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Shas spokesman Asher Medina acknowledged that his party and the broader Chareidi political leadership failed during the past four years to secure the status of yeshiva bochurim, but pushed back strongly against claims that the failure has caused a widespread loss of confidence in Chareidi elected officials.

Speaking in an interview with Kol Chai’s “Central Edition,” hosted by Shneur Weber, Medina was asked how Shas intends to approach Chareidi voters who are deeply troubled by the arrests of yeshiva bochurim and the ongoing military draft crisis.

“There is no doubt, we did not succeed in bringing about an arrangement for the status of yeshiva students, which we wanted so badly and worked so hard and devoted ourselves for four years to make happen,” Medina acknowledged.

At the same time, Medina rejected the characterization that yeshiva families now look at their political representatives and say, “We sent you and you did not deliver results.”

“Yes, there is pain. Yes, there is great pain, and we share in it,” Medina said. “We are all in the same boat. We all have children, we all have grandchildren, we are all facing the same concerns.”

Medina insisted that throughout the past four years, Shas and the Chareidi representatives acted in accordance with the instructions they received from the Gedolei Yisroel.

“Everything they did for four years was according to the instructions of the Gedolei Yisroel, step by step. Whatever the Gedolei Yisroel instructed us to do – we did, and we carried out their mission.”

Weber pressed Medina on why Chareidi voters should believe that Shas will succeed in the next government after failing to resolve the issue during the past four years. Medina responded that one of the central lessons is that the Chareidi community must emerge from the coming elections with greater political strength.

Medina specifically pointed to Israel’s judicial and legal establishment, saying Shas will demand more far-reaching changes in the next government.

“Everyone knows and understands who the greatest persecutors of Judaism and the Torah world are,” Medina said, arguing that significant changes are needed regarding the appointment of judges and the authority wielded by government legal advisers.

Addressing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s latest demand that enforcement measures against those who have not reported for military service be intensified, Medina warned that “what we have seen until now is only the promo.”

He concluded by urging Chareidi voters not to remain at home on Election Day, arguing that a stronger showing at the polls will be essential if the community hopes to secure greater political power to address the draft crisis.

{Matzav.com}

An attempt by Israeli military police to arrest a yeshiva bochur in Bat Yam ended without an arrest overnight after dozens of protesters rushed to the scene, prompting the officers to withdraw.

Organizations that assist detained yeshiva bochurim reported Wednesday morning that military police arrived after midnight at a residence at 15 HaMa’apilim Street in Bat Yam, intending to arrest a yeshiva bochur classified by the military as a draft evader.

Word of the attempted arrest quickly spread after a “Black Alert” emergency notification was circulated among activists affiliated with the Peleg Yerushalmi. Protesters began streaming to the address as the military police remained at the home.

As the number of demonstrators outside continued to grow, the military police ultimately abandoned the arrest attempt and left the family’s home without taking the bochur into custody.

After the officers departed, protesters who had gathered at the scene broke into celebratory dancing in the area where the military police had been standing just minutes earlier. The dancing continued for an extended period as participants celebrated the unsuccessful arrest attempt.

The incident was particularly significant because it was reportedly the first proactive arrest attempt by military police targeting a yeshiva bochur in some time. Enforcement activity against draft-age yeshiva bochurim had declined substantially in recent months, with authorities largely refraining from carrying out initiated arrests.

The attempted arrest in Bat Yam came just one day after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara called for authorities to resume proactive arrests of Chareidi men who have not complied with military draft requirements.

In her letter, Baharav-Miara called for increased enforcement and additional sanctions against those who remain obligated to report for military service, including yeshiva bochurim engaged in full-time Torah study.

The letter, which was sent to military and police officials, argued that the current level of enforcement against draft-eligible Chareidim is insufficient and falls short of the government’s required targets.

Baharav-Miara called on the government and law enforcement authorities to develop a systematic, proactive enforcement plan aimed at implementing military conscription requirements among yeshiva bochurim.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump confirmed Wednesday that he intends to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, setting the stage for their third face-to-face meeting as Trump seeks to renew direct diplomacy with the nuclear-armed regime.

Trump did not reveal when or where the meeting would take place. Reports have suggested that the summit could be held in November, when the president is expected to travel to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump defended his relationship with Kim and argued that maintaining a personal rapport with the North Korean leader benefits the United States.

“I get along with him, and you know what? The fact that I get along with him-that’s a good thing, not a bad thing,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that Kim has “57 very powerful nuclear weapons.”

Trump then criticized previous U.S. administrations for allowing North Korea’s nuclear arsenal to reach its current size, arguing that the buildup would not have occurred under his leadership.

“Should have never allowed it to happen,” the president added. “They should have never allowed it. If I were president, I wouldn’t have allowed it. But he’s got them.”

Trump’s statement about the size of Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal was particularly notable because U.S. officials have generally avoided publicly providing an exact number of operational North Korean nuclear weapons.

Previous intelligence assessments have estimated that North Korea possesses between 50 and 60 active nuclear warheads. Trump’s assertion that Kim controls precisely 57 marked the first time a U.S. official has publicly provided a specific figure for the country’s nuclear arsenal.

The IDF on Wednesday identified four senior Hamas Nukhba terrorists eliminated in an airstrike in northern Gaza, including a commander who infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre and three others involved in planning and carrying out attacks against Israeli troops.

The four terrorists, all commanders in the Nukhba force of Hamas’s Beit Lahia Battalion, were targeted Tuesday in the Al-Shati area of the northern Gaza Strip.

The IDF identified the first terrorist as Muhammad Hamdi Ahmad Al-Masri, a Nukhba company commander who was involved in advancing terror attacks against IDF forces operating in Gaza.

Samed Samir Harb Abu Habal, a Nukhba platoon commander, was also eliminated in the strike. According to the IDF, Abu Habal infiltrated Israeli territory during the Hamas-led October 7 massacre.

A third terrorist killed in the attack was Muhammad Attar, a Nukhba platoon commander who was involved in both planning and carrying out terrorist attacks targeting IDF troops.

The fourth was Muhammad Fathi Hussein Nasser, another Nukhba platoon commander who the military said played a role in advancing and executing attacks against Israeli forces.

According to the IDF, the activities of the four Hamas commanders represented an ongoing threat to troops operating in Gaza, prompting the military to target them in an aerial strike aimed at eliminating that threat.

The IDF said precautions were taken before the attack to reduce the danger to civilians in the surrounding area. Those measures included the use of precision-guided munitions and aerial surveillance.

The military said it will continue conducting its operations in accordance with international law while taking measures ahead of strikes to minimize harm to civilians.

Israel is demanding that the process of disarming the Gaza Strip begin on Oct. 7, a highly symbolic date marking the anniversary of the Hamas massacre that triggered the war in 2023, according to a report by the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya network.

Sources told Al Arabiya that Israel specifically requested the Oct. 7 start date for the disarmament process. According to the report, recent statements by President Donald Trump on the issue came after he was presented with Israeli polling showing significant public opposition to an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The Board of Peace, meanwhile, has reportedly made clear that the political future of Hamas leaders in any future Palestinian government will depend on the terror group surrendering its weapons. Board envoy Nickolay Mladenov told Hamas that meaningful negotiations cannot take place while weapons remain widespread throughout Gaza.

The Board of Peace has also informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel will not be required to begin withdrawing its forces from Gaza before Hamas has been completely disarmed. The provision is part of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10, 2025.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem, however, told AFP that the terror organization remains committed to the agreed-upon process, while claiming that Israel has yet to provide mediators with a clear approval of the proposed roadmap.

The developments follow a series of meetings held by U.S. envoy Jared Kushner in Egypt and Israel aimed at advancing the next stage of the Gaza agreement. As part of the emerging arrangements, an American military officer is expected to oversee the process by which Hamas hands over its weapons.

President Donald Trump is pressing his advisers to arrange a face-to-face meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as early as this fall, seeking to revive the nuclear diplomacy that the two leaders pursued during Trump’s first term.

According to U.S. officials, Trump has privately discussed the possibility of meeting Kim during his upcoming trip to Asia. One potential opportunity could come in November, when Trump is expected to travel to Shenzhen, China, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ gathering.

Trump’s push comes as diplomatic efforts involving Iran have encountered delays and as some U.S. officials and experts warn that renewed negotiations with Pyongyang could result in an unfavorable agreement that effectively legitimizes a nuclear-armed dictator.

Bruce Klingner, a former CIA officer, criticized the approach, saying it amounts to “appeasing a dictator based on the mistaken perception that a personal relationship will achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives.”

Independent assessments by arms-control experts indicate that North Korea’s nuclear capabilities have expanded considerably since Trump and Kim last engaged in direct diplomacy. The country is now believed to possess more than 100 nuclear warheads, aided by increases in its supplies of plutonium and enriched uranium, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Trump also sought to arrange a meeting with Kim during his trip to Asia last year, but logistical difficulties ultimately prevented the encounter from taking place.

More recently, Trump announced on social media that a joint U.S.-South Korean military exercise would be scaled back, saying the decision was made “based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un.” Trump later said the move was connected to South Korea’s failure to assist with reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

South Korea’s embassy in the United States said it hopes the “friendly relations” between Trump and Kim will help produce meaningful dialogue and greater stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Those developments come as South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has called for his country to achieve complete military independence from the United States.

Experts caution, however, that Kim would enter any new negotiations in a substantially stronger position than he held during his previous meetings with Trump. The North Korean leader has strengthened ties with China, expanded cooperation with Iran and Russia, and dispatched thousands of North Korean troops to support Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

{Matzav.com}