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Israeli negotiators have intensified pressure in the ongoing hostage-related talks by supplying mediators with a roster of Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives believed to have firsthand information about where Master Sgt. Ran Gvili is buried, Channel 12 reported Friday. The list was accompanied by precise maps outlining zones that Israeli officials say are linked to the slain officer’s presumed resting place.

Those involved in the process say the material was conveyed in a direct, unmistakable manner. With the recent Storm Byron clearing and conditions improving, Israel expects militant factions in Gaza to accelerate their own searches. Officials told Channel 12 they believe that if Islamic Jihad chooses to cooperate sincerely, Gvili’s remains could be recovered “within a short time.”

Jerusalem has underscored that no progress will be made on the next phase of the ceasefire arrangement until Gvili is brought home. He is the only remaining hostage still held in Gaza, and his return has become the determining factor for any diplomatic movement.

Security sources confirmed that Israel has recently developed several new leads regarding the possible burial site and has initiated preliminary checks. The area of interest is associated with Islamic Jihad, whose operatives seized Gvili during the Hamas-driven massacre on October 7, 2023, in southern Israel.

Reports indicate that Islamic Jihad has been conducting its own searches throughout various sectors of the Gaza Strip, apparently attempting to locate the officer’s remains.

Gvili served in the Yasam counter-terror police unit and had been recuperating from a shoulder injury at the time of the assault. Despite being on medical leave, he donned his uniform and raced to the battlefield as soon as he heard what was unfolding.

The IDF announced in January 2024 that Gvili had been killed in the fighting at Kibbutz Alumim on October 7 and that his body had been taken into Gaza. His family, unwilling to accept closure without physical proof, continues to insist on the return of his remains.

The Prime Minister’s Office revealed last week that an Israeli team traveled to Cairo for another round of negotiations. The group, headed by government hostage envoy Gal Hirsch, included senior representatives from the IDF, Mossad, and Shin Bet.

Channel 12 reported that these discussions ended with a commitment to accelerate the mission of retrieving Gvili. During the talks, Israeli officials told mediators that certain Islamic Jihad figures know exactly where he is buried. They also used the opportunity to reiterate Israel’s stance that the next phase of any ceasefire must incorporate Hamas’s disarmament and a fully demilitarized Gaza Strip.

According to Channel 12, mediators informed Israel that Hamas is signaling openness to continuing the negotiations. “Either they agree to disarm and demilitarize Gaza, or we will do it ourselves,” one Israeli official said. “Israel will not leave a threat to the State of Israel in Gaza.”

{Matzav.com}

With anticipation building nationwide, Powerball players are gearing up for tonight’s drawing, for which the prize pool has rocketed to an extraordinary estimated $1 billion. The jackpot ballooned once again after the Dec. 10 numbers failed to produce a winner, leaving the top prize at a staggering $1 billion with a cash payout of $457.7 million.

This marks the second time in 2025 that Powerball has reached the billion-dollar threshold. Earlier this year, on Sept. 6, a massive $1.79 billion jackpot was claimed by ticket holders in Missouri and Texas, setting a high bar for the excitement now gripping players once again.

Tonight’s drawing is scheduled for 10:59 p.m. — the standard time for Powerball results every Monday, Wednesday, and Motzoei Shabbos. As always, each attempt at the jackpot costs $2, and adding the Power Play option for an extra $1 gives players the ability to multiply non-jackpot winnings by factors ranging from two to ten.

Anyone chasing the jackpot should remember the long odds: the chances of hitting all six numbers stand at 1 in 292.2 million.

Drawings take place at the Florida Lottery studio in Tallahassee and are carried live on Powerball.com.

Players purchasing tickets at retail locations have the option to boost their chances through Double Play, a separate draw held immediately after the main event. For an extra $1 per play, the same set of numbers is entered into a second drawing where prizes can reach as high as $10,000,000. The Double Play results are announced between 11:30 and 11:40 p.m., though winnings from this round cannot be increased using the Power Play multiplier.

{Matzav.com}

In the days leading up to the October 7 atrocities, Hamas’s Nukhba force staged a final run-through of an operation that included penetrating far into Israel and staging the mock capture of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The rehearsal, carried out just before the onslaught, appears to have been designed as a full simulation of an abduction mission.

Channel 13 obtained body-camera recordings that reveal a startling scene: a terrorist dressed up to resemble Ben-Gvir—wearing a suit, a mask modeled after his face, and matching hair—being marched at gunpoint toward a waiting vehicle. The video later shows that “Ben-Gvir” was transferred into another car, mirroring the kind of transfer Hamas uses when spiriting captives into Gaza.

The recordings also expose preparations by Hamas’s aerial division. On the eve of the attack, terrorists can be seen assembling drones with hot glue sticks while following online tutorials. They were equipped with precise maps charting Israel’s air-defense layout, and the footage captures commanders briefing their men ahead of the invasion.

Ben-Gvir responded sharply to the revelations, declaring, “This astonishing exposure of Hamas’s plans before October 7th joins six other times in which those cursed ones tried to harm my family and me. I will not be deterred, I will continue to make changes in the prisons and will continue to carry out the reform in the distribution of weapons and civilian security squads. I will continue to demolish illegal houses in the Negev, I will continue to promote sovereignty on the Temple Mount, I will continue to do everything I have done, and I demand that the Prime Minister pass a death penalty law for terrorists. This is our chance to hurt and break their motivation, I am not afraid!”

{Matzav.com}

A shooter dressed in black killed at least two people and wounded eight others at Brown University on Saturday during final exams on the Ivy League campus, authorities said, and police were searching for the suspect. Officers scattered across the campus and into an affluent neighborhood filled with historic and stately brick homes, searching academic […]

Israeli forces carried out an airstrike in Gaza City today targeting a vehicle believed to be transporting senior Hamas commander Raed Saad, a central planner behind the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, according to Israeli media reports and an Israeli defense official.

Gaza health authorities stated that four individuals were killed in the strike. Initial reports did not clarify whether Saad was among the dead, and Hamas officials did not provide immediate confirmation. Hours later, an IDF spokesman ended the uncertainty with a social media announcement confirming Saad’s death.

The announcement declared, “Every place where we identify that Hamas is trying to regroup, we act. Earlier today, the IDF eliminated Raad Saad, whose elimination constitutes a blow to Hamas’s attempts at regrouping and strengthening. We will not allow our enemies to regroup and rebuild their strength. We will continue to be committed to continuing the ceasefire agreement.”

The killing represents the most prominent assassination of a Hamas military leader since the ceasefire went into effect on Oct. 10.

Israeli defense officials identified Saad as the head of Hamas’ weapons production division, a key role in the group’s operational infrastructure. Hamas-linked sources have described him as effectively serving as deputy commander of the organization’s armed wing, ranking immediately below Izz al-Din al-Haddad.

Those same sources noted that Saad previously commanded Hamas’ Gaza City battalion, one of the movement’s most formidable and well-resourced units.

{Matzav.com}

Hezbollah’s deputy chief Naim Qassem launched a fierce broadside at the United States over the weekend, declaring that American attempts to push Lebanese leaders toward disarming the movement are doomed to fail. He insisted that no amount of external coercion will convince Hezbollah to relinquish its arsenal.

Speaking on Saturday, Qassem warned that Washington must grasp a simple truth: Hezbollah will confront any threat and will not bow to international forces seeking to strip it of its weapons. He said that even a global coalition arrayed in battle against Lebanon would not compel the organization to disarm.

Expanding on this point, he argued that Hezbollah’s territory, its weapons, and its ideological drive are inseparable, describing them as one unified whole. In his words, forcing the group to give up its firepower would be tantamount to “execution,” and thus entirely out of the question.

Qassem also revisited Israel’s campaign following the killing of longtime late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and other senior figures. He asserted that Israel’s intention was nothing less than the total dismantling of Hezbollah. According to Qassem, that effort fell short because “Hezbollah fought a war against Israel and prevented it from achieving that goal.”

He maintained that Israel is now coming to terms with the fact that its own battlefield successes are slipping away. Qassem characterized this as an inevitable outcome of what he views as Israel’s strategic failure: it did not secure what it set out to accomplish, while Hezbollah remains operational and intact.

Turning to Beirut, Qassem said Hezbollah is prepared to work in full partnership with the Lebanese Army under a national defense framework that integrates the capabilities of both Lebanon’s military and Hezbollah’s forces. Still, he drew a red line, stating that the organization will never agree to any measure that resembles capitulation to Israel or the United States.

{Matzav.com}

Nearly four years after Israel’s deadliest civilian disaster in decades, law enforcement officials say they are finally positioned to restart a stalled criminal investigation into the 2021 Meron tragedy, setting up a high-stakes decision for Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara that could carry significant legal and political consequences. Police have informed the Justice Ministry that they […]

A quick-moving storm is expected to bring the first meaningful snowfall of the season to New York and New Jersey tonight, with most of the snow falling between midnight and 9 a.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Snow will move in late Saturday and continue into early Sunday morning, dropping 2 to 3 […]

A deadly attack in Syria claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a U.S. civilian interpreter after their unit was ambushed near Palmyra, according to U.S. officials. The assault, believed to have been carried out by an ISIS-linked gunman, erupted during what was supposed to be a routine engagement with local leaders.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reported that the attacker was ultimately shot and killed by partnered forces in the area. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell later confirmed that three additional service members were hurt during the encounter, and two U.S. officials stated that all three of the injured were American.

In a formal statement, Parnell explained, “The attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement. Their mission was in support of on-going counter-ISIS / counter-terrorism operations in the region.”

The incident comes at a significant moment, marking the first combat fatalities since President Donald Trump returned to office. He reacted publicly within hours, posting condolences and condemning the killers. In his message, Trump wrote, “The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Trump also insisted that the ambush was an act of terrorism, stating that it was an “ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them.” He later reinforced his stance in brief comments to reporters, reminding them as he walked off, “We will retaliate.”

Officials have not yet released the names of the fallen as families are still being notified. The tragedy stands as the deadliest U.S. event in Syria in years, representing the first American combat deaths there since 2019, when a suicide bombing in Manbij killed four Americans. Until now, ten U.S. service members had died in Syria over the years, from both hostile and accidental causes, with the most recent non-hostile loss occurring in February 2022.

{Matzav.com}

A disturbing confrontation erupted on a Melbourne train earlier this week when a Rabbi traveling with his children was met with an appalling antisemitic slur from a fellow passenger. According to footage released by the Australian Jewish Association on Friday, the woman hurled the words “Go to the gas chambers” at the family during the ride.

The recording, posted to the association’s Instagram page, shows the woman holding a bag decorated with a Palestinian flag motif. After the Rabbi calmly confronted her about what she had said, she immediately hid her face and insisted, “He’s picking on me. Why would I say something like that?”

Robert Gregory, chief executive of the Australian Jewish Association, condemned the episode with force. “This is another shocking case of antisemitism in Melbourne. It is hard to believe someone would address children with such a call,” he said, noting that the encounter is part of a troubling pattern the community has been facing.

Gregory also remarked that her use of pro-Palestinian imagery was, unfortunately, not unexpected. He went on to commend the Rabbi’s composure and refusal to let such behavior go unchallenged, emphasizing, “It is important that people do not remain indifferent to such shocking incidents.”

{Matzav.com}

Will anyone hit the $1 billion jackpot? The winning numbers for the Powerball jackpot worth an estimated $1 billion will be drawn Saturday night. The drawing takes place at 10:59PM ET. The current jackpot ranks as the seventh-largest in the lottery game’s history, which dates back to 1992. A potential winner would have the option […]

TRUMP: I have been briefed on the shooting that took place at Brown University in Rhode Island. The FBI is on the scene. The suspect is in custody. God bless the victims and the families of the victims!

Will anyone hit the $1 billion jackpot? The winning numbers for the Powerball jackpot worth an estimated $1 billion will be drawn Saturday night. The drawing takes place at 10:59 p.m. ET. The current jackpot ranks as the seventh-largest in the lottery game’s history, which dates back to 1992. A potential winner would have the […]

U.S. Briefly Cut Off Drone Intelligence to Israel During Gaza War • In the second half of 2024, the U.S. temporarily cut off a live MQ-9 Reaper drone video feed over Gaza that Israel was using to pursue Hamas terrorists and help locate hostages, sources told Reuters. • The pause lasted at least a few […]

Video footage of the aitstrike that killed Hamas Commander Raad Saad in Gaza City. The United States was reportedly not notified in advance.

DRAMATIC FOOTAGE: Watch the NYPD Aviation Unit assist ground officers apprehend two suspects who stole an SUV in Brooklyn.

On a Thursday night flight from New York to Eretz Yisroel, HaRav Yosef Chevroni, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Chevron, Davens Maariv for the Amud. At his side were HaRav Meir Goldwicht, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University, together with the Mir Yerushalyim mashgiach, HaRav Binyamin Finkel.

Trump on healthcare: “I think what most Republicans want to see is what I want to see… we want the money not to be paid at all to insurance companies… We want the money to go to the people.”