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Even the traditionally liberal Washington Post is pushing back against Vice President Kamala Harris’ proposal to implement socialist-style price controls on groceries.

The long-established, left-leaning newspaper—owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos—published a sharp editorial criticizing the Democratic presidential nominee for attributing inflation to price gouging and, rather than presenting a genuine solution, resorting to what it called “populist gimmicks.”

With food prices having soared by over 20% across the nation during the Biden-Harris administration, Harris revealed economic measures she intends to introduce within her first 100 days as president at a rally in North Carolina earlier this week. Among these measures is the enforcement of government-imposed price controls on groceries.

Instead of “level[ing] with voters” and acknowledging that “inflation spiked in 2021 mainly because the pandemic snarled supply chains, and that the Federal Reserve’s policies, which the Biden-Harris administration supported, are working to slow it,” the vice president “opted for a less forthright route: Blaming big business,” the newspaper argued.

Bezos, who has recently been more favorable towards Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, acquired the newspaper in 2013 but has become increasingly involved in its operations over the past year.

Harris’ policy ideas, such as having the Federal Trade Commission enforce a federal ban on price gouging with steep penalties for companies that set excessively high prices, could potentially affect Bezos’ extensive business interests, which include e-commerce giant Amazon and the Whole Foods Market chain.

“Ms. Harris says she’ll target companies that make ‘excessive’ profits, whatever that means,” the editorial board stated critically.

Additionally, the board criticized her proposal to provide $25,000 to assist first-time homeowners with down payments, warning that it “risks putting upward pressure on prices.”

“Thankfully, this gambit by Ms. Harris has been met with almost instant skepticism, with many critics citing President Richard M. Nixon’s failed price controls from the 1970s. Whether the Harris proposal wins over voters remains to be seen, but if sound economic analysis still matters, it won’t.”

On a more positive note, the editorial board expressed some approval of Harris’ housing plan, describing it as “built on a slightly firmer foundation” and calling her tax incentives “clever.”

“Such a measure might make sense if Ms. Harris paid for it by eliminating other demand-side housing subsidies, such as the mortgage interest deduction, a roughly $30 billion annual drain on federal revenue that benefits many wealthy Americans—but she does not,” the newspaper noted.

The editorial also pointed out that Harris’ strongest proposal was to increase the child tax credit from $2,000 per child to $3,600, among other tax incentives.

{Matzav.com}

The campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris announced earlier today that it will reserve at least $370 million in television and digital advertising between Labor Day and Election Day, a massive investment in the fall that roughly matches a similar investment by outside groups supporting her campaign.

The new Harris plan includes $170 million in traditional national and local television advertising, focused on reaching voters in the core battleground states, along with more than $200 million in digital advertising, much of which will be consumed through living-room televisions with streaming services such as Hulu, Roku and YouTube TV, the campaign said.

Quentin Fulks, the principal deputy campaign manager, who oversees the advertising efforts, said the spending has been designed to ensure that Harris is competitive in both northern and more-Southern states, such as Georgia and North Carolina, as well as Arizona and Nevada.

“We have multiple pathways,” Fulks said. “We are making sure as we place these reservations, we don’t allow any of those doors to be shut.”

The campaign is continuing its focus on advertising during major television events and top-rated shows, with planned ad placements for the season premieres of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Golden Bachelorette,” as well as for professional football, hockey, basketball and baseball games. Other prime-viewing shows have also been targeted, including “Jeopardy!,” “Wheel of Fortune,” “Abbott Elementary” and “Survivor.” Fox News programming in the daytime, which is watched by targets of the Harris campaign, will also be purchased, the campaign said.

The reservations do not include traditional social media, search and some other types of digital advertising, said Rob Flaherty, the deputy campaign manager in charge of the digital efforts. Additional television and streaming reservations are also likely as the campaign progresses, depending on fundraising.

“This reflects a modern cross-media campaign,” Flaherty said. “We are going where we need to go, and that is more places than ever right now.”

Future Forward, an independent group supporting Harris, has reserved an additional $250 million after Labor Day to support her campaign. American Bridge to the 21st Century, another group backing Harris in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, has said it will spend about $100 million more before the election.

By making reservations early, political advertisers can often secure cheaper rates. Under federal law, campaigns benefit from more favorable rates than outside groups in the final weeks before an election.

When President Joe Biden was the presumptive nominee, the campaign spent $155 million on advertising, according to the tracking firm AdImpact. Harris has spent an additional $47 million between taking over the campaign and Friday. The campaign has also built out a large infrastructure in states that is aimed at reaching voters in other ways, with more than 1,600 paid staff and 280 offices.

Much of the early Biden advertising was focused on improving his favorability rating and researching how target voters get their information. Those lessons are now being applied Harris, who has different strengths and weaknesses than her former running mate, campaign officials said.

The Trump campaign, which has not yet announced a fall advertising plan, has spent only $47 million on ads through Friday, after declining to match Biden’s ad reservations in the spring and early summer.

Trump advisers say they will have enough money to fund a robust campaign, but they do not expect to match the spending by Harris and allied groups. Trump’s top advisers believe they can overcome that disadvantage because of the ability of Trump to attract free news coverage and social media posts.

MAGA Inc., an independent group supporting Trump, announced a $100 million ad campaign from early August to Labor Day but has not yet previewed its fall spending. Other outside groups backing Trump are expected to announce additional reservations in the coming weeks.

The switch from Biden to Harris has also changed the mix of advertising for the Democratic campaign, with more focus on introducing Harris and her agenda than Biden would have needed at this point in the campaign.

“Once we feel we have introduced the vice president to America and her record of fighting for the American people, it is also about the future,” Fulks said of the ad themes. “We have got to do all those things, and we have to do it very well. But I think the campaign has laid out a very sophisticated strategy.”

(c) Washington Post

A senior leader within Hezbollah’s al-Hajj Radwan Force was killed on Shabbos in southern Lebanon, the terrorist group confirmed. The Israel Defense Forces released aerial footage that appears to show a drone strike eliminating Hussein Ibrahim Kassab.

Kassab was reportedly killed while riding a motorcycle through Tyre, a coastal city, The Times of Israel reports.

According to the IDF, Kassab’s death brings the total number of Hezbollah operatives killed since October 7 to 412.

In response to a deadly Israeli airstrike that killed 10 people near Nabatieth in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah launched 55 rockets at northern Israel on Saturday.

The IDF stated that some of the rockets fired by Hezbollah landed in open areas, while others sparked multiple fires. No injuries were reported.

The rockets were fired in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike that destroyed a Hezbollah weapons depot along with other structures used by the group.

The Israeli strike resulted in the deaths of 10 Syrian nationals and left five others wounded.

This is regarded as the most lethal attack on Hezbollah since Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7.

Additionally, a separate Hezbollah drone attack on Shabbos injured two IDF soldiers near the northern community of Misgav Am.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Today, Donald Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’ proposal to impose government-controlled pricing on groceries, accusing her of embracing “full Communist” ideology.

The Republican presidential candidate likened Harris’ newly announced economic strategies aimed at reducing inflation—which include measures to combat price gouging—to the failed communist economic policies seen in places like Venezuela and the former Soviet Union.

“In her speech yesterday, Kamala went full Communist …” Trump remarked to a large crowd of supporters gathered at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

“She wants to destroy our country. After causing catastrophic inflation, Comrade Kamala announced that she wants to institute socialist price controls,” Trump added.

As food prices have skyrocketed by more than 20% across the nation during the Biden-Harris administration, Harris, speaking at a rally in North Carolina on Friday, laid out economic initiatives she intends to implement within the first 100 days of her presidency.

These initiatives include directing the Federal Trade Commission to enforce a nationwide ban on price gouging, with strict penalties for companies that charge excessively high prices.

“What they are doing is a communist takeover of our country,” Trump declared in response to Harris’ proposal.

“Her plan is very dangerous because it may sound good politically … This is Communist; this is Marxist; this is fascist.”

In a brief departure from his usual rhetoric, Trump also commended the typically left-leaning Washington Post for its critical editorial that condemned Harris for attributing inflation to price gouging. The editorial argued that instead of offering a genuine solution, Harris presented only “populist gimmicks.”

This rally marked Trump’s seventh visit to Pennsylvania this year, a crucial swing state where recent polls indicate a tight race between him and Harris for the state’s 19 electoral votes.

{Matzav.com}

A shocking revelation has emerged that IDF intelligence chiefs withheld critical information from senior military and political leaders regarding Hamas’s plans for the October 7 invasion and slaughter in southern Israel. A document codenamed “Jericho Walls,” obtained by Unit 8200 in April 2022, outlined Hamas’s strategy, which was later carried out with devastating results. The 40-page plan, written in October 2021, detailed a barrage of rockets, drone attacks, and a mass influx of gunmen, mirroring the actual events of October 7. Despite this, intelligence officers deemed Hamas incapable or unwilling to execute such an assault, dismissing concerns. Former IDF intelligence chief Aharon Ze’evi-Farkash emphasized that the document showed “Hamas was not deterred,” contradicting the prevailing assessment, and should have been thoroughly investigated. The report also reveals that IAF chief Tomer Bar was not informed about the document, despite expressing concerns about inadequate intelligence on Gaza developments. Brigadier General (Res.) Yaron Rosen said that had the IAF known about the attack plan, they would have prepared a response and potentially prevented the invasion. The Channel 12 report also exposes a series of other oversights and ignored warnings, including efforts by an intelligence officer to alert senior officers to unusual activity in Gaza hours before the invasion. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In the following episode of “Inside the Agudah,” Rabbi Yitz Frank, the executive director of Agudath Israel of Ohio, sits with Rabbi Yitzchok Hisiger, Director of Torah Initiatives at Agudath Israel of America, to provide a unique inside look at his activities at the Agudah. He is engaged in multiple projects to advance legislation, educates community organizations about governmental programs and funding opportunities, and serves as a liaison to the Ohio Department of Education on behalf of Jewish day schools. An expert in education policy, he is the acting president of the Ohio Council for American Private Education (CAPE Ohio) and serves on the community relations committee of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. He is a director of several community institutions and has been an effective leader within the Jewish community of Ohio. Watch and learn more about what the Agudah does each day.’

WATCH:

Rabbi Yitz Frank from Agudath Israel on Vimeo.

The US “bridging proposal” aimed at finalizing a hostages-for-ceasefire deal in the coming week does not address Israel’s key demands for an ongoing presence along the Gaza-Egypt border and a mechanism to prevent the return of armed Hamas forces to northern Gaza, according to Hebrew media reports. Negotiations between the US and Israel are set to continue in Cairo on Sunday, with Egypt and Qatar expected to press Hamas to accept the deal only if Israel and the US agree on the two key issues. However, Hamas has made it clear that it will not agree to a deal that accommodates these demands. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to hold a crucial discussion with Israel’s negotiators and security chiefs on Sunday, ahead of talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Netanyahu’s office expressed “cautious optimism” about the possibility of advancing a deal, but emphasized that Hamas must remove its opposition to the US proposal. The US proposal includes components acceptable to Israel, such as the release of 30 women, elderly, and sick hostages in the first phase of the deal, and the freeing of Palestinian security prisoners in exchange for hostages. However, the deal’s success hinges on Hamas’s acceptance, which remains far from certain. The negotiations aim to finalize a deal by the end of the week, with President Joe Biden and US officials expressing guarded optimism about the progress while stressing that obstacles remain. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president, asserted on Shabbos that Vice President Kamala Harris dismissed the idea of choosing Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as her running mate due to his Jewish background.

“They turned him down because he’s Jewish,” Trump remarked during his speech in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Addressing the issue of antisemitism in the United States, Trump stated, “There has never been a more dangerous time since the Holocaust.”

“If you happen to be Jewish in America, there has never been anything like it,” he continued.

Trump criticized Jewish voters who support Democrats, saying, “Any Jewish person that votes for [Harris] or a Democrat has to go out and have their head examined.”

{Matzav.com}

A tense exchange unfolded on Shabbos afternoon between Israeli President Isaac Herzog and protesters gathered outside his residence.

Herzog expressed his appeal for unity within Israel, and when questioned if this unity should extend to ministers like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, he answered, “On the contrary, Kahanism certainly needs to be removed. Kahanism needs to be removed from the government.”

Protesters criticized him for allegedly failing to assist in efforts to bring the hostages back, to which Herzog responded, “We meet with the families of the hostages and the bereaved families daily. You are simply doing me an injustice.” He further stated his confidence in the country’s future, saying, “I believe in the State of Israel, believe in Israeli society, and believe in Israeli democracy. And Israeli democracy will prevail.”

Addressing the Jewish settlers’ recent violent actions in the village of Jit, Herzog condemned the event: “This is a very serious act, but the system is dealing with it. You have half a million people living in the settlements, 99% of whom are law-abiding, all are in this battle and this war, with threats to their lives from every direction. Our job now is to be united.”

In response, after Shabbos concluded, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir offered his own take: “When Herzog ran for president, he met with me several times to get my support. He of course also said everything he needed to get my support.”

“Although I clarified to him then that I would vote for Miriam Peretz, since then we have met several times, where he always praised how talented Otzma Yehudit’s ministers are, how pleased he is with our Knesset members, and how much he personally appreciates me despite disagreements. It was amusing to hear the honorable President ingratiating himself to a bunch of anarchists who are trying to run the country and create division among the people. This, of course, adds to the ‘badge of honor’ he gave to the anarchists and refusers who harmed the IDF and led to the disaster of October 7th. Perhaps he would do well to act as he did in his police investigations and remain silent again – hypocrisy is a disgusting thing.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

A senior Hamas representative told Al Jazeera on Friday that any truce and agreement for the release of hostages must ensure “the war’s end and a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.”

He emphasized that the deal must “include significant humanitarian aid for the Strip and meet demands related to the release of Palestinian prisoners.”

In a related development, Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad mentioned that the recent round of negotiations in Qatar did not result in any substantial agreements. He accused Israel of derailing the discussions, as reported by Haaretz.

Hamad asserted that Netanyahu “is attempting to introduce a new proposal, with the US’s involvement, to buy time.” He stressed that Hamas will not permit any Israeli presence in the Strip at any stage.

These remarks from Hamas leaders came after the second day of discussions in Doha, Qatar, focused on a ceasefire and hostage release agreement.

Following these talks, the US, Egypt, and Qatar issued a statement expressing optimism about reaching an agreement by the end of the coming week, aiming to free hostages, save lives, provide relief to Gaza, and reduce regional tensions.

US President Joe Biden later remarked that “we’re closer than we have ever been before” to securing a deal for the release of hostages.

“We are closer than we have ever been…I don’t want to jinx anything, but we may have something. We’re not there yet, but much, much closer than it was three days ago,” Biden stated at the White House.

Subsequently, he released a statement urging all parties in the Middle East not to hinder efforts to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Despite the resistance from Hamas to the proposed framework, a senior Biden administration official told reporters on Friday that the ceasefire and hostage release process is “now in the end game.”

The official downplayed Hamas’s public statements, saying, “I know there’s a lot of public statements from Hamas right now. I wouldn’t take anything too seriously.”

He further noted that Hamas is under significant pressure to finalize an agreement and warned, “Should Hamas say no, think about what they’re doing to the people of Gaza.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Tonight, Israeli Air Force aircraft targeted a terror cell traveling in a vehicle through central Jenin.

According to reports from Arab sources, four individuals were killed in the strike.

Later, a joint statement by the IDF and ISA confirmed, “The ISA and IDF eliminated two senior Hamas terrorists in Jenin who were involved in planning the shooting attack in the Jordan Valley, during which Yonatan Deutsch was murdered.”

The joint statement further detailed, “In a joint IDF and ISA operation, an aircraft struck a vehicle in Jenin and eliminated two senior Hamas terrorists.”

Additionally, the statement identified, “Terrorist Ahmed Abu Ara from Aqabah was involved in further terrorist attacks and was a senior operative in the production of explosives for terror attacks.”

The statement also highlighted, “Additionally, the terrorist Rafet Dawasi from Silat al-Harithiya was a senior in the Hamas military infrastructure of the Jenin area.”

During the investigation by the ISA into Yassin Ghanem, who was apprehended by the ISA and IDF, it was discovered that these two terrorists played a role in the August 11, 2024, terror attack in the Jordan Valley, which led to the murder of Yehonatan Deutsch.

Deutsch, a 23-year-old from Beit She’an, was killed on Sunday in a drive-by shooting on the road leading to the village of Rotem in the Jordan Valley.

Having just been discharged from the IDF’s elite Maglan Unit after seeing heavy combat in Gaza during the early months of the war, Yehonatan was on his way to his fiancée’s hometown of Ofra when he was fatally shot.

A graduate of the Beit She’an Yeshiva High School, Yehonatan was also a counselor in the Bnei Akiva youth movement and dedicated much of his time to volunteering in his community. He leaves behind his parents, four brothers, and a sister.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Sergeant Major Mordechai Yosef Ben Shoam, a 34-year-old IDF reservist, tragically lost his life during combat in central Gaza on Shabbos. Ben Shoam was called to service on October 7, 2023, and dedicated several months to his duties.

According to the IDF, he operated as a heavy vehicle driver within the 8119th Battalion’s logistical support unit of the Logistics Corps. His life was cut short during a military operation when an explosive device went off near the Netzarim Corridor, also claiming the life of his company commander.

Hailing from the town of Adam in the Binyamin Region, Ben Shoam leaves behind his wife, Natali, and their nine-month-old daughter.

For the last five years, Ben Shoam was employed by the Mate Binyamin Development Company, where he earned a reputation as a devoted driver. His work involved transporting children with special needs, and he was so cherished that he was often invited to their birthday celebrations.

In response to the loss, members of Ben Shoam’s unit expressed, “The battalion is in the midst of fighting, and we will not be able to attend the funerals of our beloved comrades-in-arms. We ask that anyone who is able to attend and honor them for us—do so. The times of the funerals will be published later.”

Earlier on Shabbos, the IDF reported that Major (Res.) Yotam Yitzchok Peled, also lost his life in central Gaza. Peled, 34, from Rosh Ha’ayin, served as a company commander within the same logistical support unit of the 8119th Battalion in the Logistics Corps. Reports indicate that Peled’s death resulted from an explosive device detonating in central Gaza.

Peled was the son of Talia and Michael (Mike) and the brother of Omri. He is survived by his wife and two daughters, one of whom is an infant. After completing his mandatory military service as a company commander in the Nahal Brigade, Peled often volunteered with an organization that supports bereaved families.

Hashem yikom domom.

{Matzav.com Israel}

According to Israeli officials, Israel has agreed to potentially compromise on the which Palestinian prisoners it releases, in exchange for an increase in the number of hostages released in the first stage of a deal with Hamas.

Israel has been demanding a large number of vetos over which prisoners Hamas asks for Israel can refuse. However in talks in Doha, Qatar, Israel agreed to limit it’s veto power in exchange for increasing the number of hostages released in the first phase of a potential deal.

Another sticking point in the negotiation has been control over the Netzarim corridor. Israel has created a corridor accross the middle of the strip. Hamas demanded Israel leave the corridor during a ceasefire, with Israel saying it needs to stay in the corridor to prevent Palestinian terrorists and weapons from flowing back to Northern Gaza.

The US proposed a compromise, with Israeli troops leaving the area but maintaining some sort of means of supervising the area. It is unclear what those means would be. The US agreed that any weapon smuggling would be a violation of the deal, giving Israel the right to act.

{Matzav.com} 

At a rally in Pennsylvania, former US President Donald Trump stated that the current environment in the US is the most dangerous for Jewish people since the Holocaust. Addressing supporters in Wilkes-Barre, Trump, who is running for the presidency again, claimed that Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro was not chosen as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate in the upcoming elections due to his Jewish faith. “They turned him down because he’s Jewish,” Trump says, echoing an accusation first made by his running mate JD Vance. The claim has been rejected both by the Democratic party and by Shapiro himself, who said that “antisemitism had no impact” on the decision-making process. “They turned him down for other reasons, but the primary reason is because he’s Jewish,” Trump continues, telling the crowd that “any Jewish person that votes for her [Harris] or a Democrat has to go out and have their head examined.” “If you see what’s happening with Israel and Jewish people, there has never been a more dangerous time since the Holocaust if you happen to be Jewish in America,” Trump says. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

According to a new report in The Telegraph, Hamas planned blackmail the UK government by exhuming the remains of British soldiers buried in Gaza and hold them “prisoner.”

Reportedly the plan was laid out in a detailed 7 page Hamas document provided to the paper by Israeli officials. It called it dig up the bodies of British soldiers and soldiers from other Commonwealth nations who died fighting the Ottomans and were buried in Gaza in 1917. Hamas would then ‘blackmail’ the UK government using the bodies.

Israel discovered the document in Khan Yunis on January 31st, in a location affiliated with Hamas terror leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif.

Israel believes the plan dates back to 2022, after then UK Prime Minister Liz Truss commented about moving the UK’s embassy to Yerushalayim.

Hamas supposedly planned to use the corpses to make the UK keep the embassy in Tel-Aviv, and make the UK pay for use of Gazan land since 1917.

An Israeli official to the Telegraph that, “The tactic depicted in this document is intended to quite literally terrorize the people of the UK as a whole in order to influence political decisions. There is no way to rule out that Hamas will use this strategy or other similar ones to influence external affairs or anything within their agenda in the future.”

{Matzav.com}

This evening, an Israeli drone strike in the West Bank city of Jenin killed two senior Hamas operatives, as confirmed by both the IDF and Shin Bet security agency. The targeted individuals, Ahmed Abu Ara from Aqqaba and Raafat Dawasi from Silat al-Harithiya, were involved in orchestrating a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley last week, which resulted in the death of 23-year-old Yonatan Deutsch and injured another civilian. Abu Ara, identified as a key figure in multiple terror attacks and the production of explosive devices, and Dawasi, a senior member of Hamas’ local network in Jenin, were struck while traveling in a vehicle. Hamas later confirmed the deaths, stating that Dawasi served as a commander in the group’s Jenin wing, while Abu Ara held a senior operational role. The IDF and Shin Bet attribute several recent attacks to the two, including a deadly roadside bombing in Jenin on June 27, another bombing against Defense Ministry workers on July 23, and the recent terror shooting in the Jordan Valley. Footage of the strike has been released by the military. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been served with a grand jury subpoena by federal prosecutors investigating his 2021 campaign fundraising, law enforcement sources confirmed on Thursday. The subpoena, issued in July, seeks text messages, documents, and other communications related to the campaign. Adams’ attorney, Brendan McGuire, confirmed the subpoena and insisted that the mayor has done nothing illegal. The campaign has conducted its own internal investigation, reviewing tens of thousands of electronic communications and conducting witness interviews, and has found no evidence of illegal conduct. The probe, which began in November, is exploring allegations of illegal campaign contributions from the Turkish government and Adams’ role in fast-tracking the opening of Turkey’s diplomatic headquarters in Manhattan. At least three people connected to Adams have had their homes raided, and Adams’ electronic devices have been seized. McGuire said that the campaign is cooperating with federal authorities and responding to the subpoenas. The mayor has maintained that he has done nothing wrong and is looking forward to a “prompt and just resolution” of the investigation. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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The Hezbollah terror group in southern Lebanon launched 55 missiles, rockets and drones at the Ayelet HaShachar area in northern Israel on Shabbos morning. B’Chasdei Hashem no one was injured in the barrage but at least ten fires were ignited in open areas. Earlier on Shabbos morning, two IDF soldiers were injured, one moderately and one lightly, in a drone attack near the yishuv of Misgav Am in northern Israel. Hezbollah later claimed responsiblity for the attack, saying that it fired two explosive drones at a military base. (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)

An IDF officer was killed on Shabbos afternoon by a bomb planted by Hamas terrorists in central Gaza, the IDF announced on Motzei Shabbos in what they called a “unusual incident.” He was identified as Maj. (res.) Yotam Itzchak Peled, H’yd, 34, from Rosh Ha’ayin. He served as the company commander of a logistical support unit in the 8119th Battalion in the Logistics Corps. Peled, z’l, was killed by a roadside bomb in the Netzarim Corridor as he was leading a convoy to bring supplies to IDF forces in Gaza City. An initial investigation showed that a squad of Hamas terrorists planted the bomb on the road. After it exploded, killing Peled, H’yd, the terrorist emerged from the building they were hiding in and opened fire at the soldiers. The soldiers fired back but the terrorists fled the scene. A manhunt was launched for the terrorists but as of Motzei Shabbos, they have not been caught. His death increases the death toll of soldiers killed in the war in Gaza to 331 and the number of soldiers killed since October 7 to 691. (YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)