at this time Israel still does not accept that solution, but we see it as the only solution.” He added that the Vatican hopes to serve as a bridge, explaining, “We are also friends with Israel, and we are seeking to be a mediating voice between the two parties that might help them close in on a solution with justice for everyone.” He also noted that his discussions with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan focused heavily on conflicts roiling the region and on Ankara’s potential influence in efforts toward peace.

Upon landing in Beirut, the pope immediately turned to the Lebanese public with a message meant to uplift a society worn down by economic strain and uncertainty. He urged them to remain “peacemakers,” and praised Lebanon as a place still capable of renewal and coexistence. His sentiments aligned with the Vatican’s longstanding belief that Lebanon stands as a unique crossroads of civilizations and faiths.

Later in the day, the pope spoke before Lebanon’s political and religious leadership, offering an extended meditation on the meaning of peace in a fractured environment. He referred to the Lebanese people as those who “do not give up,” and called on officials to elevate peace above every competing priority. Their history of resilience, he said, must continue to define them as they navigate a path forward.

Emphasizing that recovery requires a spirit of optimism, the pope encouraged the country’s leaders to speak “the language of hope,” reminding them that Lebanon’s strength has always rested on bonds of perseverance, mutual affection, and the willingness to rebuild. He warned that no society can move toward real harmony without honest efforts at reconciliation, stressing that healing—whether personal or national—depends on confronting one’s past with sincerity. Peace, he said, means “knowing how to live together, in communion,” and requires institutions committed to the common good rather than narrow interests.

The pope also highlighted the pressing need to stem the outflow of Lebanon’s youth, urging steps to ensure that those who wish to remain in their homeland can do so securely and with dignity. He noted that women, in particular, serve as pivotal builders of peace, reinforcing the social fabric and guiding communities toward renewal.

Drawing from Lebanon’s rich cultural tradition, he concluded with a poetic reflection on the country’s deep connection to music, describing peace as a harmony shaped by divine love. He expressed hope that this spiritual melody would continue to define how the Lebanese live together in a land “that God deeply loves and continues to bless.”

{Matzav.com}

In a wide-ranging interview, MK Yair Golan, who leads the Democrats party, unleashed fierce criticism at the chareidi factions, arguing that their political flexibility comes at the expense of the country’s wellbeing. Although he insisted, “as long as they get their pound of flesh, they’re willing to sit in any government,” Golan simultaneously claimed he might align with those same parties if a future political reality forced such cooperation.

Golan described what he views as the ideal governing structure, maintaining that, “What’s good for Israel is a coalition ranging from [Naftali] Bennett to Mansour Abbas of Ra’am… led from within by the liberal-democratic camp — not the Right.” According to him, meaningful leadership must move away from narrow ideological blocs and toward what he calls a broad, values-based alignment.

He dismissed the traditional left-center-right political map, arguing instead that the true divide in Israel rests between two clashing worldviews. “Clinging to the outdated left-right-center paradigm is wrong and locks us into obsolete frameworks. The real story in Israel today is the corrupt and authoritarian camp versus the liberal-democratic camp,” he asserted.

While he categorically rejected entering any coalition that includes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Itamar Ben Gvir, or Bezalel Smotrich, he noted that he would not automatically rule out working with chareidi parties if the numbers demanded it. In his words, “We all understand that we need each other. We don’t want any of the current coalition parties. They are destructive: a corrupt Likud, the extreme nationalists Ben Gvir and Smotrich, and the charedim who are destroying the country.”

Golan also turned his attention to centrist figures — Yair Lapid, Benny Gantz, and Gadi Eisenkot — urging them to rally behind what he calls a unified ideological alternative. He appealed to them to help form “a strong, large liberal-democratic camp that will provide a real governing alternative.”

When discussing Naftali Bennett’s record, Golan issued one of his harshest attacks. He expressed disbelief that anyone would treat Bennett as a partner after his role in shifting national direction. “Bennett brought the Kohelet Forum into our lives, attacked the Supreme Court, and introduced religious content into education. What are we talking about? Have you lost your minds?”

{Matzav.com}

Wizz Air signaled Thursday that it is prepared to move aggressively into the Israeli aviation market as early as March or April, setting the stage for a political and regulatory fight that could reshape — and sharply lower — the cost of air travel for Israeli consumers. After meeting with Transportation Minister Miri Regev in […]

Reb Elazar Tzadok Kaufman, who was released on Sunday after 138 days of solitary confinement in Prison 10, was welcomed with joyous dancing in the streets of Bnei Brak. Kaufman was arrested in July at a protest in Yehud against chillul kevarim, together with two other bnei yeshivos from the Yishuv Hayashan. The three were […]