Emotional scenes were recorded this week in Afula, when a special delegation from Hatzalah and the Gilboa regional unit visited the home of a local resident who was seriously injured in last Friday’s deadly terror attack and survived against the odds.
The visit was intended both to strengthen the survivor and to complete a powerful “closing of the circle” with the volunteers who were among the first to arrive at the scene and administer the initial, life-saving medical care.
Among those attending were Afula Mayor Avi Elkabetz, Rav Ben Tzion Kook, Gilboa regional coordinator for Hatzalah Mendy Itzkovitz, and paramedics Moshe Dachs and Yossi Farber. The two medics were among the earliest responders to reach the scene of the attack and, with exceptional presence of mind, provided rapid and professional treatment during the most critical minutes—actions credited with saving the victim’s life.
The survivor, visibly moved as he welcomed the delegation into his home, shared his reflections on the ordeal. “Only afterward did I truly understand how critical every single second was,” he said. “I thank you for being there not only at the scene, but also at the hospital and in supporting my family. I was given my life as a gift.”
Gilboa regional coordinator Mendy Itzkovitz emphasized the mission that drives the organization. “Saving lives is our calling,” he said. “I thank the mayor and the city leadership for the ongoing cooperation and assistance that allow our volunteers to drop everything and respond immediately when lives are on the line.”
Hatzalah Director-General Yaakov Yuzef added that the meeting encapsulated the essence of the organization’s work. “This encounter illustrates the ‘why’ behind everything we do,” he said. “All the logistical investment, the equipment, emergency vehicles, and wide deployment converge into moments like this. It’s not a slogan—it’s the daily reality of saving lives. The direct bond between volunteers and those they rescue is part of our DNA and reflects, in practice, the supreme value of preserving life as a daily mission.”
Mayor Avi Elkabetz concluded the moving gathering by praising the close cooperation between the city and emergency responders. “This event is living proof of how vital rapid response times are,” he said. “The combination of advanced equipment and devoted Hatzalah volunteers is what saved a life here.”
{Matzav.com}
An online entry edited within hours of the Trump administration’s dramatic operation against Venezuela took aim not at the mission’s outcome, but at its framing. A Wikipedia page devoted to Cilia Flores, the wife of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, was quickly updated to characterize the event as an “abduction,” drawing attention for its wording almost as soon as the news broke.
President Trump publicly confirmed that U.S. forces, working alongside American law enforcement agencies, had carried out the operation that removed Maduro from power. “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
According to reporting by Breitbart News, the mission came against the backdrop of years of U.S. efforts to bring Maduro to justice. American authorities had placed a $50 million reward on information leading to his arrest or conviction, reflecting the seriousness of the charges leveled against him.
Those charges date back to a 2020 U.S. indictment accusing Maduro of playing a central role in the Cartel of the Suns, an alleged cocaine trafficking network tied to senior Venezuelan officials. Prosecutors said the organization sought to “flood” the United States with cocaine as part of a campaign to harm the country, according to Breitbart News correspondent Christian K. Caruzo.
Breitbart has also reported that Maduro retained control in Venezuela through what it described as a series of sham presidential elections, while remaining a fugitive from U.S. justice on multiple narco-terrorism counts.
The operation itself unfolded dramatically late Saturday, when explosions rocked Caracas. In the aftermath, Maduro and Flores were “captured and flown out of the country,” marking a decisive end to his rule and setting off a fresh political dispute — not only over the strike itself, but over how the episode is being described online.
{Matzav.com}
Federal health authorities announced a sweeping change Monday to the nation’s childhood immunization guidance, cutting back the list of vaccines routinely recommended for children and leaving some shots, including those for influenza, to parental discretion without explicit federal direction.
According to the New York Times, “Federal health officials on Monday announced dramatic revisions to the slate of vaccines recommended for American children, reducing the number of diseases prevented by routine shots to 11 from 17.”
Officials involved in the revision stressed that the updated schedule does not eliminate access to any vaccines and will not affect insurance coverage, emphasizing that families can still obtain all recommended immunizations if they choose.
Despite those assurances, medical professionals reacted with alarm, warning that scaling back official recommendations could discourage vaccination, lower immunization rates, and lead to the return of preventable diseases.
“The announcement is a seismic shift in federal vaccine policy, and perhaps the most significant change yet in public health practice by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, who has long sought to reduce the number of shots American children receive.”
The move follows a directive issued in December by President Donald Trump, who asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to study how other countries structure their vaccine recommendations and to explore whether the U.S. schedule should be revised to more closely mirror international approaches.
{Matzav.com}
A four-year-old jab from Joe Biden aimed at President Donald Trump suddenly returned to center stage this weekend, after Trump authorized the arrest of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro on drug-trafficking and terrorism charges — a move that set off sharp reactions across the political spectrum.
The remark, originally posted in June 2020 in response to an Axios report, resurfaced rapidly as critics and supporters alike revisited Biden’s earlier assessment of Trump’s Venezuela policy.
“Trump talks tough on Venezuela, but admires thugs and dictators like Nicolás Maduro,” Biden wrote at the time.
“As President, I will stand with the Venezuelan people and for democracy,” Biden added.
Following the dramatic weekend operation at Miraflores, Maduro’s official residence, conservatives — joined by at least one left-leaning activist — circulated the comment as an example of what several users described as rhetoric that “aged like milk.”
“A tweet that did not age well,” Fox News host and former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany commented.
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, now running for governor, reacted bluntly.
“Whoops,” Tuberville wrote.
“And now, every Democrat is denouncing an operation to execute a federal warrant while we slept,” he added.
Tuberville went further, arguing that the backlash revealed a deeper problem.
“Democrats have no principles [and] it’s about whatever way the left wind is blowing to gain power,” he said.
“Yesterday’s margaritas with Kilmar Abrego Garcia is today’s Maduro,” Tuberville continued. “They’ll support a drug-trafficking dictator because this was another Trump win. Guaranteed.”
The Trump campaign’s “Rapid Response 47” account also amplified the moment, reposting Biden’s old message alongside an image of Maduro blindfolded aboard a U.S. government aircraft after his arrest.
Pennsylvania state Rep. Aaron Bernstine, whose Butler County district includes the site of Trump’s near-assassination in 2024, added a jab of his own.
“Has anyone called to see if Joe is still sleeping?” Bernstine asked.
One user replied by posting a clip of Earl Sinclair from the 1990s ABC sitcom Dinosaurs, showing the character dropping a glass in shock.
“This aged well,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, remarked of Biden’s earlier post.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee echoed that sentiment in a separate social media post, praising Trump’s approach.
“Doesn’t just talk tough, he is tough,” Blackburn said.
“Does Joe Biden have anything to say now?” she asked, as others noted that Biden himself had previously labeled Maduro a dictator and condemned his “human rights violations and extrajudicial killings.”
Former NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro drew a broader comparison.
“Wait. You mean ‘Don’t’ diplomacy didn’t get it done?” Mauro wrote.
He was referring to Biden’s widely replayed response when asked what message he would send Iran to deter interference in Israel.
“Don’t,” Biden said before exiting the stage at an event hosted by Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
Critics also revisited moments from the Biden administration that appeared to soften its posture toward Caracas. In 2022, climate envoy John Kerry was filmed smiling and shaking hands with Maduro at the UN climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
When questioned about the interaction, Kerry spokesman Ned Price said the Venezuelan leader had “interrupted what was an ongoing meeting at COP27,” describing the encounter as “very much an unplanned interaction.”
Others pointed out that the initial bounty on Maduro was established in 2015 under Barack Obama and later increased by the Biden administration, before being doubled to $50 million under Trump.
Ja’Mal Green, a former Chicago mayoral candidate and community activist who once aligned with Sen. Bernie Sanders but now identifies as “politically independent,” argued that Biden’s posture lacked follow-through.
“Joe Biden hated Maduro just as much. He just wasn’t bold enough to get him,” Green said.
“All [Biden] did was impose sanctions and never get the money owed. Democrats have to stop.”
Green accused the Biden administration of standing by while Maduro tightened his grip on Venezuela.
“Under Biden, he watched as Maduro slaughtered and oppressed the people of Venezuela. He watched as Maduro lost the election but still declared himself the winner. He then just allowed millions of Venezuelans to come to America to claim refuge, costing us hundreds of billions of dollars,” Green said, adding that he has also criticized Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson over the city’s handling of illegal immigration.
“Under Trump, Maduro FAFO. He swooped in and took him out of the country altogether,” Green said.
He concluded by framing the arrest as a necessary break from failed engagement.
“Regardless of our disagreements, sometimes diplomacy doesn’t work, and we must use aggression to free a nation. Trump freed Venezuelans today and I hope one day they can go home to a stable country.”
Green also mocked protests against Trump, saying the most bizarre reaction was from “socialist[s] crying about Trump taking Maduro” while accusing the president of seeking regime change.
“Maduro didn’t win the election. He’s only there because he took over the country,” Green said. “I thought y’all didn’t want kings.”
{Matzav.com}
