A newly released medical report from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a grave warning on Tuesday, stating that the bodies of many deceased hostages could soon be lost forever, eliminating the possibility of recovering them for burial.
The document highlights two central dangers. The first is a critical loss of knowledge: many of the deceased hostages’ burial sites are known to only a handful of people who may die or vanish amid the fighting, leaving behind no trace or record. With each day that passes, this gap in intelligence grows, making it increasingly unlikely that reliable, first-hand information can be secured to support recovery missions.
The second danger involves physical degradation: the extreme environmental conditions in Gaza—such as intense heat, flooding, and structural collapses—are rapidly destroying the condition of the bodies. This damage makes it harder not only to retrieve the remains but also to identify them and determine how these individuals died, a step that may be necessary in any future investigative efforts.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum emphasized that this situation is especially poignant on Israel’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, a day set aside to remember the nation’s lost lives. They said the occasion should reinforce the national responsibility to ensure that even the deceased hostages are brought back and laid to rest with honor.
The report stresses that time is not on Israel’s side. The longer action is delayed, the more evidence disappears, the fewer clues remain, and the lower the chances become of recovering the bodies. This delay, the Forum argues, not only harms the grieving families but also obstructs a broader process of healing and reconciliation. The authors call on leaders to act swiftly to recover all 59 hostages still held in Gaza, including the 35 confirmed dead.
Prof. Hagai Levine, who heads the Health Team within the Forum, said: “There is a real danger to the deceased hostages, one that could impair the ability to return them for proper burial. The dignified return of the fallen hostages for burial, alongside the return of the living for rehabilitation, is a fundamental condition for healing the personal, social, and national wound. It is a moral and national obligation of the State of Israel toward its citizens, part of the unwritten covenant upon which Israeli society rests. Without the return of the deceased hostages and in the absence of certainty, the families become the living-dead, and the fallen remain the dead-alive. This wound undermines the very trust upon which the social fabric relies.”
{Matzav.com}
The Israeli military is reportedly preparing to ramp up its ground operations in Gaza, according to a report from Kan News on Tuesday.
This escalation comes as a result of ongoing frustration over stalled efforts to reach a deal for the release of hostages, prompting both military and government leaders to chart a more aggressive course of action.
Thousands of reservists have already received advance notice of impending activation. Most of those contacted are part of infantry and armored divisions expected to take part in new combat deployments. However, this is not being classified as an emergency mobilization.
In addition, part of the operational expansion reportedly includes an overhaul of how humanitarian aid is distributed within Gaza. Under the updated plan, the IDF will assume control over the aid process.
While actual distribution will still be handled by civilian contractors, the logistics and organization will now take place under military coordination, with the infrastructure managed by the army.
Israeli officials reportedly believe that Hamas may choose to avoid conflict with the civilian population by refraining from interfering with the new aid system, thereby reducing the likelihood of direct clashes over the supplies.
{Matzav.com Israel}
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt lashed out at Amazon on Tuesday, accusing the online retail giant of siding with Beijing after it was reported that the company plans to mark items with a surcharge label due to new tariffs. She condemned the decision as politically motivated and confrontational.
“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” Leavitt stated during a White House press briefing, as reported by Fox News. “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?”
Leavitt mentioned that she had “just got off the phone” with President Trump regarding Amazon’s latest move, though she declined to discuss his personal dealings with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, saying, “I will not speak to the president’s relationships with [company founder] Jeff Bezos.”
The proposed label, which would notify shoppers that certain product prices include surcharges stemming from the newly announced tariffs on Chinese goods, has stirred debate amid a fresh wave of trade friction between Washington and Beijing.
Leavitt’s pointed remarks follow President Trump’s early April announcement of a sweeping tariff package targeting Chinese imports, which the administration described as a correction of long-standing trade disparities.
In the aftermath of that decision, many third-party Amazon sellers have responded by increasing the prices of popular consumer products — ranging from household items to gadgets and clothing.
According to tracking data, almost 1,000 items listed on Amazon have experienced price increases since the middle of April, as the new tariff structure reverberates across the marketplace.
The analytics company SmartScout reported that the average hike among affected items is close to 30%, reflecting a broad and immediate impact.
These price jumps have touched numerous categories, with notable brands such as Anker — a major supplier of charging gear — adjusting prices on about 25% of its product listings.
“It’s one of the first concerted efforts I’ve seen where nothing explains the price hikes other than tariffs,” said SmartScout CEO Scott Needham, speaking to CBS MoneyWatch.
This clash with Amazon comes shortly after President Trump offered unexpected praise for Jeff Bezos, marking a dramatic shift from their previously combative dynamic.
In a conversation with The Atlantic, Trump described how his once-contentious relationships with Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg have turned into ones rooted in “respect.”
He credited both tech leaders for realigning their companies’ internal policies to better reflect the principles of his administration.
“They’ve been great,” Trump said of the tech moguls.
“It’s just a higher level of respect. I don’t know. Maybe they didn’t know me at the beginning, and they know me now.”
{Matzav.com}
Rabbi Moshe Azman, the chief rabbi of Ukraine, has composed a song addressed to President Donald Trump, urging him to take action to help end the war between Russia and Ukraine. His message calls on Trump to become a champion of peace, encouraging him to “fight in the name of light.”
In a post on X published Monday, Rabbi Azman wrote, “My appeal to @POTUS Donald Trump President of the United States of America to help Ukraine achieve a just and lasting peace.” He paired the message with video footage showing Russian missile attacks on Kyiv on April 24, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of 12 people, according to RBC-Ukraine.
The chorus of Rabbi Azman’s composition delivers a pointed plea: “Donald Trump, it’s time to fight in the name of light.”
The lyrics continue with an emotional appeal: “You are the one; the world is watching you; with every step, with everything you do. Don’t let the lines of right and wrong grow thin. The light will always rise; the dark won’t win.
“All eyes on you, it’s time to stop this pain. We pray for peace here under missile rain. You hold the key; the page is yours to write. And God bless you for bringing peace and light.
“Donald Trump, it’s time to fight in the name of light. Donald Trump, it’s time to fight in the name of light.”
Another verse takes direct aim at Russia’s leadership and motivations: “They always lie, they always hide the blade. The throne of tsar is built on fear and hate. They don’t want peace, they want just blood and fire. It is time to crush the evil empire.”
Rabbi Azman serves as the head of the Brodsky Shul in Kyiv and leads the All-Ukrainian Congress of Jewish Chassidic Religious Communities, RBC-Ukraine noted.
{Matzav.com}
During the initial 100 days of President Trump’s administration, only nine illegal immigrants were permitted entry into the United States, according to border enforcement leader Tom Homan. In stark contrast, under then-President Biden during the same timeframe the previous year, that number skyrocketed to 184,000.
These eye-opening statistics were released as the administration touted a virtually complete elimination of “gotaways” — migrants who evaded capture at the border — which the White House described as “the top threat to public safety.”
“In that same time frame that we released nine, [the Biden administration] released 184,000 illegal aliens in the country,” Homan stated during an appearance Tuesday morning on “Fox and Friends.”
“President Trump is a game changer,” Homan declared.
“What’s happening on the border, he did in seven weeks what Joe Biden couldn’t — or wouldn’t — do in four years.”
Homan explained that each of the nine individuals who were released under President Trump’s watch had specific and serious justifications. Four were key witnesses involved in active criminal investigations, another four required urgent medical care, and the final individual was released for undisclosed humanitarian reasons.
By comparison, Homan said that under Biden’s administration, the border saw as many as 15,000 illegal crossings daily. But now, he noted, the figures have dropped dramatically.
“You know what the number was yesterday? 178 … 178 across 2,000 miles of border,” Homan said, citing the steep plunge in illegal border activity. According to the White House, illegal crossings have decreased by 95%.
Homan, speaking during a Monday press briefing, announced that the Trump administration has removed around 139,000 individuals from the country since the president assumed office again. “The numbers are good,” he added.
He estimated that over 20 million undocumented immigrants currently reside in the U.S., but said the administration is honing in on the approximately 700,000 with criminal charges or convictions.
“That’s who we’re looking for now, that’s [what we’re] prioritizing, them and national security threats,” Homan explained.
In March, illegal crossings at the southern border totaled just 11,000 — the lowest ever recorded — surpassing the prior record low set the previous month.
The White House hailed the statistics as evidence that President Trump has “ushered in the most secure border in modern American history.”
“President Trump has made good on the promises he made on the campaign trail to usher in an unprecedented era of homeland security.”
{Matzav.com}