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Famed Ba’al Chessed Shai Graucher has begun visiting the released hostages. Segev Kalfon told Graucher that he asked his captors to watch the release of Ohad Ben Ami. The captors allowed him to watch it. “I was happy for him,” Kalfon said. “I imagined how it would feel when it happened to me.” He added: “I had a dream that I would stand on the stage, surrounded by Hamas terrorists and shout, ‘Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad.’” Kalfon cried tears of emotion as Graucher presented him with a gift. He told Graucher that he felt emunah in Gaza. “In the darkest place, I succeeded in seeing the light.” He added that he observed Yom Kippur while in captivity. “Emunah is the basis,” he said. When Kalfon answered what message he wants to convey to the public, he responded, “Emunah, emunah, emunah—strengthen your emunah. And Am Yisrael should unite—that’s the most important thing.” Segev’s father told i24News that Segev experienced extreme starvation, to the extent of dreaming about food at night. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Rav Shmuel Eliyahu on Thursday afternoon responded to the terrorists who were freed as part of the recent hostage deal, urging Israeli citizens to take lethal action if they encounter them.

In a video distributed at the rov’s instruction, Rav Eliyahu addressed his followers directly and said: “If you’re a civilian, a soldier, a police officer, a Shin Bet agent or a Mossad operative — it doesn’t matter what you are.” He continued: “If you see them (the terrorists) and you have the smallest legal pretext in the world, finish them — two magazines, not one. You save lives that way,” the rov stressed.

{Matzav.com}

Tens of thousands of yeshiva bachurim gathered at the Amudei Olam event in Yerushalayim are now listening to a speech HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch.

POTUS: “We’re also taking historic steps to vasty expand access to insurance coverage for fertility care, including IVF… Effective immediately, for the first time ever, we will make it legal for companies to offer supplemental insurance plans specifically for fertility.”

POTUS: “EMD Serono has agreed that all future drugs… that it develops and sells in the United States will be offset at Most Favored Nation prices… and they’ll bring a significant portion of their drug manufacturing back to the United States.”

NYC mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa face off Thursday in their first debate of the general election.

WATCH:

              At Schneider Children’s Hospital in Israel, baby Yisrael Meir, just six months old, is in a battle for his life. He was diagnosed shortly after birth with a malignant head tumor, a devastating reality for any family.   Despite the severity, doctors are hopeful. With access to an advanced, specialized treatment, his chances for full recovery are strong — but the treatment comes at a tremendous financial cost.   His devoted parents, Yitzhak and Hadasa, began the treatment with faith and determination. But now, that life-saving process has been halted — not due to medical failure, but simply because they can no longer afford it.   “Every day matters,” they say. “We’re doing everything we can — but we can’t do it alone.”   Now, they turn to the Jewish community for support.     Your help could mean the difference between life and loss.   Click here to help save Yisrael Meir >>   https://api.jewishadgroup.com/vyJBEv

Alvin Holsey, the military commander responsible for the Pentagon’s intensified strikes on Caribbean boats accused by the Trump administration of drug smuggling, is stepping down, two U.S. officials told the New York Times.

WATCH: Italian driver Fabio Barone set a new record by reaching 101.9 mph (164 km/h) in a Ferrari SF90 Stradale on the deck of the Italian Navy’s Nave Trieste.

POTUS: “We’re here today to announce a historic victory for American women, mothers, and families. With the actions I will outline this afternoon, we’ll dramatically slash the cost of IVF, and many of the most common fertility drugs… prices are going way down.”

A year ago, family members of hostages were moved to tears when they visited the home of Rebbetzin Leah Kolodetsky, the daughter of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, z’tl. The hostages’ relatives were in Bnei Brak as part of a Sukkos tour. The Rebbetzin told them that for months after the October 7 massacre, her husband, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Kolodetsky, 71, slept on the floor in solidarity with the suffering of the hostages. However, at the end of the winter, her husband caught a cold from sleeping on the floor so he placed a thin piece of plywood on a bed and slept on that. B’Chasdei Hashem, on Monday night (Simchas Torah in Eretz Yisrael), Harav Kolodetsky finally removed the plywood from his bed and slept directly on the mattress. Last year, Chareidi journalist Yisrael Cohen, who accompanied the families, said, “We arrived at the home of Rebbetzin Kolodetsky to get a bracha. She told us in a ‘by the way’ manner that her husband hasn’t slept on a bed since October 7, 2023.” “The son-in-law of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, z’tl, a Talmid Chacham and Rav in Yisrael, over the age of 70, decided to sleep on a board he placed on a bed. For a year already.  Every night.” He added, “The Rebbetzin said, ‘You can go in the room and see. How can we sleep comfortably when we have no idea how and where the hostages are sleeping?” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

President Donald Trump revealed on Thursday that he was in the middle of a live conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I am speaking to President Putin now,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

A White House official confirmed to Newsmax that the call was indeed taking place.

Trump announced that high-level US and Russian officials will meet next week — and that he will talk face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary to try again to end Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

Trump did not specify further when either meeting would take place, but did say that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would lead the US delegation at the initial sitdown.

Earlier in the day, Trump had told reporters at the White House that he was speaking with Putin about the possibility of supplying NATO — and by extension, Ukraine — with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

The discussion came just one day before Trump’s scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, where the two leaders are expected to talk about the potential transfer of Tomahawks.

Trump said last week that he had informed Zelenskyy he might present Putin with an ultimatum: to either enter serious peace negotiations or face the prospect of Ukraine being armed with Tomahawk missiles.

The back-to-back talks underscore Trump’s current approach — exerting strategic pressure on Moscow while leaving the door open for diplomacy.

When pressed by reporters last week on whether he had finalized his decision about arming Ukraine with Tomahawks, Trump offered a measured response, saying he had “sort of made a decision” but wanted more information first.

“I think I want to find out what they’re doing with them,” he said. “Where are they sending them? I guess I’d have to ask that question.”

“I would ask some questions. I’m not looking to escalate that war,” he added.

Trump has made it clear that under his administration, there will be no blanket shipments of free weapons or aid to Ukraine. Instead, he has told NATO allies they are welcome to purchase the weapons and distribute them as they see fit, while he remains focused on acting as a peace broker between Russia and Ukraine.

{Matzav.com}

YERUSHALYIM: Tens of thousands of Yeshiva Bochurim have filled the Arnona Arena in joyous dance honoring Lomdei Torah at the historic “Amudei Olam” event.

Spirit Airlines announced major cuts set to take effect in 2026, including the closure of its maintenance and warehouse operations in Chicago (ORD) and Baltimore (BWI) starting January 1. The airline expects to furlough up to 365 pilots, downgrade 170 captains, and implement staff reductions beginning in November 2025 as part of efforts to realign its operations for the coming year.

The IDF confirmed that its fighter jets conducted a series of precision airstrikes tonight against Hezbollah “terrorist infrastructure” in southern Lebanon. The strikes targeted a cement quarry reportedly used by Hezbollah to rebuild infrastructure destroyed during Operation Northern Arrows, as well as sites operated by the Lebanese group “Green Without Borders,” which the IDF says serves as a civilian front for Hezbollah activity.

A video circulating online Thursday captured Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., stumbling as he walked with an uneven gait before falling to the ground.

In the clip, a reporter who identified herself as “Stella” could be heard asking McConnell, 83, a question regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “taking people off the streets and kidnapping them.”

As the senator moved forward, occasionally steadying himself by reaching for a nearby aide, he suddenly lost his footing and fell. Moments later, the aide and a Capitol Police officer rushed to his side and helped him stand.

After regaining his balance, McConnell turned toward the camera, gave a small smile, and waved, signaling that he was unharmed.

This is not the first public incident to raise concern about McConnell’s health. He has previously exhibited signs of frailty during his appearances in the Capitol.

In July 2023, McConnell froze mid-sentence during a press briefing, pausing his remarks and stepping away before eventually returning to the microphone.

At that time, the onetime Senate majority leader had started his scheduled comments before abruptly halting and being briefly escorted from the podium. When he came back, he reassured reporters, saying, “I’m fine,” and continued addressing other matters.

The question of who will succeed McConnell has already set off one of the most anticipated Republican contests in the nation, with the 2026 Kentucky GOP Senate primary expected to draw significant spending and attention.

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., currently leads the fundraising race for the Republican nomination to succeed McConnell.

Newsmax has contacted Barr — who once interned for McConnell — for his reaction to the incident.

McConnell announced in February that he would not run again, with his current Senate term concluding in January 2027.

{Matzav.com}