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A potentially deadly incident unfolded Monday evening when Border Police officers, backed by IDF troops, rescued ten Israeli civilians who became trapped inside the Palestinian city of Qalqilya after entering the area in an effort to recover a stolen motorcycle.

According to police, the group entered Area A—where Israeli citizens are prohibited from entering—after receiving information that a motorcycle stolen from the city of Elad had been taken into Qalqilya.

Authorities said the situation quickly deteriorated once local residents realized the group was Israeli. Dozens of Arabs reportedly converged on the scene, attempting to isolate the four vehicles carrying the civilians and surround them. Security forces were immediately dispatched after receiving reports of the unfolding confrontation.

Border Police officers and IDF soldiers arrived and used riot-control measures to push back the crowd while creating a protective corridor around the stranded Israelis. The forces successfully evacuated all ten civilians from the city without injury and transferred them to security officials for questioning as part of the ongoing investigation.

During the operation, Border Police officers also succeeded in locating the stolen motorcycle and returned it to its owner.

Following the rescue, Israel’s defense establishment once again stressed that Israeli citizens are strictly forbidden by law from entering Area A, warning that doing so places their lives in immediate danger.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] A gang of masked burglars carried out a meticulously planned early-morning break-in at the Lalique Museum in northeastern France on Sunday, escaping with jewelry valued at an estimated €4 million (more than $4.5 million). The stunning theft is the latest in a string of high-profile museum robberies that have rattled France in recent months.

Investigators said the thieves struck at approximately 5:30 a.m. in Wingen-sur-Moder, where they forced their way into the museum before heading directly to the jewelry gallery. Once inside, they smashed six display cases and quickly fled with roughly 20 pieces of jewelry, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

“Around twenty pieces of jewelry were stolen. The loss is currently being assessed but could amount to several million euros, likely close to four million (over $4.5 million),” one investigative source said.

Authorities noted that although the stolen items were crafted from Lalique crystal rather than precious gemstones, they remain highly valuable works of art and cannot simply be melted down and resold like conventional jewelry.

Following the burglary, museum officials announced that the facility will remain closed for several days while investigators examine the crime scene and assess the damage.

Officials said the museum’s alarm system activated during the break-in, but a breakdown in the security response allowed the thieves to escape before authorities arrived.

“An alarm went off, but by the time the security company had completed its checks, it was a cleaning lady who arrived first on the scene and called the police,” the investigative source explained.

Police are now reviewing surveillance footage in hopes of identifying those responsible.

The museum, which opened in 2011 adjacent to the historic Lalique factory, celebrates the work of famed Art Nouveau and Art Deco master René Lalique. Its collection includes more than 650 rare creations, ranging from intricate Art Nouveau jewelry to Art Deco glassworks and modern crystal masterpieces.

Wingen-sur-Moder Mayor Christian Dorschner sharply criticized the handling of the incident, arguing that while the museum’s alarm systems functioned properly, the private security response fell far short.

“All the alarms went off, just as they should. And then with the security company, apparently, there was a major failure on their part: they didn’t intervene right away, they didn’t inform the gendarmes,” Dorschner said.

He also suggested the perpetrators were highly organized and had likely studied the museum beforehand.

“They were surely well informed to carry out this job in that way; they must be … specialists,” the mayor said.

The Lalique Museum had already been considered a high-risk site after last October’s breathtaking eight-minute robbery at Paris’ Louvre Museum, where thieves escaped with jewelry valued at approximately $102 million, including several historic French crown jewels.

Although authorities eventually arrested suspects in the Louvre case, nearly all of the stolen treasures remain missing. Only one crown was recovered after it was dropped during the suspects’ escape.

That robbery prompted a security review, which reportedly found that 35 percent of the galleries in the Louvre’s Denon Wing were not covered by surveillance cameras. The stolen jewels also lacked private insurance, in accordance with French law.

The Lalique burglary is only the latest in a growing wave of museum thefts across France.

Last October, authorities arrested a woman accused of stealing gold artifacts from the Natural History Museum in Paris.

Just a month earlier, thieves stole three priceless porcelain pieces classified as national treasures from the Adrien Dubouché National Museum in Limoges.

In November 2024, four men armed with axes and baseball bats stormed Paris’ Cognacq-Jay Museum in broad daylight, smashing display cases and escaping with several 18th-century works of art. That robbery ultimately resulted in an insurance payout exceeding $4 million to the Royal Collection Trust.

Only one day later, another museum in the Saône-et-Loire region was targeted in an armed robbery, with thieves making off with jewelry worth several million dollars. The latest heist has renewed concerns over the security of France’s museums and cultural institutions as authorities race to stop an increasingly bold pattern of organized thefts.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] Severe weather continued to wreak havoc across New Jersey on Monday, as part of the roof at a BJ’s Wholesale Club in Ocean Township collapsed during intense flooding, while communities in Paramus remained busy clearing widespread storm damage left behind over the holiday weekend.

The partial roof collapse occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. at the BJ’s Wholesale Club on Route 35 in the Oakhurst section of Ocean Township, according to the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said 27 people were inside the store when the collapse occurred. Miraculously, no injuries were reported.

Officials said two individuals were briefly trapped beneath the damaged structure but were able to free themselves without assistance before safely evacuating the building along with everyone else. Ocean Township Police Chief Michael Sorrentino and Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden confirmed that all occupants exited the store safely.

“This incident is another reminder of how quickly severe weather can create dangerous and unpredictable conditions,” Golden said.

The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning for Ocean Township that remained in effect until 3:15 p.m. Monday as torrential rain inundated roads and businesses.

The Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office released images showing several vehicles submerged in deep floodwaters along Route 35.

“Please stay clear of the area and allow emergency personnel to safely respond,” the sheriff’s office urged in a social media post.

Elsewhere in New Jersey, cleanup operations continued Monday in Paramus, where crews spent the day removing fallen trees from homes, roadways, vehicles, and power lines following powerful storms that struck on Saturday.

Residents said the continuing threat of severe weather has left many families anxious as recovery efforts continue.

Neighborhood after neighborhood, work crews used heavy equipment to clear piles of storm debris left scattered across the community.

“From first look, it doesn’t look too bad. But I am curious to see what we are supposed to do next,” homeowner Kevin Kim said.

Kim, who purchased his home just one month ago, said he is still waiting to learn the full extent of the damage to his roof.

“All of the wind started to just pick up, and we saw this first tree fall, and then it landed right in front of our doorstep. And while we were looking at that, we saw this one start to slowly fall and then it – when it hit the roof – the whole house shook,” Kim recalled.

Throughout Paramus, trees crashed onto homes, vehicles, fences, roadways, and utility lines, leaving many neighborhoods without electricity. Numerous residents are relying on generators while waiting for service to be restored.

“The timeline, earliest, would be sometime today. The latest estimate would be Friday this week,” Mary Ferrazzano said.

Paramus Mayor Chris DiPiazza said municipal offices have fielded roughly 250 calls from residents since the storms struck Motzoei Shabbos, with emergency crews continuing to respond around the clock.

“We are asking our residents to just be patient. Our departments are all hard at work,” DiPiazza said.

{Matzav.com}