Yeshiva World News

HY’D: IDF soldier Eitan Avner, 22, from Har Bracha, was killed today by an explosive device in Gaza, the Shomron Regional Council announced; he had married just three months ago.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani is in Washington, D.C., marking the first official visit by a top Syrian diplomat to the U.S. capital in 25 years. He is scheduled to discuss lifting remaining sanctions on Syria and negotiating a security agreement with Israel.

Hamas’ military wing posted a graphic on its channels celebrating the deadly attack at the Allenby Border Crossing, bearing the message: “Jordan is from us and we are from it.”

Nvidia announced it will acquire a $5 billion stake in Intel, becoming a major shareholder alongside the U.S. government.

Footage shows IDF helicopters conducting surveillance near the Allenby border crossing and the Palestinian city of Jericho. Following a terro attack the killed 2 israelis

Zalmy Cohen, a prominent member of Hatzalah South Florida, is donating a kidney today. Donor: זלמן בן שיינא הינדא Recipient: רות בת שושנה This selfless act should be a זכות for him and his family and inspiration for all of us.

NEC Director Kevin Hassett: “The fact that consumption is booming is a sign that people in the bottom half of the income distribution are super optimistic about the effect of our policies.”

President Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, ink the historic U.S.-U.K. Tech Prosperity Deal — another massive private investment and collaboration between the two nations.

In Portugal, a group of whales capsized and sank a boat, but all nine passengers were safely rescued.

ELIMINATED: The IDF carried out an airstrike in the Baalbek area, killing Hezbollah operative Hussein Sifu Sharif, who was involved in weapons trafficking and directing terror cells to launch attacks against Israel from Syria.

Last night, the IDF launched intense ground and aerial assaults, heavily targeting northwest Gaza City.

A U.S. court has ordered that Mahmoud Khalil, the leader of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, be deported to either Syria or Algeria.

Two Israeli men, aged about 20 and 60, were killed in a shooting and stabbing attack on Thursday afternoon at the Allenby Crossing between Israel and Jordan. According to Israeli security officials, the terrorist was the driver of a humanitarian aid truck entering Israel from Jordan en route to the Gaza Strip. During an inspection, he exited the vehicle, opened fire at close range, and then stabbed the victims before being shot and neutralized by a security guard at the scene. Magen David Adom teams rushed to the area and attempted resuscitation, but both victims were pronounced dead shortly afterward. The attack prompted the closure of the Allenby Crossing, as large IDF forces were dispatched to the site. Paramedics described arriving to find the two men unconscious with severe gunshot wounds, but despite extensive efforts, they were unable to save them.

An IDF soldier and reservist, about 20 and 60, were murdered in a shooting attack on Thursday afternoon at the Allenby Crossing between Israel and Jordan. An Israeli security official said that the terrorist was a driver of a humanitarian aid truck that was on its way from Jordan to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip. He was neutralized at the scene by an Israeli security guard who was stationed at the crossing. According to reports, he opened fire on the victims and then stabbed them with a knife. MDA teams who arrived at the scene found the two victims, about 20 and 60, unconscious. Paramedics carried out resuscitation techniques but shortly later, were forced to pronounce the deaths of both victims at the scene. Initial details indicate that the terrorist drove over the crossing on the Jordanian side of the border and then arrived in Israel for further inspection at the terminal. During the inspection of the truck, he got out of the car, drew his pistol, and then shot the two victims at close range and then stabbed them. Immediately afterward, he was shot and neutralized. MDA paramedics said, “We arrived at the scene with large forces and joined the security forces at the crossing. They led us to two men who were unconscious with gunshot wounds to their bodies while they were receiving initial medical treatment. We continued the medical treatment, which included performing resuscitation attempts, at the end of which we were unfortunately forced to pronounce them dead.” A large number of IDF forces arrived at the scene. Following the attack, the Allenby Crossing was closed.  Almost exactly a year ago, three Israelis were murdered in a terror attack at the Allenby Crossing. This is a developing story. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved bipartisan legislation to ensure Jewish American servicemembers killed in battle are finally laid to rest under the proper symbol of their faith — after more than 80 years of mistaken burials under Christian crosses. H.R. 2701, the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act, co-sponsored by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Max Miller (R-Ohio), passed Monday by voice vote. The measure directs the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) to launch a 10-year program to identify and correct grave markers for Jewish troops buried overseas under Latin Crosses instead of the Star of David. Historians estimate that as many as 900 Jewish-American servicemembers from World War I and World War II lie in foreign cemeteries marked with crosses — a legacy of clerical error and incomplete wartime records. Families seeking to change those headstones have long faced an almost impossible burden: proving religious identity generations after their relatives fell in combat. The legislation authorizes $500,000 annually for five years, in addition to ABMC’s budget, to contract with nonprofits tasked with identifying misidentified Jewish servicemembers and rectifying their grave markers. The bill has received support from across the military and veteran community, including the Jewish Federations of North America, Jewish War Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Gold Star Spouses of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, and the Non-Commissioned Officers Association. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is moving to neutralize the “radical and unlawful” threat by Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, who has repeatedly pledged to arrested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits Manhattan. Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference and a rising star in GOP politics, introduced legislation Tuesday that would bar state or local authorities from enforcing an International Criminal Court warrant against Netanyahu. The ICC—based in The Hague and not recognized by Washington—has sought to arrest Israeli officials over alleged war crimes in Gaza, a move the U.S. has denounced as illegitimate. “This bill will protect American sovereignty and prohibit radicals like Mamdani from illegally arresting the leader of our democratic ally Israel,” Stefanik said in a statement. The legislation would specifically preempt any attempt by New York law enforcement to detain Netanyahu during a visit to the city, home to the United Nations headquarters. Mamdani, a state assemblyman and outspoken critic of Israel, has gained national attention for his support of the boycott movement and for accusing the Jewish state of committing “genocide” in Gaza. He drew heavy backlash after refusing to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada,” a phrase that encourages violence against Jews at a time when antisemitic incidents were already spiking in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terror assault on Israel. Although Mamdani has since distanced himself from the phrase, he continues to champion boycotts and sanctions targeting Israel. Those positions have left him deeply unpopular among Jewish voters: a Quinnipiac University poll this month found that 75 percent of Jewish likely voters view him unfavorably, with Mayor Eric Adams—who is considering an independent run—leading Mamdani 42 to 21 percent in a hypothetical matchup. For Stefanik, who is almost certain to mount a 2026 run for New York governor, the legislation is both a policy and political maneuver. It positions her as a defender of Israel at a moment when the Jewish state’s staunchest allies in Washington are vowing to push back on the ICC, while also drawing a sharp contrast with Mamdani, whose rhetoric has made him a lightning rod in the mayoral race. “Netanyahu is not the criminal here—Hamas is,” Stefanik said. “And no local politician in New York will be allowed to hijack American foreign policy for their fringe agenda.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Meta’s newest artificial-intelligence powered smart glasses include a tiny display and can be controlled by a neural wristband that lets you control it with “barely perceptible movements,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Wednesday. Zuckerberg continues to evangelize the glasses as the next step in human-computer interactions — beyond keyboards, touch screens or a mouse. “Glasses are the only form factor where you can let AI see what you see, hear what you hear,” and eventually generate what you want to generate, such as images or video, Zuckerberg said, speaking at the tech giant’s Menlo Park, California headquarters. The glasses, called Meta Ray-Ban Display, will be available Sept. 30 and cost $799. Meta also updated its original, display-less Ray-Ban glasses to have a better battery life, which Meta says lasts eight hours with typical use, nearly twice as long as the previous model. An upcoming feature, called “conversation focus,” will amplify the voice of the person the user is speaking to and help drown out background noise (this will be available on the older version of the glasses too, as a software update, Zuckerberg said. Meta also added German and Portuguese to the gadget’s live translation capabilities. The new model costs $379 and the previous model now costs $299. The company also unveiled a new set of AI-powered glasses for athletes, called the Oakley Meta Vanguard which Meta says is specifically for “high-intensity sports” and can be integrated with Garmin devices to give users feedback about their workouts such as heart rate and stats. For instance, a runner could ask “Hey Meta, what’s my heart rate?” and get a voice response through the glasses. It also auto-captures video clips when the user hits key milestones or ramps up their heart rate, speed or elevation. The glasses will cost $499 and go on sale Oct. 21. While the company has not disclosed sales figures of the glasses, it said they’ve been more popular than expected. “For more than a decade, Zuckerberg’s long-term vision with Oculus and the Metaverse has been that glasses and headsets will blur the lines between physical and digital worlds,” said Forrester analyst Thomas Husson. “After many false starts, the momentum to move beyond an early adopter niche is now.” Meta teased a prototype for Orion, which Zuckerberg called “the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen,” last year — but these holographic augmented reality glasses are still years away from being on the market. Like other tech companies, Meta has been making massive investments in AI development and hiring top talent at eye-popping compensation levels. In July, Zuckerberg posted a note detailing his views on “personal superintelligence” that he believes will “help humanity accelerate our pace of progress.” While he said that developing superintelligence is now “in sight,” he did not detail how this will be achieved or exactly what “superintelligence” means. The abstract idea of “superintelligence” is what rival companies call artificial general intelligence, or AGI. Zuckerberg has said he believes AI glasses are going to be “the main way we integrate superintelligence.” (AP)

Dozens of religious Hesder soldiers found themselves serving in mixed battalions with female combat soldiers in recent weeks, Arutz Sheva reported. The soldiers complained to their commanders and asked to be transferred to other units, but their requests went unheeded. The soldiers say that the integration of female combat soldiers into their battalion has made army service impossible for them. One of the soldiers explained. “At first, we were in a regular battalion, but over time, girls began to join—at first in one company, then in another company, and apparently this plague will continue to grow.” “We are a large group of soldiers who requested to be transferred from the very start and were met with constant refusal because we are in a ‘gender company’ (a company designed to promote gender integration) and the girls are in other companies. In the last deployment, the entire battalion was in one school complex for almost a whole week, and the spiritual obstacles were out of control. I’ve reached a breaking point and can’t continue like this anymore.” Efrat Lupo, founder of the Soldiers’ Wives For The Kedushah Of The Machaneh organization, responded to the report by stating, “Enough with harming religious soldiers in the name of progressivism. The IDF must respect its soldiers who are Shomrei Mitzvos.” “It’s absurd to talk about recruiting Chareidim without allowing Shomrei Mitzvos to serve in the IDF according to halacha,” she concluded. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A serious traffic accident occurred on Thursday morning between two cars, both driven by Chareidi women, on Route 3670, near Meitzad and the yishuv of Pnei Kedem in Gush Etzion. According to a statement from United Hatzalah of Yehudah and Shomron, the firefighters who arrived at the scene identified a serious traffic accident between two vehicles and a number of injured people. After conducting an initial assessment, they began rescuing one victim, a pregnant woman, who was trapped in the car, while working in cooperation with medical teams to provide medical treatment during the rescue. Two women in their 30s were critically and seriously injured with chest and limb injuries and were evacuated from the scene in an IDF helicopter. Three others, in their 20s, were moderately and lightly injured with head and limb injuries and were evacuated by MDA ambulances. United Hatzalah paramedics reported, “This was a very severe scene. We provided initial medical treatment to two women, about 35 years old, who were seriously injured and evacuated by IDF helicopter to the hospital. We also treated three additional victims in light to moderate condition, who were later evacuated to the hospital by ambulance for further care.” A Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson added, “Firefighters arriving at the scene identified a serious traffic accident between two vehicles with several casualties. After conducting an initial assessment, the firefighters began extricating a trapped victim while working in coordination with medical teams to provide treatment during the rescue. Once the extrication was completed, firefighters carried out additional sweeps of the site and disconnected the vehicles’ power sources.” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A major drama unfolded at Prison 10 on Wednesday evening after a van carrying 20 Chareidi detainees arrived at the prison gates, where a large group of Chassidim from various kehillos were holding a protest. The Chassidim blocked the van from entering the prison grounds, and clashes broke out between the protesters and IDF and police forces. Amid the tumult, one of the detainees was aided by the crowd to jump out of the van and escape the scene. During the rally, Reb Nechemia Alter, son of the Gerrer Rebbe, condemned UTJ and Shas members for supporting the government. “We must fight with all our strength against this evil government,” he asserted. The IDF spokesperson responded to the incident: “As part of the IDF’s routine enforcement activity, a number of draft dodgers were arrested today, tried in disciplinary proceedings, and sent to detention. While en route to the military prison, the vehicle encountered a protest at the Kfar Yona junction, during which a number of protesters threw stones and sprayed tear gas. Two IDF soldiers were lightly injured by tear gas and were treated at the scene.” “Also during the incident, one of the detainees managed to escape. The IDF views the incident severely and condemns any action against IDF personnel, who seek to enforce the law. The IDF will continue to act in accordance with the law as required.” Peleg Yerushalmi announced that protests will be held throughout the country on Thursday in the wake of the arrest and imprisonment of an avreich on Wednesday and other arrests of bnei yeshivos. Protests are scheduled for 5 p.m. in five cities: Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Modi’in Illit, Beit Shemesh, and the Tzfas area. Below is a video of the protest at Prison 10 before the van arrived: (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)