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[Video below.] President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu met today at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where the two leaders discussed Gaza, Iran, and the broader regional situation.

Trump addressed Iran early in the discussion, warning that renewed activity by Tehran would draw an immediate response. “Now I hear that Iran is trying to build up again. And if they are, we’re gonna have to knock them down. We’ll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that’s not happening.”

Asked directly whether he would back Israeli military action should Iran refuse a deal and continue advancing its nuclear and missile programs, Trump replied “yes.” He elaborated, saying, “Missiles, yes, the nuclear, fast,” and added, “We’ll do it immediately.”

Turning to Gaza, Trump said he wanted to advance the next stage of the peace framework without delay, while emphasizing a key precondition. He said he hoped to move to Phase 2 “as quickly as possible,” but stressed that “there must be a disarming” of the Hamas terrorist organization.

Trump was also asked about the timing of the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire in relation to the fate of the final remaining hostage, Ran Gvili. Referring to him as a “wonderful young man,” Trump noted the presence of his “wonderful parents” at the meeting. “He’s the only one left, and we’re doing everything we can to get his body back,” Trump said.

The US president repeatedly praised Netanyahu’s leadership during the war, calling him “a war-time prime minister” who has “done a phenomenal job.” Trump said Netanyahu “has taken Israel through a very dangerous period of trauma,” adding that “Israel, with other people, might not exist right now.” He continued, “If you had the wrong prime minister, Israel right now would not exist,” and concluded, “We worked together and we were extremely victorious.”

Netanyahu, for his part, returned the praise, emphasizing the strength of the relationship between the two leaders. “We’ve never had a friend like President Trump in the White House. It’s not even close … I think Israel is very blessed to have President Trump leading the United States and leading the free world at this time. I think it’s not merely Israel’s great fortune. I think it’s the world’s great fortune.”

Netanyahu arrived earlier Monday at Mar-a-Lago for the high-level meeting, which comes amid ongoing efforts to shape the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire and rising concern over Iran’s regional ambitions.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

TRUMP: “I’m not concerned about anything that Israel is doing”

Trump on Iran: “I hope they’re not trying to build up again, because if they are, we’re going to have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that buildup. So, I hope Iran is not trying to build up, as I’ve been reading.”

A historic theater in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol has opened its doors more than three years after it was pummeled in a Russian airstrike that killed hundreds of civilians sheltering inside. Moscow-installed authorities marked the rebuilding of the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater with a gala concert on the building’s new main stage […]

POTUS delivers remarks upon meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu: “We had a big meeting with a lot of people… and I think we came to a lot of conclusion… and so, I just want to thank you for spending time.”

YWN regrets to inform you of the tragic petirah of Israel (Sol) Zaltz Z”L, a resident of Cedarhurst, who was R”L killed in a devastating car accident in the Five Towns early Monday morning. He was 77 years old. As YWN previously reported, the niftar was critically injured when a vehicle slammed head-on into his […]

Torrential rains flooded Spain’s southern and eastern provinces over the weekend, leaving at least three people dead

A Muslim vendor who intervened during a deadly antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach has described the moment he ran toward one of the assailants and wrestled a gun from him in an effort to protect civilians. Ahmed al Ahmed said in an interview with CBS News that his sole intention was to stop the gunman […]

For the first time in a quarter century, Jews will be permitted to enter Kever Yosef in Shechem during daylight hours, following an announcement made Monday by Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz.

Under the updated arrangement, visitors will be allowed to remain inside the compound until 8:00 a.m., replacing the long-standing requirement to exit by 4:00 a.m. The extended window will also make it possible to hold Shacharis at the site. Officials said that the possibility of allowing Jews to stay for even longer periods during the day will be reviewed at a later stage.

Until now, all Jewish access to Kever Yosef has been restricted to nighttime visits only, and solely under the coordination and protection of Israeli security forces.

The move represents a major shift from policy in place since 2000, when the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva was evacuated from the compound. Since that time, no organized Jewish visits during daylight hours had been permitted.

The Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva welcomed the announcement, issuing a statement that read: “We praise the Defense Minister’s decision, which is correct from a moral, historical, and security standpoint. It is time that Jews be allowed to stay at Kever Yosef in daylight, proudly, and not [only] as thieves in the night. This is the first step towards the full return of Jews to Shechem and to the kever of Yosef Hatzaddik.”

The statement continued with a broader message of hope tied to the weekly Torah reading: “This past Shabbos, we read in the Torah about the reunion between Yosef Hatzaddik and his brothers, and we hope that soon, the entire nation of Israel will be able to reunite, with Kever Yosef under full and permanent Jewish control.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli intelligence officials say a strategic analysis prepared by Hamas’ intelligence apparatus played a central role in the terror group’s decision-making ahead of the October 7, 2023 massacre, influencing the thinking of its now-deceased leaders, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammad Deif.

The document, which was recovered by Israeli forces during combat operations in the Gaza Strip amid the war, was written less than a month before the attack. It was later released in full by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.

According to the assessment, Hamas believed Israel had no intention of overthrowing the group’s rule in Gaza. The authors argued that Israeli policy had evolved over time, moving away from decisive military outcomes toward what they described as conflict containment.

The paper stated that “Israel relied for years on a strategy of preemptive strikes, but the strengthening of Hamas and Hezbollah caused it to shift to a pattern of short rounds of limited-intensity fighting.”

The analysis pointed to Israel’s experience in Operation Cast Lead in 2008–2009, asserting that Israel failed to achieve its central aim of dismantling Hamas’ control of Gaza. As a result, the document claimed, Israel adopted imprecise war aims in later confrontations, prioritizing deterrence and conflict management over outright victory and regime change.

The authors also examined the events of Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021, concluding that Hamas scored what they termed a psychological success by tying the fighting in Gaza to tensions in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, while also stirring unrest among Arab citizens of Israel.

In addition, the assessment argued that Israel “failed to implement the ‘war between wars’ policy,” and maintained that the prospect of a multi-front conflict represents the most severe test of Israeli military capacity. For that reason, the document asserted, Israel prefers to avoid simultaneous wars and instead engage adversaries in separate theaters.

Building on these conclusions, the paper asserted that “Israel has not abandoned the idea of a preemptive strike, especially following the failure in Operation Guardian of the Walls, but it is not in a position to build a new deterrence equation. Therefore, it focuses on conflict management, risk management, and neutralizing threats. Thus, the recommendation to Hamas leadership is to prepare for a new opening strike that will trigger a new round of fighting, but also to lead an ‘unexpected’ confrontation that will break the recurring pattern and put Israeli leadership in a state of uncertainty.”

Israeli officials say the document was formally presented to the leadership of Hamas’ military wing. Roughly a month later, the terror group launched the October 7 assault, with investigators assessing that the conclusions and recommendations outlined in the paper were among the factors that shaped the decision to carry out the attack.

{Matzav.com}

The head of Iran’s Central Bank resigned Monday as the biggest protests since 2022 erupted in Tehran and other cities after the country’s currency plummeted to a new record low against the U.S. dollar. The resignation of Mohammad Reza Farzin was reported by state TV, as traders and shopkeepers rallied in Saadi Street in downtown […]

The United Torah Judaism faction has decided to boycott all votes in the Knesset plenum this week, deepening tensions within the governing coalition. While the final decision is expected to be formally approved at an upcoming faction meeting, the move already signals a significant coalition crisis. The dispute follows a sharp confrontation between Aryeh Deri, chairman of Shas, and Moshe Gafni, head of Degel HaTorah, alongside what UTJ officials describe as coalition intervention in favor of Shas. During the faction meeting, UTJ faction chairman Uri Maklev outlined the background to the decision, explaining that relations between Shas and Degel HaTorah deteriorated further over the appointment of the chairman of Yerushalayim’s religious council. According to Maklev, the recent conduct surrounding the issue left United Torah Judaism with no choice but to refrain from supporting coalition votes this week. UTJ chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf voiced sharp criticism during the discussion, directing his remarks at Maklev. Goldknopf questioned why voting boycotts were not pursued earlier, saying: “Didn’t you always say we need to keep a ‘wick’ connected to the coalition? Yeshiva students are being arrested, the Ofek Chadash framework is being stalled, and that still didn’t lead you to halt votes in the plenum.” {Matzav.com}

TRUMP: “Every hostage that’s been released was released because of me and my team…NONE were released in the Biden Administration”

Two chareidi women in their 20s from central Israel were arrested Sunday at Prague’s international airport on suspicion of attempting to smuggle a large quantity of khat, according to a report by mako.

During a search conducted by customs officials and local police, authorities discovered 96 kilograms of khat hidden in the women’s luggage — 48 kilograms in each suitcase. The seized shipment is estimated to be worth tens of thousands of euros. Following the discovery, the two were taken into custody and transferred to a local detention facility in Czech Republic for questioning.

Preliminary findings indicate that the women were not acting independently. Investigators suspect they were recruited as couriers in an organized smuggling operation. According to the probe, the pair allegedly acted on behalf of an Israeli khat dealer known to police and were tasked with delivering the shipment to local distributors in the Czech Republic.

Law enforcement officials noted that khat smuggled into Prague is typically intended for buyers within African immigrant communities, where the plant is considered highly sought after.

Family members of the detainees, expressing deep concern over their situation, have reached out to Israel’s Foreign Ministry for assistance. The Department for Israelis Abroad said the case is known and is being handled by the Israeli consulate in Prague, which is in contact with local authorities to monitor the women’s condition and provide assistance within the limits of its authority.

Earlier reports recalled a similar case from 136 days ago, when two 19-year-old Israeli men from chareidi families were arrested in Germany at the French border after allegedly attempting to smuggle 50 kilograms of khat in a rented vehicle. One of those detained was Nechemia Epstein, the brother of social media activist Yedidia Epstein. The two were released today, one day before Yedidia’s wedding.

After their release, the two issued a warning to others who may be tempted to engage in khat smuggling. “This was a mistake. We call on everyone not to be tempted to smuggle khat. It is dangerous and can end in a long prison sentence,” they said.

Members of the Jewish community in Germany have also voiced alarm over the phenomenon, warning of severe consequences and damage to the community’s reputation. “From time to time, young chareidi men are arrested with suitcases full of khat, and the punishment can be very harsh. Many times, chareidi youths end up spending very long periods in European prisons,” community representatives said.

{Matzav.com}

Trump at Mar-a-Lago: “This is a very good group. We made a lot of progress already. We had about a five minute meeting, and we’ve already settled about three of the difficulties.”

Trump was caught on a hot mic venting to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he doesn’t get credit despite claiming he brokered eight peace deals, adding, “They gave the Nob— I did eight of them. How about India and Pakistan? So I did eight of them. […]

Trump on Maduro: “You have to understand what he’s done. They’ve sent billions of dollars of drugs in. But maybe just as bad, they’ve sent hundreds of thousands of people in — from jails, from prisons… the drug lords, the drug dealers.”

President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S. has “hit” a facility in South America as he wages a pressure campaign on Venezuela, but the U.S. offered no other details. Trump made the comments in what seemed to be an impromptu radio interview Friday. The president, who called radio host John Catsimatidis during a program […]

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