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Thousands of demonstrators have taken over the Ayalon Highway, with some setting off fireworks above the gathered crowds. In several areas, police officers are attempting to disperse the protesters and clear the highway, but they are struggling to manage the sheer number of people on the road.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a “militia” of Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction, claimed responsibility on Sunday for Friday’s double car bombings in the Gush Etzion region of Yehuda.

In an announcement posted on Telegram, Fatah’s “military” wing hailed the terrorists who carried out the “heroic Hebron operation,” naming them as Zahdi Nidal Abu Afifa and Muhammad Ihsan Yaqin Marqa.

The statement claimed that Friday’s car bombings were a response to “Zionist massacres in the Gaza Strip, the crimes of the occupation in the occupied West Bank and violations against the blessed Al-Aqsa mosque.

“The fighters of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades continue their heroic operations against the forces of the Zionist enemy within the Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood,” it said, referring to the Swords of Iron War initiated by Hamas on Oct. 7.

On Saturday, the Hamas terrorist group hailed the previous day’s “double heroic operation” after the car bombers wounded three Israelis. While stopping short of taking responsibility, it called it “a clear message that the resistance will be prolonged and sustained so long as the brutal occupation’s aggression and targeting of our people and land continue.”

In the first attack, a bomb was detonated at a gas station near the Gush Etzion Junction, prompting the IDF to dispatch soldiers to the scene. The terrorist opened fire on the troops, who killed him. A soldier was moderately wounded and an officer was lightly hurt in the exchange.

Shortly thereafter, a terrorist rammed his car through the gate to the nearby town of Karmei Tzur. A security guard drove after the terrorist and crashed into his vehicle, before getting out and shooting and killing him. The terrorist’s car exploded, and the guard was lightly injured in the attack.

On Saturday, security forces raided an explosive manufacturing factory in Hebron that produced the improvised bombs used in Friday’s attacks, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said in a joint statement on Sunday.

The Israel Defense Forces believes that the Fatah terrorists who carried out the bombings, both from Chevron, coordinated their attacks.

Many members of Israel’s security brass support the Palestinian Authority’s control over parts of Yehuda and Shomron as a “moderating force,” as opposed to Hamas and other Iran-backed terrorist groups.

Members of Ramallah’s “security forces” have a long history of carrying out terrorist attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians. Last year, Fatah boasted that most of its “martyrs” served in the Palestinian Authority Security Forces.

On Sunday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to order a broad counterterror campaign throughout Yehuda and Shomron, hours after Palestinian terrorists murdered three police officers in a drive-by shooting near Hebron.

“Gaza, Lebanon, and Judea and Samaria are part of the same Iranian choke ring that seeks to destroy the State of Israel,” Smotrich said. “We are proving in Gaza that there is a military solution to terrorism. We must prove this here in Yehuda and Shomron and in Lebanon against Hezbollah.”

In the six months of 2024, Yehuda and Shomron saw more than 500 Arab terrorist attacks each month on average, according to figures Rescuers Without Borders published on Aug. 1.

During that time, first responders recorded 3,272 acts of terrorism in the region, including 1,868 cases of rock-throwing, 456 attacks with Molotov cocktails, 299 explosive charges and 109 shootings.

Terrorists have killed 14 people and wounded more than 155 others in Judea and Samaria since the start of the year, the group said.

(JNS)

António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general who has long been accused of Jew-hatred and anti-Israel bias, drew widespread criticism on Sunday for what he did not say in a statement about the six hostages, whom Hamas killed and whose names were released the prior night.

“I will never forget my meeting last October with the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin and other hostage families,” Guterres wrote. “Today’s tragic news is a devastating reminder of the need for the unconditional release of all hostages and an end to the nightmare of war in Gaza.”

Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, wrote that “Hamas just murdered six Israeli and American hostages by shooting them in the head. Why can’t you say so? Why can’t you condemn them?”

“Save your crocodile tears for someone who has an ounce of respect for your leadership,” wrote the Israeli diplomat Yaki Lopez.

“Won’t even say ‘Hamas.’ Won’t condemn the terror group that took Hersh, held him hostage for 330 days and murdered him,” wrote AIPAC. “Says it all.”

Israel Nitzan, a former Israeli diplomat, called the statement “cowardly and morally flawed,” adding, “why can’t Mr. Guterres condemn Hamas for brutally executing innocent hostages?”

“Hamas. The word is Hamas. Hamas did this. Say it,” wrote Matthew Levit, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute and director of its counterterrorism and intelligence program.

“Resign. Your failure to pressure, or even acknowledge Hamas, emboldened them,” wrote Esther Panitch, a Georgia state representative who is Jewish. “They know you are spineless.”

Arsen Ostrovsky, CEO at The International Legal Forum and senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, called Guterres “a pathetic and cowardly excuse for a world leader,” who “can’t even bring himself to name Hamas or condemn them.” JNS

{Matzav.com Israel}

Agudath Israel is devastated beyond words by the heart-wrenching news that Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of six hostages cruelly held by Hamas terrorists in a tunnel beneath the city of Rafah. The hostages were reportedly murdered shortly before the arrival of the Israeli forces.

The hostages have been identified as: Master Sgt. Ori Danilo, Carmel Gat, Alexander Lebanon, Hersh Polin-Goldberg, Almog Sarusi, and Eden Yerushalmi. Hashem yinkom domom.

Our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of these hostages whose lives were tragically cut short in such brutal fashion.

As we grapple with these losses, we continue to fervently pray for the immediate release of those still held captive, and for Divine protection of all who live in Eretz Yisroel under the threat of terror and war.

{Matzav.com}

A man was charged with felony aggravated assault after an alleged glass bottle attack on two Jewish students on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, a city newspaper reported Saturday. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the 52-year-old suspect was also charged with simple assault, reckless endangering, resisting arrest and harassment. The Post-Gazette, citing a criminal complaint, said the man was seen on surveillance video sitting at a table across the street from the students as they walked near Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning on Friday evening. Police say he ran across the street and hit them from behind with the bottle. The students, who were wearing yarmulkas, were treated at the scene, the university said. One had cuts on his face, and the other had cuts on his neck, the Post-Gazette said, citing the criminal complaint. The suspect, who has no known affiliation with the school, was wearing a kaffiyeh, a traditional checkered scarf worn in the Middle East and increasingly displayed as a symbol of solidarity with Palestinians – and often Hamas. University leaders were in contact with the Hillel University Center as well as the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Agents from the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office were also sent to the scene to investigate the possibility of a hate crime, the newspaper said. The university called it an “appalling incident” but said there was no ongoing threat to the public. Counseling was being made available. “To be clear: Neither acts of violence nor antisemitism will be tolerated,” the university said in a statement. Court documents did not list an attorney for the suspect, and a listed number for him couldn’t be found Saturday. The incident came at the end of the first full week of fall semester classes and a few months after spring protests on the campus over the war in Gaza, one of which took place in front of the Cathedral of Learning. (AP)

Senator Lindsey Graham expressed his deep sorrow and anger on Sunday after learning that the remains of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American, were found among the bodies of five other Israeli hostages in Gaza. He emphasized the need for the Biden administration to take strong action against Iran.

“He was murdered by Hamas,” the South Carolina senator said during an interview on ABC News’ “This Week.” Graham highlighted that Goldberg-Polin’s parents had done “everything in their power to help their son be released from captivity.”

“Hamas could care less about the hostages or the Palestinians,” Graham stated.

The hostages, identified as Goldberg-Polin, Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Master Sgt. Ori Danino, were “brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before we reached them,” according to Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, who made the announcement on Sunday.

Graham also mentioned that the pressure on Iran must be intensified if there is any hope of rescuing the remaining hostages taken on October 7th of last year.

“Iran is the great Satan here,” the senator remarked. “Hamas is the junior partner. They’re barbaric, religious Nazis, Hamas; but they could care less about the Palestinian people. I would urge the Biden administration and Israel to hold Iran accountable for the fate of remaining hostages, and put on the target list or refineries in Iran if the hostages are not released.”

He also urged President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make it clear to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the things he holds dear are now at risk. “Until that happens, nobody is coming home,” Graham asserted.

{Matzav.com}

Tens of thousands of Israelis surged into the streets Sunday night after six more hostages were found dead in Gaza, chanting “Now! Now!” as they demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cave to Hamas demands to bring the remaining captives home. The mass outpouring appeared to be the largest such demonstration in 11 months of war and protesters said it felt like a possible turning point, although the country is deeply divided. Israel’s largest trade union, the Histadrut, further pressured the government by calling a general strike for Monday, the first since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war. It aims to shut down or disrupt major sectors of the economy, including banking, health care and the country’s main airport – although the airport has not confirmed that it will go along with the strike. Thousands of people gathered Sunday night outside Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem. In Tel Aviv, hostages’ relatives marched with coffins to symbolize the toll. “We really think that the government is making these decisions for its own conservation and not for the lives of the hostages, and we need to tell them, ‘Stop!’” said Shlomit Hacohen, a Tel Aviv resident. “Nothing is worse than knowing that they could have been saved,” said Dana Loutaly. “Sometimes it takes something so awful to shake people up and get them out into the streets.” Top security officials say the intense pressure on Hamas has created favorable conditions for a cease-fire deal. The army, noting the difficulty of rescue operations, has acknowledged that a deal is the only way to bring home large numbers of hostages safely. But critics have accused the prime minister of putting his personal interests over those of the hostages. The war’s end likely will lead to an investigation into his government’s failures in the Oct. 7 attacks, the government’s collapse and early elections. Some analysts said the public outcry over the six hostages who died could signal a new level of political pressure on Netanyahu. “I think this is an earthquake. This isn’t just one more step in the war,” said Nomi Bar-Yaacov, associate fellow in the International Security Program at Chatham House, shortly before Sunday’s protests. Divisions also have been exposed within the government. Senior military and security officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, have warned that time is running out. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu got into a shouting match at a security Cabinet meeting Thursday with Gallant, who accused him of prioritizing control of a strategic corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border — a major sticking point in the talks — over the lives of the hostages. “In the name of the state of Israel, I hold their families close to my heart and ask forgiveness,” Gallant said Sunday. The Cabinet was meeting Sunday night. A forum of hostage families has demanded a “complete halt of the country” to push for a cease-fire and hostage release. Even a mass outpouring of anger would not immediately threaten Netanyahu or his far right government. He still controls a majority in parliament. But he has caved in to public pressure before. A general strike last year helped lead to a delay in his controversial judicial overhaul. (AP)

As Israel intensifies its campaign to expose UNRWA’s complicity in terrorist activities, including its staff members’ role in the Oct. 7 attacks, the U.N. agency maintains a significant presence in Gaza and continues to operate in coordination with the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit.

Over the next several days, an extensive inoculation drive will take place in the Strip, with aid organizations planning to administer roughly 1.5 million polio vaccines. The agency tasked with administering these vaccinations is none other than UNRWA, the very organization accused of collaborating with Hamas.

Israel has consented to humanitarian pauses in hostilities across several areas of the Gaza Strip to facilitate the vaccination effort. Health officials in Gaza recently announced the arrival of the first batch of polio vaccines, which are now stored in specialized facilities.

The IDF confirmed that the shipment of polio vaccines, totaling 1.255 million doses, passed through the Kerem Shalom Crossing. The army further noted that the operation was coordinated with the U.N. and the World Health Organization, adding that local and international medical teams will administer the vaccinations in the coming days.

Government sources said that while there’s no dispute regarding UNRWA’s ties to Hamas, the agency still plays an irreplaceable role in certain sectors within Gaza, particularly in education, where it has extensive infrastructure.

Consequently, UNRWA, which maintains detailed records of children in the Strip, was selected to oversee the vaccinations amid concerns of a polio outbreak. However, military sources indicate that UNRWA’s role in food distribution has diminished, though COGAT continues to engage with the organization. Unit sources report that collaboration with UNRWA has been scaled back following revelations of the organization’s staff involvement with Hamas.

Meanwhile, under the Israeli National Security Council’s oversight and approval, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs is spearheading an online campaign aimed at exposing UNRWA’s true nature to the world.

An article published in the respected tech magazine Wired detailed how the Israeli campaign seeks to unmask the agency and highlight its employees’ involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks. The piece also suggested that the organization serves as a civilian front for Hamas.

The campaign’s primary objective is to sever UNRWA‘s financial lifeline from Western nations, with a focus on the United States. The effectiveness of this effort remains to be seen, but UNRWA’s spokesperson appears deeply concerned about damage to funding sources and donations. In 2023, the UNRWA USA NGO received $32 million in donations, a significant increase from the $5 million received the previous year.

However, the vast majority of UNRWA‘s budget is financed by national governments.

Adi Schwartz from the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy and Ben-Gurion University, an expert on UNRWA’s role in perpetuating the conflict, told Israel Hayom: “Israel has never made a strategic decision to completely sever ties with UNRWA.

“We won’t achieve the comprehensive victory that the prime minister and IDF speak of without dismantling this organization. One of the war’s key objectives was to neutralize Gaza as a threat to southern Israel. We must recognize that this goal is unattainable if we don’t challenge the Palestinian narrative, address the refugee issue, and confront UNRWA head-on,” he said.

“If children in Gaza continue to attend UNRWA schools, what lasting impact will eliminating thousands of terrorists have?” Schwartz continued.

“The evidence is clear for all to see, making this situation nothing short of scandalous. We have a defense minister, a government, a Cabinet, and a National Security Council. In my view, this represents an ongoing failure—we need to develop alternatives to UNRWA’s services. Why engage with them at all?

“It’s crucial to understand: UNRWA is like a chameleon—yesterday they distributed food, today they’re administering vaccines, and a month from now they’ll insist on the need to pave roads in Gaza,” Schwartz said.

The clearest evidence of cooperation between Hamas and UNRWA emerged in late August, when Hamas demanded in negotiations that the organization remain active in Gaza.

Schwartz comments, “Hamas’s insistence on UNRWA’s continued presence is just one more piece of evidence among thousands pointing to their collaboration. That’s why I reiterate: We cannot claim victory if UNRWA continues to operate, as this agency perpetuates the conflict. UNRWA must be removed from the equation for us to achieve a meaningful victory.”

Member of Knesset Yulia Malinovsky from Yisrael Beytenu is demanding an urgent hearing in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee regarding the polio vaccination operation set to begin on Sunday.

In a letter to the committee chairman, MK Yuli Edelstein, Malinovsky writes: “As you know, last night journalist Shirit Avitan Cohen reported in Israel Hayom that the State of Israel has agreed to a humanitarian pause in Gaza for a polio vaccination campaign, with UNRWA designated as the leader of this operation. I must emphasize from the outset that it is inconceivable that a decision on a ceasefire, a decision so sensitive and significant for all citizens of Israel, would be made without an immediate discussion on this matter, with proper explanations provided.”

In her letter, Malinovsky, who initiated the bill to designate UNRWA a terrorist organization, highlighted the problematic nature of the government’s continued work with the agency.

“As you know, UNRWA has been found multiple times during the war and up to this stage to be cooperating and directly and clearly assisting in its support of the terrorist organization Hamas,” she wrote.

“It is unacceptable that despite these facts known to everyone that UNRWA will be declared the chief coordinator of the drive,” Malinovsky continued. “Beyond the fact that UNRWA workers take part in acts of terrorism, studies have proven that UNRWA has also presented distorted data to the UN on the humanitarian aid entering Gaza since the beginning of the war. Hence, it is inconceivable that despite these facts known to everyone, UNRWA will be declared the drive leader, and an in-depth discussion on this will not take place in the committee you head.”

According to Malinovsky, decisions on pauses in fighting may endanger the Israeli forces in the Strip and allow Hamas an opportunity to move the hostages from place to place and delay the ability to free them.

“It is inconceivable that the Knesset, the legislative authority, will not fulfill its purpose and maintain close parliamentary oversight over government decisions. Hence, even if the Knesset is currently in recess, it is necessary to hold an in-depth discussion on this issue, examine the implications of the decision, and oversee the work of the executive authority on this matter. Therefore, since the vaccination campaign will begin as early as this coming Sunday, I ask you to act as soon as possible to schedule a discussion on this issue in the committee you head, and the sooner the better,” she wrote.

As part of the vaccination campaign, international organizations operating in the Gaza Strip will work to inoculate hundreds of thousands of children against polio in three area:

On Sept. 1-3, vaccines will be given to children in central Gaza between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m.
On Sept. 4-6, vaccines will be given to children in southern Gaza between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m.
On Sept. 7-9, vaccines will be given to children in northern Gaza between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m.
At the end of each regional vaccination drive, a situation assessment will be conducted regarding the area.

The international community’s vaccination drive in the Gaza Strip will be carried out in coordination with the IDF through COGAT and the IDF Southern Command, allowing the population to safely reach the medical centers where vaccinations will be administered.

(JNS)

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced the release of a new “Hanukkah Forever” stamp to honor what is otherwise known as Chanukah, which this year begins on December 25 and ends on January 2. Designed by Antonio Alcalá, the stamp features an ocean-blue background, a white menorah, and nine floating yellow flames. The design incorporates irregular lines to evoke a sense of human presence. A first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the stamp is scheduled for September 19 at the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The event will be led by Michael Gordon, USPS government liaison director, and will include music and various activities. The ceremony is free and open to the public, with attendees encouraged to register online in advance. The “Hanukkah Forever” stamp follows the last Chanukah stamp release in 2022, which showcased the work of American Judaica artist Jeanette Kuvin Oren. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Following the discovery of six hostage bodies in Gaza by the IDF, including that of American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and called for an end to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Guterres posted the following on his X account: “I will never forget my meeting last October with the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin and other hostage families. Today’s tragic news is a devastating reminder of the need for the unconditional release of all hostages and an end to the nightmare of war in Gaza,” Guterres stated”. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

At least one Israeli was seriously wounded when a Hezbollah anti-tank missile from Southern Lebanon scored a direct hit in the Galilee panhandle on Sunday afternoon, medical officials confirmed.

“A man in his 40s who was seriously wounded by Hezbollah fire in the north was brought to Rambam’s emergency room by helicopter,” Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center said in a statement, adding that the victim had been transferred after initial treatment at Tzafs’s Ziv Medical Center.

Hebrew media reports said that the man was wounded in a missile barrage on Moshav Kfar Yuval, located near the border with Lebanon.

According to reports in Lebanese media, IDF forces attacked Hezbollah terrorist targets in south Lebanon, including in the villages of Beit Lif, Beit Yahoun and Naqoura, following Sunday’s attack on the Galil.

On Sunday evening, air-raid sirens were repeatedly activated in Kibbutz Misgav Am, located opposite the Lebanese border, just west of Kfar Yuval, warning of incoming Hezbollah rocket fire from Lebanon.

Hezbollah has attacked the Jewish state nearly every day since Oct. 8, firing thousands of rockets, missiles and drones at Israel, killing more than 40 people and causing widespread damage. Tens of thousands of Israeli civilians remain internally displaced due to the ongoing violence.

On Aug. 25, some 100 Israeli Air Force fighter jets, directed by IDF intelligence, destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers in Lebanon in a pre-emptive strike meant to stave off a large-scale attack on Israel’s densely populated central region.

The IDF estimated that its pre-emptive strike prevented the launch by Hezbollah of as many as 6,000 missiles, rockets and suicide drones.

Hezbollah subsequently launched more than 150 projectiles into Israel. According to Lebanon’s Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen television channel, the terrorist group launched some 320 missiles and drones during the Aug. 25 attack.

The Iranian terrorist proxy released a statement according to which the launches were “stage one” of its retaliation for Israel’s assassination in Beirut in July of Hezbollah’s No. 2 “military” commander, Fuad Shukr.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has repeatedly reiterated that the major flare-up with Hezbollah wasn’t “the end of the story.”

“We foiled a surprise attack by Hezbollah against the State of Israel. We destroyed thousands of intermediate-range rockets that were aimed at the Galilee and the Golan,” he said during a visit to the border area. “We thwarted all of the drones that were directed against the State of Israel, at the Galilee and the center of the country, and they were destroyed.”

However, while the IAF operation was “a great success, …I will not tell you that it was enough. On the contrary,” the Israeli leader continued.

The story will only end “when we are able to restore security and the residents safely to their homes,” Netanyahu said. “This is neither mere words nor a slogan—this is a national goal of the highest order. We are committed to it and will achieve it, with your help and with God’s.”

(JNS)

On Sunday, the Israeli Health Ministry announced that the six hostages whose bodies were recovered yesterday were murdered by Hamas terrorists by several gunshots at point-blank range.

According to forensic examinations conducted by the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, the executions occurred within the past 48 to 72 hours, either on Thursday or early Friday morning. Evidence of being bound was found on one hostage, and all showed signs of neglect.

The hostage bodies were located in a tunnel 65 feet underground in the Rafah area, only about one kilometer away from the tunnel were hostage Farhan al-Qadi was found alive last week. No terrorists were found at the scene, having fled before the IDF arrived. It is unclear if they were killed in the fighting above ground, or made it to other parts of Gaza.

The murdered hostages were Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Master Sergeant Ori Danino.

{Matzav.com}

The Histadrut labor federation, which represents some 800,000 Israeli trade unionists, on Sunday declared a general strike set to commence at 6 a.m. on Monday, shutting down large sectors of the economy to pressure the government to reach a hostages-for-ceasefire-and-terrorists-release deal with Hamas.

As part of the one-day strike, Ben-Gurion International Airport will cease take-offs and landings at 8 a.m. Public transportation will also be affected.

Pharmacies, hospitals, defense plants, food plants and special education will apparently continue to function.

The Histadrut’s decision came after its chairman, Arnon Bar–David, met with the families of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, 331 days after the Palestinian terrorist organization’s Oct. 7 cross-border massacre.

“That Jews are being murdered in the tunnels of Gaza is unacceptable and it must be stopped,” Bar-David told reporters at a press conference.

“A deal must be reached; a deal is more important than anything else. I came to this conclusion after talking with many people in Israeli politics and many officers and officials in the security establishment,” he added.

Following the announcement of the impending shutdown, the Im Tirtzu Zionist movement sent a warning letter to Bar-David, threatening to hold him personally legally liable for damages caused by the “illegal” strike.

Earlier on Sunday, left-wing politicians blamed the government led by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu for Hamas’s murder of six captives whose bodies were recovered over the weekend, with opposition leader Yair Lapid calling for a general strike.

“Netanyahu and the ‘death cabinet’ decided not to rescue the hostages,” Lapid’s Yesh Atid Party stated, urging the Histadrut, employers and local authorities to “shut down the economy. You can’t go on like this.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, backed by the Israel Business Forum, earlier on Sunday called for a strike to protest the lack of a deal to free the abductees. The Israel Business Forum represents private-sector employees from 200 of the country’s biggest companies.

The hostages whose bodies were recovered in an underground tunnel in Rafah in southern Gaza overnight Saturday were identified as Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Almog Sarusi, 25, Alexander Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Master Sgt. Ori Danino, 25.

Their deaths reduce the number of hostages remaining in the Gaza Strip to 101, with many believed to be no longer alive. A total of 251 people were kidnapped during the Hamas-led invasion on Oct. 7.

One hundred and five hostages, mostly women and children, were released in November as part of a ceasefire agreement, which Hamas broke when it refused to hand over the last group of female hostages, plus two children, and fired a volley of rockets at the Jewish state.

(JNS)

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, a member of Israel’s political-security cabinet, visited the site of the terror attack on Sunday morning near Chevron in which three police officers were murdered by terrorists, including one whose daughter was murdered battling Hamas terrorists in Sderot on October 7. Smotrich said at the site of the attack: “Here, where three police officers were murdered in cold blood, I appeal to the Prime Minister, members of the government and security officials: We’re a step away from an October 7th in Yehudah and Shomron, chalilah. We have an opportunity to do this time what we didn’t do in Gaza on the night between October 6th and 7th. We are receiving much more than indicative signs.” “The IDF must wage an all-out war in Yehudah and Shomron, not only in northern Shomron – here in Chevron, Yehudah, Gush Etzion and everywhere. Restore the checkpoints, break free of the ‘conceptizia,’ and eradicate terror. “The terror in Gaza, Lebanon and Yehudah and Shomron is one, part of the same Iranian chokehold that seeks to destroy the State of Israel. We will launch settlements in Yehudah and Shomron, cut off the hope that drives Arab terrorism, establish sovereignty in Yehudah and Shomron, and yes, we will eliminate terrorism on all fronts. “After three decades of the ‘there is no military solution to terrorism’ campaign, we are proving in Gaza that there is a military solution to terrorism. We must prove it here in Yehudah and Shomron and in Lebanon against Hezbollah,” Smotrich concluded. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Sunday urged Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to order a broad counterterrorism campaign throughout Yehuda and Shomron, just hours after three police officers were shot dead by Palestinian terrorists near Hebron.

“I would like to address the prime minister, my colleagues in the Cabinet and the minister of defense. We are one step away from Oct. 7 in Yehuda and Shomron,” Smotrich said in a video recorded at the site near Hebron where Ch. Insp. Arik Ben Eliyahu, Command Sgt. Maj. Hadas Branch and First Sgt. Roni Shakuri were murdered on Sunday morning.

“We have the opportunity to do what we failed to do in Gaza on the night between Oct. 6 and 7,” he said. “To restore barriers, free ourselves of the [security] concept, and to strike terrorism with a hard blow.

“Gaza, Lebanon, and Yehuda and Shomron are part of the same Iranian choke ring that seeks to destroy the State of Israel,” stated Smotrich. “We are proving in Gaza that there is a military solution to terror. We must prove this here in Yehuda and Shomron and in Lebanon against Hezbollah.

“One people, one front, one war, and with the help of God, one strong, determined and victorious fist,” the right-wing minister concluded.

The three police officers were killed in a drive-by shooting on Sunday morning near Tarqumiya, some 7.5 miles northwest of Hebron.

Israel Defense Forces soldiers initiated a search for the terrorists, who opened fire from a vehicle at the police car on Route 35 and then fled on foot. Roads in the area were closed to traffic and Israeli security forces were preparing to launch a raid on the nearby Arab village of Idna.

On Friday, Palestinian car bombers wounded three Israelis in two separate attacks in the Gush Etzion region of Yehuda. The IDF believes that the two terrorists, both from Hebron, coordinated their attacks.

Over the weekend, an IDF soldier was killed and three others wounded during clashes with Hamas terrorists in Jenin in northern Shomron.

In the first half of 2024, Yehuda and Shomron saw more than 500 Arab terrorist attacks each month on average, according to figures Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Yehuda and Shomron) published on Aug. 1.

In the first six months of this year, first responders recorded 3,272 acts of terrorism in the region, including 1,868 cases of rock-throwing, 456 attacks with Molotov cocktails, 299 explosive charges and 109 shootings.

Terrorists have killed 14 people and wounded more than 155 others in the Yehuda and Shomron regions since the start of the year, the group said.

(JNS)

The Islamic State (ISIS) terror group has issued a call to its supporters to carry out terror attacks in the United States and Europe, according to a post in its official weekly newsletter, al-Naba. The same post also claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a Russian prison facility on August 23, which left four prison guards dead. The attack, carried out by knife-wielding prisoners at the IK-19 Surovikino facility in the Volgograd region, was eventually thwarted by authorities who killed the attackers. Reports previously tied the attackers to ISIS. The details of ISIS’s call for attacks on Western targets remain unclear, but it follows a similar appeal made by the group’s spokesman in March. Following the March 22 assault on Crocus City Hall in Moscow, which killed 145 people, the spokesman urged attacks on Christians and Jews worldwide. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

To All the Choshuve Readers at Matzav,

L’maan ha’emes, I just had to sit down and write this letter, hoping you’ll take it to heart. I had the zechus to be your son’s madrich this summer, and let me tell you, he’s a really geshmak kid, full of energy, and baruch Hashem, he had a blast in camp. But like all boys his age, he could sometimes get a little too lebedik, if you know what I mean. But that’s all part of the fun, and we madrichim are here to guide them through it.

Now, let’s talk tachlis. We worked our tails off, I’m talking nights with barely a blink of sleep, always keeping the ruach high, pumping up the chevra, and making sure every kid had the best time. And let me tell you, we did it with all our heart, even though we’re not getting a dime from the camp for our efforts. But you know what? That’s not the point. We do it because we care about your sons, and we want them to have the best summer ever.

But here’s the thing. In our world, we know how important it is to show hakoras hatov. And I’m not talking about anything fancy, just a little something to say, “Hey, we appreciate what you did for our boys.” Unfortunately, I gotta be honest—it didn’t really happen this time around.

So, I’m asking you, as a fellow Yid, please check in with your son. Did he remember to show a little hakaras hatov? Maybe he got distracted by the canteen or just plain forgot. If he didn’t give a tip, no worries—there’s still time to do the right thing. It’s always better late than never.

I’m not asking for much, just a little recognition for the blood, sweat, and tears we put into making this summer unforgettable for your boys. Thanks a ton!

Your Son’s Madrich

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