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A new report by the New York Times on Monday cited Israeli officials as saying that Hamas terrorist leaders have given standing orders to terrorists who are holding hostages saying “that if they think Israeli forces are coming, the first thing they should do is shoot the captives,”.

The report comes two days after the Israel Defense Forces’ rescue of four hostages from Nuseirat in central Gaza. The newspaper also reported that if other hostages were killed on Saturday, as Hamas claimed, “it might have been at the hand of the [terrorists], not because of an Israeli airstrike.”

In the rescue operation over Shabbos, Israeli forces raided two buildings where the four hostages were kept simultaneously, out of fear that if Hamas realized an operation was taking place, they would start murdering hostages. The two civilian buildings being used to hold the hostages were about 200 meters apart.

In the same report, the Times also wrote about Washington’s contributions to hostage-rescue efforts. Since almost immediately after Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel, US officials said “the sheer numbers of American aircraft” gathering intelligence over Gaza have been able to surface information that Israeli drones missed.

“At least six MQ-9 Reapers controlled by Special Operations forces have been involved in flying missions to monitor for signs of life,” the US officials were quoted as saying.

While Israel is reportedly using ground-based sensors to map out Hamas’s tunnel network underneath Gaza, drone aircraft can use infrared radar which “can detect the heat signatures of fighters or other people going into or out of tunnel entrances on the surface,” the report said.

The NYT report also cited current and former US officials as saying that intelligence sharing between Washington and Yerushalayim has expanded beyond just hostage-recovery efforts. Overall, the US and the UK “are part of the largest intelligence effort ever conducted in Israel, and probably ever,” Avi Kalo, a lieutenant colonel in the IDF reserves, told the NYT.

Part of this process is intelligence efforts focused on identifying patterns that could help determine optimal timing for possible hostage rescue operations, the report said, such as “trying to learn how long Hamas holds people in one place before moving them to another.”

A “small group of hostages” are believed to be held as human shields near Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader in Gaza.

Sinwar, hid in tunnels below Rafah for a while, but is now “likely back under Khan Younis,” where there is a vast subterranean network. “Neither the United States nor Israel has been able to fix his precise location,” a US official was quoted as saying.

“Early in the war, some intelligence officials believed most hostages were being held in tunnels,” the report said. That may no longer be the case, since “living underground has proved tough for Hamas commanders, and… keeping hostages in the apartments of supporters of the organization has turned out to be easier.”

After Israel’s successful rescue operation, however, Hamas is expected to move more hostages into tunnels and potentially out of reach of commando forces, the paper said. “And it is not clear how many more opportunities for rescue raids there will be, at least aboveground ones.”

{Matzav.com}

According to a new report by NBC News, the Biden administration is considering entering into a deal with Hamas that does not include Israel.

Hamas is holding 5 Americans hostage, named Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Omer Neutra, and Keith Siegel.

Citing two current senior and two former US officials, NBC reported that a deal to free these five American hostages would be conduced through Qatari mediation if Biden’s current attempt to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel fails.

Israel would not be party to these negotiations.

The officials cited in the report did not know what the US would offer Hamas in return. However they said there is an incentive for Hamas to drive a deeper wedge between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu.

There is also a feeling that a deal between the US and Hamas would pressure Netanyahu to agree to a broader ceasefire deal.

{Matzav.com}

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving arrived at Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night holding in his hand a keffiyeh, a traditional headscarf worn by Palestinians that has become known as a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian cause and opposition to Israel.

The NBA star, 32, was videotaped holding a backpack that had the keffieyh tied to it. The Boston Celtics eventually beat the Dallas Mavericks that night 105-98.

 

Irving has carried keffiyehs in the past and expressed support for Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. In November, the athlete wore a black and white keffiyeh draped on his head during an NBA press conference, and at a recent press conference he sported a necklace in the shape of Israel that was covered by the Palestinian flag.

During an away game in January between the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks, Irving demanded that security guards remove several signs held by fans in the audience that read “I’m a Jew and I’m proud” and the signs were removed.

A few days after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre in Israel, Irving posted on X/Twitter a message in support of “oppressed” Palestinians that also accused Israel of committing crimes against humanity. He wrote: “Where are all you tough talking Media Heads that get on TV and social platforms to condemn people who stand by the oppressed?? Crimes are being committed against humanity and most of you are silent. Cat got your tongue? Or you’re afraid of actually standing for something real.”

When he was playing for the Brooklyn Nets in 2022, Irving was temporarily suspended for promoting on social media an antisemitic film. He posted an apology on social media, which he later deleted.

The Dallas Mavericks team is ironically owned by Israeli billionaire and philanthropist Miriam Adelson, who is the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. The couple has donated millions to Israeli and Jewish causes. American billionaire, investor, and “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban is a minority owner of the Mavericks.

(c) The Algemeiner Journal

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On Monday, Lahav 433, the Israel Police’s fraud unit, opened an investigation into alleged criminal acts of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust by Transportation Minister Miri Regev and her staff, following a report last month from Channel 13’s HaMakor.

Investigators raided the Transportation Ministry building in Yerushalayim on Monday, conducting searches and seizing documents.

The allegations into Regev include that she used government powers and funds outside of broad public interest. According to legal expert Dr. Yuval Karniel: “Indeed, these actions by Miri Regev, if and when proven in court, constitute serious criminal offenses. The first of them is breach of trust, whereby a public official is prohibited from exercising governmental powers and distributing public funds or benefits and reliefs, except according to the broad public interest. It is a crime for a public official to do so according to their interests.

“This is not only a criminal breach of trust, but in some cases, it is also bribery, since there is an acceptance of a benefit in exchange for acts of a public official, for the benefit of those giving the bribe,” he stated. “In addition, the exposé reveals a series of other offenses, such as forgery of documents, when the minister adds to summaries the words ‘according to the recommendation of professionals,’ even when there is no such recommendation, or when the recommendation is the opposite.

“There is also a suspicion of fraudulently obtaining a benefit and even extortion by threats. In some cases, the minister’s actions could amount to additional criminal charges when there is a risk to human life due to flawed decisions stemming from extraneous interests.

“The huge budget of one of the largest and most important ministries of the State of Israel has become a tool in Miri Regev’s hands to promote her personal interests, at the serious expense of the public, safety, vital infrastructure, and public transportation. The damage caused here to the public is enormous,” Dr. Karniel said. “The importance lies in the corruption of an entire ministry, of the minister’s office as a whole, and of government departments working with the ministry and being dependent on its decisions. We are talking about tens of billions of shekels and thousands of employees who depend on the decisions of the Transportation Ministry.”

Dr. Karniel blamed centralization of power for enabling these kinds of issues to occur in public service, saying: “All local authorities and transportation infrastructure in Israel depend on the ministry and the minister’s office. This is the most centralized mechanism in the Western world,”.

He continued: “A head of a local authority cannot move a traffic light or sign without approval, and many of the infrastructures connecting communities are centralized [in the minister’s] hands. Even the transportation infrastructure budgets are centralized under the ministry’s and minister’s control.”

In response, Regev released a statement saying: “It is regrettable that a few weeks after the publication of Raviv Drucker’s false exposé, the Israel Police came to search for documents that do not exist at the Transportation Ministry. The truth is simple – this is a fabricated exposé; there was no preference on a political basis. The Transportation Ministry allocates its budgets in accordance with policy and the decision of the professionals, and any other claim is false. The Transportation Ministry will cooperate with the investigation in order to prove how baseless the claims raised by Drucker in his exposé are.”

In her time as Transportation Minister, the Ministry has faced heat for long delays in the Tel Aviv area Light Rail projects, and in the planned Tel-Aviv area Metro. The Ministry has also spent large amounts of money on highway widening projects, while attempting to downgrade the upcoming Chaifa-Nazareth light rail to a bus rapid transit, although it looks like that project will proceed as planned.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 10 individuals, companies and ships that “have engaged in the illicit transport of oil and other commodities, including for the network of Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal.”

The sanctions target “maritime shipping and financial facilitators, several vessel managers and owners, and a company involved in forging shipping documents,” per the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

“Today’s action, the seventh round of sanctions targeting the network of Sa’id al-Jamal since October 2023, underscores the U.S. government’s commitment to isolating and disrupting the financing of international terrorist groups such as the Houthis,” it said.

“The Houthis continue to leverage an expansive support network to facilitate their illicit activities, including hiding the origin of cargo, forging shipping documents, and providing services to sanctioned vessels,” stated Brian Nelson, the U.S. under secretary of the Treasury.

The shipping firm Shark International Shipping (United Arab Emirates and Oman), and its managing director John Britto Aruldhas, and Rayyan Shipping (India), and its captain Vivek Ashok Pandey, were among those sanctioned.

‘Abdallah Najib Ahmad al-Jamal, who runs the Sa’id al-Jamal network’s money laundering operation; Lainey Shipping (Hong Kong) and its Panama-flagged ship JANET; Louis Marine Shipholding Enterprises (Panama) and its Panama-flagged BELLA 1; and Sandeep Singh Choudhary, master of the ship LA PEARL, were also sanctioned.

“This is a first for the Biden administration to sanction captains,” wrote Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran.

On Sunday, U.S. Central Command stated that Houthis, backed by Iran, launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen in the prior 24 hours. One missile struck “M/V Tavvishi, a Liberian-flagged, Swiss owned and operated container ship,” which “reported damage but has continued underway,” CENTCOM said.

The second missile “was successfully destroyed by a coalition ship,” CENTCOM added. “There were no injuries reported by U.S., coalition or merchant vessels.”

CENTCOM also said on Sunday that Houthis had launched another anti-ship ballistic missile and an anti-ship cruise missile into the Gulf of Aden.

“Both missiles struck M/V Norderney, an Antigua and Barbados flagged, German owned and operated cargo ship” that “reported damage but has continued underway,” CENCOM said. “There were no injuries reported by U.S., coalition or merchant vessels.”

CENTCOM also “successfully destroyed one un-crewed aerial system over the Gulf of Aden” and its forces “successfully destroyed two Houthi land attack cruise missiles and one missile launcher in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen,” it said.

“It was determined these systems presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM said. “This action was taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition and merchant vessels.”

Gerald Steinberg, founder of NGO Monitor, wrote on Monday that there is “no evidence that these limited sanctions are deterring either the Houthi leadership or their Iranian regime backers.”

{Matzav.com}

Grzegorz Braun, a far-right Polish politician who extinguished a Chanukah menorah in Warsaw last year, was elected to the European Parliament this week, according to results published on Monday.

Braun was a candidate for a Polish coalition of far-right parties called Confederation, Liberty and Independence, which came in as the third-largest party in the Eastern European country with 12.08% of the vote.

In December, Braun used a fire extinguisher to put out Chanukah candles in Warsaw’s parliament, injuring a woman attending the holiday ceremony who lost consciousness and was hospitalized.

Braun, known for his history of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and who has previously been accused of assault against a Holocaust historian, approached the holiday lamp in the parliamentary halls and sprayed it with a fire extinguisher, disrupting the ceremony.

“Those who take part in acts of satanic worship should be ashamed,” Braun said before taking to the podium in the parliamentary chamber and claiming that Chanukah is “satanic.”

As part of his campaign for Sunday’s vote, Braun autographed fire extinguishers for his supporters.

Last week, he released a campaign ad replete with antisemitic rhetoric, drawing censure from Israeli Ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne.

Braun wrote in the past about “the war which the Jews have waged against the Polish nation.

“They have waged this war for centuries. In fact, they have always conducted it against the Poles and against the whole Christian world,” he claimed in 2019.

Since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, the Confederation Party has intensified its anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric, accusing the Jewish state of genocide and calling for the expulsion of the Israeli envoy.

{Matzav.com}

Israel was not invited to Tuesday’s Gaza aid conference in Jordan, an official in Yerushalayim’s Foreign Ministry told reporters on Monday.

The conference on the humanitarian response to the Hamas war is being hosted by Jordan, Egypt and the United Nations at a venue on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea, a few miles from the Israeli border.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to attend the summit as part of his regional tour, which included previous stops in Egypt and Israel.

Other confirmed participants include U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths, Jordanian King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi and Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas.

Representatives of Australia, Cyprus, Indonesia, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia and Pakistan are also expected to attend.

According to Jordan’s Royal Court, the summit aims to “identify ways to bolster the international community’s response to the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip” and seeks “commitment for a collective, coordinated response to address the humanitarian situation.”

Jordan and Israel ended the state of war that existed since 1948 and established diplomatic ties in 1994. However, while the government in Amman maintains relations with Israel, the Jordanian public is deeply hostile, with a majority of the population being Palestinians.

On Nov. 1, Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel and told Jerusalem not to return its ambassador to Amman. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said that the move was a protest against the “raging Israeli war on Gaza, which is … causing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.”

{Matzav.com}

The United Nations Security Council has called on Hamas to accept Israel’s cease-fire offer on Monday after passing a US resolution that ramps up pressure on the terror group.

The council adopted the measure with 14 votes in favor and none against. Russia abstained from the vote.

The resolution calls for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza to facilitate the release of approximately 120 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

After Israel raised concerns about the UN resolution last week, American officials agreed to revise it, addressing Israel’s issues, including removing opposition to the establishment of Israeli security buffer zones in Gaza.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s police today released on X dramatic helmet cam footage from Yamam officers as they reached the three male hostages in the rescue operation.

In the jaw dropping footage, the officers are seen approaching the building with gunfire in the background. The officers break their way in, and find the hostages.

In the released footage, you can hear the officers ask the hostages for their names to confirm their identities. You can also hear the officers tell the hostages they have come to save them, and one officer even gives a hostage a fist bump to calm him down, as sounds of the battle rage in the background.

The officers then quickly lead the hostages away, while under heavy gunfire.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Agudath Israel of America is proud to introduce a compelling new initiative, Torah Perspectives, designed to provide profound wisdom and valuable insights from gedolei Yisroel and prominent rabbonim. This series aims to address contemporary issues through the timeless lens of Torah, offering guidance, inspiration, and chizuk to the wider Jewish community.

Torah Perspectives is hosted by Rabbi Yitzchok Hisiger, Agudath Israel’s Director of Torah Initiatives.

The inaugural episode, titled “A Yid’s Response to the Challenge of Antisemitism Today,” delves into one of the most pressing issues facing the Jewish community. This critical discussion features two distinguished guests:

• Hagaon Rav Elya Brudny, rosh yeshivah of Mirrer Yeshiva and chaver of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
• Hagaon Rav Lipa Geldwerth, rav of Congregation Kol Torah of Flatbush and maggid shiur at Yeshiva Torah Temimah

Together, the esteemed rabbonim engage in a heartfelt and intellectually stimulating conversation that addresses the complexities of antisemitism in today’s world. They explore how Torah values and principles can guide a Yid‘s response, offering practical advice and support.

Torah Perspectives promises to be an ongoing source of enlightenment and insight, drawing on the timeless wisdom of the Torah and our chachomim to navigate contemporary challenges. Stay tuned for future episodes that will continue to explore critical topics and provide invaluable guidance rooted in Torah.

WATCH THE FIRST INSTALLMENT BELOW:

New details have been released about how the Israeli police saved thousands of people who were attending the Supernova festival on October 7th.

Deputy Superintendent Nivi Ohana, the commander of the Ofakim police station, spoke about the initial moments when he realized there was a terror attack, saying: “Shooting started everywhere. I ran to the stage, turned off the music, and announced to the crowd that the party was over. I immediately instructed the police officers to open all the emergency exits and start evacuating the people from the party.”

Ohana said that police proceeded to go through the tents of the partygoers and tell them to flee the party. “There were 40 minutes here where those who left did not see terrorists. We managed to get 2500 people out at the first stage who did not see terrorists.”

Later in the day, while fighting in Ofakim, Ohana was injured by a grenade in his shoulder. “I had enough time to shout to them ‘Grenade, everyone lie down,’ I lay down and got hit by shrapnel.”

{Matzav.com}

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a member of the War Cabinet and a member of Bibi’s Likud party, is set to vote against the Rule of Continuity for the Charedi draft law, according to the Jerusalem Post. Often, voting against a bill is considered a resignation by a Minister, so it will be interesting to see if Gallant’s involvement in the current Government continues moving forward.

The Rule of Continuity allows the Knesset to advance a bill that was previously passed in a first reading, but was stopped due to the Knesset’s dissolution. If the Rule of Continuity is passed, Bibi will be able to advance the Charedi draft law that was first brought up by the Lapid-Bennet Government in 2022.

In the 2022 bill, the exemption age would rise to 22 after two years and would be subsequently raised to 23 one year later.

Additionally, a 21-year-old Charedi man would be able to join the national emergency and rescue system. The bill presented two routes for Charedim to enlist in the IDF: a shortened service of three weeks or three months, after which soldiers would be transferred to reserve duty.

The 2022 bill also proposed setting recruitment aims, which could result in financial sanctions against Yeshivas if the recruitment targets are not met. It is important to note the bill does not include sanctions against individuals who refuse to serve.

The sanctioning of Yeshivas in the bill if their Talmidim refuse to enlist was to be a gradual process, beginning with a 20% decrease in budget, which would grow following several consecutive years of failing to meet the targets.

{Matzav.com}

The credit rating on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s farebox revenue bonds could be hurt by the delay of New York City’s congestion pricing plan, according to S&P Global Ratings.

Governor Kathy Hochul temporarily paused the congestion pricing plan that was set to begin June 30, saying last week she was concerned the new toll would add a financial burden to working-class families. That decision means the MTA – for now – won’t collect $1 billion a year to fund necessary infrastructure projects to modernize the system and attract more riders.

“This development adds to the uncertainty regarding where the MTA’s post-pandemic ridership will ultimately settle, and could potentially constrain the MTA transportation revenue bonds rating,” S&P analysts wrote in a statement.

The MTA, which operates the city’s subways, buses and commuter rail lines, has $18.3 billion of transportation revenue bonds outstanding as of May 20, according to MTA data. The debt is backed by farebox and toll collections. S&P rates the bonds A- and said for now it doesn’t anticipate revising its rating or positive outlook. Moody’s Ratings assigns an equivalent A3 grade and Fitch Ratings gives the credit its AA rating.

The congestion pricing plan would have charged most motorists $15 to drive into Manhattan’s central business district. Its goal was to reduce traffic and improve air quality.

The transit agency was planning on borrowing against the $1 billion of new toll revenue to raise $15 billion for its multi-year capital plan that would upgrade subway signals, add more elevators and extend the Second Avenue subway to Harlem. MTA officials late Friday warned that it may need to deprioritize some of those projects in order to dedicate funds to keep the system operating.

Hochul says she is working with legislative leadership to find an alternative funding source, but lawmakers left Albany on Friday without reaching a deal on how to resolve the deficit in the MTA’s capital program.

{Matzav.com}

After a shark bit a woman on her arm along Florida’s Gulf Coast on Friday, local officials transported her to a trauma center and closed a section of the shoreline to beachgoers, they said.

But in what Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson Jr. later called an “exceedingly rare” day, that was only the first shark strike that afternoon.

Less than two hours later, two teenage girls were waist-deep in the water on another beach in Walton County when a shark bit them, according to the South Walton Fire District.

“This kind of incident can happen today, and then it might not happen for 20 or 30 years,” South Walton Fire District Chief Ryan Crawford said at a news conference Friday. The Walton County Sheriff’s Office said two shark strikes had been reported in the county between 2005 and 2023.

Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program, told The Washington Post that the presence of menhaden fish probably led to the strikes.

Sharks chased and ate the small fish as dozens swam near the shore Friday, Naylor said, and some beachgoers who were enjoying the water happened to be in their way.

“It’s only when the sharks are feeding in waters where people are … that there’s even the remotest chance that it happens,” Naylor said.

While experts have said that movies such as “Jaws” have portrayed sharks as antagonists, they rarely attack people. There were 69 unprovoked and 22 provoked shark bites worldwide last year, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Data showed that more people died as a result of falling into a hole at the beach than from shark strikes between 1990 and 2006.

Still, multiple shark strikes have occurred in the same areas before. At least four shark bites were reported near Long Island over two days last summer. Shark sightings have increased in recent years – a trend scientists have credited to conservation efforts.

David Vaughan, South Walton Fire District’s beach safety director, told CNN on Saturday that the same shark might have bitten all three people. But Naylor said that Friday’s strikes probably stemmed from two different bull sharks, which are common in the area.

He said one of the most unusual parts of Friday’s strikes were that they occurred in the afternoon. Most shark bites are reported in the morning or night, when their prey fish are most active, Naylor said.

“Nine times out of 10, the fish are jumping out of the water, sharks are following them, and there’s kids in the water,” Naylor said, “and the sharks ignore them.”

Sharks might also accidentally strike people from confusion or curiosity, wondering what’s happening when they see a person moving in the water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The first shark strike Friday occurred around 1:20 p.m., when a woman about 45 years old was bit near WaterSound Beach, according to the South Walton Fire District. Part of her left arm was later amputated as a result of her injuries, Crawford said.

The next shark strikes happened around 2:55 p.m. Friday near Seacrest Beach – about four miles east of the first incident, the South Walton Fire District said. One girl with injuries on her leg and hand was taken to a trauma center, officials said. The other girl had minor injuries on her foot and was taken to a hospital, according to officials.

“These people were hurt badly – life-threatening, life-altering,” Adkinson said at the news conference.

On Saturday, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said that its marine unit saw a 14-foot hammerhead shark near Santa Rosa Beach while monitoring the area but that the sighting wasn’t unusual. Hammerhead sharks are usually not aggressive toward people, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

County officials temporarily closed beaches to the public after the three strikes. When the beaches reopened Saturday, officials said they hung red and purple flags, which warn visitors of high hazards and dangerous marine life. The next day, they said, they lowered the hazard risks.

Naylor said beachgoers are typically safe from sharks, but they could encounter one if small fish are near the shore.

“When I see a whole bunch of little fish jumping out of the water close-in to the shore, it means that something’s chasing them, and it’s larger than they are,” Naylor said. “And it could be a shark. So I tell [people], ‘Hey, come on in for a while. Let’s give it half an hour until the fish stop jumping.’ ”

(c) Washington Post

As the first presidential debate approaches, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has openly challenged President Joe Biden to undergo a drug test.

“Biden should have a cognitive test,” Trump asserted at his Las Vegas, Nevada, campaign rally, which was broadcast live in its entirety on Newsmax and the Newsmax2 streaming platform. “No. 1, they say it’s unconstitutional. That’s a good excuse. He should have a cognitive test.

“And before the debate in two weeks, he should take a drug test, because I’m willing to take one.”

The debate, scheduled for Thursday, June 27, will be a sit-down discussion between Trump and Biden, with moderators having the power to cut the microphones.

Trump pointed out that an 81-year-old Biden, the oldest person ever elected president, might need assistance to face him at the debate, hinting that Biden could be using performance-enhancing drugs.

“Remember when Joe said, ‘it’s great to be in Idaho,’ and he was in Iowa?” Trump quipped. “He always does that. If I ever did that, it would be over.

“They’d say, ‘that’s the end of his political career: He’s cognitively impaired.'”

Trump mentioned that during his presidency, he took a cognitive test amid media skepticism.

“You know, I had a second test, I aced it,” Trump stated. “I aced both of them. Not easy to ace.”

Trump ridiculed the idea that Biden was deemed too “incompetent” by special counsel Robert Hur to face trial over his handling of classified documents from his vice presidency.

“He was the dumbest person in the Senate, and he has been from day one,” Trump remarked. “How about this on the documents, they go after me for documents, and then they find out that Joe has 10 times the number of documents than me.

“I said, ‘you have to be kidding.’ And they released him. I said, ‘I don’t want to be released like that.’ They release him on the basis that he’s incompetent and he can’t stand trial.

“I said, ‘Oh, I see, so he can’t stand trial, so they’re not going to charge him on 50-years’ worth of classified documents.’ He’s incompetent and he won’t have to stand trial, but he’s allowed to run for president.

“He was never smart, but he wasn’t incompetent.”

Trump humorously noted that he did not want to avoid a trial in the midst of a presidential campaign by claiming “incompetence.”

“I don’t want to get off like that,” Trump said. “I did nothing wrong. It’s Presidential Records Act. I did nothing.”

Due to teleprompter malfunctions on Sunday, Trump spoke without one, suggesting Biden could not debate or speak as naturally and freely.

“You saw me in the White House, it was like war,” Trump said, highlighting the difference in media treatment between the two presidents. “What they do is they give the guy the question and the answer. They never did that with me. He’s reading the answers to questions. He’s calling [on] a reporter from NBC fake News, CBS fake news, CNN, ABC. They’re all pretty much the same.

“MSNBC is probably the worst, probably the most evil. They’re sick. These are sick people, but they’re all sort of the same.

“They’re all bad and they’re all very dishonest.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was fighting battles in seven sectors across the Middle East.

Speaking at meeting with the Gevura (“Heroism”) Forum, whose members have lost loved ones during the ongoing war against Hamas, Netanyahu said, “We are fighting on many fronts,” adding, “This situation requires internal cohesion, if not of the entire people, then of most of the people in order to fight.”

“Just to understand, we are—first of all—against Hamas [in Gaza], against Hezbollah [in Lebanon], against the Houthis [in Yemen], against the [Iranian-backed] militias in Iraq and Syria, against Iran [directly], [against Palestinian terrorists] in Judea and Samaria,” he said.

He noted that the Jewish state was also fighting a diplomatic battle against the International Criminal Court, whose chief prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The Forum has urged Netanyahu to resist international pressure in pursuit of the goals of the war: eliminating Hamas, bringing the hostages home and ensuring Palestinian terrorists never again pose a threat from Gaza.

“We are committed to total victory,” said Netanyahu on Sunday. “We do not want to—and cannot—abandon [the fight in the Strip], not just because of the wonderful boys who have fallen, but because this is the future of the country; we have no choice,” he added.

“Our future will not exist here against the axis of evil of Iran and its proxies if we simply fold our hands,” he said. He emphasized that he was not prepared to accept Hamas’s demand that Israel halt the war without having achieved its war goals, lamenting that the idea has some support “in our areas.”

He reiterated that among those war goals was the safe return of all the hostages.

“We are also committed to returning the hostages, in various ways, which I will not detail,” he said.

On Saturday, Israeli forces rescued four hostages from two separate locations in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip.

During a complex daytime operation in the heart of a crowded residential neighborhood, the forces rescued Noa Argamani, 26; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40.

Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora of the Border Police’s National Counter-Terrorism Unit was mortally wounded during the mission.

The four Israelis were all abducted by Hamas from the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im during the terror group’s Oct. 7 massacre.

Hamas has reportedly rejected the latest Israeli ceasefire proposal, claiming it differs in fundamental details from the one presented by U.S. President Joe Biden on May 31.

The terror group stated that the proposal “does not promise a permanent ceasefire, the occupation’s forces will remain in Gaza, and when they receive the hostages, they will renew the destruction against our nation.”

Hamas is demanding an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip, two conditions Jerusalem rejects.

“Everything is designed in order to squeeze, to uproot and destroy us. To me this is completely clear,” said Netanyahu on Sunday. “Therefore, I do not think of abandoning this arena even for a moment, and I certainly do not think that we can give up on our necessary victory, against all of these butchers.” JNS

[COMMUNICATED]

Over the last 15 years, a new approach and method of limud Hashas has been nurtured and developed in Eretz Yisroel at Reshet Kollelei Shas Yiden. This phenomenon has captured the imagination and electrified lomdei Hatorah throughout the world, and has earned the avid support of Gedolim across the Torah spectrum. 

Shas Yiden in UK & USA

Shas Yiden not only grew from 6 avreichim metzuyonim to 122 avreichim geonim in five kollelim across Eretz Yisroel but, in response to repeated requests from abroad, a Shas Yiden kollel was first established in the UK, in Stamford Hill, London. The Shas Yiden reputation soared in this location and their first Annual Siyum Hashas with Gedolei Torah in attendance reflected the grandeur of those in Yerushalayim.

This foray into Chutz La’aretz has been followed by a long-awaited opening of a Shas Yiden kollel in Flatbush, NY. The Eretz Yisroeldike bren of learning the entire Shas has already had a significant local impact and is a source of inspiration to the local Flatbush kollelim. The incredible devotion to limud gantz Shas and its completion within a year by each avreich at Shas Yiden has encouraged many others to try and emulate this broader study of Shas.

This elevated level of Torah study at Shas Yiden and the ability of the avreichim geonim to face public oral farheren by world recognized Gedolei Torah, together with monthly tests on 225 blatt, is nothing short of remarkable. Shas Yiden has truly raised the bar in the study of Shas. Our unique system of learning, the tight demanding regimen and the motivation emanating from Eretz Yisroel has truly placed Shas Yiden in a Torah league of its own. 

In the Words of Maranan Hageonim

Sar Hatorah, רשכבה”ג Maran Hagadol Harav Chaim Kanievsky, זצ”ל – Nasi, Shas Yiden
I tested them, I know them throughout Shas – a Yissachar-Zevulun pact with Shas Yiden is the most mehudar partnership 

Rosh Hayeshiva, רשכבה”ג Maran Hagadol Harav Gershon Edelstein, זצ”ל
Shas Yiden has raised the bar of Torah learning in both depth and clarity, and its unique method of ameilus in Torah

The Sanzer Rebbe, שליט”א
A first in 2000 years of Jewish history – never before a Torah institution where ALL the avreichim know kol Hashas kulo, Rashi and Tosfos b’al peh

Over 1.6 Million Blatt at Shas Yiden
This Year Alone!

With each of the 122 avreichim geonim at Shas Yiden required to complete a minimum of 13,555 blatt per year, you are helping support some 1,654,000 blatt! 

At the most recent farheren, the reaction of the Gedolei Torah conducting the testing to the prowess of the Shas Yiden was simply one of amazement at the breadth and detailed knowledge and all-encompassing mastery of Shas – remarking: “They know it like others know Ashrei Yoshvei!” The joy of the avreichim geonim and their clear love of Torah electrifies each farher. (To see the different farheren in action, please click on our website: www.shasyiden.com.) It is no wonder that the overall reaction to the Shas Yiden Network is that in its 15 years it has certainly revolutionized and raised the bar in the learning and mastery of Shas. 

Caring for the Avreichim Families

Despite the difficulties of these last few years, Covid etc., Shas Yiden has made sure to keep our commitment to each of the Shas Yiden families to ensure their menuchas hanefesh to be free to focus on Shas.  Each month their salaries have been paid on time. Further, in Tishrei and, now again, for Nissan, they are all paid full extra salary checks to help them meet the extra Yom Tov expenses. 

That we are able to do so, a big ‘thank you‘ is due to you all. You have an eternal stake in the incredible learning of Shas Yiden. Your on-going interest and support in this unique ‘Entire-Shas’ Torah-learning venture is most sincerely appreciated. Collectively and individually, you are singular partners in changing the way the Torah world views the ability to both learn and master the entire Shas. Whatever you can do to help in defraying their extra Yom Tov expenses will be a great chesed to these Bnei Torah who are true bnei aliyah.

Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld, commander of the Israel Defense Forces’ Gaza Division, announced his resignation on Sunday, citing his failure to protect southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“I failed in my life’s mission to protect the [Gaza] envelope. Everyone has to take responsibility for their part and I am the one in charge of Division 143,” he wrote in his resignation letter.

“On the morning of Simchat Torah, a war broke out by surprise, without warning. For many hours we were unable to protect the settlements, the tens of thousands of residents, the thousands celebrating at the party in the [Kibbutz] Re’im parking lot and the forces in the outposts against the thousands of terrorists,” he wrote.

Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld of the Gaza Division.  

Speaking of his division’s efforts to stop the Oct. 7 attack, which cost the lives of 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and led to the capture of more than 240, of whom 120 are still in captivity, Rosenfled said he carries with him every day the “the heavy price paid by the citizens and soldiers of the IDF and the security forces and the loss of many friends.”

Israel is fighting “the most just war of our generation,” he said, adding that he was confident the IDF wouldn’t tire and would continue to fight until its goals were achieved, leading to a “fundamental change” in the security situation so that there would “no longer be an army of armed terrorists on our border.”

The Jewish communities in the region would return to “grow, expand and flourish,” he wrote.

“It sounds far, it will be long and difficult—but it will be our victory,” he said. JNS

The four hostages rescued after eight months in Gaza captivity are in a “state of severe malnutrition,” according to a doctor who treated them upon their return to Israel.

“They have been physically and mentally abused for a long time. They are all in a state of severe malnutrition, although it does not appear that way to them,” Dr. Itay Pessach, director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, told Channel 12 on Monday.

During “Operation Arnon,” Israeli forces rescued the four hostages from two separate locations in Nuseirat Camp in the central Gaza Strip—Noa Argamani, 26, from one apartment, and Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40, from another.

All four were all abducted by Hamas terrorists from the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im during the Oct. 7 massacre.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu meets with rescued hostage Almog Meir Jan at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, June 8, 2024.

They were being held in apartments in a densely populated residential area of Gaza; Pessach explained that the medical condition of others, who were held in Hamas’s vast subterranean tunnel network, was much worse upon their liberation.

“I think there is a significant difference, but one cannot compare the suffering of one person to another. They all suffered from all types of abuse—physical abuse and mental abuse and for a long time,” the doctor explained.

Some 250 people were kidnapped to Gaza during the Oct. 7 onslaught, with 116 remaining there, with at least 40 considered no longer alive by Israeli authorities. Two mentally ill Israelis crossed into Gaza on their own years ago, and are also being held by the terrorists, as are the bodies of two IDF soldiers killed in the 2014 Gaza war (“Operation Protective Edge), yielding a total of 120 Israelis held in the Strip.

One hundred thirty-four hostages have been returned to Israel.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu meets with rescued hostage Shlomi Ziv at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, June 8, 2024.

Pessach said that from the first wave of released captives in November, Israeli medical teams have adhered to a protocol they developed along with the Health Ministry, including investigating the nutritional and physical condition of the returnees, with lab tests, imaging tests and tests for the function of the heart and other organs. They also check for various injuries.

Furthermore, the returnees undergo a psychological and psychiatric evaluation and receive a psychological escort. A psychosocial team greets them first thing upon their arrival, he said.

Almog Meir Jan returned to the news that his father, Yossi, had died hours before his rescue after 246 days of captivity. His mother, Orit, who had a birthday on Sunday, said that “it is very, very difficult the way it happened and it saddens me that he cannot say goodbye to his father. Today we are going to bury him and we will give him the last honor he deserves.”

Rescued hostage Almog Meir Jan is reunited with his family at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, June 8, 2024.

Channel 12 on Sunday night aired details about the experience of the captives from family members who were with them at Sheba Medical Center from their arrival on Saturday.

According to the families, Meir Jan, Ziv and Kozlov formed a strong bond being held together for so many months in the same apartment.

“During the entire period of captivity I was together with Andrey and Shlomi in the same room,” Meir Jan said, as told by his relatives to the Israeli news outlet. “Sometimes the terrorists abused us but we remained strong and supported each other very much. We are very united.”

Meir Jan also said that sometimes the three cooked for themselves and even managed to exercise.

Meir Jan was also somewhat informed about events in Israel during his captivity.

“We saw the rally in ‘Hostage Square’ [in Tel Aviv] the day before Holocaust Remembrance Day, and there I saw my picture hanging. The terrorists informed us about the events, we knew about the demonstrations and rallies and also about the controversy surrounding the conscription law. In captivity I kept a diary, a kind of tablet. A year in which I counted the days, that’s how I knew that mom was celebrating her birthday today.”

Meir Jan discussed the harrowing moments of the dramatic rescue, saying that the night before he got a haircut and shaved.

“When the IDF forces came to rescue us, both we and the terrorists were sleeping. We heard the forces and didn’t believe it at first. During the rescue they kept shooting at us from all directions, and when we got out we got stuck with the vehicle twice and it was very stressful.”

Ch. Insp. Arnon Zamora, a member of the Israel Border Police’s “Yamam” National Counter-Terrorism Unit, was mortally wounded during the mission.

Argamani was reunited with her father, Yaakov, and later with her terminally ill mother, Liora.

“Unfortunately, her mother is in very poor condition,” Yaakov told Ynet. “She barely looked at Noa. They met after eight months, but it was very difficult.”

He said he believed that his wife understood. “There was a kind of response. Liora understood but simply couldn’t express her emotions or say what she had longed to tell Noa when she finally met her.” JNS