The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has dismissed a Gaza school principal accused of taking part in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 assault on Israel, according to a report by JNS.
The individual, identified as Hafez Mousa Mohammed Mousa, was recently added to a U.S. government blacklist under the administration of President Donald Trump.
“Upon the allegations made against Mr. Mousa by the Israeli authorities, on April 16, 2024, UNRWA immediately placed him on administrative leave without pay,” UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler told JNS. “Upon completion of the Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation, his appointment was terminated on Aug. 20, 2024.”
A report released in late February by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Agency for International Development stated that investigators uncovered what they described as decisive evidence that Mousa took part in the October 7 attack while serving as a captain in Hamas’s East Jabaliya Battalion.
The watchdog body, which functions independently from the State Department and monitors U.S. foreign assistance programs, said Mousa “coordinated communications with other suspected Hamas members during the Oct. 7 attacks while serving as an UNRWA school principal.”
According to The Washington Free Beacon, which cited information from the State Department, Mousa shut down his UNRWA school early on the morning of October 7 and then reached out to at least 20 Hamas operatives, instructing them to infiltrate Israel “with cars and weapons.”
A source familiar with the inspector general’s probe said investigators requested that UNRWA provide the names of employees who had been terminated for suspected links to terrorism.
The source said the agency declined to share that information and did not reveal the identities of staff members believed to have taken part in the October 7 attacks, actions that investigators said hindered their work.
Because of that, the State Department—which absorbed USAID last year—alerted UNRWA that Mousa had been placed on the U.S. government’s blacklist and would be prohibited from participating in American foreign aid programs for the next decade.
UNRWA has faced longstanding accusations that it maintains close ties with the Hamas terrorist organization, allegations that critics say have repeatedly been supported by evidence. Those concerns intensified in 2024 after Israel presented information indicating that several UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
After those claims were made public, the United Nations created a review panel led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to examine Israel’s allegations. In its findings, the panel said it had identified “neutrality-related issues” within UNRWA, but also stated that Israel had not yet provided proof that large numbers of the agency’s employees belonged to terrorist organizations.
Even as criticism of UNRWA continues, the International Court of Justice recently ruled that Israel must allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip through United Nations bodies, including UNRWA. Israel and the United States both criticized that decision.
{Matzav.com}
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How does one celebrate the happiest day of one’s life during a multi-front war? Every wedding requires careful preparation — clothing, a photographer and videographer, flowers, and of course the hall together with a singer and band who will bring joy to the chosson and kallah on their special day.
With the ongoing war, the entire world of weddings has been shaken, affecting every component of the process. A closer look shows how the current situation is reshaping weddings across Israel.
Although the war did not entirely take the public by surprise, many families who had weddings planned over the past week and in the coming weeks hoped that the fighting would pass over them and that their simcha would proceed as planned.
Instead, the war has created a major upheaval in the wedding world. In many cases, halls informed families at the last moment that their scheduled weddings were canceled. These sudden cancellations created confusion across the industry and affected nearly every service provider connected to weddings, many of whom received abrupt notices that the event had been called off.
At present, weddings are generally taking place in three different formats.
The first option is a standard wedding held in a hall. Many halls have chosen to keep weddings on schedule, relying on nearby protected areas in case of sirens. Some venues are located underground — something not uncommon in the chareidi public — and this offers an added measure of security. At these weddings, the regular arrangements remain intact, including the photographer, musicians, and other vendors who were booked in advance.
A senior wedding promoter in the chareidi world described the current situation, explaining that across the country most outdoor event gardens have canceled their weddings entirely, as owners are unwilling to take even minimal risk. In chareidi areas, however, halls are somewhat more flexible when there is a protected area nearby for the safety of the guests.
The second format that has become common is the afternoon wedding. Many families have moved their chasunah earlier in the day rather than holding it at night as is customary. In several weddings held in Bnei Brak this week, invitations were updated to inform guests that the schedule had been moved forward. One message sent to invitees read: “Dear guests, the chuppah has been moved up to 5:00 p.m. and the wedding will conclude at 9:00 p.m. We look forward to celebrating together.”
The decision to move weddings to earlier hours is not necessarily always due to security concerns. In some cases it is simply a technical solution that allows families whose original hall canceled their wedding to use time slots that suddenly became available in other halls.
A third format that has become increasingly common is the improvised wedding — held in private homes, parking garages, shelters, or school buildings. These weddings strongly resemble the small and improvised chasunos that took place during the days of the coronavirus pandemic. In most cases this happens when a hall cancels the wedding shortly before the event and the family is unable to find an alternative venue.
At these smaller weddings, the singer and band are often canceled, together with many of the usual arrangements. The photographer and videographer generally remain, though often with a much smaller crew.
Across social media, organized lists have circulated offering private homes throughout the country that can host weddings for families suddenly left without a hall. One person offered a garden apartment with a yard of about 200 square meters, another offered a villa with a large pool and waterfall, while another offered a school shelter of about 600 square meters that could host weddings of up to 400 guests. Many have described these efforts as a powerful expression of Mi k’amcha Yisroel.
One such example took place earlier this week when a wedding originally planned for an event garden was moved into the beis medrash of Yeshivas Ohel Yosef (Heichal Tzvi) in Bnei Brak, where the chosson had learned. The emotional chasunah drew widespread attention.
While families struggle to adapt, the sector that has suffered most from the cancellations is the wedding music industry — including singers, keyboardists, and orchestras.
A message that has become common in the industry reads: “Due to a cancellation, a singer and orchestra are available this Monday,” reflecting the wave of canceled weddings. Large concerts have also been canceled or are at risk of being canceled.
Unfortunately for the musicians, it is not customary in the wedding industry to sign formal contracts between the mechutonim and the artists. As a result, when weddings are canceled due to circumstances such as the current war, the artists usually receive little or no compensation and lose an entire day of work without warning.
A senior promoter in the industry described the situation as deeply frustrating. When a performer must cancel an event for legitimate reasons, he often has to compensate the client or risk public criticism. But when families cancel the musicians, he said, it is widely accepted and no compensation is expected.
He recounted one wedding he was managing that changed time and location three times within a single day. The event was originally planned at an event garden in central Israel. After the venue canceled all events, the wedding was moved to an afternoon slot in a hall in Yerushalayim. Later, when the schedule no longer worked for the families, the wedding was moved again to an evening chasunah at another hall in the city.
“I can say that this particular event was not canceled,” he said, “but there are many, many events that are being canceled everywhere. I’m getting constant reports from singers, keyboardists, and orchestras that families decided to hold a smaller wedding instead, and they feel it no longer makes sense to bring the band they originally planned.”
He noted that families are adjusting their plans in different ways. Some reduce the band to just a keyboardist and singer, while others cancel the musicians entirely.
His frustration was clear when speaking about the impact on the music industry. “Most of the time they simply don’t pay anything. They cancel without any compensation at all, even though the musicians lose a day of work.”
He concluded that the situation strongly reminds him of the early days of the pandemic.
“It’s a real déjà vu from the coronavirus period,” he said. “Exactly the same thing happened then. People booked expensive bands and then, at the last moment, canceled them and brought someone much cheaper who fit their budget.”
{Matzav.com}Yehuda Chayon, a bochur currently imprisoned in Military Prison 10 for refusing to enlist in the IDF, says he was not permitted to hear the reading of Parshas Zachor from a Sefer Torah on Shabbos.
Chayon, who has been held in the military prison for nearly two weeks, told friends during a phone call from the facility that prison authorities did not allow him to hear the special kriah.
“For the first time since I was 10 years old, I did not hear Parshas Zachor from a Sefer Torah, which is a mitzvah d’Oraisa,” he said.
Following the report, Knesset member Meir Porush issued a sharply worded statement condemning the situation and criticizing the IDF, the judicial system, and Defense Minister Yisroel Katz.
“This is another incident proving that the army is in no way prepared to incarcerate bnei yeshivos, and yet, under criminal legal guidance, they continue to arrest lomdei Torah,” Porush said.
He added that while the military may be highly capable in other areas, it falls far short when it comes to accommodating religious needs.
“It is possible that there are areas in which the army is among the best in the world, but when it comes to adapting to religious requirements, it is very, very far from that,” he said.
Porush also demanded immediate action to address the situation.
“It is an absolute disgrace that in a Jewish state, under Jewish leadership, bnei yeshivos are arrested for limud haTorah, and it is far worse when they are forced to violate mitzvos haTorah. Situations like this, which would be unthinkable in any democratic country, require immediate attention. Even in the midst of the war with Iran, this cannot be delayed.”
The lawmaker also called on the judicial system to intervene.
“One would expect that the same judicial system that, even during wartime, searches for ways to punish lomdei Torah would hurry to stop this wrongdoing that is taking place under its responsibility,” Porush said.
Porush added that parliamentary inquiries he submitted to Defense Minister Katz regarding the accommodation of religious needs in military prisons have so far gone unanswered.
“This is very puzzling. One would expect him to act and condemn this conduct,” he concluded.
{Matzav.com}
The United States Postal Service could exhaust its available cash within the next year unless Congress allows the agency to increase its borrowing authority, Postmaster General David Steiner warned.
Steiner said the Postal Service could reach a point where it cannot meet payroll or pay vendors by February 2027 if lawmakers do not act, raising concerns about potential disruptions to mail service. He discussed the situation in remarks to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
“How long are employees going to work and vendors going to show up if we’re not paying them?” Steiner said.
Steiner is expected to appear before Congress later this month to address the Postal Service’s worsening financial condition and to urge lawmakers to revise long-standing policies he believes have placed the agency at a disadvantage. Among the issues he highlighted is a borrowing limit of $15 billion that has remained unchanged since 1990.
Although the Postal Service operates as an independent federal entity, it relies primarily on revenue generated from postage and the services it provides rather than direct funding from Congress. Steiner noted that the agency is required to function like a government service — including delivering mail six days a week to every address in the country — but without the benefit of annual appropriations.
“We have to have a conversation with the American public,” Steiner said. “If you want us to deliver everywhere, every day, we’ll do it. That’s not a problem. But who is going to pay for it?”
Steiner, who previously served as chief executive of the country’s largest waste management company and also sat on the board of FedEx, assumed leadership of the Postal Service in July. He said the most immediate relief Congress could provide would be raising the agency’s borrowing limit.
“That will buy us the time to make the fixes we need to make, and we can sail on down the road,” he said.
Beyond borrowing authority, Steiner has suggested expanding the Postal Service’s sources of revenue. One proposal involves increasing the use of the agency’s “last-mile” delivery network — the final stage of transporting packages from a local distribution hub to a customer’s home — for more outside organizations and businesses.
Financial figures show the Postal Service recorded a net loss of $9 billion in fiscal year 2025, even as operating revenue rose by $916 million, or 1.2%, driven largely by its Ground Advantage shipping service. In fiscal year 2024, the agency posted a net loss of $9.5 billion.
Steiner said deeper structural changes will ultimately be necessary, including granting the Postal Service greater flexibility to raise postage rates high enough to offset its losses. According to Steiner, increasing the cost of a first-class stamp from the current 78 cents to 95 cents would be sufficient to stabilize the agency’s finances. A decade ago, the same stamp cost 47 cents. Postal officials maintain that even at higher prices, U.S. postage would remain the lowest in the industrialized world while covering delivery distances far greater than those in other countries.
However, Steiner said the Postal Regulatory Commission — an independent body created by Congress to oversee the agency — has not approved the pricing framework proposed by the Postal Service.
“If the Postal Regulatory Commission adopted our pricing model, problem solved,” he said, adding how the package delivery side of the business could then subsidize the mail side.
Postal Service leadership has also advocated for changes to the agency’s pension system and retiree health benefit obligations, including allowing those funds to be invested in assets other than Treasury bills.
Over the past two decades, several postmasters general have urged Congress and regulators to revise the rules governing the Postal Service. In 2022, lawmakers enacted the Postal Service Reform Act, which eliminated the requirement that the agency pre-fund retiree health benefits. Still, other restrictions remain in place.
At the same time, traditional mail volume has sharply declined. Annual mail volume has fallen from roughly 220 billion pieces to about 110 billion today as more Americans handle bill payments and communication online.
“Take those 110 billion and put a 78-cent stamp on them. That’s $86 billion of revenue that evaporated in 15 years,” he said. “If either FedEx or UPS lost $86 billion of revenue, they would have no revenue.”
Steiner argued that instead of easing the agency’s burdens, regulators and lawmakers have imposed additional costly requirements.
“I like to say we sort of got thrown overboard on a ship into the cold water, right? And instead of throwing us a life preserver, we get thrown an anchor,” he said.
Several members of Congress who oversee the Postal Service did not immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment. A message was also left with Keep Us Posted, an advocacy organization formed in 2021 amid concerns over postage increases and service reliability.
Last month, the group warned that the Postal Service was “headed for a taxpayer bailout” due to ongoing cash flow problems. The organization has called on Congress to pass legislation that would limit rate hikes to once a year and tie them to improvements in service performance, among other proposals.
Steiner said he did not fully appreciate the severity of the Postal Service’s financial condition until he stepped into the role last year.
“Interestingly, I’m not sure some of the people at the Postal Service realized how dramatic it was,” he said.
{Matzav.com}
Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant responded Thursday to false reports circulating on social media claiming that he had been killed in an Iranian attack.
The report, which appeared on the Twitter account “China live,” spread widely online and prompted Gallant to address the claim directly on his X account. Rejecting the report, Gallant wrote: “The rumors about my death were greatly exaggerated. Am Yisroel chai.”
The incident comes just weeks after authorities revealed details of a spy case involving an Israeli resident accused of gathering intelligence near Gallant’s home on behalf of an Iranian handler.
Last month it was cleared for publication that in a joint operation by the Central Unit of the Menashe region in the Coastal District police and the Shin Bet security service, a suspect named Fares Abu al-Hija was arrested for questioning. Abu al-Hija, a resident of the northern local council of Kawkab Abu al-Hija, was apprehended while carrying out an intelligence-gathering mission targeting the former defense minister.
During questioning by police and the Shin Bet, investigators determined that the suspect had been in contact with a foreign operative whom he believed to be connected to Iranian intelligence. According to the investigation, he received payment in exchange for carrying out various assignments, including gathering information intended to harm Israel’s national security. Authorities later confirmed that the foreign contact had indeed been identified by the Shin Bet as an Iranian intelligence operative.
Investigators also determined that earlier this year, in January, Abu al-Hija had been instructed to travel to the community of Amikam and photograph streets located near Gallant’s residence. Shortly after completing the assignment and sending the images to his handler, he was arrested at the scene.
Following the conclusion of the investigation, the Haifa District Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against him in the Haifa District Court.
{Matzav.com}