Amid the intense clashes that unfolded Sunday in Bnei Brak, fresh controversy erupted after footage surfaced showing a chareidi woman being forcibly arrested by police. While city residents have strongly condemned the earlier assault on two IDF female soldiers, many are now voicing anger over what they describe as excessive force used against uninvolved civilians.
The video, circulated widely over the past hour, appears to show officers detaining a woman on the street. According to eyewitnesses, she was not participating in the disturbances. The footage quickly sparked outrage on social media and among local residents, who claim the arrest involved unnecessary force.
One resident told reporters that “the woman was simply standing off to the side. She didn’t throw anything and didn’t shout. Suddenly officers came, grabbed her, and took her away by force.”
Residents stressed that their criticism of police conduct does not diminish their condemnation of violence against the soldiers. “The people of Bnei Brak do not accept violence against female soldiers — that is not our way,” said a local resident. “But what is happening now feels sweeping, as if anyone standing on the street is automatically a suspect. There’s a feeling they’re showing a heavy hand for the cameras.”
Others warned that such actions risk harming law-abiding members of the community and further fueling negative portrayals of the city. “We see how Bnei Brak is being presented as if everyone here is violent. That is simply not true and not fair. There is a large, law-abiding public here,” another resident said.
{Matzav.com}
In the aftermath of the painful upheaval in Bnei Brak, Gedolei Yisroel have spoken with clarity and firmness, issuing a strong directive to bnei yeshiva not to take part in, or even be present at, any gatherings that involve confrontation with the police.
The roshei yeshiva of Slabodka, Rav Dov Landau and Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, addressed a letter to the talmidim of the yeshiva following the disturbances that erupted in the city after two IDF female soldiers entered Bnei Brak for military-related activity. During the unrest, dozens of bochurim were arrested, among them several talmidim of Slabodka.
In their letter, the roshei yeshiva wrote: “To the talmidim of the yeshiva, sheyichyu: It is strictly forbidden under any circumstances to participate or to be present among those who go to places where there is confrontation with the police. One must remain in the yeshiva for learning and for all the sedorim of the yeshiva. Chas v’shalom to be in those places where there are clashes with the police.
“Beyond the sakonoh involved, there is a great chilul Hashem, rachmana litzlan.
“With great tzaar and deep charodah, Dov Landau — and of course I join all the above, Moshe Hillel Hirsch.”
The letter comes on the heels of hours of unrest in the streets of Bnei Brak, which began shortly after two IDF soldiers were reportedly attacked by an extremist crowd on Chagai Street. Large police forces were dispatched to the scene and employed crowd-dispersal measures in an effort to restore order. More than 20 individuals were taken into custody and brought to the police station.
Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy stated that he instructed officers to act with determination against those involved. “I instructed that the lawbreakers be arrested and brought to justice, and so far we have arrested 12 individuals involved in disorderly conduct. We will hold all those involved accountable. We are a state of law and will not permit hooligan behavior in our country,” he said.
Police officials added that forces remain deployed at several locations throughout the city and that additional arrests may follow as efforts continue to restore calm.
{Matzav.com}
Violent unrest that lasted for hours rocked Bnei Brak late tonight, leaving 26 suspects under arrest and five police officers injured, according to law enforcement officials.
The disturbances centered along Jabotinsky Street, where protesters blocked traffic, set fires, and clashed with police.
The tensions continued well into the evening, hours after an earlier incident involving an alleged assault on female soldiers sparked widespread outrage. Large numbers of police officers, along with Border Police riot control units, were deployed to the scene in an effort to restore order. Authorities said crowd-control measures were used to disperse those involved in the disturbances.
Police reported that dozens of rioters obstructed traffic along the major thoroughfare, ignited garbage bins, and hurled objects at officers. Some individuals also attempted to damage passing vehicles, actions that authorities said posed a significant threat to public safety and severely disrupted public order.
In response, substantial police reinforcements, including Yasam forces, worked for hours to disperse the crowds and reopen the road to traffic. The operation included the use of riot-dispersal measures and the arrest of individuals suspected of participating in the violence.
During the confrontations, five police officers sustained injuries and required medical treatment. Police stated that all injured officers were treated and are reported to be in good condition.
“The police will not allow harm to public safety, freedom of movement, or property, and will continue to act decisively against any display of violence or lawbreaking,” the statement concluded.
{Matzav.com}Federal investigators have obtained DNA from a glove discovered near the Tucson home of Nancy Guthrie, raising the possibility that authorities may have genetic evidence linked to the armed individual seen at the 84-year-old’s door on the night she vanished.
Law enforcement officials told The New York Post that the development could mark a significant breakthrough in the Feb. 1 disappearance of the mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, potentially providing investigators with DNA connected to their leading suspect.
“The one with the DNA profile recovered is different and appears to match the gloves of the subject in the surveillance video,” an FBI spokesperson told Fox News, which first broke the story.
The glove in question was one of 16 recovered by investigators during the course of the probe. It is believed to be the same glove that FBI evidence teams were seen collecting from the side of a road roughly two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s residence, according to observations previously reported by The Post.
Authorities told Fox News that the glove appears consistent with the black nitrile gloves worn over another pair of gloves by the masked suspect captured on Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera. Officials emphasized, however, that there is no definitive confirmation that the glove belonged to the suspect, only that it resembles the gloves visible in the surveillance footage.
FBI forensic specialists are now in the process of verifying the DNA findings before submitting the profile to the national crime database in an effort to determine whether it matches any known individuals.
According to an FBI spokesperson, once DNA is received by the bureau, it generally takes about 24 hours to upload it into CODIS, the agency’s nationwide DNA index system.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said Sunday that testing is still underway at a private laboratory in Florida and that final DNA results have not yet been completed.
Nanos told Fox News that certain DNA samples were given priority for analysis, though he declined to provide specifics about which items were expedited or when results are expected. The FBI has indicated it will continue assisting in the investigation according to the timeline established for processing the evidence.
President Donald Trump announced that he will reveal this Thursday that member nations of the Board of Peace have pledged more than $5 billion for humanitarian relief and rebuilding efforts in Gaza, along with thousands of personnel for a U.N.-approved stabilization mission.
In a message posted Sunday on Truth Social, Trump said participating countries have agreed to fund large-scale reconstruction and to provide manpower for an international force and local policing units aimed at maintaining order in the Palestinian territory.
“On February 19th, 2026, I will again be joined by Board of Peace Members at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., where we will announce that Member States have pledged more than $5 BILLION DOLLARS toward the Gaza Humanitarian and Reconstruction efforts, and have committed thousands of personnel to the International Stabilization Force and Local Police to maintain Security and Peace for Gazans. Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization. The Board of Peace will prove to be the most consequential International Body in History, and it is my honor to serve as its Chairman,” Trump wrote.
In the same post, Trump highlighted what he described as the board’s rapid progress and broader aspirations beyond Gaza.
“The Board of Peace has unlimited potential. Last October, I released a Plan for the permanent end to the Conflict in Gaza, and our Vision was unanimously adopted by the United Nations Security Council. Shortly thereafter, we facilitated Humanitarian Aid at record speed, and secured the release of every living and deceased Hostage. Just last month, two dozen distinguished Founding Members joined me in Davos, Switzerland, to celebrate its official formation, and present a bold Vision for the Civilians in Gaza, and then, ultimately, far beyond Gaza — WORLD PEACE!” he said.
The establishment of the Board of Peace was backed by a United Nations Security Council resolution and forms part of the administration’s broader strategy to conclude the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Israel and Hamas signed onto the framework last year, with a ceasefire taking effect in October. Despite the agreement, each side has repeatedly accused the other of breaches. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that more than 590 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the territory since the truce began, while Israel says four of its soldiers have died in attacks by Palestinian militants during the same period.
Several key regional players — including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel and Indonesia — have joined the board. However, major global powers and longstanding Western allies of the United States have shown greater reluctance.
Trump did not specify which countries are responsible for the financial pledges or which will supply troops for the stabilization mission. Indonesia’s military said Sunday that as many as 8,000 personnel could be prepared by the end of June for possible deployment to Gaza in a humanitarian and peacekeeping role, marking the first concrete troop commitment received by the administration.
Reconstruction in Gaza is expected to be an enormous undertaking. Estimates from the United Nations, World Bank and European Union place the cost of rebuilding at approximately $70 billion. After more than two years of Israeli military operations, vast sections of the territory have sustained severe damage.
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, an armed international stabilization force would be responsible for maintaining security and ensuring the disarmament of Hamas — a central condition set by Israel. To date, only a limited number of countries have signaled willingness to participate in such a force.
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement reached on Oct. 10 sought to end more than two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas. While large-scale combat has diminished, Israeli forces have continued conducting airstrikes and have frequently opened fire near areas under military control.
It remains uncertain how many of the more than 20 Board of Peace members will attend Thursday’s gathering. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who met with Trump at the White House last week, is not expected to participate.
Initially viewed as a mechanism focused primarily on resolving the Gaza conflict, the Board of Peace has since evolved into what Trump describes as a platform with a broader global mission. The initiative appears to reflect a wider effort by the United States to reshape international diplomacy and operate outside traditional United Nations structures as Trump seeks to redefine the post–World War II global framework.
Many leading U.S. allies in Europe and elsewhere have declined to join the board, expressing concerns that it could serve as a parallel body to the U.N. Security Council.
Trump also confirmed that Thursday’s event will be held at the U.S. Institute of Peace, which the State Department announced in December would continue operating under the name Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace.
The institute’s headquarters has been the focus of ongoing legal disputes after the administration took control of the building last year and dismissed nearly all of its staff, prompting lawsuits from former employees and executives of the nonprofit organization.
