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President Donald Trump revealed that Saudi officials have expressed clear interest in joining the Abraham Accords, saying the discussions are active and progressing. “Saudi officials indicated a willingness to join the Abraham Accords as recently as like yesterday,” Trump said during an interview aired on Fox Business Network. “I had some very good conversations,” he added. Trump explained that the ongoing conflict in the region had previously made such a move impossible. “They couldn’t have done it during the war,” he said. The president also pointed to the shifting balance of power in the Middle East, saying normalization was not possible “with Iran as a power” — a reference to the significant blows Tehran suffered in the joint Israeli-U.S. air campaign earlier this year. If finalized, Saudi Arabia’s entry into the Abraham Accords would mark the most dramatic expansion of the regional peace framework since its launch, further reshaping the Middle East’s diplomatic landscape.

A video aired overnight by Qatar’s Al Jazeera network appears to show Hamas operatives searching for the bodies of Israeli hostages amid the wreckage of Khan Younis in southern Gaza — a rare glimpse into the terror group’s postwar activity in one of the most devastated areas of the Strip. In the footage, armed terrorists are seen coordinating with bulldozers and other heavy machinery to clear debris from bombed-out streets. The images come as Hamas claims it has returned all hostage bodies it was able to locate and is continuing to search for others. Nineteen bodies of murdered hostages are still believed to be inside Gaza. Israeli officials, however, have rejected Hamas’s account, saying intelligence indicates the group is still withholding additional remains. On Thursday, Hamas said recovering the remaining bodies could take “time,” alleging that some are buried deep in tunnels destroyed by Israeli forces or trapped beneath collapsed buildings. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

During a CNN town hall on Wednesday night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont grew visibly frustrated when Ocasio-Cortez was asked if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should be worried about a possible primary challenge from her.

Both lawmakers bristled at the question, raising their voices as they dismissed the topic and accused the media and Republicans of ignoring more pressing national concerns.

“I mean, no, because I don’t think this is about anything… This is what we’re talking about!” Ocasio-Cortez exclaimed.

As she began to respond, Sanders jumped in forcefully. “Let me jump in on this one,” he said, before launching into a tirade about the nation’s problems.

“That’s exactly what we’re talking… we have a country that is falling apart!” he shouted. “We had a housing crisis, a health care crisis, an education crisis, massive income and wealth inequality, corrupt campaign finances, and the media says, ‘Are you going to run? What are you going to run for?’ Nobody cares!”

CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins countered that the question wasn’t random, noting that both Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump have recently brought up the possibility of Ocasio-Cortez challenging Schumer in 2026.

Sanders argued that those remarks from Vance and Trump were simply an attempt to “deflect attention away from the real issues,” pivoting again to what he described as America’s systemic failures.

“We’re living in the richest country in the history of the world, right? All right, you tell me why we’re the only nation not to guarantee health care to all people. The only nation not to guarantee paid family and medical leave, why we have a $7.25 an hour minimum wage, why we have 800,000 people sleeping out on the street,” Sanders said.

“Let’s talk about that issue — not her political future. She’ll decide that,” Sanders added, bringing the exchange to a close.

The discussion was only the latest instance of speculation about Ocasio-Cortez’s potential rise within the Democratic Party, which has intensified amid internal disputes over Schumer’s approach to the ongoing government shutdown.

Earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez appeared on MSNBC to discuss the stalemate, telling Republicans, “My office is open, and you are free to walk in and negotiate with me directly,” a statement that prompted fresh questions from GOP lawmakers about who is truly steering Democratic strategy.

In the days following that appearance, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was confronted by a reporter asking if Republicans should take Ocasio-Cortez up on her offer.

“There was a thought from the Republicans that AOC is directing this, and she said that senators are welcome to go to her office directly. Is she driving that?” the reporter asked.

“Why are you saying such a ridiculous thing?” Pelosi shot back. “She’s wonderful, she’s a real team player, and the rest of that. You started by saying Republicans say that she’s directing this. She is not, Hakeem Jeffries is.”

{Matzav.com}

At least 160 prisoners freed in the first phase of the Gaza peace plan are “terrorist millionaires,” according to a new analysis showing the Palestinian Authority (PA) paid nearly $70 million to the 250 Palestinians released as part of the deal. A report by the watchdog group Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) found the PA’s long-running “pay-to-slay” policy funneled high monthly stipends to convicted terrorists during their years in Israeli prisons. The group said the payments — some of which exceeded $500,000 per individual — were made to prisoners convicted of crimes including murder, kidnapping, and suicide bombings. Among those released are several veteran Hamas commanders who established terror cells around Jerusalem and directed attacks that killed dozens of Israeli civilians. The PA’s payments, PMW said, were often drawn from funds bolstered by foreign aid to the Palestinian government. Mohammed Shamasneh, a Hamas commander serving life for four murders, was released with nearly 2 million Israeli shekels — about $555,000 — accumulated during more than three decades behind bars. Shamasneh was convicted of kidnapping and killing two Israeli teens, a taxi driver, and a soldier in 1990. Iyad Abu al-Rub, a senior commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin, collected at least 1,067,600 shekels ($323,800). He was convicted for multiple suicide bombings that killed seven people between 2003 and 2005, and Israeli authorities accused him of planning additional attacks, including one from a school. Imad Qawasmeh, a Hamas operative sentenced to 16 life terms for a 2004 bombing that killed 16 Israelis and wounded more than 100, earned roughly 1,135,000 shekels ($345,000). Riyad al-Amour, convicted of leading terror cells behind a series of kidnappings and shootings that killed nine Israelis between 2000 and 2002, left prison with nearly 1.3 million shekels ($400,000). He and Ismail Hamdan, his partner in the 2002 abduction and murder of Israeli civilian Avi Boaz, each received more than 1.2 million shekels in payments. Hamdan also took part in a Jerusalem shooting that killed Deborah Fridman. Mahmoud Issa, a longtime Hamas figure serving over 30 years for kidnapping and killing an Israeli police officer in 1993, collected nearly 2 million shekels — close to $600,000. Issa was among the founders of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, the faction behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Nasri Amassi, convicted for a series of early-2000s attacks that killed multiple Israeli soldiers and civilians, received around 1.2 million shekels ($340,000). Bilal Ajarmeh, who carried out 17 highway shootings in the early 2000s, earned just over a million shekels ($332,000) during his 22-year sentence. According to PMW, the PA pays prisoners on a sliding scale, increasing their monthly salary with time served. Those imprisoned for more than 25 years can earn up to 12,000 shekels ($3,187) a month, with additional payments made to family members. PA President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly pledged to end the policy under U.S. pressure but has yet to do so. The practice remains one of the reasons President Donald Trump’s administration barred the PA from assuming control of Gaza under its 20-point peace plan, which calls for eliminating groups that promote extremism. “The Palestinian Authority spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year rewarding terrorists,” PMW Director Itamar Marcus said. “Meanwhile, European donors cover other PA salaries, effectively freeing up funds to pay imprisoned terrorists.” Many of the nearly […]

A federal judge has removed travel limitations on Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, granting him permission to attend rallies and public gatherings across the United States while he continues to contest the deportation proceedings initiated under the Trump administration.

Khalil, who was released from an immigration detention facility in Louisiana this past June, had petitioned a federal magistrate judge to cancel the restrictions that had confined his movement to New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Louisiana, and Michigan.

“He wants to travel for the very significant First Amendment reasons that are at the bottom of this case,” his lawyer, Alina Das, said during a virtual court session on Thursday. “He wants to speak to issues of public concern.”

Government attorney Aniello DeSimone opposed the request, contending that Khalil “has not provided enough of a reason why he couldn’t attend these and other events telephonically.”

On Thursday, Magistrate Judge Michael Hammer ruled in Khalil’s favor, emphasizing that he was not deemed a flight risk and had abided by all conditions of his release.

Hammer also accepted the government’s stipulation that Khalil must notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in advance of any planned travel.

Khalil, known for his role in the Columbia University demonstrations protesting the war in Gaza, was taken into custody by ICE agents on March 8, becoming the first university activist detained under President Donald Trump’s initiative targeting pro-Palestinian demonstrators. A graduate student at Columbia and a lawful U.S. permanent resident, Khalil spent months in detention before his release in June by a separate federal judge, during which he missed the birth of his first child.

In September, an immigration judge in Louisiana determined that Khalil was subject to deportation for allegedly omitting information on his green card application. His legal team has since filed an appeal challenging that decision.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he had not been informed about the indictment of John Bolton, who served as his national security adviser, but described the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations as a “bad guy.”

Earlier in the day, a federal grand jury in Greenbelt, Maryland, issued an 18-count indictment against Bolton — eight counts related to the transmission of national defense information and ten counts concerning the retention of such material.

According to prosecutors, while working in the Trump administration, Bolton provided “more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities” to two individuals who were not authorized to receive it.

Trump was speaking with reporters in the Oval Office following an announcement about new efforts to expand access to in vitro fertilization when a journalist asked, “John Bolton was just indicted by a grand jury in Maryland. Do you have a reaction to that?”

“I didn’t know that; you are telling me for the first time,” Trump replied. “But I think he’s, you know, a bad person. I think he’s a bad guy, yeah. He’s a bad guy. It’s too bad, but that’s the way it goes. That’s the way it goes, right? That’s the way it goes,” he added.

When pressed further with the question, “Have you reviewed the case against him?” Trump responded, “No, I haven’t, I haven’t. But I just think he’s a bad person.”

Since his dismissal from the White House in September 2019, Bolton has been an outspoken critic of Trump.

Rumors of a possible indictment began circulating earlier in the week after a grand jury was convened on Wednesday. Justice Department sources told the New York Post that charges were expected by midweek, with one official calling the case against the 76-year-old “airtight.”

The grand jury’s move came after FBI agents carried out searches in August at Bolton’s Maryland residence and his Washington, D.C., office, looking for evidence connected to the alleged removal of “highly sensitive national security” documents.

Bolton is expected to turn himself in on Friday at the federal courthouse in Greenbelt. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, who was appointed by President Barack Obama.

Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement that his client “did not unlawfully share or store any information.”

{Matzav.com}

The first New York City mayoral general election debate between Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa took place last night at 30 Rock.

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Hamas announced Thursday that it “may take considerable time” to recover the bodies of Israeli hostages, claiming that “some were buried in tunnels demolished by Israeli strikes, while others are still trapped beneath collapsed buildings.” The terror group insisted that it remains committed to the Gaza agreement and intends to return all the bodies of hostages held in the Strip.

The organization said that recovering the remaining bodies requires heavy machinery to clear the ruins, but such equipment cannot be brought into Gaza because of Israel’s restrictions on the entry of construction and excavation tools.

According to an Israeli official quoted by The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, Israel will not permit a Turkish delegation of 81 rescue workers and their heavy equipment to enter Gaza until Hamas has returned all the remains of the hostages that it currently can.

“There is a group of hostages’ bodies that Hamas can return right now [and] another group they know the location of, but they need equipment and assistance to retrieve them,” a source explained. “And there are some bodies they genuinely do not know where they are.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stated Thursday, “We know for certain that Hamas can easily release a significant number of hostages in accordance with the agreement. What they are doing now is a fundamental violation of that agreement.”

{Matzav.com}

Rav Moshe Maya, the senior member of Shas’s Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah, made clear on Thursday that the party is not currently considering rejoining the governing coalition.

Speaking to close associates, Rav Maya stated unequivocally, “אין מה לדבר כרגע על חזרה לממשלה — there’s no discussion right now about returning to the government.”

In recent days, coalition officials have been working to project an image of progress on the long-delayed draft law, viewed as a key condition for bringing Shas back into the fold. However, senior coalition sources acknowledged that, despite public messaging, “there has been no real breakthrough yet.”

Associates of Rav Maya emphasized that “without genuine progress on the draft law, Shas will not be able to justify coming back to the cabinet table.”

The issue comes to a head next week: On October 20, the temporary appointments of acting ministers who have been holding Shas portfolios for the past three months are set to expire. Prime Minister Netanyahu will then be forced to reopen the ministerial appointment process, a move that often triggers political tension, particularly amid an ongoing hostage deal, internal coalition instability, and a draft law that has remained stuck in committee for two years.

Last month, as first reported by Matzav.com, Rav Maya sent a letter to fellow members of the Shas Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah urging an emergency meeting to discuss the draft law and other recent decrees. “I believe there is a need to convene the Council to discuss the matter of the draft and other decrees,” Rav Maya wrote. He stressed the importance of assembling the Council as soon as possible and instructed, “Please coordinate with our beloved Rabbi Aryeh shlit”a,” referring to Shas chairman Aryeh Deri.

{Matzav.com}

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo entered Thursday evening’s first New York mayoral debate trying to blunt Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani’s momentum. Instead he spent much of the contentious face-off on defense, batting away criticisms over his long tenure in office from Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Cuomo, now running as an independent, continued to try to cast Mamdani’s agenda as too extreme, saying he lacks the experience to lead America’s biggest city. Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, countered with attacks on the former governor’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and harassment allegations that Cuomo denies. But after two hours that touched on how the next mayor would deal with President Donald Trump, quality of life issues and affordability, it was unclear whether anyone did enough to move the needle. For Cuomo the stakes of the face-off were especially high. The debate was one of his last chances to try to convince voters that going with Mamdani, who already defeated the once-powerful governor in the primary this summer, would be a mistake. The race is also Cuomo’s attempt at a political comeback after he resigned four years ago following the harassment allegations. Mamdani, who spent much of the debate smiling as he tried to maintain the hopeful, charming persona that has characterized his campaign, pushed his affordability agenda and sought to portray himself as a pragmatic liberal rather than a radical ideologue. The race has catapulted him to national political stardom, with Republicans, including Trump, trying to turn him into the face of the Democratic Party by highlighting his most controversial past comments and positions and casting him as dangerous, a communist and an antisemite. Meanwhile Sliwa, a Republican and the colorful creator of the Guardian Angels crime patrol group, tried to vault his underdog campaign to the fore amid calls for him to drop out. Though he could have helped Cuomo by ganging up on Mamdani, he instead spent much of his time undercutting the former governor. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, suspended his reelection campaign late last month after being deeply wounded by a now-dismissed federal corruption case and his relationship with the Trump administration. Here are some key takeaways from tonight’s debate: Mamdani on defense Mamdani came under attack straight out the gate, as Cuomo highlighted the 33-year-old’s relative lack of job experience and painted his agenda as unrealistic and unachievable. Cuomo, stressing his own lengthy resume, said being mayor “is no job for on-the-job training” “This is not a job for a first timer,” he said, while trying to to cast Mamdani as “Bill de Blasio light,” a reference to the unpopular former mayor. Mamdani hit back at Cuomo’s integrity and decision-making during the pandemic and repeatedly raised the sexual harassment investigation and legal bills related to his defense. “What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity. What you don’t have in integrity, you can never make up for with experience,” he charged. Cuomo also sought to cast himself as the only true Democrat onstage, despite the fact that he is not running on the Democratic Party line. Mamdani’s brand of economic populism and laser focus on lowering costs in the astronomically expensive city has generated buzz and excitement. At the same time, the state assemblyman’s calls to raise taxes on wealthy people […]