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Israel announced early Monday morning that the remains of three Israeli soldiers who had been held in Gaza have been identified and returned to Israel for burial. The fallen are Col. Asaf Hamami z”l, Capt. Omer Maxim Naotra z”l, and Sgt. Oz Daniel z”l.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the identification process was completed by the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, in coordination with the Israel Police and the IDF Rabbinate. “Representatives of the IDF have informed the families of the hostages and fallen soldiers… that their loved ones have been returned to Israel and identified,” the statement read.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences and demanded that Hamas uphold its commitments under the ceasefire agreement. “The Hamas terror organization is required to fulfill its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the agreement’s implementation. We will not compromise on this,” he said. “The government and all the relevant security bodies of the State of Israel are determined, obligated, and working tirelessly to bring back all our fallen hostages for proper burial in their homeland.”

According to the IDF, Col. Asaf Hamami z”l, commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division, was killed in battle at Kibbutz Nirim on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its deadly attack. His body was taken into Gaza by terrorists. Col. Hamami, 40, was among the first to arrive at the front lines that morning. He is survived by his parents, brother, wife, and three children.

Capt. Omer Maxim Naotra z”l, who immigrated to Israel from the United States as a lone soldier through the Garin Tzabar program, served as a platoon commander in the 77th Battalion of the Golan Storm Brigade. He was killed while defending the border communities on October 7, 2023, and his body was abducted to Gaza. His death was officially confirmed on December 1, 2024. Capt. Naotra, 21, is survived by his parents, two brothers, and two sisters.

Sgt. Oz Daniel z”l also served in the 77th Battalion of the Golan Storm Brigade. He fell in battle on the same day, defending the southern communities. His death was declared on February 25, 2024. Sgt. Daniel, 19, was taken into Gaza by Hamas and is survived by his parents and twin sister.

In its statement, the IDF said, “The IDF shares in the grief of the families, continues to invest all efforts in bringing back the bodies of the fallen hostages, and is preparing for the continued implementation of the agreement. Hamas must fulfill its part of the agreement and make every effort necessary to return the hostages for proper burial.”

Israeli officials confirmed that, in addition to these three soldiers, Hamas is still holding the remains of six Israelis and two foreign nationals in Gaza.

{Matzav.com}

Mark Goldfeder, a nationally recognized attorney who has represented Jews and Zionists in discrimination cases across the U.S., announced he is resigning from the Heritage Foundation’s National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism following the organization’s defense of right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson’s interview with white nationalist and antisemite Nick Fuentes. Goldfeder, who leads the National Jewish […]

Police raided the offices of the Histadrut, Israel’s largest labor union, on Monday morning and carried out a wave of arrests of senior officials in what Israel Police Chief Danny Levy said is “one of the most serious cases we have ever investigated.” Investigators from the Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit arrested eight suspects, including one […]

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Police believe that ex-Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. (res.) Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who was found alive and well on Sunday evening after she went missing for many hours, staged her disappearance in order to “lose” her phone to destroy evidence, sources familiar with the investigation told Channel 12. The sources explained that Tomer-Yerushalmi, who was found […]

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IDF representatives informed the families of the fallen hostages Col. Asaf Hamami, Cpt. Omer Neutra, and Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel that their bodies have been returned to Israel, Israeli media outlets reported on Monday morning. The identification process was completed overnight by the Abu Kabir National Institute of Forensic Medicine, in cooperation with the Israel […]

After being informed that his request for a reduced sentence was denied, Ariel Shamai, a yeshiva bochur from Ateres Shlomo, reached out from prison to seek comfort and encouragement from the Slabodka rosh yeshiva, Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch. The resulting conversation was deeply emotional and filled with words of chizuk and emunah.

Rav Hirsch took the call while traveling and immediately sought to strengthen the young man. Ariel described the pain and fear he was experiencing in prison, admitting that he was struggling to focus on learning and was worried about his spiritual state.

“I heard the difficult news,” began Rav Hirsch, his voice heavy with concern. “It must be that you are a very, very strong bochur to be able to withstand this. It’s very hard, very hard, but b’ezras Hashem, it will pass.”

The rosh yeshiva continued to reassure him, saying, “This is an extremely difficult nisayon, but it will pass if Hashem wills it. In the meantime, strengthen yourself as much as possible. Remember that everything comes from Hakadosh Baruch Hu, and that thought itself will give you strength to succeed in your learning — far more than before.”

He then added words that moved many who later heard the recording: “Because you are suffering for the sake of Torah, the Torah itself will come before Hashem and say, ‘He suffered for me — give him all the secrets of Torah.’ That’s what will happen. Through this, you will reach new levels in Torah.”

As Ariel poured out his heart, Rav Hirsch sighed deeply and said, “I understand your pain very well. But you must strengthen yourself with the knowledge that Torah speaks before Hashem and says, ‘He toiled for You, he sacrificed for You — give him the secrets of Torah.’ That’s what will happen.”

Concluding the conversation, the rosh yeshiva offered final words of encouragement: “What you are going through now will raise you higher and higher. Keep thinking of HaKadosh Baruch Hu constantly, and you will not be influenced by your surroundings. Even if you can’t concentrate, just saying the words of Torah is also valuable. Learn however you can, even without focus. Hashem will help you. Kol tuv, kol tuv.”

{Matzav.com}

Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins joins ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to discuss Zohran Mamdani’s projected victory in the New York City mayoral race and his warning to those who support socialism.

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The nation’s largest police fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks is set to begin patrolling the streets of Las Vegas in November thanks to a donation from a U.S. tech billionaire, raising concerns about the blurring of lines between public and private interests. “Welcome to the future of policing,” Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a […]

Watch as President Trump discusses testing nuclear weapons, U.S.-China relations, Israel, the government shutdown, immigration, tariffs, and whether he’ll try to stay in the White House beyond 2028.

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People across the country formed long lines for free meals and groceries at food pantries and drive-through giveaways Saturday, after monthly benefits through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, were suddenly cut off because of the ongoing government shutdown. In the New York borough of the Bronx, about 200 more people than usual […]

‘The Ben Shapiro Show’ host Ben Shapiro analyzes New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on ‘Life, Liberty & Levin.’

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In a post on Truth Social on Sunday evening, President Donald J. Trump issued a strong appeal to the Orthodox Jewish community—particularly in Lakewood, New Jersey—urging them to turn out in large numbers to support Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli in Tuesday’s election.

Trump praised the Orthodox community’s overwhelming backing during the 2024 presidential race, describing Lakewood as one of his campaign’s greatest strongholds nationwide. “The Orthodox Jewish communities all across America voted in very big numbers for me in our Historic 2024 Presidential Campaign,” Trump wrote. “Lakewood, New Jersey, was one of our biggest Wins anywhere in the Country with more than 90% of the Vote.”

With the New Jersey governor’s race approaching on November 4, Trump declared, “I need ALL of my supporters in the Orthodox community in Lakewood and its surrounding towns to vote in HUGE numbers for Jack Ciattarelli.” He called Ciattarelli “a GREAT Governor” and emphasized that he has Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement,” assuring supporters that “He will never let you down!”

Trump specifically mentioned the thousands of yeshiva students who voted for him last year, urging them to return to the polls to help deliver another victory. “Jack needs every single Vote in the community, including all the Yeshiva students who turned out to vote for me last year,” he wrote. “Your Votes in this Election will save New Jersey, a State that is near and dear to my heart.”

The post focused heavily on economic themes, with Trump promising that Ciattarelli would implement conservative fiscal reforms. “Jack will cut your taxes, and tremendously reduce your out of control and ridiculous Energy costs — whereas his opponent will double, triple, and even quadruple your Energy, and other costs,” he said.

Concluding his message, Trump made a direct appeal to voters: “You will rue the day that you voted for her. VOTE FOR JACK CIATTARELLI ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH!”

{Matzav.com}

The Paris prosecutor said Sunday that two of the suspects in the Louvre jewels heist had previously been convicted in a theft case together 10 years ago, as three alleged members of the team of four are now in custody. Laure Beccuau said the DNA of a 37-year-old man who was charged Saturday was found […]

President Donald Trump sees tariffs — or the threat of them — as a powerful tool to bend nations to his will. He has used them in an unprecedented way, not only as the underpinning of his economic agenda, but also as the cornerstone of his foreign policy in his second term. He has wielded […]

A sudden and unexpected show of support for Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani from one faction within the Satmar community has sparked intense disagreement, laying bare sharp internal rifts over how to approach a candidate many see as deeply controversial.

The endorsement for the jihad supporter and Muslim socialist came on Sunday, when Mr. Moshe Indig — a longtime political figure among the Ahronim, the group aligned with Rav Aharon Teitelbaum of Satmar — announced at a Williamsburg gathering that he was backing Mamdani for mayor, The Forward reports.

But before the day was over, the move had ignited outrage. Three leaders from the same Ahronim faction quickly released a joint letter distancing themselves from the endorsement and reaffirming their community’s backing of Andrew Cuomo, the same candidate they had supported during the Democratic primary.

Indig, who earlier in the campaign had described Mamdani as “very nice, very humble” and “not antisemitic,” has not responded publicly since the uproar erupted.

If Mamdani — a proud socialist and outspoken critic of Israel who currently leads the race by a wide margin — wins on Tuesday, it would mark the third straight mayoral contest in which the Ahronim camp’s political endorsement aligned with the eventual victor. That track record began in 2013, when they backed Bill de Blasio over the more establishment-favored Bill Thompson, and continued in 2021 when they supported Eric Adams, while other chassidic groups, including the Zalonim, threw their support behind Andrew Yang.

This latest development came just days after the Satmar faction led by Rav Zalmen Teitelbaum of Satmar declared that they would not endorse any candidate in this race. In their statement, they decried the “fear campaign” being waged against Mamdani, even as they had met with Cuomo earlier in the week together with Mayor Eric Adams. Despite that meeting, they ultimately withheld support from either side.

In a public letter distributed to their followers, the Satmar leadership cited several of Mamdani’s recent promises to the chareidi community. Among them, they highlighted his commitment to defend the independence of yeshivos facing pressure from state regulators, as well as his pledges to expand affordable housing and create universal childcare programs that would benefit frum families.

Should Mamdani prevail, he would become New York City’s first Muslim mayor.

Andrew Cuomo, meanwhile, continues to command broad Jewish support. Recent polling shows that Jewish voters — who account for about 10 percent of the city’s electorate — heavily favor him. A Quinnipiac poll of 170 Jewish respondents put Cuomo at 60 percent and Mamdani at just 16, while a Marist survey of 792 likely voters (including 11 percent who identified as Jewish) found a 55 to 32 percent split in Cuomo’s favor.

{Matzav.com}

New tests of the U.S. nuclear weapons system ordered up by President Donald Trump will not include nuclear explosions, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday. It was the first clarity from the Trump administration since the president took to social media last week to say he had “instructed the Department of War to start testing […]

President Trump on Zohran Mamdani: “I’m much better looking than him! But it’s going to be hard to give a lot of money to New York—if a communist is running the city, that money is being wasted. I’m not a fan of Cuomo, but between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’d choose the bad […]

President Trump pushed back forcefully against criticism of his administration’s immigration enforcement during a tense “60 Minutes” interview set to air Sunday night — his first appearance on CBS News since he sued the network.

Pressed by anchor Norah O’Donnell about the aggressive tactics used in recent ICE operations, Trump dismissed claims that his administration had gone too far. “No. I think they haven’t gone far enough because we’ve been held back . . . by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama,” he said, according to an advance preview of the segment.

During the exchange, O’Donnell challenged Trump with reports showing ICE agents “tackling a young mother, tear gas being used in a Chicago residential neighborhood, and the smashing of car windows.” She asked pointedly, “You’re okay with those tactics?”

“Yeah, because you have to get the people out,” Trump replied without hesitation.

The interview, filmed Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, marks a significant moment as the administration continues to face lawsuits and injunctions tied to its immigration policies. One recent legal battle in Illinois saw a Biden-appointed federal judge block Trump’s plan to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago amid escalating tensions over enforcement measures.

Trump also used the interview to weigh in once again on New York City’s mayoral race, taking aim at the progressive frontrunner. “He’s far worse than a socialist,” the president said, referring to “communist” candidate Zohran Mamdani.

O’Donnell then asked Trump about the comparisons some have drawn between him and Mamdani. “Some people have described him as a left-wing version of you … charismatic, breaking the old rules. What do you think about that?” she pressed.

“Well, I think I’m a much better-looking person than him, right?” Trump quipped, drawing laughter in the studio.

The broadcast comes shortly after a shake-up at CBS News, where Bari Weiss — the journalist and founder of The Free Press, and a former editor at both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times — recently took over as editor-in-chief.

Trump’s appearance follows his legal battle with CBS’s parent company, Paramount, over a 2024 “60 Minutes” episode featuring then–Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump alleged that the segment was deceptively edited to favor his opponent in the presidential race.

In July, Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle the lawsuit, closing a contentious chapter between the network and the president — just in time for his return to the program he once accused of bias.

{Matzav.com}