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The Israeli Navy on Wednesday intercepted yet another flotilla attempting to breach the maritime blockade on Gaza, stopping a convoy of boats carrying roughly 150 pro-Palestinian activists who were subsequently taken to Israel for deportation.

This latest operation occurred just one week after Israeli forces halted the Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest such mission to date, which consisted of 42 vessels and nearly 500 participants. The majority of those activists — including Swedish climate figure Greta Thunberg — have already been deported.

According to a statement from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the flotilla was prevented from reaching the Gaza coast, and both its vessels and passengers were redirected to Ashdod Port. “Another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone ended in nothing,” the ministry wrote on X. “The vessels and the passengers are transferred to an Israeli port. All the passengers are safe and in good health. The passengers are expected to be deported promptly.”

Officials said the interception followed the organizers’ refusal to comply with offers to deliver their symbolic shipment of humanitarian aid through Israel or international relief groups instead of directly by sea.

The flotilla — organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) — consisted of nine boats, including one larger ship named Conscience, which carried about 100 activists. The other eight smaller vessels were transporting approximately 50 more participants. The group had set sail from Italy two weeks earlier, claiming to be on a mission of solidarity with Gaza.

Among the activists on board were at least two Israeli citizens, according to the organizers.

The interception took place before dawn, about 150 nautical miles off Gaza’s coast in the Mediterranean Sea. Within 40 minutes, commandos from the elite Shayetet 13 naval unit and additional Navy forces had seized control of all nine boats, including the 68-meter passenger ship Conscience.

Due to the size of the Conscience, Israeli commandos descended onto its deck from an Air Force helicopter, while the remaining vessels were boarded directly from Navy ships.

Shortly after the operation began, the flotilla’s organizers released a statement claiming, “Our vessel is currently being attacked by an Israeli military helicopter while the eight sailboats are being illegally intercepted and hijacked.”

The FFC also asserted that “participants — humanitarians, doctors and journalists from across the world — have been taken against their will and are being held in unknown conditions.”

“The Israeli military has no legal jurisdiction over international waters,” the group continued. “Our flotilla poses no harm.”

The FFC claimed the flotilla carried over $110,000 worth of supplies — including medicine, respiratory devices, and nutritional products — intended for Gaza’s medical facilities.

Videos posted by the activists showed Israeli Navy personnel boarding the flotilla vessels.

All nine boats, along with the 150 activists aboard, were escorted to Ashdod Port, where Israeli police and immigration officials began processing the detainees for deportation.

Later in the day, the FFC posted photographs of the detained activists and urged their supporters to pressure their respective governments to demand their release.

The organization also released an image identifying two Israelis said to have been aboard the Conscience — Zohar Chamberlain Regev and Omer Sharir. However, the post stopped short of calling for their release, stating only: “Israeli passport holders will likely be processed differently by authorities and may not require embassy assistance if processed under Israeli law.”

Israel has repeatedly thwarted similar flotilla efforts over the past few months, including in June and July, as activists sought to challenge its blockade amid global criticism over Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. Israeli officials have dismissed the missions as public-relations spectacles orchestrated in support of Hamas.

{Matzav.com}

A month after the horrific terror attack at the Ramot Junction that claimed the life of Rabbi Yisrael HaKohen Metzner Hy”d, his Almanah has given birth to a baby boy — a moment of joy intertwined with deep sorrow for the grieving family. The newborn joins his three older brothers, though he will never have the chance to meet his father. Rabbi Metzner, a respected Avreich in the Maysharim Kollel, was murdered on his way to Kollel during the Elul terror attack at the Ramot Junction. Rabbi Metzner Hy”d was among the prominent scholars in his kollel and the son-in-law of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Greineman, Rosh Kollel Taharos in Jerusalem. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo says he wants to save Rikers Island, the notorious jail complex that has become a symbol of dysfunction in the city’s criminal justice system. The city is legally required to shutter its jails on Rikers and replace them with four smaller, more modern jails by 2027 under a plan approved by the City Council six years ago. Officials at the time wanted Rikers gone for several reasons: It is crumbling, costly, plagued by violence and far from the courthouses where its inmates need to be transported regularly. But the replacement project has stalled, swelled in cost and faces local opposition. Only one of the four new jails, in Brooklyn, is under construction. Cuomo, the former New York governor who is running for mayor as an independent, said Wednesday that he would scrap the plan to replace Rikers and would rebuild it instead. “We can and must do both things at once: Close Rikers as we know it, and rebuild it the right way,” Cuomo said. Cuomo said he would rebuild the jails at Rikers one at a time so operations can continue. He said the land where the replacement neighborhood jails were going to be built would be turned into affordable housing or mixed-use developments. “The deadlines have already slipped years past, costs have doubled, and neighborhoods are being forced to shoulder the burden of government at its worst. Now is the time to admit the mistake before we dig any deeper,” he said. The Democratic Party’s mayoral nominee, Zohran Mamdani, told reporters Wednesday that abandoning the plan to close Rikers would be a bad idea. “Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to take that which is broken, that which is morally bankrupt, that which is a stain on our city and to keep it open, it’s a betrayal not only of the law as it stands today, but also of what New Yorkers actually want,” Mamdani said. Built on an island in the East River, Rikers Island has been featured on television’s “Law & Order” and other crime shows and has housed high-profile inmates, including Harvey Weinstein. The facility had come under intense scrutiny over inmate deaths and allegations of neglect, leading to heavy federal oversight. The incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, has also questioned whether closing Rikers is the solution to its problems and urged the City Council to find an alternative as it became increasingly likely that the city would miss its deadline. Adams is not running for reelection. The Republican nominee for mayor, Curtis Sliwa, has said he would not allow Rikers Island to close and has called for its jails to be renovated. In a statement Wednesday, Jonathan Lippman, a former chief state judge who chairs a commission that studies Rikers, said the jail “must be closed as soon as humanly possible.” He added that more than 70 people held at Rikers have died since the start of 2020 and that the city spends more than $2.8 billion annually to operate the facility. “Rebuilding on Rikers is highly problematic, fiscally flawed, and at variance with the law and the present advanced state of contracting, moneys invested, and preparatory work already undertaken to build four new more humane local jails in the city,” Lippman said. (AP)

President Donald Trump details negotiations in the Israel-Hamas peace deal in an exclusive interview on ‘Hannity.’

WATCH:

Denise Cohen, a New York resident, joined ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss her reaction to Mamdani’s statement, why some members of the Jewish community still support his candidacy and more.

WATCH:

New York Post columnist Douglas Murray discusses the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack and the state of peace talks between Israel and Hamas on ‘America’s Newsroom.’

WATCH:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivers a note about the Middle East peace talks to President Trump.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks about the impact of the government shutdown on ‘Hannity.’

WATCH:

In an interview with “Hannity” on Fox News tonight, President Donald Trump recounted his recent phone conversation with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu that took place after he announced the ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza.

“I spoke to Bibi Netanyahu just a little while ago,” Trump said. “He called. He said, ‘I can’t believe it. Everybody is liking me now,’ meaning him. I said, ‘More importantly, they are loving Israel again,’ and they really are. I said, ‘Israel cannot fight the world Bibi, they cannot fight the world.’ And he understands that very well. So it’s amazing the way it’s all come together.”

Trump went on to describe the broader circumstances that led to the breakthrough. “It was just a set of circumstances, like, for instance, taking out the nuclear potential, nuclear power of Iran. So many different things happened that were so amazing. It’s a lot of talent involved, I’ll tell you. But there was a certain degree of luck too. You know, you need luck also. There is such a thing as luck.”

He credited key members of his administration for their “tremendous help” in finalizing the deal. “With everybody from Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Marco [Rubio], and we had everybody. JD [Vance], the whole, the whole group was just amazing. And the military was, as you know, very instrumental in getting this done. We have a great military with great leadership.”

“The whole world came together, to be honest, so many countries that you wouldn’t have even thought of it, and they came together. The world has come together around this deal, and that’s something I would say that without that wouldn’t happen,” he added. “So many countries that you wouldn’t have thought of have wired their best wishes and their commitment to do whatever is necessary. The countries surrounding have all signed, I mean, they’re all signed up, and it’s been, it’s been really an amazing period of time.”

Trump concluded by saying, “this is more than Gaza. This is peace in the Middle East, an incredible thing.”

{Matzav.com}

The Israel Defense Forces announced that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had directed troops overnight “to be ready for any scenario,” as the military prepared for the return of hostages and a limited withdrawal of forces from the Gaza Strip under the terms of the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas.

According to an official statement from the IDF, soldiers would carry out operations “in accordance with the orders of the political echelon and the stages of the deal, and with responsibility while safeguarding our soldiers.”

The army also emphasized that “it will continue to act to realize the goals of the war and to safeguard citizens of the State of Israel on all fronts.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump told Fox News’ “Hannity” tonight that the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza were expected to be released on Monday, following his earlier announcement of a breakthrough agreement between Israel and Hamas marking the first stage of a ceasefire.

“They [the hostages] are in a terrible situation there. They are deep, deep in the earth,” Trump said, describing the tunnels beneath Gaza where Hamas had been keeping the captives. “As we speak, so much is happening to get the hostages freed.”

“We think they will all be coming back on Monday… and that will include the bodies of the dead,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania extended his congratulations to President Donald Trump for brokering what he called a “historic peace plan” between Israel and Hamas, emphasizing that despite political differences, both he and Trump shared a firm dedication to the Jewish state.

“I congratulate @POTUS on this historic peace plan that releases all the hostages,” Fetterman wrote in a post on X. “Now, enduring peace in the region is possible. Our parties are different but we have a shared ironclad commitment to Israel and its people.”

Fetterman’s comments came shortly after President Trump announced on Truth Social that Israel and Hamas had “both signed off on the first Phase” of his peace initiative.

“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote. “All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen.”

Trump’s announcement followed his earlier statement on Saturday that Israel had “agreed to a proposed withdrawal line” and that once Hamas accepted the terms, a ceasefire would “be IMMEDIATELY effective.”

“After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas,” Trump said at the time. “When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal, which will bring us close to the end of this 3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE.”

Just a day earlier, Trump had issued an ultimatum to Hamas, giving the group 48 hours to respond to the proposed terms of his peace plan.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign is set to remove roughly 600,000 illegal migrants within its first year, according to new government figures reported by the New York Post.

The broader consequences of the crackdown are even more dramatic — with over 2 million illegal migrants leaving the United States since January, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed.

Officials said federal immigration teams have already taken more than 457,000 illegal immigrants into custody, calling the arrests “just the beginning” of a far-reaching enforcement surge.

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin credited the president and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for revitalizing a department long constrained by political opposition. “Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ‘jumpstarted an agency that was vilified and barred from doings its job for the last four years,’” she said.

According to McLaughlin, federal agents have made “historic progress to carryout President Trump’s promise of arresting and deporting illegal aliens who have invaded our country,” despite multiple rulings from federal courts attempting to curtail enforcement efforts.

Since the start of Trump’s second term, DHS has deported over 493,000 illegal immigrants, while another 1.6 million have chosen to “self-deport.”

“Illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now or face the consequence. Migrants are now even turning back before they reach our borders,” McLaughlin said.

The current numbers mark a dramatic jump compared to just 271,000 deportations during the final year of the Biden administration, and 142,000 in 2023, according to ICE data.

In September, the agency announced it had gone four straight months without releasing any illegal border crossers into the country, declaring that “the era of open borders is over.”

The escalation of arrests and deportations in sanctuary cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland has created dangerous conditions for agents on the ground, who face threats from both organized criminal networks and violent mobs intent on stopping their operations.

Assaults on ICE personnel have skyrocketed by 1,000% in 2025, with three separate ambushes in Texas in the past three months alone. In one recent attack, 29-year-old Joshua Jahn opened fire outside an immigration facility in Dallas, missing his intended ICE targets but killing two migrants awaiting deportation.

This week in Chicago, chaos erupted outside an ICE building in Broadview, Illinois, where rioters clashed with officers. Later, another group of agents was trapped and assaulted on Chicago’s South Side when attackers used vehicles to block their escape.

ICE sources said Chicago police ignored their calls for help under a “stand down” order allegedly issued by the chief of patrol — an accusation the department has denied.

{Matzav.com}

Appearing calm and composed, former FBI Director James Comey entered a plea of not guilty Wednesday to federal charges accusing him of lying to Congress and obstructing justice — marking the first time in U.S. history that a onetime FBI chief has faced criminal prosecution.

Comey, 64, also denied allegations that he obstructed justice during the investigation into alleged ties between President Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russian officials. His trial date has been scheduled for January 5, 2026.

Wearing a navy suit and maintaining a stoic expression, Comey faced U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff for roughly 30 minutes at the Albert V. Bryan Courthouse in Virginia. His attorney, former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago, formally entered the plea on his behalf.

When Judge Nachmanoff asked if he understood the charges against him, Comey replied quietly, “I do, your honor.”

“My client is anxious to get to a speedy trial,” Fitzgerald told the court.

Both the defense and federal prosecutor Nathaniel “Tyler” Lemons requested a modest delay in scheduling, with Lemons explaining that his team was still sorting through “a large” volume of evidence and “just getting our hands around the discovery as well.”

Judge Nachmanoff — appointed by President Joe Biden — agreed to a brief extension but questioned the justification. He commented that the matter appeared to involve “a discrete set of facts” and was “not overly complicated.”

Lemons responded that the case involved “a significant amount of classified information,” while Fitzgerald’s team acknowledged that only one of their lawyers, Jessica Carmichael, currently holds the necessary clearance to review classified material.

The judge assured both sides that he intended to move quickly, saying he would “go through the fastest [classified document review] process you’ve seen in your lives.”

Fitzgerald said he “hoped that a trial can be avoided,” and indicated he would soon file motions arguing that the case constitutes “vindictive prosecution” and that the appointment of the lead prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, was unlawful.

Comey was released on his own recognizance after prosecutors declined to request bail. His family, including daughter Maurene — who was dismissed from the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office in July — attended the hearing. Her husband, Troy Edwards, also appeared, having resigned from his post in the Eastern District of Virginia shortly after the indictment was announced.

According to the two-page indictment returned by a grand jury last month, Comey is accused of lying during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on September 30, 2020, when he denied approving media leaks about the Trump-Russia investigation and a separate probe involving Hillary Clinton.

If convicted, Comey faces a maximum of five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. The grand jury declined to pursue an additional count of making false statements.

The case represents the first time the Justice Department has brought charges against one of President Trump’s political adversaries. The DOJ is also reportedly investigating other prominent Trump critics, including Rep. Adam Schiff of California and former National Security Adviser John Bolton.

The prosecution was initiated by Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s onetime personal attorney, who was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia last month after Trump removed her predecessor, Erik Siebert, over his reluctance to pursue cases against Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Halligan, who previously specialized in insurance law, had no prior experience as a federal prosecutor. The indictment was filed just days before the five-year statute of limitations would have expired on Comey’s testimony before Congress.

Comey has publicly admitted in the past to authorizing leaks, including his 2017 admission to the Senate Intelligence Committee that he had instructed his “good friend,” Columbia Law Professor Daniel Richman, to leak memos detailing Trump’s alleged request to drop the Michael Flynn investigation.

The indictment refers to a “PERSON 3” — widely believed to be Richman — whom Comey allegedly “had authorized … to serve as an anonymous source in news reports” related to the FBI’s Russia probe.

Trump dismissed Comey as FBI director in 2017 during the height of the Russia inquiry, prompting the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who ultimately found insufficient evidence to establish a criminal conspiracy.

Following the indictment, Comey released a video statement expressing both defiance and sadness. “My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,” he said. “We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either.”

“My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent, so let’s have a trial and keep the faith,” Comey added.

{Matzav.com}

A tense showdown unfolded Wednesday on Capitol Hill when Hudson Valley Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY) confronted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) after a press conference, sparking a fiery exchange over who was to blame for the partial government shutdown.

Lawler approached Jeffries at the conclusion of the briefing, accusing him of refusing to participate in bipartisan efforts to renew Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits.

“Did your boss, Donald Trump, give you permission?” Jeffries shot back with a grin, mocking Lawler as reporters looked on.

Holding up a printed copy of his bill to extend the ACA credits, Lawler rejected the notion that Trump was his “boss” and reminded Jeffries that he himself had previously voted for stopgap funding bills to prevent government shutdowns.

“You’re making a show of this to make yourself relevant,” Jeffries snapped. “You’re embarrassing yourself right now.”

“It’s sad, you could sign onto this right now,” Lawler replied. “You have four Democrats on here. Why won’t you sign on?”

Democrats have blocked the GOP-backed continuing resolution (CR) designed to keep the government running through November 21, insisting instead that Republicans roll back Medicaid reforms and extend the enhanced Obamacare subsidies expiring at year’s end. In return, they have offered to lift the Senate filibuster and allow the CR to pass.

Jeffries has dismissed temporary extensions of the subsidies, maintaining that they must be made permanent before any reopening of the government can occur.

During the confrontation, Jeffries brought up the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act—now titled the Working Families Tax Cut Act—and accused Lawler of supporting harmful cuts.

“I voted for a tax cut bill that gave the largest tax cut to Americans in history, including, by the way, the average New Yorker getting a $4,000 tax cut,” Lawler said.

Jeffries countered that the legislation gutted Medicaid funding, while Lawler argued that the reforms targeted “waste, fraud, and abuse.”

“Listen, you’re not going to talk to me … and talk over me because you don’t want to hear what I have to say. So why don’t you just keep your mouth shut,” Jeffries snapped, cutting him off mid-sentence.

The minority leader accused Lawler of working to “cut taxes for his billionaire buddies,” but the New York Republican fired back, saying the bill actually expanded the standard deduction widely used by middle-class taxpayers and raised the SALT deduction cap.

“Why are you here right now? Where are the rest of your Republican colleagues?” Jeffries taunted.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has kept the House in recess as leverage to pressure Senate Democrats into supporting the clean CR passed last month. With the House out of session, Democrats are unable to move forward on a revised funding measure.

The verbal sparring between Jeffries and Lawler grew increasingly personal, with Jeffries accusing his GOP colleague of staging “a stunt” to help his reelection campaign, while Lawler retorted that the Brooklyn Democrat spent $42 million last cycle and “didn’t do that great.”

Lawler also took a jab at Jeffries over his silence on New York mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani’s attack on Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, massacre. Jeffries declined to respond.

“I’ve indulged you. I’ve given you your fifteen minutes of fame,” Jeffries said with a smirk as he ended the exchange. “You’re a complete and total embarrassment… and you’re going down for defeat next year.”

Earlier that same day, Speaker Johnson had his own heated encounter outside his office with Senators Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) as partisan tempers flared across the Capitol.

{Matzav.com}

Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in a case his lawyer described as a vindictive prosecution directed by President Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump is set to depart for the Middle East on Friday, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, following his announcement that Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement to end the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of all hostages.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, Trump was handed an update indicating that negotiators were “very close” to finalizing the long-awaited deal between the two sides.

“I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’ll get to need me pretty quickly,” Trump told reporters from the White House podium.

The note, according to the Associated Press, read: “We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce the deal first.”

Moments later, Trump told reporters that he “had to go now to solve things in the Middle East.”

Leavitt later clarified in a statement that the president would likely head to the region after completing his “routine yearly check-up” on Friday, as negotiations continue toward finalizing the ceasefire and hostage release arrangement.

Speaking from the White House, Trump said the deal was “very close,” noting that he might leave for the Middle East on Shabbos. He said he had just finished speaking with his negotiating team, which has been meeting in Egypt to finalize the remaining details.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that significant progress had been made, telling reporters that talks were “advancing by the hour” and adding that he, too, “may be heading to the region soon.”

An American official told The Jerusalem Post that Washington remains confident the deal will be completed imminently, with all parties aiming to have the final agreement ready by Friday.

Separately, a senior White House source told Sky News Arabia that “the technical negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh have reached a decisive stage.”

Another U.S. official told the same outlet that negotiators are “optimistic about the possibility of reaching an agreement soon.”

Trump’s personal envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are currently in Sharm el-Sheikh and have indicated that they plan to stay there until the agreement is officially signed.

{Matzav.com}

Air traffic control shortages add to U.S. flight delays • The government shutdown is exacerbating concerns about the strain on air traffic controllers, a shortage of whom has vexed airline executives for years. • A shortfall of already-thin air traffic control staffing this week had prompted the FAA to slow or halt arrivals in Burbank, California, and Nashville, Tennessee, among others. • About 10,000 flights were delayed on Monday and Tuesday, but disruptions dropped on Wednesday to just more than 1,900.

Senate again rejects funding bills as government shutdown enters second week • The Senate again rejected dueling Republican and Democratic funding proposals to end the government shutdown. • The dueling stopgap measures had already failed to pass in five previous votes. • Democrats want any funding bill to include health-care protections, especially an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at year’s end.

POTUS: “Iran was about one month, maybe two months away from having a nuclear weapon, and if I allowed that to happen, this deal would not have been possible — or if it was, it would have a tremendous cloud over it… it’s a very much different Iran.”