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Former NATO ambassador Kurt Volker discusses Hamas’ pledge to release hostages ahead of new peace talks on ‘Fox Report.’

WATCH:

When Hamas replied with a conditional “yes, but” to President Trump’s Gaza peace initiative on Friday, Trump quickly phoned Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu to share what he viewed as an encouraging sign, according to Axios.

Netanyahu was not as enthused. “Bibi told Trump this is nothing to celebrate, and that it doesn’t mean anything,” a U.S. official familiar with the call told Axios.

Trump reportedly snapped back: “I don’t know why you’re always so [expletive] negative. This is a win. Take it.”

The sharp exchange, which a second U.S. official confirmed, underscored Trump’s resolve to push past Netanyahu’s doubts and persuade him to bring the conflict to a close if Hamas agreed to a deal.

Hamas’ official reply to the Trump plan stated that the group was prepared to free all remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the fighting and a full Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, while asking to negotiate many of the plan’s specifics.

Behind closed doors on Friday, Netanyahu told American officials he regarded Hamas’ response as a rejection of Trump’s proposal. He emphasized the need for close coordination with Washington to ensure it wouldn’t appear as though Hamas had reacted positively, an Israeli official told Axios.

Trump’s perspective was the opposite. Having feared Hamas would dismiss the offer entirely, he took the measured response as a potential opportunity for progress, a senior U.S. official said.

According to two American officials, Trump was frustrated when Netanyahu’s reaction during their call was far more cautious than he had expected, prompting the president’s blunt retort.

In a brief Saturday interview with Axios, Trump recounted their exchange, saying he told Netanyahu this was his “chance for victory” and insisted that Netanyahu ultimately aligned with his position. “He was fine with it. He’s got to be fine with it. He has no choice. With me, you got to be fine,” Trump said.

Only a few hours after speaking with Netanyahu, Trump released a public statement urging Israel to pause its air strikes in Gaza. Roughly three hours later, Netanyahu issued the command to halt the bombardments.

{Matzav.com Israel}

POTUS and FLOTUS arrive at Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field ahead of today’s Navy 250 Celebration. They are greeted by Captain Matt Schlarmann, commanding officer of Naval Station Norfolk.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said that a delegation led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will depart tomorrow for Gaza negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh.

President Donald Trump is sending 300 California National Guard members to Oregon after a judge blocked the administration from deploying that state’s guard to Portland, according to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom pledged Sunday to fight the move in court. There was no official announcement from Washington that the California National Guard was being called up and sent to Oregon, just as was the case when Illinois’ governor made a similar announcement Saturday about troops in his state being activated. Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement that California personnel were on their way Sunday and called the deployment “a breathtaking abuse of the law and power.” “The commander-in-chief is using the U.S. military as a political weapon against American citizens,” Newsom said in the statement. “We will take this fight to court, but the public cannot stay silent in the face of such reckless and authoritarian conduct by the president of the United States.” A Trump-appointed federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to deploy the Oregon National Guard in Portland to protect federal property amid protests after Trump called the city “war-ravaged.” Oregon officials and Portland residents alike said that description was ludicrous. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, issued the order pending further arguments in the suit. She said the relatively small protests the city has seen did not justify the use of federalized forces and allowing the deployment could harm Oregon’s state sovereignty. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland has recently been the site of nightly protests. Trump has characterized both Portland and Chicago as cities rife with crime and unrest, calling the former a “war zone” and suggesting apocalyptic force was needed to quell problems in the latter. Since the start of his second term, he has sent or talked about sending troops to 10 cities. Trump authorized the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard troops to protect federal officers and assets in Chicago on Saturday. (AP)

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WATCH: More footage of the Hachnosas Sefer Torah by the IDF’s Chashmonaim Brigade prior to being deployed into Gaza today.

The Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Bnei Brak, Hagaon Rav Masoud Ben Shimon, was hospitalized at Maayanei HaYeshua Hospital after suffering a leg fracture from a fall in his home. His name for tefillah is: Masoud ben Yaffa Jamila

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that not a single element of President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace initiative will be carried out until every one of the 48 remaining hostages is safely returned to Israel. He made the statement during a meeting with members of The Gvura Families of the Fallen Forum.

Netanyahu added that should the captives not be freed by the time set by President Trump, “Israel will resume fighting with full backing from all involved countries.”

Although no firm deadline for the hostages’ release has been established, negotiations are slated to begin in Cairo on Monday to finalize the terms of the peace arrangement.

Netanyahu further clarified that Israel will play a leading role in the disarmament process within Gaza. He stressed that neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority will have any part in governing the Strip once the war concludes.

According to a report from Saudi network Asharq, Hamas’s delegation to Cairo will be headed by senior official Khalil al-Hayya.

A source quoted by the channel said that Hamas is intent on reaching an agreement that would bring an end to the conflict in Gaza.

The source also explained that the upcoming Cairo talks are meant “to begin arranging conditions on the ground in preparation for the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

The IDF said that its troops, working with the Shin Bet, uncovered a sprawling underground tunnel complex containing a weapons production facility adjacent to the Jordanian Hospital in Gaza City — the latest evidence of Hamas’ systematic use of medical centers for military purposes. The tunnel, roughly a mile long, contained fully equipped manufacturing rooms, meeting areas, and living quarters for senior Hamas operatives, according to an IDF statement. It was discovered during an intelligence-led operation by the army’s 36th Division and the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, conducted in coordination with the Shin Bet. A separate tunnel shaft was also found beneath the Hamad Hospital in Gaza City, the IDF said. Photos and initial mapping show that one entrance to the network lay just outside the Jordanian Hospital complex, leading to a fortified subterranean corridor lined with electrical and communications systems. “For years, Hamas has built a vast underground system beneath hospitals across the Gaza Strip,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said. “These networks are used to manufacture weapons, conceal command centers, and carry out combat operations — all while cynically using civilians as shields.” The military emphasized that Jordan was not aware of Hamas’ activity near the hospital, calling the discovery part of the terror group’s “routine exploitation of humanitarian facilities.” According to the army, the discovery followed weeks of intelligence-gathering that pointed to Hamas activity beneath the densely populated medical compound. The Yahalom unit — which specializes in tunnel warfare and explosive neutralization — entered the site under the cover of an intelligence-guided sweep. “The operation was conducted with great precision to avoid harm to civilians or medical staff,” an Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the mission. IDF forces remain in the area to “map out the underground infrastructure that was located,” the statement continued, adding that troops are expanding operations to other locations where intelligence suggests additional terrorist activity. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Rishon LeTzion, Rav Dovid Yosef, addressed the renewed negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages at the opening of his weekly Motzaei Shabbos shiur, urging the public to daven fervently for their safe return and for the total eradication of Hamas.

“Right after Shabbos ended, we heard what’s happening with the negotiations,” Rav Yosef said. “We must truly pray with all our heart that HaKadosh Baruch Hu will give our leaders the strength to make the right decisions. It’s not simple.”

The Chief Rabbi reflected on the ongoing challenges of the past two years of war, emphasizing how much now depends on the decisions being made in the coming days. “All these past two years of wars and everything that’s been happening — it all comes down to the decisions that will be made in the next few days. Let us hope, be’ezras Hashem, that we will hear good news.”

He concluded with a heartfelt plea for both redemption and security: “We hope, be’ezras Hashem, that all the hostages will quickly return home to good and peaceful lives. And at the same time, that Hamas will no longer exist on our borders. There will be no more Hamas, be’ezras Hashem. May we eliminate this terror and this hatred completely. And may we soon hear and share good tidings and rejoice properly, be’ezras Hashem, on Chag HaSukkos.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Russia’s sustained bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid is deepening concerns about the safety of the country’s nuclear facilities after a drone knocked out power for more than three hours to the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine, officials said Thursday. The drone strike adds to concerns raised more than a week ago when the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine became disconnected from the power grid following attacks that each side has blamed on the other. Both Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia are not currently operational, but they require a constant power supply to run crucial cooling systems for spent fuel rods in order to avoid a potential nuclear incident. A blackout also could blind radiation monitoring systems installed to boost security at Chernobyl and operated by the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency. “Russia is deliberately creating the threat of radiation incidents,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Wednesday, criticizing the U.N. nuclear watchdog and its chief Rafael Mariano Grossi for what he described as weak responses to the danger. “Every day of Russia’s war, every strike on our energy facilities, including those connected to nuclear safety, is a global threat,” he said. “Weak and half-measures will not work. Strong action is needed.” Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected Ukrainian claims that Russia has been shelling the power lines around the Zaporizhzhia plant as “nonsense” and blamed Ukraine for attacking the Moscow-controlled plant, warning that Russia could respond in kind. The war that followed Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor more than three years ago appears no closer to ending, despite months of U.S.-led peace efforts. Drones overwhelm air defenses Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that Russia launched over 20 Shahed drones against energy infrastructure in Slavutych, the city whose power supply services Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident. A wave of drones overwhelmed defenses and caused a blackout Wednesday, he said, affecting the sarcophagus that prevents radioactive dust from escaping the destroyed fourth reactor and storage housing more than 3,000 tons of spent fuel. He did not provide details of how it was affected. “The Russians could not have been unaware that a strike on Slavutych would have such consequences for Chernobyl,” Zelenskyy said. Last February, a drone armed with a warhead hit Chernobyl’s protective outer shell, briefly starting a fire. Radiation levels there did not increase, officials said. Europe’s biggest nuclear plant using diesel generators The Zaporizhzhia plant, which is Europe’s biggest and one of the 10 biggest nuclear facilities in the world, has been disconnected from the grid for over a week. It has repeatedly been caught in the crossfire during the war. Zelenskyy blamed Russian artillery for cutting the power line to the plant, but Putin mocked the claim, saying: “are we striking ourselves?” He accused Ukraine of “playing a dangerous game” by attacking the plant, adding ominously: “People on the other side must understand that if they continue this dangerous game, they also have functioning nuclear power plants.” “What would prevent us from responding in kind?” he added. “Let them think about it.” The facility is using emergency diesel generators to run cooling systems for its six shutdown reactors and spent fuel. The IAEA says the plant is not in immediate danger but wants it swiftly reconnected […]

The Israeli military announced Sunday that its 210th Division has spent the past two months conducting targeted operations in southern Syria, dismantling terrorist infrastructure, confiscating weapons, and arresting suspects.

A group of countries that are part of the OPEC+ alliance of oil-exporting countries has agreed to a small boost in oil production, citing a steady global economic outlook. The group said after a virtual meeting on Sunday that it will raise oil production by 137,000 barrels per day in November, they same amount it announced for October. The group has been raising output slightly in a series of boosts all year, after announcing cuts in 2023 and 2024. In a statement the group said the move was due to “a steady global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals.” It added the production adjustments may be paused or reversed as market conditions evolve. Saudi Arabia holds significant influence in OPEC+ as the dominant member of the OPEC producers’ cartel, and Russia is the leading non-OPEC member in the 22-country alliance. Along with Saudi Arabia and Russia, the group that met Sunday is made up of Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman. Their next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 2. (AP)

Several interceptor missiles were fired over Eilat, successfully intercepting a suspected Houthi drone attack.

US President Donald Trump, asked whether he is “open to flexibility” on the terms of his plan for ending the war in Gaza. “We don’t need flexibility, because everyone has pretty much agreed to it.” “But there’ll always be some changes,” he adds. “But the Hamas plan, it’s amazing,” he says, presumably referring to his own proposal, which Israel has agreed to already. “You get the hostages back almost immediately. Negotiations are going on right now, will probably take a couple of days,” he adds. Trump on his plan for peace in Gaza: “It’s a great deal for Israel and it’s a great deal for everybody… It’s a great deal for the entire Arab world, Muslim world, and world.” Earlier President Trump told CNN Hamas faces “complete obliteration” if the group refuses to cede power and control of Gaza, amid ongoing efforts to push forward his proposed ceasefire plan. “Complete Obliteration!” Trump told CNN’s Jake Tapper when asked via text message on Saturday what would happen if Hamas insists on staying in power.    

A nine-year-old boy from Beitar Illit was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after falling from a height while helping build his family’s sukkah. The child, identified as Dovid Zelig ben Malka, is unconscious and fighting for his life.

According to emergency responders, the accident occurred shortly after midnight in the city of Beitar Illit. Rescue teams were dispatched immediately after receiving reports of a young boy who had fallen during sukkah construction.

Paramedics from United Hatzalah provided lifesaving treatment at the scene before evacuating the boy to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Yerushalayim. “We were told that he had struck his head after falling from a ladder while building the sukkah,” said EMTs Yaakov Wallach, Shaul Nachmias, and Avi Sofer. “We provided him with initial medical care before he was transported to the hospital in serious condition.”

MDA medic Yaakov Noga described the harrowing scene: “The boy was lying next to the sukkah with a severe head injury after falling during construction. We began intensive treatment on the spot, but while en route to the hospital, his condition deteriorated, and he lost consciousness.”

Rescue team volunteers Yanky Prochter, Aharon Schwartz, and Ruby Sheinberger added, “When we arrived, we found a nine-year-old who had fallen about a meter and a half from a ladder while building a sukkah. Together with MDA paramedics, we stabilized and bandaged him before transferring him to Hadassah Ein Kerem’s trauma unit in moderate-to-serious condition.”

The child’s fall is one of several sukkah-related injuries reported since Motzaei Shabbos. In Ramat Gan, a 21-year-old man fell from a two-meter height while constructing a sukkah on Bialik Street. “He suffered injuries to his lower limbs,” reported United Hatzalah EMTs Shmaya Arama and Yisrael Pinto. “We treated him at the scene and transported him to Ichilov Hospital in moderate condition.”

Additional incidents occurred throughout the country, including in Bnei Brak, where a 57-year-old man fell from a ladder on Wolfson Street and was taken to Beilinson Hospital in moderate condition after sustaining a head injury.

In Yerushalayim, multiple cases were reported as well:
– A 30-year-old man fell from a ladder on Gedud Michmas Street and was taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem with limb injuries.
– A 50-year-old man was lightly to moderately hurt after accidentally cutting himself with an electric saw while building a sukkah on Harav Fattal Street.
– A 21-year-old was injured on Harav Zevin Street after slicing his hand with a sharp knife during sukkah preparations.

United Hatzalah issued a nationwide safety appeal, urging the public to exercise extreme caution while building sukkahs and preparing for the upcoming chagim. “Every year, we see avoidable injuries during sukkah construction,” the organization said. “Please take proper safety precautions to prevent unnecessary tragedies.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Trump on his plan for peace in Gaza: “It’s a great deal for Israel and it’s a great deal for everybody… It’s a great deal for the entire Arab world, Muslim world, and world.”

Trump on the Gaza Deal: “Negotiations are going on right now and will probably take a couple of days.”