A quiet morning swim at Hatzuk Beach took an unexpected turn when Noa Itiel spotted something glimmering beneath the surface — the missing cell phone of ex-Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi. What began as a routine dip in the sea quickly became the discovery that may alter the course of a sensitive investigation.
“I was swimming, and suddenly, I saw a white device on the sea floor. I called my friend over. I dove and picked it up. When I got to the shore, I tapped the screen, and my jaw dropped. I saw the familiar photo that was in the press,” Itiel recounted in an interview with Walla!. The moment, she said, instantly felt unusual. Even before she reached land, she sensed that what she had found was far from ordinary.
The find came after nearly a week of extensive search efforts. Ever since the former MAG vanished along Israel’s central coastline for several hours on Sunday, divers, police officers, and volunteers with metal detectors had combed the beach and surrounding waters without success. Despite their tireless efforts, nothing surfaced—until Friday morning, when unusually clear water revealed the phone lying on the seabed. “I swim here every day,” she explained. “We usually look for sea turtles and fish. Today, I found something totally different.”
Itiel’s instincts immediately told her to protect what she had found. “Someone approached me and said that he would give the phone to the police, but I said that I would do it myself. I knew I was holding something unusual. Maybe even something that would influence the entire investigation. I knew I had to do it correctly.” Her caution proved warranted. Police later confirmed that the device did, in fact, belong to Tomer-Yerushalmi and has since been transferred to a forensic lab for analysis.
The find carried an emotional weight for Itiel that went beyond the discovery itself. “My family lost loved ones in October. Everything connects for me. I felt that I was part of something important – maybe even a form of closure. What guided me was that the truth would come to light and that we would be united.”
Investigators are now focusing on critical questions surrounding the incident: how the phone ended up in the sea, whether it had been deactivated beforehand, and if any attempt was made to conceal evidence. Experts believe that if the device’s contents can be retrieved, they could hold key insights — possibly the most revealing element yet in a mystery that continues to captivate national attention.
{Matzav.com}
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office declared on Friday that it had ordered the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and thirty-six senior Israeli figures, accusing them of committing genocide during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Turkish outlets reported that the sweeping warrant list includes several of Israel’s most prominent security leaders: Defense Minister Yisroel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Naval Forces Commander David Saar Salama.
The announcement came after a lengthy inquiry overseen by the Istanbul Court of Justice, working in conjunction with Turkey’s Justice and Foreign Ministries. Investigators claimed Israeli forces carried out deliberate and sustained attacks against civilians in Gaza, framing the actions as part of a coordinated campaign.
Prosecutors cited multiple episodes as the foundation for their charges, most notably the October 17, 2023 explosion at Gaza’s Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital — an incident later attributed to a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket. Nonetheless, Turkish authorities included it in their indictment as evidence of Israel’s alleged intent.
Another case referenced in the report was the April 1, 2024 strike that killed World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers. Then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said at the time that the incident stemmed from “a case of misidentification” and emphasized that “the strikes were not meant to harm WCK workers.”
The Turkish prosecutor’s office further asserted that Israeli operations deliberately damaged civilian infrastructure, hindered humanitarian relief efforts, and limited access to medical aid. It also mentioned statements related to the Sumud Flotilla, a small-scale attempt to deliver supplies to Gaza that the IDF intercepted; the shipment on board amounted to less than a single truckload of aid.
This move marks a sharp escalation in the already tense relations between Israel and Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has grown increasingly hostile toward Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, intensifying his rhetoric and portraying Israel as the aggressor.
Relations between the two nations had been cautiously improving before Hamas’s surprise assault on Israel last year. However, Erdogan swiftly reversed tone, denouncing Israel in March as a “terror state” following targeted strikes on Hamas sites in Gaza.
By June, he went further, asserting that Netanyahu’s government “represents the most significant threat to Middle East security.”
Despite Erdogan’s harsh denunciations, Turkey has simultaneously participated in diplomatic efforts to calm the conflict, helping mediate the Gaza ceasefire under President Donald Trump’s broader peace framework.
{Matzav.com}
Israel on Friday evening took possession of a coffin containing the body of a murdered hostage, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed in a statement. “Israel has received, through the Red Cross, the coffin of a deceased hostage which was handed over to IDF and Shin Bet forces inside the Gaza Strip. From there, it will be transferred to Israel, where it will be received in a military ceremony with a military rabbi,” the statement said.
Following the solemn ceremony, the remains were to be taken to the National Center for Forensic Medicine under the Ministry of Health, where experts would conduct identification procedures. Once confirmed, the family of the hostage would be officially notified.
“All families of the deceased hostages have been updated on the matter, and in this difficult hour, our hearts are with them. The effort to return our hostages continues uninterrupted and will not cease until the last hostage is returned,” the Prime Minister’s Office added. Officials also urged the public to avoid speculation or sharing unverified information, stressing, “The public is requested to respect the privacy of the families and to refrain from spreading rumors and information that is not official and verified. We will continue to update with reliable information as required.”
Before the government announcement, the IDF and Shin Bet confirmed that the Red Cross had taken custody of the coffin and was bringing it to Israeli troops stationed in Gaza. “The IDF requests that the public act with sensitivity and wait for the official identification, which will first be provided to the families. Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages,” their joint statement read.
The development followed an earlier declaration by the Islamic Jihad terror group that it would deliver the body of a hostage to Israel through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The group said the Red Cross would pass the body to Israeli security forces inside the Gaza Strip, after which it would be transported to Israel for forensic examination.
Authorities confirmed that six slain hostages remain in Gaza: Meny Godard, Hadar Goldin, Ran Gvili, Dror Or, Lior Rudaeff, and Sudthisak Rinthalak.
Under President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, Hamas had been obligated to return all remaining hostages—alive or deceased—within 72 hours. While the terror group released all 20 living captives on schedule, it has delayed the repatriation of the bodies.
Earlier this week, on Wednesday night, Hamas returned the body of foreign student Joshua Loitu Mollel, who was among those killed and held in Gaza.
{Matzav.com}
James D. Watson, the scientist who forever changed biology with his discovery of the DNA double helix, has passed away at the age of 97, according to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he spent much of his career.
In 1953, at just 24 years old, the young Chicago-born researcher and his partner Francis Crick revealed that DNA was composed of two intertwined strands forming a graceful, spiraling ladder — a revelation that reshaped modern science. The model not only explained how genetic information is encoded but also how life replicates itself, with the strands separating like a zipper to reproduce identical copies.
For this revolutionary insight, Watson shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Crick and Maurice Wilkins. The discovery became one of the most recognized symbols in science — immortalized in art, postage stamps, and classrooms around the world.
“The discovery of the century, that was pretty clear,” Watson once reflected. “There was no way we could have foreseen the explosive impact of the double helix on science and society.” His work paved the way for advances in genetic medicine, crime forensics, ancestry tracing, and the mapping of the human genome — but it also ignited complex ethical debates over the limits of genetic engineering.
Despite his scientific stature, Watson’s later years were marked by deep controversy. His public comments about race and intelligence sparked international outrage and overshadowed his achievements. In 2007, The Sunday Times Magazine quoted him saying he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” and claimed that “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — where all the testing says not really.” He added, “people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true.”
Watson quickly apologized, but the backlash was swift. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory suspended him from his position as chancellor, and he retired soon afterward, ending nearly four decades of leadership at the institution. A decade later, in a 2019 PBS documentary, he doubled down when asked if his views had changed, replying, “No, not at all.” The lab responded by stripping him of all honorary titles, condemning his statements as “reprehensible” and “unsupported by science.”
His complicated legacy drew both admiration and condemnation. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said in 2019 that Watson had shown “a regrettable tendency toward inflammatory and offensive remarks, especially late in his career.” Collins added, “His outbursts, particularly when they reflected on race, were both profoundly misguided and deeply hurtful. I only wish that Jim’s views on society and humanity could have matched his brilliant scientific insights.”
Outside his controversies, Watson continued to shape the field of biology through his teaching, textbooks, and leadership. He played a pivotal role in the early stages of the Human Genome Project, encouraged young researchers, and used his influence to advocate for government support of scientific research.
Known for his sharp tongue and impatience with convention, Watson often spoke candidly about science and success. “A goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid,” he wrote in The Double Helix, his best-selling 1968 memoir. “You have to avoid dumb people. … Never do anything that bores you. … If you can’t stand to be with your real peers (including scientific competitors) get out of science. … To make a huge success, a scientist has to be prepared to get into deep trouble.”
{Matzav.com}
