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The sweltering Middle East summer commute got a bit cooler for some public transportation riders this week after the first air-conditioned bus stop was launched in Israel.

The innovative pilot project saw a water-based air-cooling system installed at a city bus stop located in the central Israeli city of Holon.

The pilot is slated to run all week at the bus stop opposite the city’s mall, and if successful, will be expanded to additional bus stops throughout the city.

The system installed on the roof of the station disperses tiny droplets into the air, absorbing heat through evaporation.

“Waiting for the bus in the sweltering heat is part of daily life for thousands of residents, and we want to change even these seemingly small things that have a significant impact on the quality of life in the city,” said Holon Mayor Shai Kenan. JNS

WATCH:

Israel’s policy for Gaza is to “remove threats, eliminate terrorists, and exact retribution from anyone who took part in the [Oct. 7, 2023,] massacre,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.

The Israel Defense Forces eliminated Hamas terrorists in Gaza earlier in the day and will “continue to act with force to protect our soldiers and ensure the peace for the southern communities—from within the security zone,” Katz added in Hebrew.

The IDF presently controls roughly half of the Gaza Strip, a territory referred to as the security zone.

Katz’s statement comes on the backdrop of increased IDF activity in the Gaza Strip over the past week, as well as the arrival in Israel of U.S. special envoy Jared Kushner, who is leading international efforts to demilitarize the Palestinian territory.

The IDF targeted a gathering of Hamas Nukhba Force commanders in an airstrike in the Shati area in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, including a terrorist who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

According to the military, the strike killed a company commander, three platoon commanders and several other terrorists who were planning attacks against Israeli troops operating in the enclave. One of the terrorists had infiltrated Israeli territory during the Oct. 7 invasion, the IDF said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF said it had killed on Aug. 16 a Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander who infiltrated Kibbutz Be’eri and participated in the abduction of an Israeli civilian during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Tareq Anwar Khamis Ra’i, a company commander in PIJ’s supply unit, was killed in an Israeli strike in the Khan Yunis area, according to the military. The IDF said he had recently been advancing terrorist attacks against Israeli troops and civilians.

The army said it used precise munitions and aerial surveillance to mitigate harm to civilians.

In addition, IDF troops sealed two Hamas underground tunnel routes east of the Yellow Line, totaling more than two kilometers in central and southern Gaza, the military said on Wednesday.

Soldiers under the command of the Gaza Division’s Engineering Unit completed the operation as part of the effort to neutralize the Palestinian terrorist organizations’ tunnel network across the Gaza Strip, the IDF said.

Kushner: Washington addressed Jerusalem concerns over Gaza roadmap

Meanwhile on Monday, Kushner said that progress toward Gaza’s demilitarization could begin within 30 days, following a nearly four-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kushner told Fox News that Washington would not support rebuilding Gaza before demilitarization, adding that the administration had addressed Israeli concerns about the Board of Peace roadmap and clarified that Israel’s right to act against imminent threats would not be restricted.

Top Israeli officials, including the prime minister, have repeatedly stated that the IDF will not leave Gaza before Hamas is fully disarmed.

Netanyahu on Aug. 9 said publicly that “Israel rejects the 15-point document,” referring to the disarmament roadmap announced by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on July 30.

On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that there was no disagreement between Israel and the United States over disarming Hamas and ensuring the terrorist group has no future in the Gaza Strip.

Huckabee, who attended meetings on Monday with Netanyahu, described the talks as “intense and thoughtful, but respectful.”

He rejected reports of a rift, saying some accounts of the discussions were “simply fake news” and “invented out of thin air.”

A Hamas delegation arrived earlier in the week in Egypt to probe alternative ways of advancing the 15-point roadmap, a Hamas official told AFP.

The source was quoted as saying that talks would cover “the latest developments in the negotiations and the efforts being made to compel Israel to abide by the agreement,” apparently referring to previous Hamas statements that it would start handing its arms to a technocratic Palestinian body only after the IDF withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

Leaders of the terrorist group also reportedly met with Kushner. JNS

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Tuesday visited a facility where terrorists found guilty of murder will be hanged. The site, currently under construction, is located in central Israel. Its exact location has not been revealed.

The facility will include a “dedicated wing” where terrorists sentenced to death will be transferred and await hanging. It will also include the gallows, which will be located in the center of that wing. Viewing booths will allow surviving victims and their families to watch the proceedings. Of the viewing booths, Ben-Gvir said that this is customary in other countries, including the United States.

While many, but not all, terrorists who carry out attacks in Israel are killed in the act by security forces, Ben-Gvir said that those that do survive will meet their fate at the facility behind him.

“We are making history,” he declared. “Terrorists deserve only one thing: death by hanging.”

With national elections scheduled for Oct. 27, the National Security Minister appealed to his base in a video post, stressing that he has kept his electoral promises.

“I promised to worsen the conditions of terrorists in prisons. It was fully carried out. I promised to pass the death penalty law for terrorists. That’s done. I promised to establish a [hanging] facility. And that’s carried out,” he said, pointing to the construction site behind him.

The death penalty law the minister referred to was passed by the Knesset on March 30 by a vote of 62-48. The law was sponsored by a member of his Otzma Yehudit Party, whose husband was killed in a terrorist attack.

“From now on, every mother in Judea and Samaria will know that if her son goes out to murder, his sentence is the gallows,” Ben Gvir said at the time.

In 2023, Ben Gvir also tightened restrictions on security prisoners, those held for nationalistically motivated attacks or membership in terrorist groups.

He reduced shower times, closed prison bakeries and banned family visits. His separate ban on visits by Knesset members to prisoners was overturned by Israel’s Supreme Court in April 2026. JNS

A new Channel 14 poll released Tuesday night shows a dramatic shift in Israel’s political landscape, with the right-wing bloc climbing to a solid 63-seat majority while the parties led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid suffer major losses.

The survey, published immediately following the Likud primaries, gives Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud 32 seats, keeping it comfortably in first place despite slipping by one seat from the previous poll. The opposition bloc falls by two seats to 46, while the Arab parties collectively receive 11 seats.

Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party finishes a strong second with 24 seats, gaining one seat from last week. Shas follows with 10 seats, while the Democrats receive nine.

Otzma Yehudit records one of the more significant gains in the poll, rising by two seats to eight. Yisrael Beytenu falls to seven seats, while United Torah Judaism also receives seven. Religious Zionism remains unchanged from the previous week with six seats.

Bennett’s Beyachad party suffers a particularly steep decline, falling to just six seats and moving considerably closer to the electoral threshold.

Among the Arab parties, Ra’am receives six seats, an increase of one from last week, while Hadash-Ta’al wins five.

Several parties fail to cross the electoral threshold. Balad polls at 2.1%, Zionist Home Reservists at 1.2%, Zehut at 1.1%, Ofer Winter at 0.9%, Blue and White at 0.4%, and a potential party led by Gilad Erdan receives just 0.1%.

The poll paints an even more decisive picture when respondents were asked which political leader is best suited to serve as prime minister.

Netanyahu leads the field by a wide margin with 55% support. Eisenkot finishes a distant second with 35%, while Bennett receives just 6%, Avigdor Liberman 3%, and Benny Gantz 1%.

In a direct head-to-head question between Netanyahu and Eisenkot, Netanyahu maintains a clear advantage, with 55% saying they prefer him as prime minister compared to 45% who choose Eisenkot.

{Matzav.com}

Shas spokesman Asher Medina has rejected accusations from the Noam party that Shas copied its election slogan, “Derech Emunah Bacharti” — “I have chosen the path of faith” — insisting that the phrase was never the centerpiece of Noam’s campaign.

Speaking Tuesday evening on Kol Chai’s “Central Edition,” hosted by Shneur Weber, Medina responded to a warning letter sent by Noam after Shas began using the phrase, which had previously appeared in Noam campaign material.

Medina said Shas had been developing its campaign for weeks and that the slogan was not hastily adopted from another party.

“This campaign, we have been working on it for two weeks in the final polishing stages,” Medina said, explaining that Shas deliberately waited until after the Likud primaries before formally unveiling its new election message.

Addressing Noam’s argument that it had used the phrase first, Medina said the party itself had publicly presented a different slogan as the central theme of its campaign.

“The Noam party came out with great fanfare and loudly announced that they launched the campaign with their slogan ‘To be a Jew in our land.’ That is how it was published on all the websites and in all the press releases,” Medina said.

Medina acknowledged that Noam had previously used “Derech Emunah Bacharti,” but maintained that its use had been limited rather than part of the party’s primary campaign.

“It is true that there is some one sign where they did use the words ‘Derech Emunah Bacharti.’ Very nice that they thought of it,” he said.

“I don’t think we took a campaign from them. It is not their campaign, it is not what they have invested in until now, nor is it what they publicized everywhere. Therefore, I don’t see this as any copying or anything that we would not be able to use,” Medina added.

Medina said Shas was also drawn to the phrase because of the broader public significance it acquired surrounding the return of hostage Agam Berger from captivity.

“When we sat down now to work on the elections, these words grabbed us,” Medina said. “When you want to choose which path and what character the country will have — what could be more fitting than this slogan?”

{Matzav.com}

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A new price comparison of Israeli supermarket chains has revealed dramatic differences in the cost of basic household purchases, with shoppers potentially paying nearly NIS 3,000 more for the same full basket depending on where they shop.

The weekly comparison, presented by Tzvi Tessler on Kol Chai’s “Hamoked Hatziburi,” examined two categories: a smaller basket of laundry products and a comprehensive household basket containing hundreds of items.

The results showed especially large disparities in laundry products, where the difference between the least and most expensive retailers reached 31.04%. In the full household basket, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive chains amounted to NIS 2,860.24.

For laundry products, Rami Levy Mehadrin ranked as the least expensive retailer overall, with the basket costing NIS 369.50. Yesh Bashchuna was the most expensive, at NIS 484.20 — a difference of NIS 114.70.

Among the major supermarket chains, the laundry basket prices were:

Rami Levy Mehadrin — NIS 369.50
Netto Chisachon — NIS 375.50
Yesh Chesed — NIS 381.40
Osher Ad — NIS 397.40
Shefa Birkat Hashem — NIS 419.80
Shuk Ha’ir — NIS 447.90

Among smaller and neighborhood-oriented retailers, the results were:

Netto Chisachon Bashchuna — NIS 375.50
Zol U’Begadol — NIS 387.20
Machסanei Hashuk Mehadrin — NIS 413.40
Maayan 2000 — NIS 418.00
Carrefour Market with mehadrin hechsherim — NIS 436.20
K.T. Import and Marketing–Mishnas Yosef — NIS 461.60
Good Market — NIS 469.70
Shefa Birkat Hashem Karov Labayit — NIS 479.80
Yesh Bashchuna — NIS 484.20

Overall, the laundry basket was cheapest at Rami Levy Mehadrin, at NIS 369.50, and most expensive at Yesh Bashchuna, at NIS 484.20. That represents a difference of NIS 114.70, or 31.04%.

The rankings changed when the comparison was expanded to the complete household basket. Osher Ad emerged as the least expensive, at NIS 11,057.90, while Rami Levy Mehadrin finished a close second, just NIS 162.40 higher. Good Market ranked as the most expensive, with the same basket costing NIS 13,918.14.

Among the major chains, the full-basket rankings were:

Osher Ad — NIS 11,057.90
Rami Levy Mehadrin — NIS 11,220.30
Netto Chisachon — NIS 11,846.48
Yesh Chesed — NIS 12,046.36
Shefa Birkat Hashem — NIS 12,563.25
Shuk Ha’ir — NIS 13,374.73

Among neighborhood and smaller retailers, the full-basket prices were:

Machsanei Hashuk Mehadrin — NIS 12,170.10
Netto Chisachon Bashchuna — NIS 12,284.97
K.T. Import and Marketing–Mishnas Yosef — NIS 12,879.11
Carrefour Market with mehadrin hechsherim — NIS 13,015.17
Zol U’Begadol — NIS 13,173.37
Maayan 2000 — NIS 13,347.53
Shefa Birkat Hashem Karov Labayit — NIS 13,497.73
Yesh Bashchuna — NIS 13,742.61
Good Market — NIS 13,918.14

The full-basket comparison therefore showed Osher Ad as the cheapest retailer, at NIS 11,057.90, compared with Good Market at NIS 13,918.14. The NIS 2,860.24 difference amounts to 25.87% of the cheaper basket’s price.

The most striking percentage gap in this week’s survey was found in laundry products. A shopper purchasing the basket at Rami Levy Mehadrin instead of Yesh Bashchuna would save NIS 114.70 on a single purchase. Even among the major chains alone, the difference was substantial, ranging from NIS 369.50 at Rami Levy Mehadrin to NIS 447.90 at Shuk Ha’ir.

The difference becomes considerably larger when looking at a complete household shopping basket. Osher Ad’s NIS 11,057.90 total was NIS 2,860.24 below Good Market’s NIS 13,918.14 price. For families making large purchases repeatedly throughout the year, differences of that size could translate into substantial accumulated savings.

The comparison also found that the major supermarket chains generally continue to offer lower prices for a complete shopping basket. Machsanei Hashuk Mehadrin, the cheapest retailer in the neighborhood-store category at NIS 12,170.10, was still NIS 1,112.20 more expensive than Osher Ad. One exception appeared in the laundry category, where Netto Chisachon Bashchuna charged NIS 375.50 — exactly the same as the larger Netto Chisachon chain and the second-lowest price in the entire comparison.

The findings underscore how significantly a family’s choice of supermarket can affect its expenses. For frequently purchased products such as laundry detergent, fabric softener and cleaning supplies, even relatively modest differences can add up over the course of a year. When a complete household basket is considered, the price gap can already reach thousands of shekels in a single broad comparison.

{Matzav.com}

Shas spokesman Asher Medina acknowledged that his party and the broader Chareidi political leadership failed during the past four years to secure the status of yeshiva bochurim, but pushed back strongly against claims that the failure has caused a widespread loss of confidence in Chareidi elected officials.

Speaking in an interview with Kol Chai’s “Central Edition,” hosted by Shneur Weber, Medina was asked how Shas intends to approach Chareidi voters who are deeply troubled by the arrests of yeshiva bochurim and the ongoing military draft crisis.

“There is no doubt, we did not succeed in bringing about an arrangement for the status of yeshiva students, which we wanted so badly and worked so hard and devoted ourselves for four years to make happen,” Medina acknowledged.

At the same time, Medina rejected the characterization that yeshiva families now look at their political representatives and say, “We sent you and you did not deliver results.”

“Yes, there is pain. Yes, there is great pain, and we share in it,” Medina said. “We are all in the same boat. We all have children, we all have grandchildren, we are all facing the same concerns.”

Medina insisted that throughout the past four years, Shas and the Chareidi representatives acted in accordance with the instructions they received from the Gedolei Yisroel.

“Everything they did for four years was according to the instructions of the Gedolei Yisroel, step by step. Whatever the Gedolei Yisroel instructed us to do – we did, and we carried out their mission.”

Weber pressed Medina on why Chareidi voters should believe that Shas will succeed in the next government after failing to resolve the issue during the past four years. Medina responded that one of the central lessons is that the Chareidi community must emerge from the coming elections with greater political strength.

Medina specifically pointed to Israel’s judicial and legal establishment, saying Shas will demand more far-reaching changes in the next government.

“Everyone knows and understands who the greatest persecutors of Judaism and the Torah world are,” Medina said, arguing that significant changes are needed regarding the appointment of judges and the authority wielded by government legal advisers.

Addressing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s latest demand that enforcement measures against those who have not reported for military service be intensified, Medina warned that “what we have seen until now is only the promo.”

He concluded by urging Chareidi voters not to remain at home on Election Day, arguing that a stronger showing at the polls will be essential if the community hopes to secure greater political power to address the draft crisis.

{Matzav.com}