The ceasefire in Gaza officially took effect at noon Israel time, with the IDF confirming that its forces have withdrawn to the agreed-upon positions under the deal with Hamas to secure the release of all hostages held by the terror group.
In a televised address on Friday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called the newly approved hostage-ceasefire deal a triumph of Israeli resolve, crediting a mix of “relentless military pressure” and “unwavering diplomacy” — including help from U.S. President Donald Trump — for forcing Hamas to agree to release the remaining captives and end the Gaza war. “I believed that if we applied heavy military pressure, combined with heavy diplomatic pressure, we would absolutely be able to return all of our hostages,” Netanyahu said from his office in Jerusalem. “And that is exactly what we did.” The prime minister, who has faced growing pressure and condemnation at home and abroad over the war’s duration and humanitarian toll, said he was unmoved by both domestic dissent and international caution. “There was pressure not to go into Rafah, not to take the Philadelphi Corridor, not to operate in other theaters — to end the war and leave Gaza while Hamas, Hezbollah, and others were at the height of their power,” he said. “But one consideration guided my decisions: the security of Israel.” Netanyahu dismissed claims that the agreement — which will see the release of all hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and the freeing of Palestinian prisoners — could have been reached months earlier. “Hamas never agreed to release all of our hostages while we remain deep inside the Strip,” he said. “Hamas agreed to the deal only when it felt the sword resting on its neck — and it is still on its neck.” He credited the IDF’s advance into Gaza City and what he described as “massive diplomatic pressure from our big friend President Trump” for shifting the balance. “This powerful combination caused Hamas to give back all of our hostages while the IDF remains deep inside the Strip and holds all the key positions,” Netanyahu said, promising that later stages of the deal would lead to Hamas’s full disarmament and Gaza’s demilitarization. “If this is achieved the easy way, great,” he warned. “And if not, it will be achieved the hard way.” The prime minister thanked Trump “for his world leadership and his unceasing efforts” in forging the deal, calling him “a true friend of our people.” He also named Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, along with Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, for their roles in the talks. Netanyahu took direct aim at critics who said freeing all the hostages without full IDF withdrawal was impossible. “They said there is no way to bring back the rest of the hostages without giving in to Hamas’s demand — that the IDF leave the Strip, the buffer zone, the Philadelphi corridor,” he said. “They were wrong.” He said Israel’s broader objectives remain unchanged: eliminating the Iranian threat and dismantling what he called “the Iranian axis,” which he said includes Hamas and Hezbollah. “That means achieving the goals of the war — returning the hostages, removing the ballistic and nuclear threat from Iran, and breaking the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu said. Netanyahu pledged to locate and return the bodies of slain hostages “for a Jewish burial,” calling it a “holy obligation of mutual responsibility.” He paid tribute to IDF soldiers and the families of the fallen, promising that Israel’s struggle “is not yet over.” “The Simchat Torah holiday two […]
The United States will send a 200-person military team to the Middle East to help monitor and enforce the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, senior U.S. officials said Thursday, marking Washington’s most direct on-the-ground role in the conflict since the Gaza war began nearly two years ago. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, will lead the mission, which officials described as a “multinational oversight operation” designed to ensure both sides adhere to the terms of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire and hostage release deal announced earlier this week by President Donald Trump. “Admiral Cooper will initially have 200 people on the ground. His role will be to oversee, observe, make sure there are no violations,” one senior official said. “The Israelis will obviously be in constant touch with them.” The deployment, which includes Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish, and possibly Emirati military officers embedded within the U.S.-led team, represents a rare joint security mechanism linking Israel and Arab states — many of which do not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Jerusalem. U.S. officials emphasized that no American troops will enter Gaza, describing the mission as strictly observational and logistical. “The notion is to make it collegial, if you will,” the official said, adding that the team’s presence in negotiations “gave a lot of confidence and security to the Arab countries.” That confidence, officials said, was key to persuading Hamas to sign onto the deal. “It was passed on to Hamas that we were taking a very strong role — or rather, that the president was taking a very strong position — in standing behind his guarantees and commitments here,” a second senior official said. According to the officials, the new team’s duties include helping establish a joint command and control center that will coordinate among the IDF and participating Arab militaries. The American contingent will consist of personnel with expertise in logistics, engineering, security, planning, and transport, with several members already en route to the region. It remains uncertain where the oversight team will be based. A source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that the troops will likely be stationed in Egypt, near the Rafah crossing, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested they would be deployed to Israel. The ambiguity reflects diplomatic sensitivities: Egypt is logistically and politically better positioned to host a multilateral coordination center that includes Qatar and Turkey — two nations with which Israel has strained relations. Officials offered no formal timetable for the mission’s full operational launch, though Cooper reportedly told mediators in Cairo that he could have the command post functional within two and a half weeks. During a Thursday cabinet meeting at the White House, President Trump hailed Cooper’s leadership and credited the admiral — alongside his special envoy Steve Witkoff, senior adviser Jared Kushner, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — for their roles in finalizing the Gaza deal. “Cooper — I hear he’s been fantastic,” Trump said. “He’s done a great job making this plan happen.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, winning recognition as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.” The former opposition presidential candidate was lauded for being a “key, unifying figure” in the once deeply divided opposition to President Nicolás Maduro’s government, said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee. “In the past year, Ms. Machado has been forced to live in hiding,” Watne Frydnes said. Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.” Machado’s ally, Edmundo González, who lives in exile in Spain, celebrated the Nobel award as a “very well-deserved recognition” of her fight and that of Venezuelans for freedom and democracy. He posted a short video on X of himself speaking by phone with Machado. “I am in shock,” she said, adding, “I cannot believe it.” “This is something that the Venezuelan people deserve,” Machado said in a call with the Norwegian Nobel Institute. “I am just part of a huge movement. … I’m humbled, I’m grateful and I’m honored not only by this recognition, but I’m honored to be part of what’s going on in Venezuela today.” “I believe that we are very close to achieving, finally, freedom for our country and peace for the region,” she said, adding that “even though we face the most brutal violence, our society has resisted” and insisted on struggling by peaceful means. “I believe that the world will now understand how urgent it is to finally, you know, succeed.” Maduro’s government has routinely targeted its real or perceived opponents. Machado, who turned 58 this week, was set to run against Maduro in last year’s presidential election, but the government disqualified her. González, who had never run for office before, took her place. The lead-up to the election saw widespread repression, including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations. The crackdown on dissent only increased after the country’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared him the winner despite credible evidence to the contrary. The election results announced by the Electoral Council sparked protests across the country to which the government responded with force that ended with more than 20 people dead. They also prompted an end to diplomatic relations between Venezuela and various foreign countries, including Argentina. Machado went into hiding and has not been seen in public since January. A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for González over the publication of election results. He went into exile in Spain and was granted asylum. More than 800 people are in prison in Venezuela for political reasons, according to the human rights advocacy group Foro Penal. Among them is González’s son-in-law, Rafael Tudares, who was detained in January. Dozens of those prisoners actively participated in Machado’s efforts last year. Some of her closest collaborators, including her campaign manager, avoided prison by sheltering for more than a year at a diplomatic compound in Caracas. They remained there until May, when they fled to the U.S. Early Friday in Caracas, some people heading to work expressed disbelief at the news of Machado’s win. “I don’t know what can be […]
In the annals of American political theater, few storylines are as richly ironic as Thursday’s federal indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James. The Democrat, who built her career on a crusade against Donald Trump, now finds herself on the receiving end of a Justice Department probe she decries as “desperate weaponization.” This turn of events isn’t just poetic justice—it illustrates how the left’s long-standing flirtation with lawfare against conservatives has sown the seeds of its own backlash, eroding public trust in institutions and inviting the very retaliation she now laments. Let’s rewind to 2018, when James was campaigning for attorney general. Eager to burnish her progressive credentials in a Democratic primary, she didn’t mince words about her intentions toward the incoming president. “We should never forget that the President of the United States is not above the law,” James declared on election night, vowing to “shine a bright light into every dark corner of his real estate dealings.” This wasn’t a post-investigation promise; it was a preemptive pledge, made months before she even took office. As New York Public Advocate, James had already been a vocal Trump critic, but her rhetoric escalated into a explicit commitment to probe the Trump Organization, his foundation, and his personal finances—jurisdictions conveniently headquartered in Manhattan. Critics warned at the time that such declarations smacked of prosecutorial bias, inverting the principle that investigations must be impartial, driven by evidence rather than electoral ambition. True to her word, James delivered. Her office launched a multi-year civil probe, culminating in a 2022 lawsuit accusing Trump and his company of fraudulently inflating asset values to secure loans and insurance. The case, presided over by a judge with well-documented anti-Trump donations, resulted in a staggering $450 million judgment (later reduced on appeal). Conservatives rightly viewed it as a textbook example of the “weaponization” narrative Trump popularized: a state enforcer, elected on anti-Trump fervor, wielding regulatory power to hamstring a political rival. James’s approach echoed the broader Democratic strategy—think Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s novel revival of a dormant federal statute to indict Trump on hush-money charges, or Fani Willis’s Georgia election probe, marred by conflicts of interest. These weren’t blind applications of justice; they were calibrated strikes in a partisan war, often stretching legal norms to ensnare a common foe. Fast-forward to today. and the script has flipped. A federal grand jury in Virginia—under a Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney, Lindsey Halligan—indicted James on Thursday on one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution. The charges stem from her 2020 purchase of a Norfolk, Virginia, property, where she allegedly misrepresented it as a secondary residence to secure a favorable $109,600 mortgage, only to rent it out as an investment—potentially saving her nearly $19,000 in interest. This comes hot on the heels of James Comey’s indictment in the same district for lying to Congress, another Trump nemesis. James’s response? A fiery statement branding the case a “continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.” She insists her Trump probe was “based on the facts and the evidence, not politics,” and vows to fight the “baseless charges” while continuing to “protect New Yorkers.” Democrats like Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed the outrage, decrying it as Trump’s “corrupt” […]
A multinational task force including Israel, the United States, Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar will be established to locate the bodies of Israeli hostages still missing in the Gaza Strip. The formation of the joint mission was finalized during the Sharm el-Sheikh negotiations in Egypt, where U.S., Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators secured the landmark agreement that halted nearly two years of war between Israel and Hamas. The task force’s mandate will be to find and recover the bodies of hostages whose locations remain unknown, including those believed to have been buried under Gaza’s vast network of tunnels and rubble. A senior Turkish official said Ankara would participate directly in the operation, underscoring Turkey’s expanding diplomatic role in post-war Gaza reconstruction and mediation efforts. “Since we expect there to be difficulties, we acted to set up an international task force that will have everything needed, including information and resources, to return the hostages to Israel,” said Gal Hirsch, Israel’s special coordinator for hostage affairs. 48 hostages remain in Gaza, including 47 from the original 251 people abducted during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre. The IDF has confirmed at least 26 are dead, with 20 believed alive and two in critical condition or unaccounted for. Among those held is the body of an Israeli soldier killed during the 2014 Gaza war, whose remains Hamas has long refused to return. Under the terms of President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan, all hostages — living and dead — are to be returned within 72 hours of the truce’s implementation, which began on Friday. But Hamas has told mediators that it does not know the whereabouts of several deceased captives, complicating its ability to meet that deadline. “Some of the bodies may have been lost in collapsed tunnels or handed to unaffiliated groups,” one Israeli official told CNN, noting that intelligence assessments suggest seven to fifteen bodies may remain unaccounted for. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been aware of the situation “for months,” officials added. The new task force will combine forensic, intelligence, and engineering teams from the participating nations, supported by data from Israel’s military intelligence and Shin Bet. Officials said the mission will work closely with Egyptian border authorities and international humanitarian groups to coordinate search areas. The effort represents a rare operational collaboration between Israel and Turkey, whose diplomatic ties have been strained for over a decade, and comes amid deep skepticism in Israel about Hamas’s willingness or ability to cooperate. The initiative also reflects the complex realities of the ceasefire deal — hailed by Washington as a diplomatic breakthrough but still fraught with logistical and moral challenges. Israel’s experience with hostage recovery has been agonizingly slow. Between January and March 2025, Hamas released 30 captives — including 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — along with the bodies of eight slain Israelis. One additional hostage, a dual American-Israeli citizen, was freed in May as a “gesture” to the U.S. Those releases followed a weeklong truce in November 2023, when 105 civilians were freed, and an earlier period in which four hostages were released shortly after the war began. So far, eight hostages have been rescued alive in Israeli operations, while the bodies of 51 others have been recovered — among them three captives mistakenly killed by IDF troops during […]
The IDF completed its withdrawal to agreed-upon deployment lines in the Gaza Strip on Friday, officially activating a fragile ceasefire and triggering a 72-hour deadline for Hamas to release all remaining hostages under the first phase of the U.S.-brokered deal. The pullback, finalized at noon, came under fire. Artillery and airstrikes continued in several zones as troops repositioned, and a reservist soldier was killed by a Hamas sniper just hours before the ceasefire began — a reminder of the volatility that remains on the ground. The IDF later identified the fallen soldier as Sgt. First Class (res.) Michael Mordechai Nachmani hy”d, 26, of Dimona, serving in the 614th Combat Engineering Battalion. His death brought Israel’s military toll since the start of the ground operation to 472, including two police officers and three civilian contractors. Under the terms of the deal, Hamas has until noon Monday to hand over all surviving hostages and as many of the bodies of the dead as it can locate. Following the redeployment, Israel now holds roughly 53 percent of Gaza’s territory, much of it outside dense population centers. That includes a buffer zone along the Strip’s entire perimeter and control of key corridors: the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border, the northern towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, the eastern ridges of Gaza City, and broad swaths of Rafah and Khan Younis in the south. Both the IDF and Hamas’s Civil Defense agency issued public warnings Friday urging civilians to stay away from areas where Israeli forces remain deployed. “According to the agreement, IDF troops will remain deployed in specific areas of the Gaza Strip. Do not approach IDF troops in the area until further notice,” said Col. Avichay Adraee, the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson. “Approaching the forces exposes you to danger.” He said movement between north and south Gaza would be allowed via the Rashid coastal road and Salah a-Din highway, but cautioned against entering sensitive areas: “Approaching Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, Shejaiya, Rafah crossing, or the Philadelphi Corridor remains extremely dangerous.” Adraee also warned civilians to stay out of the Mediterranean: “There is great danger in fishing, swimming, and diving. We warn against entering the sea in the coming days.” Hamas’s Civil Defense echoed the warning, telling Gazans to avoid border areas “until an official announcement is made about a full withdrawal.” Despite the cautions, video footage from Gaza showed hundreds of residents moving north along the coastal road toward Gaza City — the war-ravaged urban center that has seen some of the most intense fighting of the conflict. Under the terms of the U.S.-brokered agreement, Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences, as well as 1,700 Gazans detained since the October 7 attacks. Hamas has informed mediators it may not be able to account for all the bodies of slain hostages, which could complicate the timeline of the exchange. For Gaza, the truce brought a measure of relief — and uncertainty. Much of the territory has been reduced to rubble after months of fighting, with over a million people displaced. For Israel, the pause represents both a diplomatic breakthrough and a test of trust in Hamas’s commitment to the terms of the deal. As the 72-hour clock began ticking Friday, both sides brace for what could either […]
Far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich announced Thursday that their parties will vote against the first phase of Israel’s newly announced ceasefire and hostage-release agreement, setting up a potential confrontation that could fracture Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fragile governing coalition. The deal — which the cabinet is expected to approve tonight following hours of delay — calls for the release of all 48 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. But Ben Gvir, Israel’s National Security Minister and head of the ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party, said the cost of the agreement was too high. “Our hearts are filled with joy, happiness and excitement that all the hostages are expected to return home,” Ben Gvir said in a statement. “But alongside this joy, we must not — under any circumstances — ignore the question of the price: the release of thousands of terrorists, including 250 murderers who are expected to be freed from prisons.” Citing the danger of releasing convicted terrorists, Ben Gvir said Otzma Yehudit would “oppose the deal in the government.” The cabinet meeting, delayed for more than three hours over Ben Gvir’s objections to the prisoner list, is still expected to ratify the agreement later tonight. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the Religious Zionism party, also announced his faction would vote against the deal, deepening tensions between Netanyahu’s far-right partners and the rest of the coalition. While Ben Gvir said his party would remain in the coalition for now, he issued a warning to Netanyahu. “I made it clear to the prime minister that I will not remain in a government that allows Hamas’s rule in Gaza to continue,” he said. “If Hamas’s rule is not dismantled, or if we are merely told that it has been dismantled while in reality it continues to exist under another guise — Otzma Yehudit will bring down the government.” If both Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism withdraw from the coalition, Netanyahu’s 60-seat government — already short of a parliamentary majority — would fall to just 47 seats in the 120-member Knesset, potentially triggering new elections. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s chief negotiator in the ceasefire deal announced Thursday, delivered his first public remarks since the agreement was reached, declaring that the group had secured U.S. guarantees to end the war “indefinitely” and confirming the key terms of the accord with Israel. Speaking in Gaza City, al-Hayya claimed Hamas had “acted responsibly” throughout negotiations led by mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, with backing from Iran and Yemen, and that the agreement marked the “end of the war” and the start of an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. “Today we announce an agreement to end the war, [see Israel] withdraw from the Strip and carry out a prisoner exchange,” al-Hayya said. “We received guarantees from the mediators and the Americans that the war has ended indefinitely.” The deal — officially announced earlier Thursday by the White House and the Israeli government — calls for the release of all 48 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for 250 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 additional detainees from Gaza who were imprisoned after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. The later stages of the agreement, which include Hamas’s disarmament and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, have yet to be negotiated. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said earlier Thursday that Israel “is not preparing to renew the war,” signaling that Jerusalem is prepared to uphold the ceasefire as long as Hamas complies with its terms. Al-Hayya’s speech blended triumph and defiance, framing the agreement as both a military and diplomatic victory for Hamas. “Just as they were men on the battlefield, so we were men at the negotiating table,” he said, referring to Hamas operatives killed in the fighting. By invoking American “guarantees” of peace, al-Hayya appeared to credit President Donald Trump’s administration with playing a decisive role in finalizing the agreement — a claim that could complicate Israel’s domestic debate over the deal and its long-term implications for Gaza’s future governance. The remarks also underscored the influence of regional powers long aligned with Hamas. “We thank Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey for their mediation, and we thank our brothers in Iran and Yemen for their steadfast support,” al-Hayya said, acknowledging Tehran and the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen — both of which have maintained hostilities against Israel throughout the war. While the ceasefire represents the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the conflict erupted last year, Israeli officials have yet to confirm the duration or scope of the American “guarantees” cited by al-Hayya — leaving key questions about enforcement and verification still unresolved. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
DEVELOPING: The Security Cabinet has concluded its meeting to discuss and approve the ceasefire and hostage-release stage of the U.S.-brokered plan to end the war in Gaza, according to an official from one of the participating ministries who spoke to The Times of Israel. The proposal will now be brought before the full cabinet for a vote, where it is expected to pass with a strong majority.
Farmers in northern Israel carved a massive message into their fields reading “NOBEL 4 TRUMP,” celebrating President Trump’s historic Middle East peace deal.
BREAKING: Police are investigating a bomb threat targeting Yeshiva University. The threat, sent yesterday, was not seen until today, and is not considered credible.
Benny & Friends A Chol Hamoed concert with Benny Friedman featuring a star studded lineup of special guests Sunday Oct 12, Chol Hamoed Sukkos Newark Symphony Hall Get Your Tickets Now!! https://t.ly/sing.ywn
ROCK HILL: Catskills Hatzolah and other emergency personnel are on the scene of a serious MVA involving an overturned vehicle at 187 Glenwild Road. One child is being airlifted by Medevac to Westchester Medical Center with serious injuries but in stable condition, while four additional patients were transported by Catskills Hatzolah to Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown in stable condition.
President Trump on subsequent phases of the Gaza Peace Deal: “The first thing we’re doing is getting our hostages back… After that, we’ll see — but they’ve agreed to things and I think it’s going to move along pretty well.”
TRUMP: “Just everything came together, I think the attack was very important on Iran, because if that hadn’t happened, then probably by now there would have been nuclear weapons, therefore even if we signed a deal, there would have been dark clouds on it, but now Iran wants to work on peace, they informed this, they also supported this deal, we appreciate. We’ll work with Iran, there are a lot of sanctions.”
