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The Board of Peace on Wednesday forcefully denied reports that it had struck a financial arrangement with Hamas, rejecting claims that a proposed $400 million fund would be used to pay off the terror group’s debts as part of a disarmament agreement.

In a Hebrew-language statement posted on X, Board of Peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov said the money described in the organization’s 15-point Gaza roadmap is intended solely for approved contractors and severance payments for Gaza civil servants—not for Hamas.

Calling the reports inaccurate, Mladenov said allegations of a financial agreement with Hamas are “false,” emphasizing that no such proposal had ever been discussed, negotiated, or considered. He also stressed that Hamas “will have no role” in governing Gaza and no access to Board of Peace funds.

The controversy focuses on Clause 5 of the proposed roadmap, which directs the future Palestinian technocratic governing body, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), to evaluate legitimate financial obligations owed to suppliers, contractors, and other entities, with payments capped at $400 million.

Kan interpreted that provision as effectively providing debt relief for Hamas. Board of Peace officials, however, insist that interpretation is completely incorrect.

According to an Arab diplomat from one of the mediating countries who spoke with The Times of Israel, the NCAG would conduct a comprehensive audit of Hamas’ financial records after assuming responsibility for governing Gaza.

The diplomat said money from the proposed fund would be paid only to contractors whose claims are verified as legitimate, with extensive background checks ensuring that no payments are made to anyone connected to terrorist activity.

Another portion of the fund would be designated for severance packages for Hamas-employed civil servants who are not retained by the incoming administration. The diplomat described those payments as both a legal obligation and a means of preventing even greater poverty in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

Mladenov added that every proposed payment would undergo a review and approval process before funds are distributed, with all financial records remaining subject to audits by donor nations.

The disagreement comes at a critical moment for the 15-point roadmap, which is designed to implement the Gaza peace framework approved under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803 and is facing significant political resistance.

Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu rejected the proposal on Sunday, declaring that Israeli forces would remain in Gaza until Hamas is “genuinely disarmed.”

A Board of Peace official told Reuters the following day that discussions with Israel were still ongoing despite Netanyahu’s public objections.

Mladenov appealed to Israel to back the initiative, arguing that the alternatives—allowing Hamas to rebuild its military capabilities or requiring Israel to reoccupy Gaza—would impose “an enormous human, military and economic cost.”

He said the proposal calls for Hamas’ complete disarmament, the establishment of civilian rule, and deployment of an international security force operating under American leadership.

According to officials familiar with the planning who spoke with The Times of Israel, the International Stabilization Force is expected to receive its first troops from Morocco, while Albania, Kazakhstan, and Kosovo have also pledged personnel. The plan envisions creating an initial humanitarian zone in Rafah, where Israeli forces would withdraw and ISF troops would take over, allowing screened Gazan civilians to relocate from areas controlled by Hamas.

Mladenov also announced that a monitoring system to oversee ceasefire violations is already operational.

The current ceasefire began last October under President Donald Trump’s broader Gaza initiative, which outlined a phased Israeli withdrawal, the surrender of weapons, and the transfer of governing authority to the technocratic committee.

Although Prime Minister Netanyahu has publicly opposed the roadmap, IDF soldiers told Channel 12 this week that their rules of engagement inside Gaza have become considerably more restrictive since the disarmament plan was unveiled, raising the possibility that some level of coordination with the Board of Peace is already taking place even as political disagreements continue.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

Today the Jewish community of Moldova celebrated the inauguration of its newly elected Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Axelrod, chosen in an election of the country’s Jewish community representing all its institutions.

The inauguration was led by the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Kalman Ber, who came to Chișinău for it — joined by chief rabbis and community leaders from across the Jewish world.

The chain:

Rabbi Yehuda Leib Tsirelson, Chief Rabbi of Bessarabia from 1908, killed in Chișinău in 1941.

Rabbi Zalman Abelsky, sent by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 1989 under Soviet rule, who rebuilt Jewish life in Moldova.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Axelrod, his grandson, inaugurated today.

Rabbi Ber told the hall: “From today, Chișinău will be remembered not for the Kishinev pogroms, but for Rabbi Axelrod.”

President Trump’s administration returned to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, asking the justices to clear the way for full enforcement of his executive order tightening mail-in voting rules ahead of November’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.

The Justice Department filed an emergency request seeking to halt a ruling issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston. That decision prevents the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing nationwide provisions of the executive order that impose stricter requirements on voting by mail.

President Trump signed the executive order in March after repeatedly advocating for tighter limits on mail-in voting. He has maintained for years that widespread voter fraud influenced the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Judge Talwani’s latest ruling broadened an earlier injunction she issued in June, which had blocked enforcement of the executive order in 23 mostly Democrat-led states and Washington, D.C. Those states had challenged the order, arguing that it violates the Constitution.

The administration has already asked the Supreme Court to overturn the June injunction. In Wednesday’s filing, the Justice Department requested that the justices also clarify that any ruling in the administration’s favor would apply to Talwani’s more recent nationwide order.

Government attorneys argued that the lawsuits should not have been allowed to proceed because federal agencies have not yet taken any final actions directly affecting the plaintiffs. As a result, they contend that the alleged injuries are hypothetical rather than actual.

Among other provisions, President Trump’s executive order instructs the Department of Homeland Security to compile and provide states with lists of U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote. It also directs the Justice Department to prioritize investigations and prosecutions of state and local election officials who issue ballots to individuals considered “not eligible” to vote in federal elections.

The order further requires the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail-in ballots only to voters who appear on each state’s approved absentee ballot list. The Postal Service recently began taking steps to implement those directives.

In explaining her decision to block enforcement, Judge Talwani wrote Tuesday that the executive branch lacks the constitutional authority to regulate elections, emphasizing that responsibility rests with the individual states under the U.S. Constitution.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz has instructed the IDF to prepare for an extended deployment in southern Lebanon, making clear that Israel has no intention of abandoning its security zones in Lebanon, Syria, or Gaza as it continues operations against Hezbollah.

On Wednesday, Katz toured IDF positions in Lebanese villages along Israel’s northern border, where he met with commanders overseeing both overt and covert military operations. During the visit, he received briefings on ongoing activities, reviewed plans for the next phase of the campaign against Hezbollah, and thanked troops for their efforts and battlefield successes.

Katz directed the military to begin both operational and logistical preparations for a prolonged presence in the area while continuing efforts to eliminate terrorist infrastructure, including underground tunnel networks.

“We see here the Beaufort Ridge after the tunnels there were destroyed. The IDF conducted a maneuver here through the Litani in a heroic operation and, with great skill, defeated Hezbollah and took the Beaufort, which defends Metula and the communities of the north and on IDF soldiers and threatens all Hezbollah areas on the horizon,” Katz stated.

Reaffirming Israel’s policy, Katz stressed that the country will not relinquish control of the security buffer. “As the Prime Minister and I clarified unequivocally, we are not withdrawing from this security zone. I am standing here in the heart of the security zone, from the sea in the west until the Beaufort area and the slopes of Mount Hermon in the east. The IDF is here to defend the northern communities and its forces; we will clear out this entire area, and we will ensure security for the residents of the north. Under no circumstances will we withdraw from the security zones: not in Lebanon, not in Syria, and not in Gaza. The lesson learned from October 7th is that we are protecting the residents by the IDF being here, in these places, and protecting them from invasions, shooting, and everything else. This is our chance; this is our policy; this is our approach.”

Katz said the strategic importance of the Beaufort fortress reflects Israel’s broader security doctrine, emphasizing the military’s control of high ground and its campaign to dismantle Hezbollah’s military capabilities. “The Beaufort fortress illustrates more than anything else the significance of this policy: we are up here, they are down there; the residents are protected, the IDF is inside, and 200,000 residents are outside. We are destroying the underground infrastructure and all the terrorist infrastructure they built with Iranian backing to invade the Galilee, and we are destroying all the homes in the area. This is our policy. We will continue it and will in no way allow jihadist enemies of this kind to threaten our residents or our borders. We are up here, they are down there, the residents are outside, the soldiers are inside, and the homes are destroyed.”

Joining Katz on the visit were Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, 36th Division commander Brig. Gen. Yiftah Norkin, Defense Minister’s Military Secretary Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim, along with other senior military commanders.

{Matzav.com}

Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman alleged on Wednesday that dozens of Hamas Nukhba terrorists recently conducted a simulated assault on an Israeli community in Gaza, claiming military commanders sought authorization to eliminate the operatives but were blocked by Israel’s political leadership.

According to Lieberman, roughly 50 members of Hamas’ elite Nukhba force participated in a training drill inside the Gaza Strip earlier this week, rehearsing the invasion and capture of a Jewish town.

He said commanders on the ground requested immediate approval to attack the terrorists during the exercise, but were instructed not to take any action.

Lieberman’s remarks followed a Channel 12 News report Tuesday night stating that the IDF detected unusual terrorist activity near the Gaza border that sparked concerns militants were preparing to cross the Yellow Line. The report said the military increased its level of readiness and deployed additional forces to the border area but refrained from striking after receiving instructions from the political echelon.

“The night before last, IDF forces identified a training exercise by approximately 50 Nukhba Force terrorists who were practicing a raid and takeover of a Jewish community,” he revealed. “IDF commanders in the field requested immediate action to carry out a targeted elimination of all the terrorists, but the political echelon’s instruction was: ‘You don’t touch a single one of them. You don’t even fire a single blank.'”

“This is surrender to terrorism and a return to the policy of containment and the conception that led to October 7,” he warned.

Lieberman said he toured communities surrounding Gaza on Wednesday, including Kerem Shalom, the site of what he described as a newly established American base near the crossing, as well as Kibbutz Be’eri, where he met with local security officials.

“What I saw and heard is extremely concerning, and I want to inform members of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet of several details that the Prime Minister is hiding from them and from the public,” he wrote.

Lieberman also alleged that Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu approved an arrangement negotiated between Board of Peace Director-General Nikolay Mladenov and Hamas under which the Board of Peace would distribute $400 million to suppliers and service providers using lists supplied by Hamas.

He further claimed that the agreement calls for approximately 40 percent of those funds—about $160 million—to be funneled back in cash to Hamas’ military wing.

Lieberman additionally asserted that the IDF has effectively completed its withdrawal from forward positions in Gaza, with troops now stationed only along a line of military outposts. “In the entire area between the line of posts – the Purple Line – and the yellow concrete barriers – the Yellow Line – not a single soldier remains.”

He also argued that the government’s decision to leave the yellow concrete barriers in place is merely a political distraction, claiming that despite their presence, Israeli forces no longer maintain any operational presence between the military outposts and the Yellow Line.

Turning to the role of the United States, Lieberman contended that the recent visit by the commander of CENTCOM to the American base in southern Israel illustrates how Israeli military decision-making has become dependent on Washington. “To move even a pin, American approval is required,” he blasted.

{Matzav.com}

A mysterious report suggesting that one Arab leader urged another to sign an agreement that would “lull Israel to sleep” is likely part of a sophisticated Mossad psychological warfare campaign that has left Arab leaders deeply unsettled, according to Dr. Ron Schleifer, an expert in psychological warfare.

In an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Schleifer said the leaked account should be viewed as a calculated intelligence operation rather than an ordinary media report. Although the identities of the two leaders remain undisclosed, he argued that revealing their names is not the primary objective. “Israel is probably eavesdropping on Arab leaders and decided to spread this report. Amit Segal is the one who received the report; he’s the ideal choice since he has right-wing views and works for Channel 12, which is still the most popular channel in Israel; that way, you get maximum exposure.”

Schleifer explained that the operation serves several strategic purposes. He believes the two unidentified leaders are now under tremendous personal strain, fearing that their identities could eventually be exposed. According to him, the uncertainty itself weakens them. The two “aren’t eating, not drinking, out of worry, pressure, and fear of the huge embarrassment they’ll have when their identities are revealed; and they will be revealed at some point to the Western audience. They have an enormous amount of worry that prevents them from directing energy towards advancing their goals.”

Beyond the impact on the two individuals, Schleifer said the leak sends a chilling message to governments throughout the Arab world. Leaders are now forced to wonder whether Israeli intelligence services are intercepting even their most confidential conversations and other closely guarded secrets, creating widespread unease and suspicion.

He added that the incident also reinforces Israel’s technological and intelligence superiority without requiring any public demonstrations of its capabilities. “You don’t need military and technology fairs to hint at this. One line to a journalist does the job. Another gain is the increase in the level of anxiety in the Arab world, where everyone is asking who these two leaders are.” Schleifer said the resulting atmosphere of paranoia ultimately benefits Israel.

Schleifer also argued that many Israelis recognize that attempts to deceive Israel are a legitimate tactic employed by Arab governments, pointing to Egypt as an example. “We have a peace treaty with Egypt, but it violated it in the first week after it was signed, and now the entire Sinai Peninsula has become a platform for military equipment rather than a means of fighting ISIS. This is clear to us, but it is still not clear to the Western world.”

Concluding his analysis, Schleifer praised what he sees as a growing emphasis on psychological warfare within Israel’s security establishment. “It is very encouraging to see that the Israeli security establishment is moving toward psychological warfare. I understand that the technical aspect is carried out by Unit 8200, and from there it moves throughout the security establishment. The Shin Bet deals with matters within Israel, the IDF operates in Gaza, Lebanon, and Judea and Samaria, and that leaves the Mossad.” He believes the Mossad, under the leadership of Roman Gofman, decided to launch the operation because of the strategic advantages it offers.

“The entire Arab world is boiling because of two lines leaked to a journalist. All of this followed a phone call to a journalist who can be trusted. This is a good sign. We are in a region where military activity is different, and we are finally adapting ourselves to these challenges. It is a very positive sign.”

{Matzav.com}

A senior adviser to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared that Tehran is prepared to keep its conflict with the United States going for years, even suggesting the fighting could continue until President Trump completes his current term in office in 2029.

Speaking in an interview with PBS, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a senior adviser to the commander of the IRGC, said Iran could deliberately prolong the war as part of its broader military strategy. According to Naqdi, extending the conflict would help discourage future attacks by demonstrating the high cost of confronting Iran.

“We must achieve deterrence so that the enemy will never dare attack us, so that we can live in security. One way is to prolong this war until we reach the next presidential term and cause attrition, so that if someone else wants to attack Iran, they will know that there is a price to pay,” Naqdi said.

Naqdi previously served as the IRGC’s deputy coordinator from 2019 through 2025, one of the organization’s senior leadership positions overseeing coordination across the force. He now serves as a senior adviser to the commander of the Revolutionary Guards.

During the interview, Naqdi also insisted that Iran had emerged victorious in the conflict, ridiculed President Trump, and asserted that “the American military is weaker than we thought.”

“Definitely, victory is on our side,” Naqdi said. “Washington is waging a war without a strategy. Every two or three days, they announced a new objective, including invading Kharg Island and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The longer this war continues, the more experience we will gain. We had never experienced a real war in which we could gain real experience and learn how to fight against America. In these five months, we have learned how. We have also seen how the American military is weaker than we thought.”

Naqdi further claimed that Iran’s missile production is exceeding the number of missiles it launches each day, suggesting the country continues to replenish its arsenal despite the ongoing war.

“If the day comes when Iran has no missiles left, that is when we will become even more dangerous to the United States. Because the United States has thousands of economic interests around the world, and all of them can easily be destroyed,” the senior Iranian adviser said.

{Matzav.com}

Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani has disclosed new details about the missile attack that reportedly struck the residence of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei at the outset of the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign against the Iranian regime, claiming the blast left Khamenei wounded and killed his wife.

In an interview with the Iranian Student News Network (SNN), Zakani said the attack took place at about 9:30 a.m., just as Khamenei and his wife were preparing to leave their home. According to him, the missile “directly hit the upper floor of the building,” where the couple was located at the time.

Zakani identified Khamenei’s wife as Zahra Haddad-Adel and said she had remained at the residence after typically seeing the couple’s children off to school around 7:30 each morning. He stated that she was killed in the strike, while Mojtaba Khamenei sustained injuries.

Describing what followed the attack, Zakani said those who were with Khamenei recounted that he remained intent on completing his prayers even as doctors worked to treat him and close his wounds with stitches. “At the height of his pain and injuries, he continuously remained concerned with performing the prayer,” Zakani said. He added that Khamenei displayed compassion, unwavering faith in God, and remarkable composure despite the severity of the situation.

Zakani also addressed the appointment of Major General Mohsen Rezaei, saying the move was intended to send a clear signal to the United States. He argued that Iran had entered a new era in which earlier political phases had concluded and the Islamic Republic, together with the “axis of resistance,” had emerged with greater regional and international influence. Speaking about Mojtaba Khamenei’s leadership, Zakani predicted that the Islamic Revolution would become “more mature, more distinctive and broader” during this new period.

The Tehran mayor also reflected on a previous conversation with Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict. Zakani said he had praised Larijani’s contribution to the Secretariat of the Islamic Cooperation Organization, recalling, “I told the late Larijani that the Secretariat gained value because of you,” Zakani said. He credited Larijani’s leadership, determination, and steadfast approach to confronting challenges with strengthening the organization’s stature.

{Matzav.com}

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her position at the end of August to focus on raising her young family, President Trump announced Tuesday, while revealing that she will continue serving as one of his closest outside advisers ahead of the midterm elections.

Leavitt, 28, became the youngest person ever to serve as White House press secretary. A mother of two, she welcomed her daughter, Viviana, in May and returned to work from maternity leave only last month.

President Trump praised Leavitt as “one of my most trusted aides.”

Announcing her transition on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections.”

He also commended her years of service, writing, “Karoline has been a real leader in the White House, and has done a phenomenal job fighting for Justice, Liberty, and Freedom, since 2018, including our Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024.”

Trump concluded his tribute by declaring, “Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office.”

Leavitt first joined the Trump administration as a White House intern before launching an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in New Hampshire during the 2022 midterm elections. She later became a key spokeswoman during President Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

During that campaign, Leavitt gave birth to her first child, Niko. Just three days later, President Trump survived an assassination attempt after being shot during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

She also made history as the first White House press secretary to have a child while serving in the role. The demanding position has traditionally been associated with rapid turnover, with most recent press secretaries serving between roughly 18 months and nearly three years. During President Trump’s first administration, four different individuals held the post.

Reflecting on her tenure, Leavitt described serving as press secretary as “the honor and adventure of a lifetime” and thanked President Trump for the opportunity.

“I have spoken with great pride about the many historic accomplishments of this Administration, and I have relished holding the liberal media accountable and ensuring the American people hear the truth about President Trump’s successes,” she said in a statement.

She explained that her decision was driven by family priorities, saying, “The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart.”

Leavitt emphasized that she plans to remain active in conservative politics, pledging to “always remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party” while warning that the “country is facing an existential threat from an increasingly extremist Democrat Party.”

Throughout her tenure, Leavitt adopted a more confrontational approach toward the media than many of her predecessors, frequently challenging news organizations over their reporting on President Trump and his administration.

She also introduced a new rotating seat in the White House briefing room reserved for independent reporters, podcasters, and online content creators, expanding opportunities for nontraditional media outlets to participate in daily press briefings.

President Trump has repeatedly praised Leavitt throughout her time in office, previously calling her a “star” and remarking, “I don’t think anybody has ever had a better press secretary than Karoline.”

Federal prosecutors have charged 11 New Yorkers in what Attorney General Todd Blanche described as one of the largest marriage fraud cases ever brought in the United States, accusing the group of orchestrating more than 1,000 fake marriages over the past decade to fraudulently secure green cards for foreign nationals.

According to Blanche, the defendants allegedly created a lucrative operation that paired foreign nationals—primarily from China—with American citizens in sham marriages designed solely to bypass U.S. immigration laws. He said the enterprise generated millions of dollars while helping applicants unlawfully obtain lawful permanent resident status.

Although the indictment was filed in the Southern District of New York, prosecutors contend the operation reached far beyond the state, arranging fraudulent marriages in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida.

Authorities allege that several of the defendants served as organizers who coordinated the overall operation, while others recruited Americans willing to enter fake marriages or acted as officiants to solemnize the fraudulent unions.

Investigators say the organizers promoted illegal immigration services through social media platforms and other advertising channels, targeting foreign nationals seeking a path to permanent residency.

Blanche said Chinese nationals allegedly paid as much as $100,000 to secure a fraudulent marriage that would allow them to apply for a green card.

The Americans who agreed to participate in the sham marriages were reportedly paid up to $30,000 for their involvement.

To make the marriages appear authentic, prosecutors allege the defendants staged photographs and established shared bank accounts, mobile phone plans, and other joint financial arrangements intended to convince immigration authorities the relationships were genuine.

The indictment further claims participants were coached on how to mislead immigration officials and conceal the fact that their marriages existed only on paper.

Blanche said many of the couples also signed prenuptial agreements that stripped away the normal legal rights associated with marriage, including inheritance rights, child support obligations, and claims to marital property. Prosecutors said one agreement explicitly acknowledged that although the individuals would be husband and wife in name, they would continue living separate lives and avoid interfering with one another.

The Justice Department estimates the alleged scheme brought in tens of millions of dollars from foreign nationals seeking permanent legal status in the United States.

“These charges, and the indictments now unsealed, they show how far people will go to cheat our immigration system,” Blanche said at a news conference Wednesday. “Gaining American citizenship and legal status to reside in this great nation is a sacred privilege, and we will ensure it is always done in accordance with the law protecting our communities and national security.”

The announcement comes shortly after President Donald Trump signed two executive orders aimed at curbing birth tourism, another practice his administration says exploits weaknesses in the nation’s immigration system.

“Our efforts to protect our immigration system and our country’s borders are aggressive and exhaustive,” Blanche said. “No matter how complicated the scam, we will do everything in our power to stop it.”

The newly unsealed indictment contains two conspiracy charges: conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, and conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States.

Those charged are Amy Cheng, 72; Xiao Mei Chan, 64; Christine Lu, 52; Jing Yan Ye, 43; Xiao Yan Chen, 48; Gang Zheng, 61; Anthony Cheng, 47; Michelle Duenas, 35; Angela Duenas, 26; Sigrid Cetino, 32; and Erika Johnson, 43.